There is but one man in the world I love… (Closed to Cesare)

[morevacant]

Popping. Locking. Bumping. Grinding. Since getting out of Meryton, Lydia's eyes have really been opened. Long gone are the elegant waltzes she had dutifully practiced to shut her mother up. Now Lydia spends every weekend, and then some, in London's clubs. Vodka flows, money is swallowed by hungry registers and Lydia stumbles out, exhausted and in search of cheesy chips, chicken nuggets and gravy.

Tonight though, she's gone someplace a little classier. She''s on the last of her money, but for now, she doesn't care. Lydia's learned enough to work out how to get guys to buy her drinks. Who needs magic when they have charm in buckets? Even several vodkas later though, Lydia's alert enough to spot a famous face when he walks in, and what a handsome face.

She zeroes in, dancing closer and closer to Cesare in what she supposes is a subtle manner, until after about half an hour of careful inching and meandering back and forth from nearby, she accidentally on purpose bangs into him.

"Oh my, I am so sorry!" she twitters, eyelashes batting and not sounding at all sorry.
"I didn't see you there, though how I managed to miss a man so handsome is beyond me."

Comments

[morevacant]

"My card?" She responds, initially puzzled. But then it clicks. "Oh, right."

She scrambles for her bag, and hastily pulls out her plastic UCL student card. It's quite plain, with her photo and student number on it. Hastily, she flips it over and with a Sharpie, scribbles her mobile number above the barcode on the back.
"Here," she says, handing it over. "Sorry it's a bit scratched. I dropped it in the gym the other day."

[longterm]

....That wasn't what Cesare had expected. He squints at her for a second from under a furrowed brow, but ultimately pockets the ID. Fine. Whatever she wants to do. He's not judging.

"If this is an open invitation to your room, I'm afraid I don't intend on coming back here." This place is a hot mess and he doesn't find it charming, despite Lydia's attempts to twist it into something endearing.

"Next time, you can come to me." He gives her a small smile and reaches into his wallet, pulling out some money, presuming she has similar rates to Nancy, plus a generous tip.

"So you can buy another nice dress for next time we meet..."

[morevacant]

"Wow, thanks!" She's not complaining about the money - maybe this man just wants his girlfriend to be well dressed, to match him? Maybe he's clocked on that she's a student and has next to no money?

"You want to meet again?" she asks, unaccustomedly shy all of a sudden. "I'd like that. You can just call me, you know, whenever."

[longterm]

Whenever. That sounds...eager. That's just how Cesare likes it. He prefers it when his employees are polite and provide a good service. He smiles as he finishes putting his clothes back on.

"I'll see you around then, Ms....?" He can't remember if she even told him her name, so he pulls out the card she gave him and gives it a read. "...Lydia. Take care for now."