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Description
Francis looked at his phone curiously. Glancing up he looked to Lovina scanning the menu. He quickly texted back 'You might of seen her, but she's in the cafe right now. As for rumours I can tell there is a change of atmosphere near her. A lot of the girls are glaring and I have no idea why. I think it would be good to meet up but why without Antonio?' He hit send and waited for a reply. He quickly remembered what he was doing and turned back to the chocolate milkshake. He decided to do a little bit of investigating. He could tell from last night that she had something to hide. Something she wasn't telling anybody. It was perfectly normal for people to keep secrets, it would be unusual if she didn't. But there are always tell tail signs if the secret really bothers the person. Her behaviour trying to push them away at first, suddenly changing to offering them a drink. He thought back to what she said before storming off.

“I don't deserve a nice guy like you! You will do better if you forgot ever meeting me! It's better this way!”

“Curious.” Francis muttered to himself. He went over to the other guy working there. “Hey you see the girl over at that table.” Francis nodded over to Lovina. They guy looked across the room and whistled.

“Lucky Lovina.” He chuckled. “Well I don't know her personally, but I know guys who have. Why? You got the hots for her?”

“No, nothing like that.” Francis smiled weakly. “But a friend has. What do you know about her?”

“I'll tell you on my break. It's a long story and it's a weird one.” He said smiling weakly. “You gonna take over that milkshake?” He asked looking at the drink on the side. Francis looked back and mentally hit himself, how could he of forgotten?

“Thanks.” He chuckled picking up the drink and carrying it over to Lovina. “I apologise for the wait.” Lovina looked up to him.

“It's alright.” She sighed. “Though I've worked out what I'd like to eat.” Francis smiled and pulled out his notepad. “Can I have a gammon steak with salad, extra tomatoes?” She asked shyly. Francis smiled and nodded.

“Certainly.” He smiled. “I'll get to work on it right away.” He went back to the kitchen area and started working on the meal. It wasn't long until the small cafe had it's lunchtime rush. Francis was really busy as his coworker added up items and worked on keeping the queue going. By the time the lunch meal was over, Francis looked back out into the cafe. He quickly scanned the seats, but to his disappointment Lovina had disappeared.

Lovina walked down the street muttering to herself. It was a really nice meal and she enjoyed the fact that Francis treated her like a real person and not an object. But she still couldn't shake all those looks that people had given her. Ignoring the odd one or two was fine, but when they talked about her and made sure she could hear them. That was the line. At least she expected some sort of decency for people to talk about her behind her back and not to her face. But it seemed that wishing for that was too much. Though she was glad not every single person did so. Some girls just ignored her like they would anyone else they didn't know. Some of them had even checked if she was alright and felt sorry for her. There were some guys who would ask her why she did what she did. She was in the wrong crowd, they promised to take her away where they could live together. But she knew it wasn't that easy. The guys who made all these promises never really acted on them. Most of them apologised to her about not being able to help her. Others became blinded by greed that they forgot all their innocent words. Money changed people, normally it changed them for the worst. As she was thinking over all this a hand grabbed hold of her arm.

“Hey!” She cried out, raising her fist ready to hit the other.

“Calm down Lovina, it's me. Antonio.” Antonio smiled warmly to her. Lovina stood there for a few moments confused. She then slowly lowered her hand. Antonio breathed a sigh of relief. “For a moment there I thought you really were going to hit me.”

“For a moment there I thought I was.” Lovina said shaking her head. “Don't scare me like that.” She shouted at him. Antonio chuckled.

“I guess I should have said your name first.” He smiled.

“You think?” She replied. After that little surprise she looked to him. “Why did you stop me anyway?”

“Well erm... you see.” Antonio said his cheeks going pink. He looked to the side as he started playing with the bottom of his shirt. “Do you dance?” Lovina looked to him suspiciously.

“What kind of dance?” She asked unsure.

“I dunno, like a tango or salsa dance. You know like couple dances.” Antonio said nervously. Lovina felt a wave of relief run through her. That had to be the cleanest answer she had ever heard to that question. She sighed a little, she wished she could dance. But with circumstances being what they were, she had never really learnt.

“I'm sorry Antonio, you are a really nice guy but...” She took in a breath. “I'm afraid I never leant.”

“Don't worry about that. I'll teach you.” He said smiling softly. “It's just... the hotel.” He pointed to the building behind him. “They are looking for some new entertainment. I really would like to have a shot at it because if they like the performance, it could be the first step up the ladder for me. I know that sounds a little selfish, but I would love it if you would agree to be my dance partner.” Lovina felt she should of just turned him down. She had never done anything for anybody else, not that anyone did anything for her. She was going to say no when she looked up to his eyes. His amazing emerald eyes, so full of hope.

“What would you get if they chose you?” She asked a little unsure. She didn't want to help him reach for the stars and be left alone in the dirt. That had happened way to many times to her.

“Well...” Antonio paused for thought. This was going a lot better than he expected. He was worried she would of just turned him down flat and there would be no reasoning with her. But the way this was going, it sounded like he still had a chance. “If we did win, I guess we'd get the entertainers contract.”

“We?” Lovina repeated surprised. Antonio blushed.

“Well I wouldn't be able to dance by myself.” He chuckled. “If we won and got that deal, it's one room each payed for out of wages, everything included and money on top.”

“You mean I would live in the hotel?” Lovina asked a hopeful tone coming out in her words. Could it really be true? Could Antonio really get her out of her life of drudgery?

“Yeah, you would live in the hotel. We'd get to dance together and...” He looked sheepishly. “Maybe get to know each other a little more?” Lovina felt her cheeks heat up at such the kind and loving gesture. Despite all of his confidence Antonio really was a sweetheart. She smiled back to him.

“I would like that.” She whispered. Antonio's face lit up, he was so happy she'd said yes.

“But you are going to need some money to support this idea. We'll need the best dance gear imaginable and it won't come cheap.” She said, if they were going to do this. They would do it properly. Antonio's expression changed.

“I'm sorry Lovina.” He said looking down. “With the way rent is and my wages aren't amazingly good... I won't be able to afford anything like that.” Antonio said downheartedly. He was surprised to hear Lovina giggle and then burst into a laugh. “Why are you laughing?” He asked confused. Lovina tried to control herself, he couldn't see anyway, but she could.

“Sorry...” She took some breaths. “I'm sorry about that, but I know a way you could get the money by tomorrow.” Antonio looked at her dumbfounded.

“You're not going to rob a bank or something?”

“No silly.” She smiled. “Just come and see me in the evening, at the casino.” Antonio shook his head.

“Winning yesterday was pure luck. There is no way that could happen two nights in a row.” He said. Lovina grinned to him.

“You wanna bet?” She said. “Come on Antonio. I'm feeling lucky tonight.”

“Okay, but if I start losing we go.” He said in a firm voice. Lovina nodded.

“I understand.” She nodded. “I better get going, I've been out all morning, maybe we could work on some practice times tonight. I better tell my bosses where I'm going or they'll get bugged.”

“Yeah, we wouldn't want them to stop you practicing.” Antonio smiled. Lovina wondered if she should or not, the way the day had turned out she couldn't help herself. She quickly pecked Antonio on the cheek. Antonio's face went bright red. She giggled and turned to walk off.

“See you later!”

“Yeah...” Antonio said still in a daze. “See you later.”

“So what do you know about Lovina?” Francis asked his coworker. By this point the cafe was closed and they were just cleaning up. There was a sudden knock on the glass. Both of them looked up to see Gilbert at the door. Francis went over to let him in.

“Sorry I'm late.” Gilbert panted. “What have I missed?”

“Nothing yet.” Francis said as the pair walked over to the table. The 3 of them sat down and looked to each other.

“I think the question should be, what do you wanna know about her?” The coworker said looking between the pair. Gilbert took a breath.

“I saw Lovina at work today and one of the other workers said she was a cheat who flirted and slept around with men.” Gilbert said. The coworker listened and nodded.

“From that tone, I guess the other worker was a girl?”

“Yeah.” Gilbert nodded, his eyes narrowing. “How did you know that?” The guy chuckled.

“Most of the girls hold that view of her. The view the guys hold is different.”

“How so?” Francis asked suspiciously. From what they had seen of Lovina, she didn't seem to fit the description.

“Well, the guys who I've know have said she is distant a lot of the time. She always smiles sadly when they see her. Though one of them started to get obsessed. He went to see her every night and got paranoid if he didn't. He said she was his 'Lady Luck' and that he could never lose with her around. He got there one night and she wasn't there. He came back the next night, still no sign of her. He started to get worried. The next night though he saw he pulled possessively into another mans arms. He tried to win her back, she never protested or spoke out, but the creep she was with wasn't letting her go. He was forced to leave her with him. That night he lost every game he played. He said it was because she wasn't with him... but it's all just down to luck. Right?”

Description
Francis looked at his phone curiously. Glancing up he looked to Lovina scanning the menu. He quickly texted back 'You might of seen her, but she's in the cafe right now. As for rumours I can tell there is a change of atmosphere near her. A lot of the girls are glaring and I have no idea why. I think it would be good to meet up but why without Antonio?' He hit send and waited for a reply. He quickly remembered what he was doing and turned back to the chocolate milkshake. He decided to do a little bit of investigating. He could tell from last night that she had something to hide. Something she wasn't telling anybody. It was perfectly normal for people to keep secrets, it would be unusual if she didn't. But there are always tell tail signs if the secret really bothers the person. Her behaviour trying to push them away at first, suddenly changing to offering them a drink. He thought back to what she said before storming off.

“I don't deserve a nice guy like you! You will do better if you forgot ever meeting me! It's better this way!”

“Curious.” Francis muttered to himself. He went over to the other guy working there. “Hey you see the girl over at that table.” Francis nodded over to Lovina. They guy looked across the room and whistled.

“Lucky Lovina.” He chuckled. “Well I don't know her personally, but I know guys who have. Why? You got the hots for her?”

“No, nothing like that.” Francis smiled weakly. “But a friend has. What do you know about her?”

“I'll tell you on my break. It's a long story and it's a weird one.” He said smiling weakly. “You gonna take over that milkshake?” He asked looking at the drink on the side. Francis looked back and mentally hit himself, how could he of forgotten?

“Thanks.” He chuckled picking up the drink and carrying it over to Lovina. “I apologise for the wait.” Lovina looked up to him.

“It's alright.” She sighed. “Though I've worked out what I'd like to eat.” Francis smiled and pulled out his notepad. “Can I have a gammon steak with salad, extra tomatoes?” She asked shyly. Francis smiled and nodded.

“Certainly.” He smiled. “I'll get to work on it right away.” He went back to the kitchen area and started working on the meal. It wasn't long until the small cafe had it's lunchtime rush. Francis was really busy as his coworker added up items and worked on keeping the queue going. By the time the lunch meal was over, Francis looked back out into the cafe. He quickly scanned the seats, but to his disappointment Lovina had disappeared.

Lovina walked down the street muttering to herself. It was a really nice meal and she enjoyed the fact that Francis treated her like a real person and not an object. But she still couldn't shake all those looks that people had given her. Ignoring the odd one or two was fine, but when they talked about her and made sure she could hear them. That was the line. At least she expected some sort of decency for people to talk about her behind her back and not to her face. But it seemed that wishing for that was too much. Though she was glad not every single person did so. Some girls just ignored her like they would anyone else they didn't know. Some of them had even checked if she was alright and felt sorry for her. There were some guys who would ask her why she did what she did. She was in the wrong crowd, they promised to take her away where they could live together. But she knew it wasn't that easy. The guys who made all these promises never really acted on them. Most of them apologised to her about not being able to help her. Others became blinded by greed that they forgot all their innocent words. Money changed people, normally it changed them for the worst. As she was thinking over all this a hand grabbed hold of her arm.

“Hey!” She cried out, raising her fist ready to hit the other.

“Calm down Lovina, it's me. Antonio.” Antonio smiled warmly to her. Lovina stood there for a few moments confused. She then slowly lowered her hand. Antonio breathed a sigh of relief. “For a moment there I thought you really were going to hit me.”

“For a moment there I thought I was.” Lovina said shaking her head. “Don't scare me like that.” She shouted at him. Antonio chuckled.

“I guess I should have said your name first.” He smiled.

“You think?” She replied. After that little surprise she looked to him. “Why did you stop me anyway?”

“Well erm... you see.” Antonio said his cheeks going pink. He looked to the side as he started playing with the bottom of his shirt. “Do you dance?” Lovina looked to him suspiciously.

“What kind of dance?” She asked unsure.

“I dunno, like a tango or salsa dance. You know like couple dances.” Antonio said nervously. Lovina felt a wave of relief run through her. That had to be the cleanest answer she had ever heard to that question. She sighed a little, she wished she could dance. But with circumstances being what they were, she had never really learnt.

“I'm sorry Antonio, you are a really nice guy but...” She took in a breath. “I'm afraid I never leant.”

“Don't worry about that. I'll teach you.” He said smiling softly. “It's just... the hotel.” He pointed to the building behind him. “They are looking for some new entertainment. I really would like to have a shot at it because if they like the performance, it could be the first step up the ladder for me. I know that sounds a little selfish, but I would love it if you would agree to be my dance partner.” Lovina felt she should of just turned him down. She had never done anything for anybody else, not that anyone did anything for her. She was going to say no when she looked up to his eyes. His amazing emerald eyes, so full of hope.

“What would you get if they chose you?” She asked a little unsure. She didn't want to help him reach for the stars and be left alone in the dirt. That had happened way to many times to her.

“Well...” Antonio paused for thought. This was going a lot better than he expected. He was worried she would of just turned him down flat and there would be no reasoning with her. But the way this was going, it sounded like he still had a chance. “If we did win, I guess we'd get the entertainers contract.”

“We?” Lovina repeated surprised. Antonio blushed.

“Well I wouldn't be able to dance by myself.” He chuckled. “If we won and got that deal, it's one room each payed for out of wages, everything included and money on top.”

“You mean I would live in the hotel?” Lovina asked a hopeful tone coming out in her words. Could it really be true? Could Antonio really get her out of her life of drudgery?

“Yeah, you would live in the hotel. We'd get to dance together and...” He looked sheepishly. “Maybe get to know each other a little more?” Lovina felt her cheeks heat up at such the kind and loving gesture. Despite all of his confidence Antonio really was a sweetheart. She smiled back to him.

“I would like that.” She whispered. Antonio's face lit up, he was so happy she'd said yes.

“But you are going to need some money to support this idea. We'll need the best dance gear imaginable and it won't come cheap.” She said, if they were going to do this. They would do it properly. Antonio's expression changed.

“I'm sorry Lovina.” He said looking down. “With the way rent is and my wages aren't amazingly good... I won't be able to afford anything like that.” Antonio said downheartedly. He was surprised to hear Lovina giggle and then burst into a laugh. “Why are you laughing?” He asked confused. Lovina tried to control herself, he couldn't see anyway, but she could.

“Sorry...” She took some breaths. “I'm sorry about that, but I know a way you could get the money by tomorrow.” Antonio looked at her dumbfounded.

“You're not going to rob a bank or something?”

“No silly.” She smiled. “Just come and see me in the evening, at the casino.” Antonio shook his head.

“Winning yesterday was pure luck. There is no way that could happen two nights in a row.” He said. Lovina grinned to him.

“You wanna bet?” She said. “Come on Antonio. I'm feeling lucky tonight.”

“Okay, but if I start losing we go.” He said in a firm voice. Lovina nodded.

“I understand.” She nodded. “I better get going, I've been out all morning, maybe we could work on some practice times tonight. I better tell my bosses where I'm going or they'll get bugged.”

“Yeah, we wouldn't want them to stop you practicing.” Antonio smiled. Lovina wondered if she should or not, the way the day had turned out she couldn't help herself. She quickly pecked Antonio on the cheek. Antonio's face went bright red. She giggled and turned to walk off.

“See you later!”

“Yeah...” Antonio said still in a daze. “See you later.”

“So what do you know about Lovina?” Francis asked his coworker. By this point the cafe was closed and they were just cleaning up. There was a sudden knock on the glass. Both of them looked up to see Gilbert at the door. Francis went over to let him in.

“Sorry I'm late.” Gilbert panted. “What have I missed?”

“Nothing yet.” Francis said as the pair walked over to the table. The 3 of them sat down and looked to each other.

“I think the question should be, what do you wanna know about her?” The coworker said looking between the pair. Gilbert took a breath.

“I saw Lovina at work today and one of the other workers said she was a cheat who flirted and slept around with men.” Gilbert said. The coworker listened and nodded.

“From that tone, I guess the other worker was a girl?”

“Yeah.” Gilbert nodded, his eyes narrowing. “How did you know that?” The guy chuckled.

“Most of the girls hold that view of her. The view the guys hold is different.”

“How so?” Francis asked suspiciously. From what they had seen of Lovina, she didn't seem to fit the description.

“Well, the guys who I've know have said she is distant a lot of the time. She always smiles sadly when they see her. Though one of them started to get obsessed. He went to see her every night and got paranoid if he didn't. He said she was his 'Lady Luck' and that he could never lose with her around. He got there one night and she wasn't there. He came back the next night, still no sign of her. He started to get worried. The next night though he saw he pulled possessively into another mans arms. He tried to win her back, she never protested or spoke out, but the creep she was with wasn't letting her go. He was forced to leave her with him. That night he lost every game he played. He said it was because she wasn't with him... but it's all just down to luck. Right?”