by Alisa Easton
The next few days passed without incident. I didn’t get any phone calls from Sylvia, which was odd considering that I knew she was excited to meet Adam so I hoped that she wasn’t on to me.
More importantly, I hadn’t received a late night visit from Reese, which is what I had been hoping for. I had spoken to Adam a couple of times over the course of the week but had managed to avoid seeing him.
By the time Thursday came, I needed a night out to raise my spirits. It was difficult to accept that Reese would disappear without contacting me again. Every night that passed without hearing from him tore another piece from my soul. I felt like I would go insane. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t concentrate. More than anything, my matchmaking efforts with Sylvia had to work just to remind myself that peace and love could still exist in the world. I knew that I couldn’t keep expecting Reese to show up in my bed and I was crazy to want it so much but I couldn’t seem to let go. I needed things to work out between Sylvia and Ben just to give me somewhere else to place my energy and enthusiasm.
By Thursday evening, I was a basket case. I ended up downing two drinks just in the process of showering and getting dressed to go out. I still hadn’t heard from Sylvia. I double checked my phone three more times in the span of thirty minutes just to make sure I hadn’t somehow missed her call. Each time I tried to call her number, it went straight to voice mail and I’d tired of leaving messages that she clearly had no intention of answering.
I double checked my hair and make-up. I hoped that this evening would go better than the rest of my week had gone. I arrived at the restaurant at precisely seven o’clock and had the hostess show me to our table. Adam was already waiting for me with a drink ordered for both of us, for which I was very grateful. I already felt the need for another since the first two had long since worn off, especially with my nerves.
“This was probably a really dumb idea” I said taking a drink, “I thought that she would have called me but I haven’t heard from her all week. I think she’s on to me. She’s probably not even going to show up, not even to meet you.”
“Relax,” Adam said putting a hand over mine to calm me. He was smiling, trying to make me feel more at ease.
“She doesn’t believe it, does she? She probably could see right through it. I should have known she would have never fallen for anything crazy like this. God knows that I’ve known her for long enough.”
“Seriously, Alex, relax. The evening is going to be just fine. Besides, it’s not a total loss. You and I are finally out again. I’ve missed you. I get the impression you’ve been avoiding me lately.”
“What? Don’t be silly. Why would I be avoiding you?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”
“I’ve just been really busy,” I lied but I could feel my cheeks flush bright red.
“She never called me. I don’t even know if she’s still planning to show up,” I continued trying to turn the conversation back to Sylvia and Ben rather than face the conversation with Adam that I didn’t want to have.
“Well, I don’t think you have to worry so much. And for what it’s worth, you look beautiful tonight. I was hoping that maybe after dinner, you and I could go back to my house.”
“Adam, I don’t know. It’s a work night and all.”
He shrugged off the disappointment and took another sip of his drink.
“It was only a thought. Let’s see where the evening takes us, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s,” I said nervously taking another sip of the fruity white wine that Adam had chosen.
“To us,” he said lifting his glass to meet mine.
“To us.”
The waiter brought us refills on our drinks and asked if he could take our orders but we waved him away, letting him know that we were still waiting for our friend to join us. Twenty minutes later and feeling quite tipsy, I was convinced that Sylvia would be a no-show. I sent Ben a text message update. He was patiently waiting in an obscure part of the parking lot to make his grand entrance sometime after I made sure that Sylvia was here to stay. I was really hoping that I hadn’t wasted everyone’s time by dragging them out here this evening.
I finished off the last of my drink and started to signal for the waiter when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned sharply, nearly pushing my glass off the table as I did so.
“My, aren’t we a little jumpy this evening,” Sylvia said.
I stood up to embrace her warmly, grateful that she was here at last and she had a smile on her lips. I saw her gaze move to Adam as I let go of her.
“I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t be joining us this evening,” I said to her motioning for her to take the empty seat beside me at the table. She did so gratefully.
“I’m really sorry, Alex. I have been so swamped with work this week that I didn’t get a chance to call and let you know that I was running a little late.” She paused and thrust her hand in Adam’s direction. “You must be Adam. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“And you must be Sylvia. It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
I watched as they smiled at each other. I tried to read Sylvia’s assessment but her eyes were more guarded than usual. She looked worn and tired and I wondered how much of that was the stress of working so much and how much of that was regret over breaking things off with Ben. Then again, maybe I was making too many assumptions when it came to her feelings for Ben.
The waiter reappeared and asked once again if he could take our orders. Thankfully, Sylvia already had a good idea what she was in the mood for so we didn’t have to send him away again while we gave her time to make up her mind. We placed our orders and then were left to sit in awkward silence trying to make small talk while I discreetly sent a text message under the table to Ben to let him know that Sylvia had arrived in a relatively good spirits and we should be eating within the next twenty to thirty minutes. I wanted to make sure that Sylvia had at least one drink down her and food to distract her before Ben made his surprise appearance.
“You seem kind of nervous,” Sylvia said looking in my direction. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and took a quick drink to calm my nerves.
“Who? Me?” I asked her. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“So, Adam,” she said turning her attention back to him clearly unconvinced by my charade, “What do you do?”
“I am an accountant,” he said, “I have an office in my home just around the corner from where Alex works. That’s how we met,” he said smiling at me, “I got a puppy and brought him to Alex’s practice. Best thing I ever did.”
I tried to smile even though I am sure that it came off as plastic. Sylvia looked at me for a long time before she continued to ask Adam about his work. Adam seemed pleased to answer and I learned a few things about him that I’d never thought to ask myself. Listening to the two of them banter as the food arrived almost made me forget why we were sitting there in the first place. It could have been a pleasant evening.
“What are you doing here?” Sylvia said interrupting an amusing tale of Tiger’s antics that Adam was in the middle of telling as we commented on how good the food was.
I turned around to look at Ben standing behind me and I turned back to Sylvia swallowing hard. This was the part when I had to convince her that Ben should sit down and join us.
“Ben, what a surprise,” I said trying to sound the part and hoping that my voice didn’t shake.
“Hi Alex. Hi Sylvia.” He sounded more nervous than I did.
“Ben, this is Adam. Adam this is Sylvia’s boyfriend, Ben.” Adam stood up so that he could reach over and shake the other man’s hand and exchange pleasantries. I took the opportunity to try to determine just how angry with me Sylvia was at this moment since I was certain that she didn’t buy the façade. Her face did not give any hints to her reaction but her sudden silence did not bode well. Clearly she was waiting to see what would happen next.
“How ironic to run into you all h
ere.”
Ben lied terribly.
“Ben, why don’t you sit down and join us for some dessert,” I said even though we were only a few bites into our meals. I looked at Sylvia begging for her to agree or at the very least not show any signs of running away. She did neither.
“Actually, I’d love to,” he said eagerly taking the empty seat across from Sylvia. She refused to make eye contact with him but she didn’t move or say a word in response to his addition to the table either. Adam and I tried to include both her and Ben into the conversation but Sylvia kept her head down and ate, only speaking when we asked her a direct question and even then, keeping her answers short and to the point. I felt her eyes dig into me when I was turned away from her but when I tried to meet her gaze, she looked away. I had it figured that she was seething inside but doing her best to keep things together for the sake of not appearing terribly rude to Adam. I was starting to think that maybe it wasn’t such a wise move to interfere with her love life, despite the fact that my intentions were good.
The waiter cleared our dinner dishes and I still hadn’t managed to draw Sylvia out of her silence. I silently pleaded with Ben across the table to say something. Now was his chance. If he didn’t, then she was going to take the first opportunity to excuse herself and leave.
“How have you been, Sylvia?” he asked softly.
“Fine.”
“Sylvia has been really busy at work this week,” I offered, “so she’s a little tired. Isn’t that right?”
“Mind your own business, Alex.”
“I was only making conversation,” I said.
“I was hoping we could talk,” Ben said.
“Is that what this is about?” Sylvia asked looking directly at me.
“I just thought that if you two sat down together and talked about how you’re feeling, then maybe you could work things out,” I said knowing it was fruitless to deny that she’d been set up.
“I can’t believe my own best friend would lie to me like this. How could you stoop so low?” she accused me.
“Sylvia, wait, don’t blame Alex,” Ben said reaching out to touch Sylvia’s arm. I held my breath as I watched them. Sylvia didn’t pull away.
“She is trying to get us back together,” Ben continued, “She is trying to help.”
“I just thought if you two sat down together and talked then maybe you could work things out. I know about the proposal.”
“What?” she said stunned.
“I ran into Ben at the grocery store. He told me that he asked you to marry him. He was so heartbroken that you broke up with him that I agreed to help. Just give him a chance.”
Sylvia stared at me for a long time without saying anything. I couldn’t read the expression in her eyes, whether she was still angry, hurt, confused, or a mix of all of the above. None of us knew what to say. She pulled her hand away from Ben and stood up. My heart sank. She wasn’t ready to listen to reason.
“Adam, it was very nice to meet you. Alex, goodbye.”
She turned her back on both of us and walked out of the restaurant. Ben got up without a word and ran after her, leaving Adam and me to stare at each other dumbfounded in the awkward silence that they left behind.
“Well, that could have gone a bit better,” I said with a sigh.
“It’s not your fault, Alex. Like you told Sylvia, you were only trying to help. It’s up to her if she wants to hang on to a good thing or not.”
The waiter reappeared with dessert menus. I didn’t have much of an appetite but Adam convinced me to share a slice of chocolate cake with him and I finally agreed.
I let my head collapse into my hands with my elbows propped on the table.
“It was a disaster,” I said ignoring his earlier attempts to make me feel better.
“It wasn’t that bad.”
We didn’t say anything as we waited for the waiter to return with the cake. We were each lost in our thoughts.
“Maybe he convinced her to talk to him. You don’t know. They might work things out,” he said as we picked up our forks and dug into our cake.
“I don’t know if she’s ever going to talk to me again.”
“Of course she will. She’s your best friend.”
“I shouldn’t have got in the middle. It was none of my business what she did with Ben. If she’s not ready to get married or if she doesn’t think he’s the one she should be with then who am I to try to push?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Alex. I think it’s really sweet what you did. You’re a romantic at heart, even after what happened in your past, you obviously still believe that true love will prevail.”
I looked up at him and he smiled at me and in that moment, I knew he was right and I knew what I had to do. I couldn’t sit here pretending any longer.
“Thank you, Adam. You’re a really nice guy.”
“I’m glad you think so, Alex.”
Once again, silence filled the space between us as we continued to eat and find ourselves immersed in our own thoughts. By the time we’d finished, all I could think about was getting out of the restaurant. The waiter brought the check and I paid the bill before Adam could try to take it from me.
“Thank you for coming out tonight,” I said, “I’m really sorry that it was such a waste of your time. I really hoped that Sylvia would listen to reason and we could all get to know each other a little bit. I guess I wasn’t living in the real world.”
“I got to spend time with you. I don’t think it was a waste of time. Maybe we could hang out a bit tonight just the two of us?” he said and I could hear the hope creeping into his voice again. I wished that I could make him happy and give in but I knew that if I did then I wouldn’t be doing justice to my true feelings. No matter how much I tried to deny it, there was someone else and each night that I continued to hope he would return, it was clear that I needed to do whatever I could to figure out what that was before I could give up on it. I couldn’t see any way around it.
“I don’t think tonight is such a good idea,” I said counting out the right amount for the tip and leaving it on the table.
“It’s been a stressful night, I know,” he said sitting back.
“I don’t think there is going to be a right time,” I said slowly.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to lead you on. I don’t think it’s fair to you. It’s just that I don’t think we really have a future together.”
“I thought we got along well together?”
“We do.”
“Alex, please,” he said taking my hand in his, “give me a chance. We’re only just getting to know each other and I know it’s kind of scary, but I really think we have a chance to be happy. Just give me a little longer?”
“Adam, I have to be honest with you. There is someone else.”
“Oh,” he said simply. He let go of my hand and stared at his own hands on the table. I wasn’t sure what to do or say but I couldn’t just get up and walk away leaving him like that.
“Maybe it’s nothing. I don’t know. It’s just that I feel terrible about leading you on when I don’t know where things are going.”
“It’s okay. I understand,” he said quietly, “He’s the one from the restaurant that night?”
I started fumbling with my purse knowing that I would need to escape this conversation before it became even more awkward than it already was. Adam didn’t need to know about Reese or any of the details about how we’d met or continued to meet. I just needed to cut our ties and bid him farewell before I took pity on him and changed my mind. I wasn’t doing either of us a favor.
“Yes, he is the one.”
“So this guy really means something to you then?”
“I need to figure that out,” I said. I stood up and said goodbye and he just sat and watched me go. I felt awful, not only had I made my best friend livid at me but I’d just broken the heart of the only man that had actually cared about me since Ed left.
Chapter 16
I pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine but I didn’t hurry to get out of the car. My cell phone rang twice on my drive home and both times it was Adam. I let both calls go to voice mails and judging by the indicator on my phone, he’d left messages both times. I thought about listening to the messages but ultimately decided against it, at least not tonight. If I listened to his message now, I risked caving into second chances and I knew that would be the worst thing for both of us.
I dried the tears from my eyes even though I was only coming home to my three fish and they didn’t care what I looked like as long as the food kept coming. I put the key in the lock and realized that my door wasn’t actually locked. I pushed it open and looked around cautiously. I was almost certain that I had locked the door when I left but then again, I’d been in a hurry and I’d been preoccupied with how Sylvia would feel about the arrangement so perhaps I’d somehow forgotten? It seemed like a logical excuse but something still left me feeling uneasy. I felt for my cell phone in my pocket as I turned on the lights and closed the door behind me.
I was being silly I decided as I stood staring at my empty living room. All of my electronics were exactly as I’d left them. No one had been in my house. I simply forgot to lock the door. It wasn’t the first time. I sighed and decided that the best way to forget about the disaster of an evening would be to make my way to the bath tub and spend an hour just soaking in hot water and a lot of bubbles. Walking down the hallway toward the bathroom, I stumbled on something.