The restaurant had just closed.
The chairs were flipped on the tables, the floor still wet from the mop. Hanna wiped her hands on her apron before taking it off, then let out a long sigh. Her shoulders ached, her feet burned, but it wasn't the fatigue that frustrated her the most. It was this feeling of suffocation.
— Going out again tonight? her mother asked without looking up from the counter.
Hanna grabbed her bag.
— Yes.
Her mother frowned.
— Every night, it's the same. You work all day, and in the evening you disappear. Why do you always need to go out?
Hanna hesitated for a second, then replied calmly:
— I'm going to find my life.
Her mother raised her head abruptly.
— What do you mean, find your life?
— You know exactly what I mean.
— No, Hanna. Explain it to me.
Hanna took a deep breath.
— There's nothing here for me. I don't want to end up like this. I want something else.
Her mother looked at her long and tiredly.
— Just be careful, that's all I ask.
Hanna nodded.
— Always.
She kissed her mother on the cheek and left.
She borrowed the scooter from her friend in the neighborhood as usual,
then hit the road.
The wind whipped her face as she left her neighborhood to head to Roville, where everything seemed livelier, richer, and also more dangerous.
She stopped in front of a modern building and quickly went up the stairs.
She knocked on the door.
Aline opened wide.
— Finally! I thought you wouldn't come today. You need to buy a phone, girl.
— Yeah, I know. Sorry, I was stuck at my mother's restaurant.
Aline looked her over.
— Wow… even after the grease and smoke, you're still this hot… that's cheating.
— Ha ha, very funny. You too.
They both burst out laughing.
Hanna sat on the bed while Aline rummaged through her wardrobe.
— So? asked Aline. How was the guy last time?
Hanna rolled her eyes.
— I'm done with him.
— Why?
— Too clingy. He wanted to see my mother, find out where I live… too much.
— What did you do?
— I left him.
Aline smiled.
— Classic. And tonight?
Hanna stood up.
— Tonight, you're going to help me find a new one.
Aline snapped her fingers.
— I love it when you talk like that.
They picked simple but effective outfits, did their makeup, and went out.
They were laughing as they walked when suddenly, a car braked sharply.
— Watch out! shouted Aline.
The car passed just inches from Hanna.
— ARE YOU CRAZY?! Hanna yelled.
The window rolled down.
— Sorry, said a male voice. But you weren't exactly looking where you were going either.
Hanna stepped forward, furious.
— This is a pedestrian street, genius!
She met his gaze.
He was handsome. Undeniably handsome. Too calm, too self-assured.
— And standing in the middle of the road, smart idea? he replied.
— You were going too fast!
— You were distracted.
An electric silence.
— You're bold, Hanna said.
— And you're irresponsible.
Her friend Gaël tried to intervene.
— Okay, that's enough. Nobody's dead.
Hanna stepped back.
— Come on, Aline. Let's go.
She turned away without another glance.
In the car, Gaël smiled.
— She's amazing.
Alvin gripped the steering wheel.
— Beauty isn't intelligence.
— You're really impossible.
Gaël forced Alvin into a chic bar.
— Why do you always take me to these kinds of places?
— Because you're too handsome to be alone.
Girls tried to get Alvin's attention, but he remained distant.
Then he saw her.
Hanna.
With a rich, well-dressed man.
Something piqued his curiosity.
He wanted to provoke her.
— Seriously… he murmured.
He approached.
— I knew you were that kind of girl, he said coldly.
Hanna stared at him, shocked.
— Excuse me?
— Flirting with strangers.
— You know nothing about me.
— I've seen enough.
The man tried to understand, Hanna defended herself, and a scene erupted.
Later, Hanna found Aline, furious.
— What an asshole.
— He's hot, but full of himself, Aline replied.
Hanna sighed.
Then she ran into him again.
— Still here? Alvin mocked.
— Still as contemptuous?
— You look like a bimbo… or a slut, if you prefer.
— How do you know me well enough to insult me like that, you idiot? Go elsewhere if I'm not here.
They looked at each other, full of rage.
Then they each went their separate ways.
But neither slept that night.
The night was well advanced when Hanna left the bar.
The cold air hit her face but didn't calm the anger still boiling inside her. She walked fast, too fast, as if standing still would make her explode. Her heels clicked against the pavement, marking the rhythm of her confused thoughts.
— What an asshole… she muttered under her breath.
She recalled his gaze. Cold. Judging. As if he thought he knew everything about her in a second. As if she were just another image to be filed away.
Aline caught up, jogging.
— Hanna, wait!
— I need to go home.
— Seriously, you're letting him get to you like that?
Hanna stopped abruptly.
— No one has the right to talk to me like that. No one.
Aline placed a hand on her arm.
— He reacted because he saw something that bothered him.
— What? That I'm not what he wants me to be?
Aline shrugged.
— Maybe it annoyed him to see you with someone else.
Hanna snorted.
— He hates me.
— Or he desires you, and that frustrates him.
Hanna said nothing. She grabbed her scooter.
— Talk tomorrow.
— Be careful.
— Always.
She started the scooter and drove away, leaving behind the lights, the music, and that encounter she wished she could forget.
On the other side, Alvin sat at the back of the bar, a glass untouched in front of him.
Gaël looked at him, amused.
— You know you spent half the night staring at her?
— Nonsense.
— Alvin… you got up to provoke her. You. Mr. "I hate drama."
Alvin clenched his jaw.
— That kind of girl annoys me.
— Why?
— Because they play with people.
— Or because they play with you.
Alvin gave a dark look.
— You think I have better things to do than pay attention to a girl like her?
— Exactly. You've never looked at a girl like that before.
Alvin stood up.
— Let's go home.
In the car, silence settled.
Then Gaël gently said:
— She's different.
— She's dangerous.
— Maybe you're scared.
Alvin said nothing.
But when he closed his eyes that night, it wasn't the face of an "easy" girl he saw.
It was Hanna's gaze. Defensive. Proud. Hurt.
Hanna returned late.
The house was silent. She took off her shoes, entered the kitchen, and found her mother sitting at the table, arms crossed.
— It's two o'clock, Hanna.
— I know.
— You think I don't see that you're changing?
Hanna put down her bag.
— I'm changing because I have no choice.
— You're losing yourself. What's wrong with our life?
— No. I'm finding myself.
Her mother looked at her long.
— I don't like the direction you're taking.
Hanna immediately thought of Alvin.
— I know what I'm doing.
— Stay aware of yourself, my daughter. Keep your eyes on yourself instead of watching others.
Hanna lowered her gaze.
— I have the right to this life too. I'll do anything to get it.
She kissed her mother and went up to her room.
Her mother remained sad and worried.
Hanna lay on her bed.
Alvin in a luxurious room.
Two opposite worlds.
Two awake minds.
Hanna remembered his words: bimbo.
Alvin remembered hers: easy girl.
They already hated each other.
But neither could forget the other.
And somewhere, in the heart of Monaco,
something had just begun.