The dinner was even more delightful than expected, and they were in a wonderful mood to dive into the center of the night's revelry with spicy notes of nutmeg and saffron. The air, filled with the breath of roses, was still warm; the crowd thronged near the bars, enjoying the pulse of life that boiled on this fashionable street, full of new people, pleasures, and the scent of leather. The lights and reflections of passing cars were like the sparkling of black sea waves crashing against the shore with a champagne-like froth, enriched with woody and musky shades. It seemed as if the whole world belonged to just the two of them.