Ana Oliveira Part 2

Jonas was recounting an unusual incident from work as we walked two blocks, the warm night of Rio de Janeiro enveloping us, until we reached our destination—a yellow-fronted bar with a huge wooden veranda and outdoor tables. It was a busy corner, known as the bar route in our neighborhood.
Finally, we arrived because those damn sandals were hurting my heel. I had been in bed for so many days that even that brief walk left me out of breath.
I was puzzled when I noticed the group had stopped talking as we arrived. Concerned, I scanned between the three of them. They stood still, staring synchronously at the same spot in front of us.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, startled by the sound of my own voice, which I hadn’t heard all day.
Lucah let go of Jonas’s hand, which he had been holding, and walked to my side. He stopped like a wall beside me, and I felt how tense he was.
“We should go somewhere else,” he whispered, placing his delicate fingers on my shoulders, trying to turn me. “Don’t look over there, Ana.”
My heart leapt, and my body responded anxiously, my ears barely registering anything else. No matter what I would see, my heart screamed with longing, and all I wanted was to look at Jow. I turned my eyes eagerly toward the bar and blushed when I saw Josiah’s truck parked outside. A muffled wind swept through the area, making my body shiver. I followed Lucah’s gaze, my hands trembling and eyes filling with tears. Then I saw him. And I knew I was foolish, but I gave a faint smile as I finally faced that familiar face. Josiah was lounging at a table in the bar, with buckets of beer in front of him. He was smiling, animated, focused on the people around him, drinking. He was dressed as always, completely in black. Isabela was sitting between Josiah and the guy with tattoos on his head, where he should have had hair. A dark-skinned man stood in front of them, laughing and telling what seemed to be an animated story.
Bernardo was with them, smiling. They were the same guys from the photo Ber posted, the guys from the Army.
“Yeah, guys... We wanted to pull Ana out of her rut, but we brought her straight to the bottom of the pit,” Luana whispered. “Let’s go!”
Lu tried to hold my hand and pull me away. And even though I was completely shattered, deeply saddened to see him smiling and happy, next to... her, it made me want to go into that damn bar. I could feel the anger taking over me, possessing my body like a demon, and I felt no pride in this version of Ana, the one who was capable of anything...
“No! Let them see us, let them be forced to deal with us, or they can go to hell!” I growled, heading toward the bar with determination.
When I reached the entrance, my legs nearly gave out, but I forced myself to enter with my head held high. I was angry to see him happy. To see him surrounded by new people, moving on with his life while I was completely devastated, each new day feeling like crossing hell. I could almost see the movements in slow motion. The first to notice us was Josiah, who didn’t even react. My whole body was trembling, but I made an immense effort not to let my knees give way as my ex scanned me from head to toe. Then he took a gulp of his beer, rolling his eyes away from me. Next, it was Isabela who saw us. The redhead was laughing but froze when she saw us. As I passed by their table, followed by my trio of friends, the dark-skinned guy with countless facial piercings looked at me in a lewd way, measuring me from head to toe as he bit his plump lip. He opened his mouth to say something, and then, as I passed right in front of him, heading for the table across from where Josiah was, the guy raised his eyebrows in surprise.

" Hey, isn’t that your girl? The one you dumped? — the guy shouted, staring at Josiah with wide eyes.
“Go fuck yourself, idiot!” I snarled, stopping my walk and turning my face directly toward him. “I’m one step away from punching someone, so don’t mess with me!”
Lucah pulled me by the arm toward a chair, whispering for me to stay calm, while Josiah’s friend started laughing. I knew my friend wasn’t comfortable with the situation since he hated fights.
“Nice to meet you, Harry! But you can call me idiot...” he mocked, making his shitty group laugh.
I made sure to sit in the chair closest to the wall, directly facing their table. I glared at Isabela, ready to lash out at her with the slightest provocation, but she ignored me, sipping her Ice and looking at Bernardo, who, in turn, appeared serious and didn’t laugh at Harry’s joke.
The bar was a bit empty, as it was quite expensive compared to the neighboring ones, which had their verandas packed. The ambiance was sophisticated, with wooden railings around the tables, all in a yellowish wood. Small yellow lights hung from the ceiling, adding a touch of elegance. There was a large wooden bar at the back, where a bartender in black was mixing drinks. Seeing Isabela moving closer to Josiah, caressing his arm while whispering something, I got up and marched over to the bar. I perched myself on a high stool with a leather seat.
The bartender was very handsome. A tall man with dark, wavy hair, black eyes like the night, a full, beautiful mouth, and a fine face... He was hot! And I could use him to get back at those two idiots. I ordered a mojito and waited, tapping my chipped white nail polish on the wood, noticing the bartender giving me genuine smiles. I glanced back at my friends’ table and saw Jonas tense, next to his boyfriend. Luana subtly flipped her middle finger at my ex-friend, whispering “homewrecker.” I saw Isabela rolling her eyes, not responding to the provocation as she crossed her arms. Damn! It would’ve been better to stay in bed...
I stared at Isabela with a burning heart, observing her in a high-waisted black skirt with pleats, loose around her narrow hips. She wore a matching cropped top with a zipper running between her breasts, open to give a perfect view of her cleavage, as well as a red lace bra. Her makeup was the same as always, with that smudged mascara and lipstick the same color as her hair decorating her lips. I cursed as I watched her kiss Josiah’s cheek, who gazed at her lips, whispering some crap.