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“We’re definitely staying,” she said, darting towards the table while leaving Alina behind. Alina gave the receptionist an apologetic look and scurried behind her friend. By the time she had approached the table, Taylor had already introduced herself and was seated comfortably between her new acquaintances. Alina took the only empty seat available.
The men introduced themselves one at a time. The first was Lee. He was blonde and well-built. He wore a black close-fitted t-shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue suit with a matching shirt. Lee was neat, down to the boyish haircut that brought out the dimples on his cheek. He spoke in a soft tone but never had a problem being heard.
Martin was the opposite of Lee’s composed manner. He was loud, rowdy, and ill-mannered, much like a male version of Taylor. Martin wore a simple striped shirt but rolled the sleeves up to the middle of his forearm. The first button was left loose to reveal a flicker of hair.
Dereck was the third man at this table. His gray eyes were wide, with just a slight smile on his lips, which was almost concealed by the unkempt facial hair that somehow suited him. He laid back in his seat, ignoring the rising of his cock as Alina joined the table.
Normally, he wouldn’t be attracted to the petite type. In fact, it was rare for Dereck to be instantly aroused by random women, but there was something about Alina that made his manhood twitch. Something that had a certain sensation crawling to his groin.
Not that she was completely shapeless. Dereck noticed how her pants went in at the waist and then out again to hug her hip. He saw the way her top lifted with her movements, revealing a very appealing piercing. He looked at Alina whose breast stood erect in the light top and wondered where else she might have pierced.
“Let’s get this party started,” Martin said, as Alina sat down. Then he raised his arm. “Waiter, a bottle of wine for the table.”
Taylor’s head raised from the word wine. “Make that…” When she couldn’t remember the name of the drink, her mouth quivered as she snapped her fingers.
“Pomerol,” Alina completed Taylor’s sentence after making her friend struggle for a bit.
When the waiter came back and proceeded to serve the very expensive wine, Dereck dragged his glasses away. “None for me,” he said in a stern voice.
“Not drinking?” Alina asked in a polite tone.
“No,” Dereck said, drumming his fingers on the table. “I’m on call.”
“Oh,” Taylor cooed. “More for me.”
Lee turned to Alina and explained. “Dereck is a doctor. You know the type… the hospital is his life.”
Alina then directed her question to Dereck. “So what does your family have to say about it?”
“I don’t have a family,” he said, holding her gaze. “And if I did, they would understand that my job is important.”
“More important than them?” Alina widened her eyes and tilted her head. “This is why so many doctors are divorced. They expect their spouse to just accept that they’re hardly home because they save lives.”
Dereck felt a sudden coldness that ran throughout his body, then struck him directly at his core.
“You know what’s wrong with these so-called statistics that you hear about,” Dereck interjected, leaning away. “They only focus on one portion of the figures. What happens to the multiple doctors and nurses that are still married, even to each other?”
Alina took a sip of her wine, then jutted her chin. “Just give it time. They’ll be divorced soon enough.”
Dereck propped his elbows on the table and raised his eyebrows. “So, you’re telling me I’m doomed to get divorced if I was to ever marry.”
“I’m not saying that you’re doomed.” Alina leaned back in her chair. “I’m just saying there’s a good chance that you will get divorced. Especially if you go into it with the mentality that your spouse has to understand. They’re humans too. They feel lonely. They get neglected. No number of rationalities could stop that feeling.”
Dereck was about to refute when Taylor put up her hand. “Wow. I thought we were here to have a good time.” She lifted her glass and clicked it with Lee’s. “Let’s not spoil the fun with this fruitless argument.”
“I agree,” Martin said. “Lee forced us to this classy restaurant instead of a bar.” He glared at Lee from the corner of his eye. “But we are blessed to have these gorgeous women join us. Let’s not taint it.”
Dereck and Alina stared at each other with intensity in their eyes, but said nothing. None of them wanted to ruin the night for their friends. Though for the rest of the evening, they seemed to find excuses to be on the opposing side in a discussion. It was almost as if they were fated to be on opposing teams. When Dereck opted out of refined sugars to have a fruit bowl, Alina asked the waiter for the biggest piece of cake on the menu and devoured every morsel. If he hadn’t gotten a call from the hospital, Alina probably would have found more things to disagree about.
“The audacity of that man,” she told her friend. “I pity the woman he ends up with.”
2
Alina walked around her studio apartment with a brush coated with red paint in one hand and her phone in the other one. She did this for several minutes before finally resting the brush in its place in the container.
“So how are Mom and Dad?” Alina spoke nonchalantly.
“The same,” her sister Casey spoke in a defeated tone. “I don’t think they will ever change.”
