"Ay que verguenza, estoy borracha" Flavia softly laughs when they get up, Javiera offering her support by firmly holding her waist.

"¿Qué? No. Estas muy linda." "Me encanta verte así: libre, feliz.”

"Siempre soy feliz cuando estoy contigo" Flavia answers without thinking and Javiera smiles in a way that must hurt her cheeks, but she couldn't care less.

“Y yo me voy a encargar de que siempre sea así, mi amor" Javiera says and takes her hand to her lips to place a velvet kiss on her knuckles, in that way that always makes Flavia's heart stop.

Miguel takes Flavia to the coatroom while the other woman visits the toilet, after a soft peck on her cheek.

"Espero que usted y su señora hayan disfrutado de todo" he politely says and Flavia is enchanted by his choice of words. Of course Javiera is her woman but this is probably the first time she hears it from a stranger.

"Estaba todo perfecto, muchas gracias" she tells him just before "su señora" reaches for them. The couple thanks him again and says goodbye, they have no clue but they still have Miguel's eyes on them when they let the door close at their backs and he's still smiling at himself.

"Que linda está Santiago de noche" Flavia says walking hand in hand with her woman. The air outside is slightly colder than a couple of hours ago and she leaves that hand to better fix her coat as looking around, and somehow the city lights seem to sparkle brighter, reflected in her eyes.

"Parece ser que han pasado mil años desde la última vez que salí así, sin preocupaciones, sin prisa por ir a algún lado" she adds, admiring the tall buildings, the plants on the windowsills, the signs of bars and clubs with the wonder of a child at Christmas time. The thing about this gaze of hers, of this smile on her lips is that the more Javiera sees it, the more she wants to see it, to elicit it. She doesn't think twice before offering her forearm to the other woman:

"Sígueme entonces." She says and Flavia takes it, enchanted by being at Javiera's side, walking down the street like they came out of a romantic movie where everything is joyous and perfect.

"¿Y dónde vamos?" She asks.

"Te llevo a ver Santiago de noche" the inspector answers as matter of fact and watches her beam.

Flavia feels like she's the luckiest woman on Earth, she's almost sure she is, as she holds Javiera's arm and lets her take them everywhere she wishes. They dive in the crowd, people of every age are standing outside of the bars or sitting at fancy tables, talking, laughing, the whole city seems happy tonight, bright, perfumed, colourful. Metres are trying to invite the last clients in, groups of friends are meeting, others are calling it a night. It's warm and dry, it's the perfect weather to walk around but Flavia is sure that not even the pouring rain would be able to ruin this.

Javiera hasn't spent too many nights out herself, her shifts have always kept her from getting used to it and Maira wasn't exactly the person that chooses a fancy restaurant over a crowded bar. It's not that she complained, she would have happily done it every night if she could, for Maira, she didn't care where she was as long as she was with her. Javiera doesn't like to make comparisons but with Flavia it is different, everything. She spent days trying to find a place that would keep up with her, not that she would have complained about it, or cared, or even noticed, but it's not that. It's that Javiera feels the duty to give this woman the best the world could offer, because she's never had it, because she is so, so worth it.

Flavia put a spell on her, made her do things she would have never done for anyone else, things some would call silly if not crazy. She has always thought too much and Flavia made her stop thinking, as long as she was there, as long as she was smiling, nothing else mattered.

That's the reason that makes the inspector stop by a man trying to sell roses to passersby, that makes her conclude what has all of the earmarks of being his only sale tonight. There's nothing that Flavia's embarrass can do when the man calls her "Tan linda señora" and Javiera agrees with him.

"No, por favor, no tienes que regalarme una rosa" She giggles as she tries to take the other woman away.

"Si se que no tengo que hacerlo pero por qué no soy libre de regalar una rosa a mi señora ¿si quiero?" Javiera asks without waiting for an answer and buys the most beautiful rose she can get.

That's the way she wins, that's the way she always wins, but each time Flavia gains more than what she loses and each time the best thing that Javiera earns from the game is this smile on her woman's face.

Now the soft petals of the flower can't win the competition with the soft reddish lock that Flavia is holding at the side of her face as she bends her head forward to smell their perfume. The long elegant stalk looks too stiff next to the delicate fingers holding it. The deep red of the rose can't help looking pale in comparison with the velvet lips that almost hide behind it, with the red suit that Flavia is wearing. And the pearlish brightness of her teeth, the sparkle in her eyes, it's all too precious not to fall deeper in love.

They end up in a square, some loud music coming from the desk of a DJ. A small crowd is already there, holding drinks while swinging or properly dancing. Flavia doesn’t know the song but enjoys the view and can't help envying a little their age, their spirits, recalling the few parties she attended when she was a student with a pinch of nostalgia. Javiera stops and lets her look, lets her take her time to enjoy the music while holding her from behind. She would give a penny for her thoughts if she didn’t know her already too well. The colourful lights dim down and the DJ announces a temporary change of mood. Acoustic guitar chords and a slightly distorted electric guitar solo play along with the softly pulsing drum rhythm of a rock song from the early Nineties and the voice of Hope Sandoval starts to sing: "I wanna hold the hand inside you, I wanna take the breath that's true."

Flavia sighs and Javiera moves in front of her. The sudden absence of her warmth makes her back shiver, the look in her eyes makes her knees reconsider her choice to surrender the charm of a glass of wine too many.

"Señora Betancourt" Javiera says extending her hand "¿me acompaña?"

What can someone possibly say to this? To her? To her smile and the wrinkles it draws at the sides of her lips?

"Sì" Flavia hears her own voice say, and she should be used to it, but these two letters taste too good in her head and even better in her mouth. She doesn't need to think before taking that hand again. She's done it countless times before, she is ready to do it forever, if she's lucky enough. Enchanted, she lets Javiera guide her right in the middle of the dance floor, follows the way her hands are leading and eases her wrists on Javiera’s shoulders, dives her fingers in her ebony curls. The inspector savours the curve of Flavia’s back under her coat, settles down on her hips and it seems like the music is playing just for them, it seems like this night is stretching in the melody that’s moving their bodies as one.

“Eres muy linda” Javiera whispers, caressing the face that made her give everything up and take the risk, melting in the newly blossomed smile that constantly reminds her that it was worth it.

"Fade into you" Sandoval sings as Javiera loses touch with everything but a cascade of reddish curls and a portrait that looks like it was painted by the finest hand.

"Fade into you" Sandoval sings and Flavia seeps in through Javiera's fingertips and flows in her veins, straight to the beating of her heart.

***

Another song starts softly:

"Y te conocí buscando el amor, dejándolo huir

Dejando ganar a quien se quiere rendir"

"Ay me gusta esta" Javiera says as a Latin rhythm makes Flavia's hips move between her hands. She knows how to use her body when she lets fear behind, when she lets herself be shameless, that's for sure, even if she thought she forgot how to dance. Tonight all of the things she buried in her memory are coming back to her as for magic and it feels like she's in her twenties again, and it feels like she's in her twenties for the first time, Javiera’s eyes charging her nerves and muscles with pure electrical current. Javiera makes her turn on herself, holds her waist, makes her back bend in a sort of casque and Flavia laughs, and she has never laughed this much, with her head tilted back and a bubbling lightness in her chest. Javiera holds her not to make her fall and places a kiss on her neck, pulls her up eventually and their lips meet in the middle of the dance floor.

They're alone in the crowd, alone in some enchanted world that belongs to them and to them only. They are not aware of the eyes watching them, unable to look away from this sparkle of joy, from this pinch of love, this blow of freedom, unexpected and yet welcome. Neither Flavia or Javiera have ears to hear whistles and words that are shouted for them by an enthusiastic group of youngsters with rainbow bags and ties, neither the two women have eyes to see curious or leery gazes, they only have eyes for each other, and they make the best of it.

"Eres llena de sorpresas" Javiera laughs while the movements of the other woman are seriously pushing her to the point of no return.

"Es culpa tuya" Flavia dares in that tone that drives her crazy and the inspector needs all of her strength not to give in and take her here and now.

Thank God the stars come to rescue and some slow music offers them a chance to calm down a little, to catch their breath, but there's nothing it can do to set their hearts to rest. With her cheek on Javiera's shoulder, her nose buried in the scent of her soft curls, her lips almost touching the warm skin of her neck, Flavia is well aware of her own heartbeat, feels the other woman's one matching with it. They both close their eyes as they gently swing, breathing each other in and letting this muffled sound play like a lullaby, their favourite one. They could fall asleep there, in the middle of a crowded square, softly cradled by each other's bodies.

The song ends right before they could and Flavia gently pulls back.

"¿Querés volver?" Javiera asks, her fingers already playing with a wavy reddish lock, her eyes lost in the finest stone blue gems she has ever seen.

A soft smile crosses Flavia's lips as she nods, takes her woman's hand and walks away with her.