He smiled and let out a barely listenable laugh. She opened her eyes and what she saw eased the beating of her heart. Her hands moved apart from her voluminous, curly hair.

“Are you blushing, Mr. Ulrich?” she taunted him, smirking.

His pale face couldn’t hide the red of his cheeks. The contrast made her laugh a little, but she also found it cuter than what she would expect from someone who gave her the impression of being rather cold.

“What? No. I mean, I’m worried. You seem nervous. Is everything okay? Do you need me to call someone?” Ewan asked, trying to divert her attention.

“You’re blushing. Don’t say you’re not.”

“Now tell me about yourselfꟷ”

“Okay, let’s move on to another subject.” She was not sweating anymore. She was able to smile and enjoy the food in front of her.

“I sing.” His eyes showed interest, so she continued. “Yeah, I sing at this bar every night. I like it, but I’d like to have, like, more, you know? It’s likeꟷ” she stopped when she saw his eyes open wide.

“A bar?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah, the bar… the bar at the… family’s hotel. When no one’s there, I sing. That bar. What other bar, anyway?” She took a sip of her wine.

“Oh, sorry. Continue, please. You were saying you wanted more.”

“I want to make it. I want to make it big. My father, he supports me, but I know he thinks it’s not worth it and hopes for me to forget about it. Maybe he’s right. Maybe that’s just a fool’s errand, a childish dream, something meant for fantasy but not for the real worldꟷ”

“No!” he raised his voice and look at her right in the eye. “You’re not a fool, and it’s not just a dream. If you wish for it to be true, honestly, with your heart, then it’s beautiful. Don’t let anyone take that beauty from you. Don’t let anyone decide your next move.”

Ewan could not tell how much he was telling her from how much he was telling himself. In any case, Millie was speechless. She could not describe what she felt at that moment, but she did know something: No one had ever said something like that to her. The spell did not last long, however, because Ewan reminded her of her charade.

“And it’s not like you lack resources, anyway, Emma. I guess you can find a way to make it happen.”

“Yes. Resourcesꟷ” Millie was numb. “Emma... I’m Emma, so I have the resources.”

Millie was lost in her thoughts. Different ideas were clashing in her head, incomplete sentences in complete chaos, like a storm raging over a weak, wretched boat; but, as it happens with any storm, calm came after. She looked at him, with watery eyes.

“Ewan… I’m… I’m not… I’m not Emma. I’m just her friend. I’m not Emma.”

His facial features did not show any emotion at all.

“Ewan? I’m sorry, I’mꟷ”

“Are you kidding me? Is this some sort of weird, sick joke?”

“No, Ewan. It’s true. My name’s Millie, Millie Esperanza. I’m friends with Emma, andꟷ”

She did not know what to say. His subsequent reaction caught her by surprise; his face was even redder than before, his eyes were sparkling with happiness, he even took her hands with both of his and said, “thank you!”