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I tried to respond, but my tongue was too thick. The last thing I saw was the pavement rushing up to meet me before everything went black.
FORTY-TWO
LAYANA
I rocked my heels back and forth on the polished floor beneath the table. Soft jazz music mingled with the quiet murmur of fancy-dressed patrons chatting about how romantic their overpriced food felt. Oysters, chocolate, green M&Ms, whatever makes you horny. It was Valentine’s Day, after all.
And Gabriel had gotten us reservations at the swankiest spot in town. Again. This was our third time attempting dinner at Mellifluous. First, Dani had ambushed me in the bathroom. I still had no idea how she’d gotten through the front doors with her shuffling, her socks with sandals, and the way she squeezed her hoodie so her mouth looked like it was inside a butthole.
The second attempt at dinner here involved me royally screwing up by getting myself not-exactly-detained at the police station and leaving Gabriel to celebrate here alone.
Had he sat at this very table, watching the door the way I watched it now?
Third time was a charm, right?
He’d said he wanted to talk. He’d said he hoped I’d come.
I was here, with bells on. Well, not bells. I wasn’t a cow, ring-a-dinging my location. I had on my hottest dress that accentuated my boobs and hips just right, with the tallest pair offuck-me heels I was actually able to walk in, and a bright shade of pink lipstick that I hoped said I’m-so-sorry and you-should-totally-kiss-me at the same time.
After days of silence, his invitation to meet had sparked a fragile hope I was afraid to cling to. We had so much ground to cover, so many wounds that needed mending between us.
Watching happy couples laugh and touch and wondering if Gabriel and I could ever find our way back to those sorts of easy interactions was a special kind of torture. It was only two minutes past our reservation time, so there was no good reason for me to be this worried.
He’d come.
Heinvitedme.
The waiter stopped by. “Your dining companion still hasn't arrived yet? Can I offer you a beverage while you wait?”
He could very well see that no one was sitting across from me. I considered telling him that indeed my date was here, that he was simply an invisible ghost, and that it was very offensive to my ghost boyfriend that the waiter had yet to acknowledge him.
Plus, it was only three minutes after seven. People still hadn’t arrived ten or fifteen minutes after they were supposed to all the time. It was called being casually, fashionably awesome, and they didn’t deserve to be shamed for it.
He was just standing there staring at me, waiting for my assault or my drink order, definitely one of those.
I smiled then turned my attention back to the door. “Just water, thank you.”
Gabriel would walk through that door any minute. I smoothed my dress, took a sip of water, and tried to gather my frayed thoughts. Would he have read my blog post yet? I only posted it twenty minutes ago, so he hadn’t even had the chance to see what I had to say before he’d invited me out.
Maybe he hadn’t read it yet. Would it be appropriate to shove my phone in his face and tell him to read when he sat down, instead of trying to condense all I felt into a few sentences that in no way could adequately convey everything?
That had to be the plan. He’d be all deep and sexy as he saidhello, Layana.And I’d be likehi, read this.Then we would make out and maybe just skip dinner and have crazy hot make up sex in the bathroom until we both forgot what it felt like to be without each other and how close we’d come to losing each other.
Yes, it was the perfect plan.
I drained my water glass.
The waiter drifted by again, his smile tighter than before. “More water?”
I nodded, willing my stomach not to churn. Gabriel's punctuality was the stuff of legends. It wasn't like him to be late. Maybe he'd gotten stuck in traffic.
He’d be here any minute and all would be well.
Half an hour slipped away. Other guests shot me pitying glances. The waiter lingered nearby, hesitation clear on his face.
“I’ll go ahead and order,” I told him.
No way was I going to leave, and at some point soon if I didn’t order something, they’d kick me out. The Valentine’s waitlist was probably around-the-block long.
