33

"I thank you for being such a good psychologist, Dante. You should be the profession "I spoke in a cordial tone. Dante cursed a bad word and laughed. "I'm serious... People are losing patience to talk to me and you acted so naturally that it seems like you were paid to do this.”

"And I'm going to be," he said firmly. “Please pay ten percent more of your bill for the damage your grumblings have caused to my ears, please.”

"Oh, spare me," I said, laughing. “But, really, thank you. You saved me from a chaotic night when I would either stop at the bed of one of these smelly and rude customers, or I would cry until dawn. And neither of the two things would leave me in a good mood to deal with real life. Thank you, Dante.”

"Don't thank, bourgeois," he said, but stretched out his arm to rest his calloused hand on top of mine. It was not a sensual touch, although I must admit that with so much drink in my head and after venting about all my worst sentimental issues, I would have very well sat