“The Price of Freedom

Part 8

— Then you will have to talk to me first.

Silence fell around the table.

David did not look away.

— I understand.

Daniel looked at him for a few seconds and finally nodded.

— Very good.

Mia was still ready to leave.

She did not even want to look at David.

David’s entire attention, however, was only on her.

As if the only reason he had come to this place that night was to talk to Mia.

At that moment Anna joined in.

— Ooo guys, let today end without any fights, please. Mia, come sit down. We’ve just arrived and David won’t say anything inappropriate to you. Come, let’s do it like this: you sit on this side, she said showing Mia the chair on the left. And you sit on this side, she said showing David the chair on the right.

— Sit down, I am in the middle of you, and we will have fun without any arguments. Mia listen, let’s stay a few more minutes, please, we’ve just arrived, she pleaded with Mia.

Mia did not move from her place.

She tightened the strap of her bag in her hand.

The anger inside her still had not calmed down.

David stepped forward.

— Please.

Mia laughed.

But there was no joy in that laugh.

— Please?

— Yes.

— After what you said to me at the university today, do you really think just saying “please” will fix everything? David could not answer.

Anna was watching them with concern.

She did not expect Mia to be this angry.

— Mia, he only—

— Anna, please.

Anna did not finish her sentence.

Mia fixed her eyes on David.

— Why did you come?

This time David answered.

— Because I made a mistake.

— And?

— And I regret fighting with you.

Mia shook her head.

— It’s too late.

At that moment a look of hopelessness appeared on David’s face.

Daniel was still observing the situation.

— David, — he said in a calm tone. — I think she doesn’t want to talk to you. Forcing her right now is not a good idea.

David took a deep breath.

— I’m not forcing her.

— But she doesn’t want to talk.

Silence remained for a few seconds.

Downstairs the music continued, people were laughing and dancing.

But at this table it felt as if time had slowed down.

Finally Mia sat back on the sofa.

This surprised everyone.

Even David.

— I will stay, but only for a few minutes, — Mia said.

Anna let out a light breath.

— Finally.

— But not because of him.

Mia did not even look at David.

— I am not staying because of you.

David simply nodded.

— I understand.

Daniel pointed to an empty seat next to him.

— Sit.

David moved to a seat at the edge of the table.

He did not sit next to Mia, but placed himself far away from her.

This made Mia a little more calm.

The conversation slowly shifted to other topics.

One of Daniel’s friends told a funny story.

Anna laughed.

Daniel joined in as well.

Even Mia smiled unintentionally.

Only David’s gaze occasionally fell on her.

Mia noticed it.

And that was exactly what disturbed her.

About twenty minutes passed.

Anna decided to go downstairs with Daniel to get drinks.

— We will be back soon, — she said.

Daniel also stood up.

— Don’t go too far.

— Don’t worry.

A few seconds later they left.

Daniel’s two friends also went down holding hands to dance.

Suddenly only two people remained around the big sofa.

Mia.

And David.

David was deeply wanting this moment, because he needed to talk alone with Mia and apologize sincerely for what had happened today.

Being alone made Mia worried, and she frowned, noticing it.

— Great.

David smiled slightly.

— So now we are alone.

Mia kept silently looking to the other side without saying anything.

Silence again.

The music from downstairs could be heard faintly here.

David finally started speaking.

— Today I hurt you.

— I know, — Mia said in an angry tone.

— I didn’t do it on purpose.

— It doesn’t matter.

— It matters to me.

Mia looked at him this time.

For the first time that night their eyes met.

David’s gaze had no usual joking expression.

He was serious.

Very serious.

— I don’t want to hurt you, Mia.

Mia answered in a cold tone:

— David listen carefully, you are a good guy but I don’t love you, stop following me, she said.

David could not answer this question immediately. The light from the table was falling on his face. And for the first time Mia felt that in his eyes there was something deeper than simple regret. As if this argument was not just an ordinary argument for David either.

Two beautiful young girls and a young, energetic man drawn toward one of them. The girl had no feelings for the man, but the man did not want to accept it. Inside, he still believed there was hope; he tried to interpret every glance, every silence, in another meaning. The girl saw these feelings clearly and distinctly, but she had no intention of changing them. Her heart was already directed elsewhere, or it did not allow such feelings at all.The man, however, measured the concept of love only through his own emotions. For him, to love was a sufficient reason, but being unaccepted was difficult to understand. Every time he faced the girl’s coldness, he thought it was temporary, as if everything would change one day. Even though this thought was eating him from within, he still did not step back.The girl, on the other hand, distanced herself more as she saw the man’s persistence. Because she could not accept forced feelings. For her, love was freedom, not pressure. She had never tried to force her heart to change, so she also could not understand others trying to force hers.The man, however, denied this. He considered the girl’s distance not as fading feelings, but as a test. Every rejection did not stop him; instead, it pushed him to act more strongly. For him, the answer “no” was not the end, but a temporary obstacle.Everything in the girl’s life was clear. She could not hide what she did not feel, nor did she want to enter artificial emotions. Because of this, she always remained the same toward the man — calm, clear, and unchanging. She did not hate him, but she did not love him either.The man, however, was losing himself in love. Every day led him deeper into this feeling. He could not stop himself, because this feeling had already become the center of his life. The girl was not in this center and did not want to be.Although these two worlds stood close to each other, in reality they were very far apart. In one, hope and stubbornness ruled; in the other, clarity and coldness. They seemed to meet at one point, but in reality they were never on the same path, and the hardest part was that the man knew it, but did not want to accept it.

In the VIP area, the music could be heard more quietly, while below, the noise of the hall rose and fell like ocean waves. Colorful lights flickered, reflecting on the glass walls and making the whole place look somewhat like an unusual dream.

Mia sat leaning lightly against her chair, slowly turning the drink in her hand that had barely been touched. Her gaze was fixed on one point, but in reality she was not seeing anything. Beside her, David sat quietly, his phone placed on the table as he watched the surroundings. He was not speaking either. This silence was not accidental; it was as if both of them were holding something inside.

At that moment Anna and Daniel appeared from the stairs. Anna was walking carefully with drinks in her hands, while Daniel was beside her, laughing and telling some joke.

— Here we are, — Anna said with a slight smile as she placed the drinks on the table.

Daniel pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing around.

— This place gives a different feeling every time. And suddenly he said, Anna, wait, don’t mix up the drinks. This is a regular non-alcoholic mango juice for Mia, — he said, handing it to her.

Mia lowered her head as if saying thank you and took the juice, placing it on the table beside her.

Anna looked at Mia. There was something different in her expression — as if she was trying to sense something but could not understand it clearly.

— Mia, is everything alright? — she asked softly.

Mia slowly raised her head. For a moment she tried to smile, but it came out very faint and uncertain.

— Yes... just a little tired.

David did not join their conversation. He only looked at the new drink, then briefly turned his eyes toward Mia. There was something more than an ordinary evening in his gaze — as if he could sense the weight hidden inside Mia.

Anna took Mia’s drink and handed it to her.

— Drink, you’ll feel a little better.

Mia took the glass and took a small sip.

Anna said:

— That won’t do. Drink it all the way to the end, — and she forced the glass into her hands.

Mia, not understanding what was happening, drank the juice in one go until it was completely finished.

— Now that’s better, — Anna said in a happy tone.

The music downstairs slowed for a moment, and suddenly the DJ’s voice rang out loudly, calling everyone to the bar area.

Daniel said:

— Come on, ladies, shall we go?

He took Anna and Mia by the hand and led them downstairs. David followed them as well.

Under the lights rising high from the columns, an extraordinary scene began to come alive inside the bar. This was not an ordinary place where drinks were prepared — here, movement itself had turned into art, and an atmosphere ruled where every second became a performance and every gesture became a cause for amazement. The bar counter was long, smooth, and glossy, and flames flickered across its surface as if they were dancing. This fire was not only light, but also a reminder of life itself — unstable, powerful, and changing in an instant.The young man standing behind the bar looked like the conductor at the center of that fire. His movements were fast, precise, and confident. Every movement of his hands happened in perfect harmony, as if following a script written in advance. Bottles spun through the air and passed from one hand to another; sometimes they were tossed upward as if they did not obey gravity, only to be caught perfectly a moment later. This was not simply preparing drinks — it was the living symphony of movements of a work of art.Mia and Anna were astonished, and the other people were also watching the bartender with great interest. Small flames burning across the bar surface spread light in every direction. When their warmth touched the face, it created a slight sense of wonder among the spectators. The reddish, yellow, and bluish shades of the fire reflected on the glass containers, making the surroundings seem as if they had turned into another world. Here, even the colors were alive — they were not only seen, but also felt.With every movement of the bartender, the rhythm of the music seemed to blend together. The music struck strongly from below, and the bass sounds penetrated the body. In harmony with that rhythm, bottles clinked against one another, pieces of ice swirled noisily inside glasses, and drinks were poured layer by layer as colorful liquids mixed together. Every cocktail had its own s********e were calm, some explosive, and some mysterious.The movements behind the bar were so fast that it was difficult to catch every detail even with the naked eye. In one moment the bartender would spin a burning bottle in his hand, and in the next moment place it on the counter, where the fire would take on another form. For the people watching this process, time itself seemed to flow differently — seconds seemed stretched out, and every movement looked like a separate scene.The surrounding atmosphere made the performance even stronger. The lights constantly shifted from below upward, and even the shadows reflected on the walls seemed to come alive. People's gazes were fixed on the bar, and amazement and curiosity had appeared on their faces. Some raised their phones to record, while others simply stood silently, as if they had stepped into the scene itself.The flames above the bar sometimes grew stronger and rose upward, while at other times they calmed down and burned only in the form of soft lines. These changes seemed as if they were breathing — the fire was alive, sensitive, and controlled. Every time the flames rose, the surrounding light changed as well, and new shadows appeared on the faces of the spectators.Although the bartender looked as if he were playing with the fire, in reality he controlled it completely. Concentration and experience could be seen in his eyes. The composition of every drink, the timing of every movement, and the angle of every spin were precisely calculated. There was no room for mistakes here — because even a small mistake could destroy the harmony of the entire performance.The atmosphere in front of the bar gradually filled with warm and exciting energy. People felt that they had come not only for drinks but also for the show. Here, every second brought a new unexpected moment. The sudden rise of flames, the spinning of a bottle through the air, or the cracking of ice — all of these were small but powerful effects.The bartender did not stop even for a moment. He moved as if he had been born on this stage. His body and hands had become one with the music. Each time a drink was finished, he placed it aside and immediately moved on to the next action. It was a continuous flow — a process that had a beginning, but whose ending could not be felt.The light of the fire sometimes fell across the bartender’s face, making him appear even more dramatic. His shadow grew larger on the wall, making his movements seem greater and more powerful. This added a theatrical effect to the performance.Every time a new flame rose, soft sounds of amazement such as “oh” or “wow” appeared around him. People were not only watching this process, but also feeling it. Heat, light, movement, and sound came together to create a complete experience.Everything here was fast, but within that speed perfect order was hidden.And at the center of that order stood the bartender — a person dancing with fire, writing stories with bottles, and creating his art with ice and light.