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Rose slides her phone to me, and I’m met with warm brown eyes staring back at me. Brian. His hair is neatly combed back and he’s wearing a simple white shirt. There’s a subtle beard that accentuates his chiseled jaw but it’s his smile that has me breathless again. Sweet and sly at the same time.
I zoom out to get a view of his whole body. He’s got black slacks on and seems to be leaning against a wall. He looks so different yet nothing about him has changed. At the restaurant, I didn’t get to see him properly but this… I zoom in and out until I’ve registered everything about him.
My heart beats like crazy by the time I give Rose back her phone. This doesn’t make any sense. It’s not possible. How does Dennis know Brian? And Rose said Brian has already agreed to go to the wedding with me. Does he know it’s me? Has Dennis shown him a picture? And if he knows— this can’t be a coincidence. It’s only been three days since we saw each other again.
I bury my face in my hands in an attempt to fight the dizziness and shoo those thoughts away. It’s futile. Anger, betrayal, embarrassment—they all sweep through me all at once.
“Carol. What do you think?”
I can’t believe she’s actually asking. Ten minutes earlier I was telling her about the nerve he had to go after me at the restaurant.
“No way. Absolutely not.”
Rose reaches out and wraps her arm around my shoulder. I know she wants to tell me it’s ok and that I shouldn’t react like this, but Rose has seen me at my lowest, and my lowest was when Brian left me. That doesn’t stop her from calling Dennis though.
She asks pretty much what I was wondering about—I can’t hear his answers but Rose’s face lights up the more he speaks. “Ok, listen,” she starts but I raise my hand.
“Absolutely not. Just seeing him has thrown me off completely, there’s no way I’ll be able to handle three whole days with him. And I don’t want to,” I add at the end to get my point across.
Rose looks at me unconvinced and tells Dennis she’ll call him later. “I’m not trying to change your mind, don’t worry. But I’m sure you’re dying to know so cut the crap.”
I cross my hands over my chest and wait. Satisfied, she takes a long sip of her drink and clears her throat. “They met at Dennis’s work a couple of months ago, and then again yesterday.”
I raise my eyebrow at that. “You really think that is a coincidence?”
Rose ignores me. “Dennis thought he looked perfect for the part—I mean, he’s very good-looking—and he probed to see if he’s single.” She pauses, waiting for me to ask.
I’m not going to. Even though I’m burning inside to know, I won’t admit it. Instead, I lean back in my chair and cross my hands over my chest.
“Is this your I-don’t-care look? Because it needs some work,” says Rose with a wink but doesn’t keep me hanging. “He is. Apparently, he’s divorced. With a kid.”
Wonderful. He dumped me while we were discussing meeting my parents, and then went on to have a family with another woman. In six years, he has managed to fall in love with somebody else, have a kid, and then get divorced. Or maybe he knew her before we— “How old is the kid?” My voice is trembling, and a light pain is spreading across my temples.
“I don’t know. Dennis just said he has a son.” She waits for me to say something.
“Don’t look at me, Rose. There’s nothing to think about.”
“Ok, what about this—you meet, talk this through, and go to the wedding together. It’s a win-win. You’ll get some answers, the family won’t suspect anything as he’s an old fling, and maybe…” She seems to think about it for a minute. “Maybe you’ll have some fun with it.”
“Rose,” I yell. Several heads turn in our direction, but I do my best to ignore them. I press my lips together, biting them from the inside to suppress the pain.
Pretending to be with Brian, spending three whole days with him, fake touching and fake kissing. Just the thought has an immediate effect on my body.
“That’s not what I meant at all,” she rushes to explain. “I was thinking more of a game, like the one he played on you.”
That bit does sound interesting. “Go on.”
“What if you do meet with him and pretend to be interested, you know, tease him a little? From what Dennis says, he’s on the lookout for a… partner. He seemed excited about the prospect of seeing you, even if it’s just for this favor.”
The waiter comes over to our table, interrupting Rose’s speech. I pay quickly and wave him away, no change needed.
Rose gathers her courage and continues more passionately. “You can make him believe you want him and then dump him after the wedding. He’ll get a taste of his own medicine and you will finally have closure on that story. What do you think?”
A hurt and embarrassed Brian is something I would like to see, but— how am I supposed to pretend? I’d want to slap him the moment I see him. Or worse, I’d want to kiss him again. A shiver runs down my spine.
“Let’s go. I need some air.” I grab my bag and head outside, Rose right behind me. She links her arm with mine, and we walk in silence until Rose receives another message from Dennis, asking for confirmation.
“I’m not doing it.” My voice is clear and leaves no room for discussion. The game Rose is suggesting will affect me more than it would ever affect him.
