After a few more drinks Hannah and Alain were slumped down into their chairs and were feeling quite relaxed. They were now looking around the bar together.

"Hey, what about that girl?" asked Alain.

"She looks like she's had a nose-job" said Hannah dismissively.

"What the hell are you talking about? Her nose looks nothing like that!"

Hannah looked again. "Then she should have one!" she concluded. She jolted Alain in the arm.

"Ow!"

"What about her?" Hannah pointed.

Alain cocked his head. "She's too . . . She looks too supermodelly, you know? There's nothing about her that's . . . her. She could be anyone."

Hannah shrugged. "Ah, what do you expect for a cocktail bar on a Saturday night."

"Should we go somewhere else then?"

"Okay." Hannah stood up, wobbled, and sat down again. "Actually . . ." Alain collapsed in a fit of giggles.

Eventually he stopped. "I think you're cramping my style" he said unexpectedly.

"Eh?"

"It just suddenly occurred to me. That's why none of the girls here have come to come over to chat. They all think you're my girlfriend."

"Me! Don't flatter yourself, honey." Hannah smiled. "Well you're in luck, 'cause I've got to go the toilet." She wobbled to her feet again. "Just give me a minute." She took a deep breath - "Okay -" and she walked with determined concentration towards the toilets.

When she got back Alain was, indeed, talking to a woman - though he'd gone to her, rather than her coming to him. "Fucking hell" muttered Hannah, and strode as best she could towards them.

"Is this guy bothering you?" she asked the woman Alain was talking to.

"Hannah, not now mate" said Alain.

"See" continued Hannah, "he thinks he's gonna get lucky." She leaned towards the woman. "But even though he likes to pretend different, he's a really nice guy, if you see what I mean."

"Hannah" said Alain, laughing uneasily, "I keep telling you it's not fair to make jokes like that when the person doesn't know you!"

"Oh, did I offend you?" asked Hannah with mock-concern. She turned to the other woman. "Men, huh? They're so thin-skinned when they think they're in with a chance."

The girl smiled uncertainly. "Yeah . . ." She looked around, as if looking for a friend.

Hannah leaned forward. "You look tired" she whispered, her eyes narrow with concern. "Are you?"

"Yeah . . ." the woman said again, and turned back towards Alain. "Listen, it was lovely to meet you, but I'm gonna call it a night." She hurriedly finished off her drink and left the bar.

Hannah turned happily to Alain. "New game!" she grinned. "Let's see who can screw up the other's night the most."

"You've taken a head start" said Alain glumly.