"Happy birthday to you,
On this dear date,
Many happinesses,
Many years of life…"
"It's a hit, it's a hit,
It's a hit, it's a hit, it's a hit, it's a hit,
It's time, it's time,
It's time, it's time, it's time,
Boom!"
"Helena, Helena, Helena!!" the employees of the Arabic restaurant cheerfully sing, accompanied by the shy birthday girl's family, in front of her chocolate cake with candles that resemble fireworks.
The celebration draws attention from other tables, including Bruno, who until a few minutes ago dialed the same number on his phone for the twentieth time. He smiles as he admires the young blonde girl blowing out her candles.
"With whom will she...?" one of the guests stands up and asks.
"Oh no, Marcelo, please..." the birthday girl pleads, holding onto her guest's arm.
"With whom will she, with whom will she, with whom will Helena get married...?" the guy continues without paying attention to Helena's pleas, joined by the others — "It will depend, it will depend, it will depend if the..."
Then the guests stopped and looked at each other, confused. The guy from another table observes Helena's cheeks turning pink, while her hands explore her hair, tucking the strands behind her ears. Apparently, the birthday girl had no suitors, which caused a strange feeling of satisfaction in the observer.
"Hey, you!" Marcelo calls, drawing the guy's attention.
"Me?" the brown-haired young man asks, awkwardly.
"Yes, you. Come here." Marcelo requests.
"What are you doing?" Helena asks nervously, pulling Marcelo's arm.
"Finding you a suitor, sis," he responds with a smile.
"Marcelo!" the lady seated next to him scolds, tugging at his shirt in vain. "Please, don't do this to your sister."
"What's your name?" Marcelo asks.
"Bruno."
"Do you want to be someone's boyfriend for a 'happy birthday'?" Marcelo asks Bruno.
"I accept." Bruno surprises everyone at the table with his response.
Bruno stands up cautiously; he can't believe he agreed to be part of the other guy's madness. The guests adjust in their chairs to make way for Bruno, who approaches the birthday girl. Helena stares at him with the most intense brown eyes he has ever seen. His eyes can't stop analyzing every detail of her, from her nervously clenching hands to her slightly parted lips, as if waiting for a kiss, something he feels a controllable urge to do. He sits beside Helena, who automatically holds her breath as his arm moves around her back, and his hand reaches her waist. Her hair betrays the tremor running through her body at that moment because something about Bruno has affected her so intensely... as if they had finally found each other.
"Moving on..." Marcelo says, grabbing everyone's attention, including the 'couple', "With whom will Helena get married? It will depend, it will depend, it will depend on whether Bruno will want to... He accepted, he accepted... On their honeymoon, on their honeymoon, they had a little son named Isabel.
At the carousel, at the carousel, they had two little sons named Antônio and Emanuel.
But before that, at the Ferris wheel, at the giant rose, he had a little son named Dante.
After that little son, they separated...
A month passed, month passed, and they got married again!
"And that's enough!" Helena's mother says to Marcelo. "Or we'll be here all night singing your sister's fictional life."
"Okay..." Marcelo grumbles, sitting back down.
"That's my cue," Bruno says, standing up. "Thank you for the invitation and happy birthday." He points at Helena.
Without waiting for any response, Bruno turns around and walks out of the restaurant. He feels like he needs to get away from them as fast as possible, but he can't explain why. He had never felt so confused before. He was already walking on the sidewalk, admiring the starry night when:
"Bruno!"
Bruno turns around and finds Helena standing at the door with a package in her hands. She approaches slowly, or maybe it's just the sensation that the guy has as he watches her.
"Sorry for my brother," Helena says, looking at Bruno. She extends a piece of cake towards him and continues: "I saved a piece of cake for you... as a thank you for being my boyfriend for five minutes."
"Thank you." Bruno thanks, taking the package and gently touching Helena's hand.
He feels a slight shock with the touch, and so does she, as she practically throws the piece of cake into Bruno's hand, taking two steps back.
"Sorry!" they both apologize at the same time, smiling awkwardly at their synchrony.
Their eyes meet once again... A force runs through Bruno's entire body, making him take two steps forward and get closer to Helena, who this time can't seem to move away. Their bodies are so close that Bruno's breath causes Helena's hair to sway, and she can't stop looking at him as their lips part slightly, as if waiting for a kiss, something she feels a controllable urge to do. Bruno's hand moves towards Helena's face, followed by his lips, which are drawn to hers like magnets, and she closes her eyes, waiting for the natural outcome.
"Hey, sorry I'm late." a voice behind Bruno says, making him freeze.
The guy steps away from Helena and turns to the blonde-haired woman behind him, who observes the two with some interest.
"Suzana!" Bruno says, approaching her. "You came..."
"Yeah, had some issues with the folks at home. You know, they threw me a surprise farewell party. Anyway..." Suzana explains, looking Helena up and down. "You didn't waste any time..."
"Yeah, as I thought you stood me up, I found a girlfriend for five minutes... Helena." Bruno points at Helena, who gives a forced smile towards Suzana. "Helena, this is Suzana..."
"The actual girlfriend," Suzana adds, extending her hand towards Helena, who takes it lightly.
"Nice to meet you..." Helena whispers, feeling totally uncomfortable. "Well, I'm going inside... Ah... good night and have fun."
Helena turns around and walks quickly back into the restaurant, leaving the couple alone. She returns to her table, pale as paper, something that didn't go unnoticed by anyone, especially Marcelo, who approaches her, saying:
"So, did you get his number?"
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Helena blurts out, irritated.
"What? What did I do?"
"He has a girlfriend," Helena responds, taking a generous sip of her soda. "You shouldn't have invited him to join us."
"How was I supposed to know he had a girlfriend? You know, sis, not everyone comes with a sign on their forehead indicating their relationship status..."
"Anyway, it's done. He has a girlfriend, and I doubt I'll ever see him again."
"Come with me to Rio de Janeiro," Suzana whispers before taking Bruno's lips, pressing his body against the bed where they recently made love. She continues to shower his face with kisses until she reaches his ear, where she seductively nibbles his lobe before whispering again, "Come with me... You won't regret it." "You know I can't," Bruno replies, caressing Suzana's short hair and guiding his fingers behind her ear. "We've already talked about this, my parents need me here in Parati. You know about my mother's situation... and my father..." "But it's only a few hours from here... It's only six hours... You can come on the weekend..." Suzana suggests, interspersing her words with light kisses on Bruno's lips. "Spend the weekend with them..." "Just as it's only six hours for you to come from Rio and spend the weekend with me here in Parati," Bruno retorts, observing dissatisfaction taking over Suzana's face. "It's not that simple, is it?" "I didn't say that, but if that's what you
Helena approaches the guys standing on the sidewalk right where she had reserved the bike rental and two-wheeled tour. She was distracted when she notices one of the guys turning towards her, and to her surprise, it was Bruno's face she comes face to face with. The blonde feels her face flush, and she was sure her face had turned into a tomato at that moment. "Compose yourself, Helena," she thinks as she gets closer to them. The situation only worsens when Bruno smiles at her and says, "Hey, girlfriend." "Girlfriend?" Lucas questions, not understanding anything. "Hello, Bruno," Helena responds awkwardly, tucking her hair behind her ear to disguise her shyness. "How are you?" "Girlfriend?" Lucas repeats, emphasizing the word, being ignored. "I'm fine, and you? How are you after your twenty-second birthday?" Helena replies. "Girlfriend?" Lucas repeats once more, being ignored again. "I also turned... I mean, I'm also twenty-two," Bruno stammers. "Cool..." Helena says, feeling unc
Bruno's request makes Helena close her eyes, allowing herself to go back to the moment that brought her there. "Open your eyes, Lena," Helena's mother asks, making her daughter open her eyes in front of the mirror. Regina sighs as she sees her daughter beautifully dressed in that princess-style white dress, filled with lace, just the way the mother of the bride had imagined. Helena could even say she was surprised, but she would be lying, because knowing her mother, she knew the dress would be nothing less than perfect. In fact, perfection was Helena's motto ever since she was a child, as she was certain about how her life would be. Or rather, the life imposed by Regina on Helena from the night Augusto, the young woman's father, ended his marriage with Regina, right in front of the children. Marcelo was younger and understood very little, but the girl understood very well the argument between her parents, which at a certain point culminated in the conversation that would forever cha
"The bachelor party that you and Mom forced me to end at ten o'clock in the evening, without any alcoholic drinks? If you're talking about that, don't worry, I left your fiancé safe and sound at home. No need to worry," Marcelo replies. "Okay, he needs to be at Sala São Paulo by 6 p.m. We still have the photos in thirty minutes," Regina says, looking at her notebook of notes. "Great," Helena says, looking at the mirror while making some faces. "What's this?" Marcelo asks, annoyed by his sister's expressions. "What are you doing?" "Your sister is practicing expressions for the wedding," Regina replies in place of her daughter. "She can't appear horrible in the wedding photos. The photographer's service is extremely expensive." "Why not hire a cheaper guy? Besides, this wedding could have been much cheaper..." Marcelo comments, flopping down on the sofa. "It's such a waste of money, all of this. And for what? People will eat, drink, and still gossip about everything! I don't know, t
Bruno gazes at Helena, deep in thought. In a million years, he wouldn't have imagined that this sweet girl had gone through all that. She turns towards him and offers her best smile amidst the pain in her eyes. Helena looks back at the ocean and then feels Bruno's hand holding hers in the sand. She continues staring at the sea because if she looks at Bruno, she feels the tears will take over her face, and Lena isn't willing to allow that. Cry in front of a stranger? Not in a million years! Gradually, Bruno's fingers move away from hers, and he turns back to face the sea, in silence. They remain like that for a few long minutes until Bruno takes a deep breath and asks: "So, you decided to come on this trip to try to convince him that you're not the person he accused you of being?" "No," Helena denies, shaking her head, smiling. "Actually, that would be an obvious reason, but no..." "Did you come because the tickets were non-refundable, and you decided not to waste that money?" Bruno
Helena opens her eyes and for a matter of seconds, she had the feeling that she was awakening elsewhere, at another time in her life. A moment a few days ago, to be more exact. Perhaps because it was exactly the day, I would be returning from this trip. She holds up her left hand, making sure it was just a feeling to feel the weight of her perfectly chosen 18-carat gold wedding rings for her wedding day. Close your eyes by smoothing your finger as you let go of your mother’s words. It was true that Helena did not want to have the fate of her mother, and that she had agreed to go to Parati just to rub the email in the face of the daring attendant. And of course, also reflect on how to reverse the situation, but now... Now that didn’t make any sense. It would reverse the situation, and w "Bruno, this way I might have to hire you as my employee." Bruno and Helena turn towards the direction of that calm voice and come face to face with a woman with long gray hair in a generous braid, sit
Bruno and Helena dismount their bikes, panting. They gave it their all, pedaling as fast as possible to get back to Parati before the sunset was over. Some stars were already appearing when they finally stopped in front of the inn where Helena was staying. She takes off her helmet, hands it to him, and receives in return her bag with the cachaças she bought. "Thank you for today," the young woman says, adjusting her blonde hair behind her ear. "Always at your service," Bruno replies, looking at the girl with a daring smile. "What's up?" she asks, smiling, feeling awkward. "And so?" "And so what?" "Did you feel the passion? Are you in love?" Bruno asks nervously. Helena's face turns as red as a tomato, forcing Bruno to continue quickly: "I mean, with the place... Maria Izabel's story." "Oh... Yes, it was all incredible and captivating," Helena replies, relieved. She then raises an eyebrow, saying, "Of course, that doesn't change our deal." "Of course not. I hadn't even thought a
Bruno arrives at the closed store where his friends have already put the bicycles outside. He stores the bikes and takes the helmets to the locker. He puts away his helmet and then takes the one used by Helena, caressing it carefully as his mind wanders through the day's memories. Bruno focuses mainly on the moments when she smiles at him or looked at him, enigmatic. He smiled, recalling how happy Helena was on Corumbê Beach. "Glad we'll see each other tomorrow, Helena," Bruno thinks, putting away the helmet. Just thinking about the next day makes him anxious, leaving butterflies in his stomach as he counts the minutes to see the young woman with blonde hair once again. He arrives home, and his parents are already in their room, which is better for Bruno, who also goes to his own room. He takes a shower and then lies down, falling asleep while thinking about Helena. The next day, Bruno gets up before his father, who is surprised by his son's enthusiasm as he has already prepared break