Nicolas straightened in his seat. His body went rigid with anticipation. "Tell me," he said.

Vanessa didn’t answer with words.

Instead, she pushed her chair closer, the legs scraping softly against the floor. The movement brought her body inches from his. She reached out, her fingers finding his knee beneath the table. She squeezed gently, her touch lingering.

Nicolas’s breath hitched.

Vanessa’s hand slid slowly up his thigh, her long nails grazing the fabric of his trousers. She watched his face, enjoying the way his jaw slackened, the way his eyes darkened.

She leaned in, her lips brushing the shell of his ear. Her breath was warm, sweet with wine. "Not so easily," she whispered, her voice a velvet caress. "You’ll have to convince me."

Her hand continued its lazy climb, her fingers tracing circles over his inner thigh. She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, her gaze hungry and amused.

Nicolas swallowed hard. His throat bobbed. He could feel the heat of her palm through his pants, the pressure of her fingers.

He looked at her. At her blonde hair spilling over her bare shoulders. At her plump, glossy lips. At the expensive dress clinging to every curve.

He lost his self control.

He reached out and placed his hand on her bare knee, his fingers spreading wide. Her skin was warm, soft, and smooth. He let his thumb trace a slow circle on the inside of her knee, just above where her dress ended.

"Sure," he said, his voice rough, almost a growl.

Vanessa’s smile widened. She leaned closer, pressing her chest against his arm. Her hand slid higher, her nails grazing the sensitive skin just below his belt.

"That’s what I wanted to hear," she whispered.

She pulled him closer, her fingers curling into the fabric of his open shirt. Her lips found the side of his neck, hovering there, not quite touching. Just breathing. Just teasing him.

Nicolas’s eyes fluttered half-closed. His hand slid higher up her thigh, disappearing beneath the hem of her dress.

Vanessa let out a soft, satisfied hum. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Outside the booth, the lounge music played on. Ice clinked in glasses. Laughter floated from nearby tables.

No one noticed the two figures in the corner, tangled together in the dark, plotting something dangerous.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

A few days later, Bella stood in Mira’s kitchen, staring at the massive pizza box on the table. It was enormous, the kind of pizza that usually required a crowd to finish. But here, it was just the three of them.

"Wow," Bella said, her eyes wide. "Are you sure we can eat this alone?"

Karl shrugged, already reaching for a slice. "We can try."

Mira laughed, pushing her glasses up. "We’ll have leftovers for days."

Bella looked around the kitchen. The house was small, nothing like the estate where she lived with Leo. But it was cozy and warm. The walls were painted a soft yellow, and the cabinets were white with small floral handles. A collection of mismatched mugs hung from hooks near the window. The smell of something sweet, maybe vanilla, maybe flowers, drifted through the air.

She liked it. She liked it a lot.

Mira had invited her over to work on their group presentation. The professor had announced that students could form groups of three, and Mira had immediately grabbed Bella’s arm.

"You’re with us," Mira had said.

Karl had nodded, as if there had never been any other option.

Now they were here, in Mira’s kitchen, with a giant pizza, a stack of notebooks, and a deadline looming.

Bella took a bite of her slice. It was good. Hot, cheesy, perfect.

"So," Mira said, pulling out her laptop, "the presentation is on emerging technologies. We need to pick a topic."

"Blockchain," Karl said immediately.

Mira shook her head. "Too generic."

"AI ethics," Karl offered.

Mira frowned. "Also too generic."

Bella chewed, thinking. Then she swallowed and said, "What about something specific? Like how technology is being used in medicine. Prosthetics. Surgery. That kind of thing."

Mira’s eyes lit up. A wide smile spread across her face. "That’s good. Really good."

Karl nodded slowly, reaching for another slice of pizza. "We could focus on prosthetics. The technology behind them. How they’re changing lives."

"Perfect," Mira said, already typing notes into her laptop.

Bella smiled, taking another bite of pizza.

The afternoon light slanted through the window, warming the yellow walls. Outside, she could see Mira’s backyard, a small patch of green surrounded by flowers. Roses, lavender, and something that looked like jasmine. The air was sweet and fragrant.

"Your mom is a perfume maker, right?" Bella asked.

She remembered Mira telling her about her parents. Her mom was a perfume maker, and her father owned a small business. But Bella hadn’t told Mira about her own situation at all, not about her marriage or anything personal. And Mira had never asked anything that pried into her privacy. Which was why Bella loved Mira as a friend so much.

Mira nodded. "She grows most of her own ingredients. The backyard is her workspace."

Bella looked out the window again. "That’s amazing."

"It’s smelly," Karl said flatly.

Mira turned to him with narrowed eyes. "It’s fragrant."

"It’s overwhelming."

Mira crossed her arms. "You’re overwhelming."

Karl took another bite of pizza without responding.

Bella laughed. The sound surprised her. She felt unreal, like she was watching herself from outside. She hadn’t had this before. This ordinary, comfortable afternoon with friends. Pizza and laptops and arguments about presentation topics.

"So," Mira said, pulling up a new document, "let’s divide the work." She pointed at Karl. "Karl, you do the research on existing prosthetic technology." She pointed at Bella. "Bella, you focus on emerging innovations." She pointed at herself. "I’ll handle the case studies."

Bella nodded. "Deal."

Karl gave a small nod. "Fine."

Mira looked at both of them. "This presentation is really important. The grades are going to be included in our final exam."

Bella’s stomach tightened. "Then we better make it good."

Karl wiped his hands on a napkin. "We will."