At seven PM, the butterflies flying in Nina's stomach seemed to be waging an epic battle. She had been ready for a while, and was listening to Ludovico Eiunaudi's Experience, lying on her bed and trying to breathe. The music filled her with half agony and half hope. When the intercom buzzed and she got up, her heart dropped to her feet. Although dressed in her comfortable clothes – at ease she was certainly not.

Bo was waiting for her outside the building, leaning on his motorcycle. A street lamp illuminated him, and as she approached, she couldn't help but smile at his appearance. He handed her a helmet, and as she settled behind him on the bike, she noticed how natural the action had become and how she no longer feared the ride but eagerly anticipated it.

"Where are you taking me?" she managed to ask before he started the engine.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he said just as she wrapped her arms around his waist. The roar of the engine prevented any further questions, and Nina surrendered to the experience.

The ride was short, barely fifteen minutes.

Bo stopped the motorcycle in a small, dark parking lot right next to the entrance of a charming underground bar. The street was dimly lit, the only light seemed to be coming from the bar's entrance.

"Jam?" Nina glanced from the glowing retro sign to Bo, raising an eyebrow.

He only smiled slightly and nodded in response. He put the motorcycle keys in his pocket and led her past a few crowded tables toward the entrance. Modern Thai music emanated from the door, mixed with a low cacophony of excited voices. Young people sitting on white plastic chairs, sipping cold Asahi beers, couldn't help glancing at Bo as they passed.

"Let's grab something to drink and get some fresh air before the concert starts," Bo suggested.

She followed him inside. The space was small and rather unassuming. Stickers and unusual sculptures adorned the walls. In the corner, a band was setting up their instruments, and a few people were milling around with beers in hand. A waitress was delivering hamburgers, and Nina realized she was hungry.

"What do you want to drink? They have good draft beer or Laotian bottled beer. They also have some cocktails, but they aren't too thrilled when someone orders one," Bo said as they reached the bar.

"I'll have a draft," she replied, eager to get some alcohol in her veins and relax a bit.

Bo ordered drinks, glanced at Nina and said to the bartender, "Add to that two hamburgers as well." He turned to Nina again with a wide grin. "I saw you drooling when the waitress walked by."

Nina elbowed him in the ribs, and he playfully put an arm around her shoulder, guiding her towards the exit. They found a small unoccupied table and sat down.

"What kind of music are we going to listen to?" Nina asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure, jazz, I think."

"Do you come here often?"

"Not really, I've been a few times. The music is always good," he said, taking a sip of his beer. "Hey, guess who called me today and started yelling at me as soon as I picked up?"

Nina shook her head and took a sip from her glass.

"Our dear mutual business partner, Shampoo," he said, nearly making her spit out her beer from laughter. She should have known. "You have no idea how excited she was. I couldn't get a word in. She was explaining how I'd have to fight with you for her time because she's now a serious web designer. She loves tattoos and will never stop doing them, but she also has other jobs now and can't just jump whenever I say so. She mentioned you two have a new job on the horizon?"

"Uh. Maybe I should have made it more clear that a client meeting is far from a done deal," Nina said, a bit worried. "Lucky she hasn't given you her resignation already."

Bo laughed. "Don't worry, even if she did, Shampoo would quickly find another gig. Besides, I don't see how anyone could resist the two of you. As far as I'm concerned, it's practically a done deal."

"I hope so, because it's almost a requirement for me to stay in Bangkok," she said, immediately regretting it.

"Really? Why? I never asked you about your long-term plans here," Bo leaned forward on his chair.

Nina's mood suddenly darkened. She hated thinking about the future that now seemed excruciatingly uncertain. Where she would live, how she would support herself, everything was up in the air. She knew she would eventually have to return to Croatia to sort out her father's inheritance, but she didn't want to think about that now. The question was whether, after the trial that awaited her in two months' time, she could return to Bangkok at all. If she didn't secure a stable job soon, she would have to tuck her tail between her legs and relocate back home. She didn't want that. She felt less and less like she belonged there.

"Long-term plans. What's that? Don't tell me you have a contingency plan?" she said.

"Don't try to deflect. You must have had some plan when you bought your ticket to Bangkok."

"Actually, I bought a ticket to Hanoi," she laughed. "I don't know. Coming here was a big leap for me, something I wanted to do, but to be honest, I also had to. I like this city, the international vibe, and the 'anything is possible' attitude. I see myself living here. But at the same time, if I can't get my business off the ground, it won't matter much."

Bo looked at her. "Nina," he said with a smile.

"What?"

"Don't you know? There's nothing you can't do. You're smart, your design ideas are amazing, and your work ethic would make monks jealous. If you were a stock, I'd invest in you," he joked, a hint of amazement sparkling in his eye.

Nina laughed but felt he was sincere, and it warmed her heart. It was unusual to have someone beside her who was so confident in the possibility of achieving one's dreams. Back home, there was a pervasive sense of resignation about the state of things. She wasn't sure if she was born with it or if it was part of the national identity she had absorbed.

"And what about you? Do you have any big plans for the future?" she asked.

He took another sip of his beer and leaned back in his chair. "I have many plans. Some are more pressing than others. I'll show you one of them after the concert," he said with a mysterious smile. "But I see myself here as well. I like the freedom within multiple frameworks. China's becoming a bit too claustrophobic for me."

Nina was glad to hear that. "Cool," she said just as the waitress approached their table with two hamburgers. "Yum!" Her eyes widened. Bo laughed.

For a while, they ate in silence. "This is excellent," Nina said, a bit surprised. "Who would have thought a bar would have such good food?"

"Right? I love this place. You can tell it's run by someone who cares about quality, not just profit. Adnan brought me here the first time; he's been coming for years."

Just as they finished their burgers, Nina noticed people getting up from their tables and heading inside.

"Looks like the concert is starting," Bo said.

"Great, let's go!"

With one beer in her belly and feeling pleasantly full, Nina's mood brightened again. When she stood up, took her bag from the back of her chair, and slung it over her shoulder, she realized Bo was standing very close. She looked at him, thinking he might kiss her, but he just brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled.

"You're so cheerful now that you've eaten," he teased, earning another elbow in the ribs. "Okay, I deserved that," he said, following her back inside Jam.

Inside the dimly lit space, a mix of Thais and foreigners sat at scattered tables, most of them on the floor of the carpeted area. A faint smell of cannabis lingered in the air mixed with the aroma emitted by the large ambient lamps burning in the corners of the room. Bo showed her where to leave her sandals and led her to a spot on the floor covered with mats and cushions.

"Now I see why you told me to dress comfortably," she said, settling into the only available spot in front of him. Bo leaned against the wall. On stage, the frontman introduced the band, and soon the concert began. Just as she relaxed and started enjoying the music, Bo pulled her gently towards him. She found herself between his legs, her back resting against his chest.

"Lean onto me," he whispered in her ear. His scent and warmth enveloped her. His hands rested on his knees and she felt as though he was embracing her. She leaned her head back, soon feeling his nose on the top of her head.

"Are you sniffing my hair?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Bo cupped her chin with his hands and turned her back towards the stage. "Eyes front, young lady," he commanded in a flat tone, making her laugh. Then he brushed his nose behind her ear, tousling her hair, making her shiver. She was being turned on in the middle of a crowded bar. The tightly packed people around them were focused on the band, and Nina suddenly felt like she was inside a delicious, heavenly scented bubble suspended in mid air. She ran her hands down his forearms, turned his palms upward and intertwined her fingers with his.

The band played acoustic melodies, lulling the audience that swayed in their rhythm. A vibrant atmosphere was evolving out of the synergy of warm, soft red lights and the authenticity of the performance. Nina felt the sounds of the guitar tugging at her heartstrings with each strum, and every time Bo ran his thumb along the back of her hand, it seemed to her like she was floating, relieved of all earthly burdens. There was no doubt that in the vast expanse of the world, at that particular moment, she was exactly where she wanted to be. For almost an hour, she enjoyed the exquisite torture of being in Bo's embrace, teased by his innocent caresses, while the music soothed her and his touch excited her beyond expression.

When the band finished playing, he helped her up.

"Wow, that was great," she said, a bit flushed. Bo nodded, visibly in good spirits. "Amazing! And now, how about we grab another drink and go check out the exhibition upstairs?"

"An exhibition? Here? Cool, let's go! I'll get the drinks, another beer?" she said as they headed to the bar. The soothing vibe of the acoustic music gave way to the electrifying energy of Soundgarden's 'Black Hole Sun,' prompting people to disperse onto the dance floor.

Bo and Nina climbed the stairs in the dim light holding hands, their other hand holding a beer bottle. The only light came from a few neon lamps attached to the ceiling. When they reached the door, Bo used his elbow to push the handle down, not wanting to let go of her hand. Both squinted as they entered an empty room with white walls, most adorned with densely displayed works of art. Some that didn't find a place on the walls were placed against the wall on the floor. The exhibition was small but eclectic, featuring four artists, each given their own wall. They walked hand in hand, silently observing the works.

Most seemed to comment on society, with sharp critiques of capitalism and human treatment of animals. When they reached the wall opposite the door, it displayed only two large pieces. Unlike the other walls, this space didn't show the artist's name. Nina was drawn to the first piece, which depicted only a black silhouette of a male figure. It appeared solid and firmly rooted and at the same time, dissolving slightly at the edges. Although the facial features were not visible, the piece conveyed incredible loneliness.

"I like this," she said. "I don't even know why; it's so simple, empty, and yet it says so much."

"Yeah? I'm glad," he said, his gaze fixed on the silhouette.

The second piece showed a man painted against a gray wall, covered in red Chinese characters that extended from the wall onto the man's body. On closer inspection, she noticed that the man's face was painted in the same gray color as the wall, almost blending him into the background.

"What does it say?" she asked, thinking.

"Take a guess."

"I really have no idea, Chinese culture is so foreign to me. But I'm dying to know!"

"It says New culture demands more," he finally said, looking at her. Nina returned his gaze.

"What do you think that means?"

"It's a call to other artists to create," Bo said, seeming pretty confident in his interpretation.

"You think? Wait, do you know whose these are? Strange that there's no name."

"Actually, I do know because these two were delivered from my home studio just the other day." He laughed self-consciously, pulled her hand, and led her to the last wall of the exhibition.

"Wait, that's yours? I have to take a closer look. That's amazing! I'm walking around with a real artist." She laughed jokingly but was visibly impressed. "Why isn't your name on it?"

"I don't know, really, this is the first time I'm exhibiting something and it seemed a bit pretentious to put a sign with my name on it. Since it's a small independent gallery, they didn't mind. Although they called me the other day and said there's quite a bit of interest in them."

"Amazing. Congratulations!" she said, raising her bottle for a toast.

"Thanks. I have to admit, it's a pretty liberating feeling," they both turned their heads towards the door as two men entered followed by two women.

"Hello," said one of them, tastefully dressed in a light summer suit. The others were much more casually clad, in line with the underground scene in the bar. The man began to studiously peruse the exhibition, while the other three wandered around somewhat disinterestedly; it was obvious the man in the suit had brought them there. Bo pulled Nina towards the exit.

"Let's give them some privacy," he suggested. Nina thought Bo might not want to face reactions to his work just yet and followed him to the exit.

"Where are you taking me now?" she asked, catching his arm on the stairs.

"Where would you like to go? We can have another drink downstairs, or we can drive somewhere else. I can think of a few places you'd probably like."

Nina suddenly realized she didn't want to share his attention with others anymore.

"How about you take me home?" she said, looking directly at him. He smiled, leaned his head towards her and lightly kissed her lips. "I was hoping you'd say that," he replied and, not letting go of her hand, hurried towards the exit.