Chapter 2

As soon as Jonas got up, following the myriad of people around him, he could see that he was sitting at the main table of the event. The huge straight marble staircase led directly to two free seats in front of it. 'The less important Dartagnan should come later on.', he thought as he realised that the so called Giovanni was coming down the stairs by himself. The crowd continued to applaud to each step that the man took, in the two years he had been living in that city, he had never set eyes on that man. By his pompous appearance and dress code, he appeared to be around sixty years old; Jonas could feel the envy hovering over the looks of the numerous men who longed to be able to grow a moustache like that.

He went back searching through his vision, now slightly more accurate, to see if he could find any sign of Rodrigo. He could see several different people, women and men of all ages, of which, most seemed to know each other, which made Rodrigo's absence even more uncomfortable. Giovanni Dartagnan bore a simple walking style as he watched people whilst holding his chin up, as he showed no expression of superiority at the same time, quite the opposite, he felt so at ease, that he smiled proudly through his yellow teeth and greeted every person whose eyesight crossed his.

'His an admirable man, isn't him?' asked the elegant stranger who sat beside him with an arrogant tone.

Jonas just nodded as he couldn't care less for the small talk being attempted by her. The euphoria depicted by all of those people was captivating, and he felt a lot of awe for all that reverence that could be cast upon only one person.

After that brief interruption, he went back on his search for Rodrigo, but, to his surprise, his eyes fixed on the angelic walk that accompanied Lara from the back of the room. She was the only person, besides Giovanni, who was standing. In fact, she was in tune with the host in every aspect. Jonas continued to watch Lara walking, it was now clear that she was coming towards him. 'She must be sitting at my table.', he thought, realising that he would have someone to talk to, but as she walked, he could see that Lara was going towards Giovanni. She took a circular walk around the table whilst he waited standing behind a chair that was supposedly hers. Jonas had lost the old man's attention until he saw that he had materialised in that position as he glanced back at that spot. Lara began to walk more slowly until she stopped beside Mr. Dartagnan, who had now turned ninety degrees to face the beauty who had just arrived.

To Jonas's surprise, as soon as Lara stopped, Giovanni leaned forward until his lips met hers. For a few seconds, what seemed like an eternity before Jonas's eyes, they kissed slowly as they held hands and made a sign of reverence to the entire audience in front of them. Jonas followed the crowd as he leaned over to pay homage to the woman he had spoken to a few minutes earlier.

'Please take your seats.' said Giovanni. He had a hoarse intoned voice that became clean after a subtle cough.

Lara sat beside the host whilst Jonas was again petrified by her beauty. She now wore a black dress with a low back, her hair was tied up in a bun that let two small blond streaks slide down the corner of her face. She wore an incredible diamond necklace, and the then small earrings were then replaced by long, flashy pieces.

'Jonas, how are you?' she asked after sitting down the chair.

'All is fine, I see you managed to get to that shower after all.' he joked as he realised that Giovanni had his attention caught by another guest and was not looking at them. 'I didn't know you were accompanied!' he exclaimed in a low tone.

She laughed without bothering to give him an answer and went back to pick up a glass of champagne that was positioned in front of her. Her elegance affected the women around her, and there was not a man in that immensity of a room who did not turn his neck at one point or another to observe how beautiful that young woman was.

Dinner was served in a stunning way, and anything Jonas wanted to drink could be served. He talked to everyone around him at the table whilst he was still trying to find Rodrigo anywhere around, but his friend should be at some distant table, as he could not lay his eyes on him. The dinner ceremony lasted for about two hours and in the end Jonas was already feeling the drunkenness taking over the actions of his body. He exchanged a few more words with Lara, without worrying about what Giovanni would think, since he was sure the old man had no idea of who he was. He was there as a mere companion for Rodrigo, which further increased the mystery of why he was sat at the main table whilst his friend was nowhere to be found.

As soon as people started to get up, he realised that he no longer needed any parsimony to get out of his chair and look for a bathroom, which would give him the chance to get to know the place a bit better and look for Rodrigo with more attention.

'Do you mind telling me where the bathroom is?' he asked the same lady who was still sitting next to him.

'Everyone has their own bathroom, you should find yours in your bedroom…' she replied with a slightly aggressive tone when looking at Jonas's outfit. He was really starting to feel uncomfortable about being the only one who was poorly dressed.

'Haven't you been shown to your room yet?' interjected Lara.

'Of course not, you were the one who brought me here.' he replied even more aggressively. The drinking always gave him a little more confidence when speaking.

'I'll come with you then, show you the place whilst we're at it.' as soon as Lara finished speaking, she stood up and went for Giovanni, said a few words to his ear, and left without waiting for an answer. Jonas could see, for the first time during the evening, the old man's gaze crossing his as he raised his glass as if he were making a toast whilst winking at him.

The two walked out and Lara soon hooked her arm around his, saving him the embarrassment of a possible rejection. Everyone there seemed very refined and knew every rule of etiquette by decorum, which was not something Jonas had in common with those people.

'Why am I sitting at the main table?' was the first question that came to his mind.

'Giovanni wants to meet you, I'm not sure why, but he will talk to you sometime during the evening.' she replied without giving much importance to the subject.

Jonas was apprehensive about that answer, but decided not to insist in the subject any further.

'Can you tell me where Rodrigo is?' he continued with the interrogation.

'Sure, he's right over there.' she replied pointing to a place right in front of them, where Jonas could see his friend who was now elegantly bearing a suit and tie that was making him fit right in.

'Fucking what?', he thought when he remembered that Rodrigo was dressed just like him when they arrived at the hotel. 'Where did he get those clothes from?' he continued to think as he strode towards him.

'Rodrigo' he said calmly as he nudged him.

'Jonas!' he exclaimed in a drunken tone.

'Where the hell have you been?' he asked as he shrugged.

'Right fucking here! With all these incredible people, let me introduce you.' he went through every different person in his conversation circle, introducing Jonas.

Rodrigo explained that, as soon as he got out of the shower, he came face to face with that suit lying on his bed - he had no explanation for how that happened - and that shortly after being dressed, a distinguished woman had come to pick him up in his room .

'Well I did tell her we should wait for you, but she said you'd be in good hands.' he completed whilst quickly grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the waiters who was passing by.

'Still need the toilet?' interrupted Lara.

'Yes, would you mind showing me the way?' he tried to remain polite.

'Haven't you seen your room yet?' asked Rodrigo in amazement. 'Wait until you see the facilities they have here...'

Jonas moved away again, hitched at Lara, and followed her towards one of the bifurcations in the main hall, the same one that contained the sign indicating where the rooms were.

'Do you still have that card?' asked Lara as she stopped in front of the door.

'Yes I do.' he replied, taking out the only thing in his pocket.

'Just go in and look for your name.' she commented when standing still after the door made an opening noise. 'It would be unusual if I were to go to your room, but I'll be right here when you get back and we can go for a quick tour around the place.'

Jonas finally understood that the woman was indeed committed to old Dartagnan. He could not hide the brief sadness that struck upon him as he realised he would not have the chance to talk more deeply with Lara. It was normal for him, something that he would always do when he was new to a place. He would attribute fixation to someone and, if he knew he had no chance with such person, he wouldn't even try to fill the gap with anything other than alcohol.

'You should take the advantage of changing these clothes, even if showering is not your forte, you could still show a little more presentable.' said Lara as the door closed behind him.

The only way out was to laugh. He was indeed barely presentable and he knew that people were staring at him with a repressive look. He was not used to all that exacerbation of elegance, in fact, he could not remember the last time he wore a suit. The corridors were now a little wider than those in the other part of the hotel. The rooms were closed by frosted glass doors, and each one them had a name above the door, indicating that, indeed, it had all been very well planned by the hosts. He walked for a few meters until he found a sign with his name on it. 'Jonas Albuquerque'. Upon entering the room that had been assigned to him, Jonas was surprised at how little his expectations had been to the facilities in that place. The excess of exuberance in that huge lobby was extended to the rest of the hotel. He wondered what the regular guests, who were not invited to those parties, would think if they knew about those rooms.

The one assigned to him had at least five times the size of the other. It was air conditioned and decorated by a bookcase surrounded by refined sofas - no television - and a bathroom, which was open, containing a spa bath, in addition to a large shower that seemed to be the wish of his life. Below the mirror he could notice a shelf full of hygiene products, including some hair wax, making him realise that he would be able to take a shower that weekend after all. Upon the huge bed that struck his sight, Jonas could see a luxurious suit laid whilst a selection of shirts and ties filled an open wardrobe right next to it. On the other side of the room, he noticed a huge table full of drinks and snacks, which he couldn't bear to see after having eaten so much during dinner. However, he poured himself a whiskey with some ice cubes and set the glass down beside the nightstand whilst glancing with awe at that suit. 'I'm going to need someone to tie one of these ties.', he thought as he remembered he had no idea of how to do it.

He realised that, like the other room, that one was also connected to Rodrigo's by a locked door, but time was way too short for him to take a shower or continue admiring the beauty and nuances of that newly found place. He quickly put on the suit, grabbed a white shirt and stuffed a black tie into his pocket. 'Maybe Rodrigo knows how to tie this fucking thing.', he thought before closing the bedroom door as he started making his way back to the main lobby, it was time to visit the rest of the facilities and enjoy the party for a change.

Lara, as promised, was waiting for him right where he last saw her, but as soon as he opened the door, he saw her talking to someone before she could give him her undivided attention one more time.

'Where's the tie?' she asked.

'I don't know how to tie the knot.' he whispered with shame so that no one else would hear him.

'In here.' she pulled him back into the door, which was still half-open, holding it with one foot that wore a beautiful high-heeled shoe that highlighted her curves.

Quickly, Lara knotted Jonas's tie with perfection and, after wrapping it around his neck, pushed the door open again before it could close. The two headed towards the party as his gaze returned to contemplate the stunning beauty of that woman.

'Would you like to see the rest of the facilities?' she asked whilst looking at him. 'I believe we have a few minutes before the party starts, the staff still have to collect the tables.'

Jonas wondered how many people it would take to lift a table of that size and weight, but he was also excited by the idea of ​​visiting the other rooms that connected to the main one. Lara re-engaged his arm and the two of them left in the opposite direction to the door they had just left behind.

'Your perfume is different.' he said as he tilted his face to her side.

'Yes, I changed it after taking a shower.' she answered. 'By the way, wasn't the shower to your liking in the new room?'

'How long will you keep this going?' replied Jonas with a friendly tone. He knew that that kind of conversation was the best way to break the ice with someone he had just met.

Lara laughed, but did not answer. Apparently the joke would be one of those meeting points until that weekend came to an end. They continued walking as Lara introduced him to each room they passed. None of them had a door like the one that led to the bedrooms. The first contained a wide passage that held several leather sofas and velvet couches where some people were already snuggling. Fruit tables were displayed in every corner and a bar full of waiters was ready to serve each and everyone of the guests.

'So this is where the rest of the people who work at the hotel hide. Is that why you were alone at the reception?' he asked as he stopped to observe the beauty of the decoration that dressed that place.

'Yes, normally people arrive early for these events, in fact, you and your friend were the only ones left...'

'Waiting for me? You did mention at the reception yourself that Rodrigo was supposed to have brought a plus one...'

'I was just checking something. Giovanni was sure that your friend would bring you, which is why he invited him.' she spoke without looking him in the eye, as if she didn't want to continue that conversation.

'How do you mean?' Jonas ignored the deviation in the subject as he was very intrigued by that thought.

'I told you, Mr. Dartagnan wants to meet you, I can't say more than that for now, but he'll be looking for you at the opportune moment.'

'May I ask you something private?' he turned around until he came face to face with her.

'You want to know what am I doing with a man that is so much older than me?' Lara, to Jonas's surprise, had guessed every word of the question he was about to ask.

'No' he denied as he started to blush. 'You realised that I was stroked by your beauty, didn't you?' that was the best thing he could come up in such a short time.

'I did, but this is not really an appropriate conversation subject for today. I told you, Giovanni is going to talk to you, just have a little patience.' she finished indicating that she wanted to re-engage his arm. 'Shall we see the rest?'

The word patience was not really a part of Jonas' vocabulary, his anxiety often prevented him from making the best of situations, something he had already become accustomed to. The two went on to the next room, when, to Jonas's surprise, black lights illuminated black walls filled with amateurish designs whilst people sat on small cushions scattered on the floor. The music there was completely different from the rest of the party; as soon as he went through the huge opening, he became aware of electronic music beats in an environment completely conducive to trying different things. He found it a tad inelegant to ask if that was some kind of safe-haven for using drugs, but the very image depicted by the room made it clear that no one there was eating the fruits from the other room. Once again, he was able to notice a bar, again full of waiters working around the clock. 'At least there's no lack of drink.', he thought as he was pulled by Lara until they returned to the main hall.

'I reckon we should go back to our table. Soon the party will begin and you will be able to see the rest of the facilities for yourself. It's one surprise after the other.' she said as they headed back to her chairs.

He even thought about going out looking for Rodrigo again, but the lights were already dimming down and, as far as he could tell, the presentation of such a party would be extremely interesting. That distinguished Mr. Dartagnan had a pose of confidence and sobriety that was to be envied. 'With all of that money, even I am confident.', he thought as he imagined what kind of fortune one must have to hold a place like that open.

As he was tidy and properly sat, Jonas took a slight tug from the elegant lady who was standing about two meters from the table. For a brief moment, Jonas realised that no one would move those huge tables from their place, in fact the floor opened and, slowly, the tables and chairs began to be swallowed by it. It was unimaginable. Mr. Dartagnan appeared again on the stairs, illuminated by a strong spotlight now holding a microphone in his hand.

'Most of you already know how our parties work. All I ask from you is go ahead and have fun. As for the first timers, watch, learn, and enjoy the night!' he finished as pitch-black took over the main hall and people started applauding him once more.

Jonas went back looking for one of the waiters who would walk back and forth with champagne flutes on a silver plate, not needing to go too far so he could grab a glass and drink it all in one gulp.

The party started super excited. People danced and exchanged glances, some even made the effort to stop and talk. He passed by Rodrigo a few times, he was talking and dancing with everyone who he could stumble upon, he was so drunk that some people even avoided approaching him. Not that anyone in there was sober, but his friend had taken a night off to nurse all the bottles he could find.

Jonas summoned up the courage to visit another room. This was the most distant from where the party was happening, the music could barely be heard from there. Before he even noticed what the room had to offer, he looked for a place to sit, when suddenly, one of the waiters soon came towards him offering him something to drink.

'Can I get you anything, sir?' he asked politely.

'How about some whiskey?' asked Jonas naively as the waiter fired a list of bottles that were being served that night. 'Whatever you think is best.' he interrupted the waiter so he didn't have to say he didn't understand anything he was talking about.

In the other corner of the room, he saw Mr. Dartagnan. The old man was surrounded by men and women who were drowning him with questions and smiles of admiration. Incredible as it seemed, this was a break room, and the music was practically inaudible, which gave Jonas a little silence to listen to his own thoughts.

In a few minutes the waiter was back, he had a glass of whiskey with some ice cubes on the tray and a friendly smile on his face that made Jonas make the effort to open his mouth and say thank you.

'I'll take it from here.' he heard Giovanni's hoarse voice approaching the waiter who just held out the tray as he took the glass.

Giovanni sat on the cushion next to Jonas's and handed him the glass, indicating a gesture of goodwill. Jonas tried not to look surprised, but people, who had previously spoken to Mr. Dartagnan, were looking at him with awe and admiration, as if he held some kind of importance among so many beautiful and interesting people.

'Pleasure, my name is Giovanni Dartagnan.' he said as he held his hand a few inches away from Jonas.

'Jonas Albuquerque.' he replied as if he was not giving so much importance to the situation.

'I'm glad you and your friend took the time to attended this humble party, I hope you're enjoying yourself.' said Giovanni, taking a small metal box from his coat pocket that contained cigarettes inside. 'Will you take one?'

'Why not.' replied Jonas without knowing why he had accepted a cigarette from that man since he had never had a smoke in his life. 'The party is great, I had no idea of ​​the existence of this place. I'm quite happy, and grateful, that you decided to invite us here.' he stammered as the old man lit the cigarette in his mouth.

'Few people know about this place! Very rarely I invite strangers to come here. Always with a purpose, of course.' he said whilst having another drag of his cigarette.

'I feel very flattered, but what would that purpose be?' he asked, showing interest and no patience for small talk.

'For now, nothing important. The mere presence of fascinating people gives me an enormous joy to keep having parties like this.' replied Giovanni whilst keeping the mystery.

'This place is incredible.' he repeated, feeling flattered and not knowing how to continue that conversation. 'Does the party continue tomorrow?'

'The party doesn't end until Sunday, young man. Stay free, of course, to rest in your room and return whenever you want, the food and drink never stop here.' he said as he held out his glass of champagne to propose a toast to Jonas.

'Admirable.', he thought as he accepted the toast, realising that someone much older than him had the energy to endure such long hours without having to sleep.

'I liked your choice, this whiskey is very good.' Giovanni kept on trying to engage in small talk.

'I did have the help of that great waiter over there, it's been such a long time since I had something as good as this.' he lied without even knowing what he was drinking.

'Well, all of them were very well trained.' said Mr. Dartagnan as he sighed and laid back down on the pillow whilst holding his cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

'Would this be some kind of a break room?' asked Jonas as he realised he was boring the old man.

'For now yes! But soon the party will start here too and, if I may be so bold, the best part of it...'

Once again, Jonas was amazed at the contagious energy of that place. He seemed to be the youngest there and, at the same time, the most exhausted. Giovanni stubbed out his cigarette in his own cup and, with a gentle movement, got up and dropped it on the tray of a passing waiter, his gestures were smooth and majestic, like those of someone who really had enormous confidence in himself.

'I see you had a chance to talk.' Lara's voice came from behind the pillows when Jonas stood up abruptly.

'A little, my dear. I think we will soon have the chance to get to know each other a bit better.' he replied by giving her a small kiss on the lips.

Jonas caught himself, once again, admiring the Lara's beauty as Mr. Dartagnan was looking at him with a small smile on his face. Silence reigned for a few seconds, until he decided to put an end to it.

'Youth does not cease to amaze me. People like you encourage me to live, it's amazing how beauty has taken over this generation.'

The three were now standing on their feet whilst making small talk when, little by little, more people began to infiltrate the host's conversation circle. Jonas was able to meet some interesting people, speeding time so quickly that soon the lights in the room dimmed down and soft music started to play. When looking at the other corner of the room, he could notice the presence of his stranded friend Rodrigo, who seemed to be a bit lost and way over drunk to be amongst all of those people.

'If you'll excuse me.' he began, looking directly at Mr. Dartagnan. 'I just noticed my friend's presence in the room , and he seems to be a bit lost.'

'Please go! Get him and join us.' replied Giovanni whilst steering away from the people he was talking to.

'It felt more like an order than an invitation,' thought Jonas as he left for Rodrigo. His friend had half-closed eyes and an expression of someone who couldn't handle another ounce of alcohol.

'Are you alright?' asked Jonas as he approached.

'Never been better!' he said, trying to show excitement.

'I think I'm going to excuse myself and get some rest, Mr. Dartagnan told me that the party never stops, I don't know if I can take that much.' he said as he laughed.

'Will you just stop fucking whining for a while… I heard that the best part has yet to come. The party is just beginning.' replied Rodrigo who, little by little, returned to his sober self.

'I can literally see you getting unconscious by the time…'

'I know that. That's why I took one of those pills that they are distributing. It will soon kick in.'

'What fucking pill? Why am I always the last to hear about these things?' he asked as he was tired of always being left out.

'Here, take one...'

Drug use was not a frequent habit in Jonas's life, but it was also no stranger to him. He did enjoy losing control of his actions from time to time, as long as he was sure he would find his way back to sobriety eventually. He swallowed the pill without even asking what it was, it didn't matter that much at that time of night. The two exchanged words for a brief moment, until Jonas realised that Lara was looking at him and gesturing an invitation for them to join the host's group. They slowly walked to the crowd and sought to infiltrate unnoticed, Jonas strategically positioned himself next to Lara, who was now talking directly to Giovanni Dartagnan.

'The Dream Room is yet to be open, but I think we'll soon have the opportunity to introduce our new friends to the most brilliant idea I have ever had.' said Giovanni as he realised that Jonas and Rodrigo were now among them.

'Don't spoil the surprise.' said Lara when noticing the curious look on Jonas's face. 'Everything in its due time'

'I won't deny my desperate curiosity, but I believe that everything has its moment.' he lied, trying to hide his anxiety.

'Have you manage to get your hands in one of these pills they are giving out' whispered Mr. Dartagnan in his ear as he took Lara's place.

'Indeed I have…' he replied hesitating. 'Is it normal now for everyone to be encouraged to the use of drugs here?' he thought, noticing that the old man was more anxious than him.

'Great! You will soon realize what you took...'

Mr. Dartagnan left him with no opportunity to reply as he went out to the bar and, from there, pointed to Jonas's direction at the same time he said something to the waiter. Within a few minutes, he was walking towards him with another glass of whiskey. Apparently, Giovanni had shown an interest in Jonas's good taste for the beverage and selected something even better for him to try.

'I don't know what you did to deserve this, but enjoy. This whiskey had been aged for a hundred years before being bottled.' said the waiter, handing him the glass.

Jonas accepted the drink as he raised his glass to greet Giovanni, who, on the other side of the room, raised a glass in the exact same way, apparently holding the same rare and expensive whiskey. The time was short for Jonas to finish what, in his humble opinion, was the best thing his lips had the pleasure of touching.

The lights dimmed down again. The small room was practically empty, and as far as he could assume, many had been left out of the event that would follow. The little cushions had been collected, without Jonas being aware of it, and Mr. Dartagnan was isolated and ready to speak into a microphone. Jonas was startled again when, little by little, chairs rose from the floor. Each of them being part of some elaborated structure with cables and a small monitor, what made him start to move away from the audience until he could feel a tug on his arm.

'You needn't be scared. The pill will soon take effect and you will understand what is going on.' Lara got so close to his mouth that he was able smell every single odor she exhaled, starting from her hair, passing through her face, and making his way to her neck. That was more than necessary to convince him.