“Happy birthday, Mr. Galael.”
Sean smiled widely as he had just arrived at a restaurant, where Deasy warmly and enthusiastically welcomed him. Not only that, but his ex-girlfriend’s friend, Deasy, had even prepared and given him a gift box that was probably prepared well in advance to be given to him.
Sean was certainly happy. He had even forgotten that today was his birthday. He felt lucky that there were still others who remembered and went out of their way to celebrate and surprise him.
“Oh my gosh. So, you called me earlier and told me to hurry to Holycow because you had prepared all of this?”
Deasy smiled and nodded. She had reserved a spot at the famous restaurant a few days ago to celebrate Sean’s birthday together.
Actually, this wasn’t the first time. Before Sean continued his studies abroad, Deasy had celebrated his birthday with him and Veronica. The three of them had a ritual of taking turns to celebrate each other’s birthdays. However, this time Deasy didn’t bring Veronica along as she usually did.
“Well, of course. As a good friend, there’s no way I could forget your birthday. And I’ve also prepared a special gift for you,” she said, handing over a black box containing the prepared gift.
“For God’s sake, you went through so much trouble, Des. Just treating me to a meal would have made me happy, you know.”
“Don’t be so modest!” Deasy immediately pouted. She puckered her lips, playfully sulking. “I’ve bought the gift and prepared a birthday cake. Treating you to the meal is your job, then. After all, your salary as an expert staff is bigger, Nath.”
“You’re not committed enough. No wonder you chose an expensive restaurant.”
Deasy and Sean both laughed. When the waiter arrived, they ordered several dishes to enjoy. While waiting, they chatted about various topics.
Sean, curious about the gift from Deasy, chose to open it. A moment later, he pulled out the special item to try it on.
“Whoa. A Patek Philippe watch? You’re really loaded, Des. This isn’t the result of embezzlement from Veronica’s company, is it?” Sean joked on purpose. He often teased Deasy like that.
“Just so you know,” Deasy retorted, “It’s not embezzlement. I was born wealthy.” She said it with a hint of arrogance.
What can you do, what Deasy said was true. Essentially, she was born into a wealthy and prestigious family. Deasy worked with Veronica because she wanted to prove to her parents that she could be independent and successful without their help. And it turns out, her chosen profession and job made her happy and comfortable.
“Yeah, I know that you’re a wealthy person with a lot of free time,” Sean replied candidly, with a tone meant to be teasing. “While I work hard to earn a lot of money. It’s a different story from you, who works just to appear busy to your family.”
Deasy laughed. Playfully annoyed, she repeatedly pinched Sean’s arm.
“That’s not exactly the concept, Mr. Chandra.”
“Des! Ugh. I really don’t like being called that,” the man protested.
“Alright… alright… Mr. Sean. You’re such a talker. Just so you know, I also work seriously to earn money. You know yourself that I haven’t received any money from my parents for a long time. It’s annoying to always be seen by people as successful just because they had a hand in it.”
“I feel you, Des. Veronica used to complain like that too, right?”
Deasy nodded. “Hers was even worse. She was seen as incapable of anything. And everything she got always had her Dad’s involvement.”
“You guys, having parents who are too wealthy. Plus, being women. You’re always seen as incapable. So, people’s opinions probably underestimate you right from the start.”
“Oh, by the way, about Veronica…” Deasy interjected. “On your birthday like this, did she wish you well? Or give you a gift?”
Sean shook his head. He spilled some of his lemon tea into his glass, and only then did he respond, “Not at all.”
“Really?” Deasy asked, seemingly in disbelief.
“Yes,” Sean nodded. “Maybe she’s just really busy, that’s why she forgot. Besides, not only Veronica, even I didn’t remember that today was my birthday.”
“But to that extent. When you were abroad, she made an effort to send gifts, right?”
This time Sean nodded. He remembered when he was studying abroad, Veronica had indeed given him various birthday presents.
“Alright, let it go. Gifts aren’t that important, Des. Besides, I’m not a kid.”
Deasy shook her head. She obviously didn’t agree with Sean’s casual answer.
“Still, Veronica has changed a lot, Nath. Aren’t you worried that she’s really moved on to Darwin? Are you seriously okay with it?”
“I’m sure that my name still holds a place in Veronica’s heart. Even if there’s Darwin, I believe that when their marriage runs its course, Veronica will come back to me, sooner or later.”
Laughter erupted from Deasy’s lips right at that moment. She teased the naive words that had just come from Sean’s mouth. How could the man in front of her be so naive.
“Oh God, Sean. Where does that confidence come from, huh? Just imagine, it’s only been two months of marriage, and Veronica is slowly forgetting you completely.”
“That’s just your feeling, Des,” Sean countered.
Deasy smirked. Tilting her head slightly, she then gestured with her finger, signaling Sean to come closer.
“You don’t know, do you? Recently, this Darwin guy asked Veronica to seriously commit to their marriage for a whole month.”
Sean was taken aback. He wasn’t sure about what he had just heard.
“What do you mean?”
“Just as you heard it, Sean Galael. This Darwin idiot asked the person you care about to have a serious relationship for a month. If this relationship works out, there won’t be any talk of divorce. So, get ready to accept the fate of losing Veronica forever.”
“Are you serious?”
Deasy nodded repeatedly. Stubborn as she was, she once again shared something she shouldn’t have with Sean.
“A thousand times. Veronica told me herself.”
Sean fell silent for a moment. He looked straight ahead, taking deep breaths. It’s unclear what he was thinking right now. After a while, Sean turned to Deasy and began speaking again.
“Let it be, Des. If Veronica is meant to be mine, no matter what, she’ll come back to me.”
Deasy let out a sigh of frustration. She had really hoped that Sean would do something to help Veronica separate from someone as toxic as Darwin.
***
“Darwin, where are you dressed up like that going?” Veronica asked when she saw Darwin pacing around the room, straightening his clothes.
The aroma of flower cotton mixed with woody notes from Darwin’s Bvlgari perfume wafted through the room, filling the air with a strong scent. Who knows how much of that fragrance Darwin had sprayed on himself for it to be so potent that Veronica could smell it from a distance.
“I’m meeting Kennedy and Randy at the usual café. Do you want to come?” he asked. It was unusual after all these times of going out alone in the evenings that Darwin was now inviting his wife to come along.
“You’re inviting me? Seriously?”
Darwin nodded. Turning around, he gave her a serious look.
“Yes, Veronica. I’m inviting you. Plus, Luna seems to be there too. If you want to come, change quickly.”
Veronica nodded her head at that moment. Getting off the bed, she hurriedly walked towards the walk-in closet. Changing into casual clothes and applying simple makeup, she followed Darwin’s steps to the car.
When they arrived at the café and got out of the car, Darwin immediately took Veronica’s hand without hesitation. Leading his wife inside, he then approached his cousins who had already arrived and gathered.
“Well, well, well. Tonight’s the surprise: bringing a partner,” Randy teased when he saw Darwin and Veronica sitting in front of him.
Darwin was, of course, fully aware that this would happen. But he didn’t care. Just as he had said to Veronica, for this month he was going to try to do what a husband should do, including taking Veronica out and spending time with his cousins.
“Veronica, don’t listen to him. These guys are not popular in relationships,” defended Luna, who was also there.
Randy immediately scoffed. Luna, his cousin’s wife, had no problem saying all sorts of things.
“Who are you calling not popular?”
“You, of course. Among the three of you, who’s not popular? Only you, right?” Luna replied with a punchline.
“Sorry to say, Luna. Are you forgot? Many women are fighting over a handsome guy like me for a boyfriend.”
“Come on, they all want your money, not your love, Randy. A couple of stingrays, handsome but useless.”
“Damn!” Randy cursed.
Everyone laughed. Veronica, who was joining her husband’s cousins for the first time, couldn’t help but laugh along with them as they teased Randy.
“By the way, Win, you should’ve offered Veronica something to eat or drink first. How can you take her to a café and not order anything?” Kennedy reminded him.
Darwin nodded. Calling the waiter over, he requested the menu and handed it to Veronica.
“What would you like to order, sweetheart?”
Both Randy and Kennedy’s eyes widened. They were sure of what they had just heard.
“Isn’t it all lovey-dovey now?” Randy joked while laughing. “It smells like someone is starting to go crazy, Ken,” he said, recalling Darwin’s earlier words when they got married.
“Enough, let’s not start!” Darwin exclaimed, annoyed.
Veronica chuckled softly. When Darwin signaled about the earlier question, she quickly responded.
“I’ll just have an orange juice.”
“In that case, I’ll have a scoop of gelato ice cream with Oreo and a bottle of mineral water,” Darwin said to the café waiter after Veronica’s answer.
While waiting for their orders to arrive, Darwin and Veronica listened to Kennedy and Randy’s stories. Occasionally, they would laugh when the conversation touched on amusing topics.
“Actually, why did you ask me to come to the café tonight?” Darwin asked while spooning the gelato into his mouth. He was curious because both his cousins had mentioned that there was something important they wanted to discuss.
“Since we’re going to have a long holiday next week, I want to invite you guys to go to Korea. Besides, we haven’t hung out together in a while. Plus, now you guys are married.”
“Ahem!” Randy coughed loudly. “Please, I don’t have a wife yet. Am I supposed to be left out?”
“That’s your problem, Ran,” Luna chimed in nonchalantly.
“Fine, then you can go alone, Ran. Haven’t you been traveling alone all this time anyway? Plus, I won’t accept it if you bring those unclear girlfriends of yours,” Kennedy warned, sending a caution. Then in the next moment, she turned back to Darwin. “How about you, Win? Are you interested? I’ll cover the tickets and all accommodations.”
Darwin appeared to be deep in thought. Taking another scoop of ice cream from his bowl, he offered it to Veronica’s mouth and spoke gently to his wife.
“Do you want to come?”
Veronica was taken aback. It wasn’t about the offer Darwin made, but the fact that he suddenly fed her the ice cream. It was unusual for him to be so sweet in front of his cousins.
Since he kept offering, she awkwardly accepted the bite of ice cream he gave. Chewing slowly, she replied, “To Korea?”
“Yes. We’ve never been to Korea together, right? And I’ll also take you to my home there.”
Veronica smiled, then nodded. She thought there was nothing wrong with accepting Kennedy’s invitation to go on vacation to Korea together. After all, this opportunity might not come around a second time.
“That sounds fun. Plus, next week our work schedule isn’t too packed, right? It seems okay for us to join.”
“Yes, you should join. It’s another honeymoon, for the nth time. Who knows, you might come back as a trio instead of a couple,” Randy provoked. He was quite skilled at stirring things up.
“Sure,” Veronica replied confidently.
“Okay. Since you both agree, after this Luna will take care of all the preparations for our departure next week. I hope no one unilaterally cancels their plans suddenly.”
“Deal,” Darwin affirmed firmly. “Veronica and I will get ready too.”
Everyone resumed their conversation. Discussing plans that might be realized when they go on vacation together to South Korea next week.