Madrid city nights had always been bustling with people and busy streets, and that night wasn't so different. With dusk settling and offices closed for the day, people moved about with various plans.
Others had bars to go to, others events, and for some, it was just about having dinner and getting home. The same could be said for a set of people who could now be found in one of Madrid's great restaurants.
Deep in this restaurant, the light bulbs shone bright, illuminating the faces of people in it and giving them a warm glow. Even with their tired faces, they still appeared bubbling and full of life rather than what their workplaces had intended for them.
And there, further towards the restaurant, a man could be seen. This man was dressed in a fine suit, shining as though polished—black and comfy. The wears were tailored, and between the suit was a black tie with white dots and a seemingly white shirt seated comfortably on his body.
This man had fair hands, but riddled with manly veins—the kind you'd wish to tie you down while you screamed his name. His skin was without blemish and bore no ink. His hair was slicked back, with little curls peeping out at the front.
His eyes were brown and his hair black. His demeanor screamed business, and he sat as the typical boss of a Madrid workplace.
Beside him sat another man, one who contrasted with everything about the boss man.
This man was dressed in free pants and a T-shirt. He had bracelets adorning his hand, his hair dyed blue, and a tattoo seeping from the neck of his T-shirt. His face was also fair.
This man was Nicolas, and he was Marco's friend.
Marco kept checking his wristwatch, which was strapped to his wrist, and then looked up. On this side of the restaurant, a party was going on, and many people had gathered at the table.
One of them stood up. This man was also dressed formally, maybe before he had set out, but now, his tie was nowhere to be found, and a faint blush was visible on his face as he had been a bit drunk.
He stood up with a wine glass in his hand filled with red wine and stretched it towards Marco.
This man was a cutie, and he said, "To Mr. Hernández, the man who wins every case, remembers every detail, Happy Birthday!"
He toasted towards Marco, and Marco gave a faint nod as he picked up his wine glass and sipped from it. So little, it was like he never wanted to be there.
He checked his time again, and just then, Nicolas looked at him and hissed slightly. He nudged him.
"Hey, if anyone didn't know better, they'd think it was your funeral. But guess what, you're the birthday boy here."
Marco didn't give Nicolas any audience, but he continued anyway. He shook his head as he sipped from his wine glass, and dropping it, said, "But then again, I also wouldn't celebrate if I were celebrating my 35th birthday the same old way. I mean, Marco, do you intend to always make this all about firm dinners and never live a little?"
Marco looked to his runny-mouthed friend and didn't give a response. Rather, he stood up from his seat, and Nicolas looked at him oddly. Nicolas wasn't drunk, so he knew well that his friend might be about to ditch the party as always, but alas, not this one. Nicolas also stood up with him and hurriedly asked,
"And where are you going?"
"To the restroom." Marco gave a half-hearted answer as he checked his time again.
"And is there a particular business you have there that you keep checking the time?" Nicolas said with a knowing smile.
Marco looked at him and didn't give a response. Rather, he walked away from the dinner table and toward one of the restrooms in the restaurant. Nicolas also followed behind him.
He stood just outside the handwash basin, and soon, Marco came out. As he did, his brows furrowed slightly at the sight of Nicolas, but he brushed it off and bent to wash his hands.
And honestly, brushing it off didn't mean that Nicolas wouldn't still be the troublesome one he had always been.
As Marco finished washing his hands, Nicolas pitched his worry. "So, how about you follow me to the club tonight just to have fun?"
Marco halted, craned his neck, and looked at Nicolas, then turned back to his hand and rinsed carefully. He turned off the tap, stood upright, and said, "No."
"Yes! Took you long enough to say your signature 'no.'"
"Why did you still bother asking when you knew I was going to say that?" Marco said as he removed toilet paper to dab his wet hands.
"Because, unlike someone else, I care about my friend's happiness and won't watch him celebrate his funeral every year. Why don't you want to live a little? I mean, go out, have fun, and get laid…"
Marco shook his head at his words. "That's it. I know that's exactly the reason you want me to follow you. Now, you're planning to get me raped…"
Nicolas scoffed as he heard his words, his hand rubbing his eyes gently. "Wait, do you think I'd stress myself if that's what I wanted to do? Getting you raped would be the easiest thing I could've done, but I didn't.
"You, this boy, I care about you, and that's why I need you to just come and receive some fun into your life before you die."
Marco stood there and listened to Nicolas's words, but they hardly stayed in his mind. Truly, Nicolas had always tried to get him to go to the club every year on his birthday, but he never went. It was either he had a case he needed to run back to or he just wanted to sleep because, seriously, sleep was the only thing he could think of using his day off for.
He turned to Nicolas and said, "Look, I've heard you, and you know the answer already… no."
Nicolas could have taken no for an answer from his friend Marco, but this night, it seemed like he wasn't in the mood for the two-letter word.
He marched out of the toilet, fuming, and dropped his bum right back on his seat beside Marco.
"You don't look like someone celebrating his birthday at all. Rather, you look like one calculating tax, and on the losing side at that."
Marco nodded, his hands folded, and gave a competent reply, "Well, what can I say? Some of us prefer productivity to hangovers."
"And some of us prefer living," Nicolas refuted. "You see, I'm just worried, particularly this night, because you've only got fifteen years before you turn fifty. No, no, no… that's totally bad."
"Yes, yes, yes… I'd love it that way. The issue of sex and whatever you're trying to get me into is more complicated than my criminal cases, so let me handle one I know how to."
Nicolas scratched his head and didn't give an immediate response. Rather, the dinner continued as the staff ate to their fullest, and soon, they started leaving one after the other.
Nicolas sat there, watching them head out, and turned to Marco again. This time, his voice was as soft as it could be. "Look, this is going to be the last time I'll try to get you to follow me to the club. But trust me, I just want you to mix in some fun, and honestly, one night of fun won't kill you, would it?"
"You just need to sit close by and watch the fun. Even watching can help you live."
"What do you say?" Nicolas asked as he finished, but then he hissed and said, "What am I even asking? Of course, it's your generic 'no.'"
He shook his head and drank his wine in a full gulp.
Just then, Marco's assistant, Enzo, came towards him and asked, "Are you going home now, Mr. Hernández?"
Marco looked at Enzo, who was wasted yet still giving off a bright smile. He looked like he would collapse soon, then glanced at Nicolas. Nicolas stood up just as Marco turned his head, and he said, "Well, guess it's time to leave."
He walked toward the door, and just then, Marco stood up and said to Enzo, "No, but you should go home. You're wasted. Come, I'll get you a taxi to take you home."
Nicolas deliberately walked slowly so he could hear everything going on behind him. Marco smiled and said, "Well, don't pretend as though you didn't hear. Come assist me in getting him to a taxi, and then we'll go have fun at a club."
A bright grin appeared on Nicolas's face as he heard those words, but still, he turned back to face Marco with an expressionless look and said, "What did you say? I didn't hear well…"
Marco burst out laughing at his silly friend. "I said, it's not so bad if I live a little, as you'd say it."