Chapter 14: Best Friends

"Hey, is it okay like this?" Bryan asked. The gazes of the people in this place seemed to penetrate his heart.

How come? Now the four of them were busy taking care of the drunk Lucia and taking her to the car. Actually it's a common thing, but it seems that people don't think so.

Four men carry a drunk woman. It looked like they were going to do something to her.

"Why? You're afraid they'll think we're going to harass her, are you?" Leo said who didn't care at all about other people's judgments. He was actually happy to take part in carrying Lucia.

"Looks like they misunderstood!" Said Chris who had been observing the people around them.

This is a nightclub, when a man and a woman are drunk and want to spend the night together it is commonplace. However, what about the four suspicious men? Could they be spending the night with her too? Chris was quite annoyed by the way people looked at him, but he tried to hold it in.

"Leave it alone! The most important thing is that we take her and bring her home safely!" Pierre said as he opened his car door.

Leo carried Lucia into the passenger seat and laid her down. Meanwhile Pierre took over the wheel because this was his car.

"How about I just take her home?" Leo volunteered after they had previously agreed that Pierre would take her to Mrs Joana's house considering the distance from Pierre's house was the closest.

"You think we'll let that happen?" Bryan said who felt very disapproving of Leo's offer.

"Why? Do you mind? Do you care about her so much that you don't want to leave me alone with her?" Leo smirked, trying to show his aggression towards Bryan who had been on the dance floor looking very annoyed at him.

"Damn it, who cares about her anyway? I don't care! It's up to you!" He said angry. His exaggerated emotions clearly showed what was in his heart.

Leo was giggling, which pissed Bryan off and wanted so badly to beat him up. Meanwhile Chris was in his car and ready to go home.

"Alright, I'll take Lucia home! See you later?" Said Pierre as he drove his car towards the highway.

Unlike the vengeful Bryan, the flirtatious Leo or the gentle Chris. Pierre felt that he had no grudges or serious problems with Lucia. Compared to the other friends, Lucia used to be closest to him because they were neighbors. One could not say that Pierre hated her, but what he felt was an incomprehensible disappointment.

"My head hurts ...!" Lucia raised her head slowly.

"If you're dizzy, just sleep again!" Pierre who was driving his car was still watching Lucia from the rearview mirror.

"Where is this?"

"In my car!"

"Where are the others?"

"Chris, Bryan and Leo went back to their respective homes. I brought you!"

"Am I drunk?" Lucia felt so dizzy and nauseous that her vision was spinning.

"Yes, it seems so!" Pierre sighed. He hoped Lucia wasn't too drunk to be acting weird since he was driving right now.

"Oh my God, what an idiot I am. That must be embarrassing, huh?" She said while laughing amused thinking about her embarrassing behavior that she might have done without her knowing it.

"Hahaha... not really! It's just that you look really excited! You can't drink too much alcohol, can you?"

"Actually yes! Haha..." Lucia giggled. She had to admit that she was a bad drinker.

"Next time don't push yourself! We can go to a cafe and have coffee!"

"But don't the guys get together to a bar or a club? So, I thought-"

"Chris doesn't drink! He's the one who takes care of his health. I don't want to drink too much either because I'm training regularly. As for Bryan and Leo, they're strong drinkers, so it's fine!"

"Those bastards haven't changed, have they?"

"Hahaha... yes!"

Pierre continued to drive and occasionally glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure Lucia was okay.

"Is it all right that you came home drunk?"

"I think that's fine! Mrs Joana doesn't seem to mind!"

"Thank goodness! Do you want to go somewhere?"

"Somewhere? Why?"

"The day after tomorrow I'm going back to London. Bryan, Chris and Leo are also going to London!"

"You don't live in this town anymore, do you?"

"Yes! We came home to attend the reunion invitation. Will you stay?"

"Maybe, I don't know either!" Lucia wasn't sure if she could survive just by relying on her job at the cafe. But for now she didn't have much choice.

"Why?" Asked Pierre. Although there was much he wanted to know from Lucia. But he was self-aware enough to hold back his curiosity until their relationship really improved.

"Yeah, because I just got hired and I don't know where to go either!" She said softly. Lucia touched her dizzy head. The words that she didn't realize that came out of her half-drunken mouth made Pierre feel something strange.

He didn't know why, but he felt something made Lucia decide to return to this city after being away for 12 years.

"Why don't you accept Bryan's offer to work for his company?"

"I don't want to deal with that loser! I can't stand seeing that annoying face every day!"

"Hahaha... you won't see him every day. Even though his speech is rude and his behavior is childish. But actually Bryan is very busy. He doesn't always have time to hang out because he has a lot of work to do!"

"Isn't he the CEO? He shouldn't be that busy, right? He must have a lot of subordinates helping him!"

"You're right! But he feels very responsible for maintaining the company that has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, he takes his responsibilities seriously!"

Lucia was stunned, Bryan's annoying face appeared in her head which still felt dizzy and for some reason it just made her feel really nauseous. She didn't understand, why Bryan's attitude got worse as he grew up? It felt like a miracle that they had been friends for 12 years. Something that might be very step to happen in this world

"What about Chris? I heard his wife died. When did Chris get married?" Asked Lucia. She great curiosity emerged. She began to interrogate Pierre to tell her about many things she might not know.

Pierre chuckled, he was getting comfortable with the conversation even though it seemed that Lucia was not really in a conscious state.

"He married five years ago and his wife is the woman he was betrothed to!"

"So, Chris was matchmaking, huh?"

"Yes! You know what he's like? Quiet and rarely close with women. He's never had a girlfriend, so his dad set him up with the daughter of the owner of several hospital branches in England, Scotland and Ireland!"

"Daughter of a rich family, huh? His dad must be very happy, right? Those mercenary parents!" Lucia muttered and cursed. She still remembers what Chris' father was like who was known to be greedy and a moneymaker. A failed doctor who is obsessed with owning a private hospital.

Pierre smiled, he didn't expect that Lucia was still as direct as ever. He hasn't really changed, only his outward appearance is different. But on the inside, she was still the Lucia they knew.

"Leo how? What's his job now?"

"Why not just ask the person directly?"

"I'll ask him for details later! Now you just tell me!" She spoke like a person who was delirious, but wanted to continue talking.

"Leo works as a pilot for a private plane belonging to a wealthy New York family!"

"Pilot? That bastard? Really?"

"Yes! Sounds impossible, doesn't it?"

"No, I thought maybe he'd be a gambler and a drunk like his goddamn father! Damn, when I remember how he used to beat up Leo so much I feel like killing him!" She said with a strange emotion that Pierre could feel.

Lucia still remembers all their childhood memories, even what her friends' parents were like, she still remembers them. For some reason Pierre was touched because she still remembered all the memories they had together.

"How about you? Where do you work?"

"I just graduated from my PhD in London. I'm currently working as a Lecturer and part-time modeling!"

"What about football? You don't want to be a football player anymore?"

"Hahaha... I think for now, I don't really want it! Maybe there's something better for me!" Said Pierre, laughing blandly. As if he was hiding something.

"It wasn't because your mom and dad were against your ideals, was it?" She asked with a unique sensitivity. Pierre couldn't hide his smile.

"You still think that way?"

"Didn't they say that being a football player can't guarantee your future? So, you stopped doing it because you thought maybe what they were saying was true. Is that so?"

"Hahaha... you're really drunk, aren't you?"

"Yeah, looks like I'm drunk!"

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