CHAPTER 5
APRIL
That morning, a loud crash from the door jolted me awake. I ignored the knocks at first, but when they didn’t stop, I had no choice but to open my eyes and acknowledge them. I reluctantly got out of bed and made my way to the door, praying it wasn’t a moron that had lost his way.
When I cautiously opened the door, my gaze was drawn to Matilda, who scrunched her face when she saw me, and before I could say anything, she sidestepped me and walked into my apartment.
“Why are you here so early?” I asked, closing the door and I walked up to her. She was now seated on the sofa.
“It’s two in the afternoon and you claim it’s so early?” She questioned in return, and my eyes widened before I glanced at the wall clock to confirm.
“Wow. I didn’t know I slept that long,” I mentioned, before taking my seat on the sofa opposite her, and she shook her head, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Obviously not. You are on break, right? You should take it easy for a while.” I couldn’t miss the sarcasm in her voice, which made me smile despite her blank expression. Whenever she was caustic or tried to crack a joke, her face was always like that.
It’s not like she had any distinctive features; her face was just like any other, round with a button nose and dainty eyes that made her appear younger than her years, and I admired that about her, even though she insisted I had a better facial feature; I tried believing her several times, but my insecurities always resurfaced; after all, why wouldn’t they?
Matilda had been with James since our first year in college, and their love was still waxing stronger, whereas my relationships rarely lasted more than six months, leading me to believe I was the problem until my most recent relationship changed my mind.
Ray and I would be celebrating our one-year anniversary this week, and I was really looking forward to it. It was the main reason I’d decided to take a week off work, even though my annual leave wasn’t due until a few months.
“Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at work?” I inquired, forcing myself back to her presence.
“It’s my lunch break, and I wanted to invite you out for lunch, but after trying your number several times and getting no response, I feared something had happened to you, so I decided to confirm,” she explained, and I smiled gratefully. Her workplace wasn’t really far from my house.
“So, you care this much for me?” I teased, and she scoffed.
“You wish I should.”
“Should I go get dressed for the lunch date?”
She replied, “Not again, I only have a few minutes till the end of the break and I have an appointment after.” She got up immediately and said, “I better get going now.”
“Oh, okay, maybe dinner later then,” I told her, and she bobbed her head.
“See you later.” She walked out of my apartment, and shortly after, I returned to my room. I jumped on my bed with the intention to go back to sleep, my phone made a beep sound from the bedside table, and I stretched my hand to pick it up.
My face broke into a huge smile immediately the screen came to life and revealed a message from my boyfriend. He asked if we could meet later in the evening, and I instantly responded in the affirmative.
I’d actually intended to ask him too since we hadn’t seen each other in the past few days. The last time he canceled the date at the last minute, excusing himself for something he said needed his urgent attention.
After telling me he would decide and send the dinner venue later, my stomach grumbled, and I knew that was a cue for me to eat since the last time I ate was the previous night. Dumping my phone on the bed, I got up on my feet and made my way to the kitchen.
When I opened the fridge, it was empty, which reminded me that I’d intended to go grocery shopping but for my busy schedule the previous week. So I made a mental note to do it before going on the date, but first, I needed to get myself something to eat.
I decided to order food. It didn’t seem like my stomach could wait to eat till after I took my bath, knowing how long that would take. Most importantly, I didn’t like going to a restaurant alone unless it was my last option.
I went into the bathroom after placing the order, and the food didn’t arrive until I was dressed.
Not quite long after, Ray sent the address of the restaurant and the time we would meet. Since I still had over two hours until the stipulated time, I decided to go grocery shopping, and, luckily, I made it on time, returning home almost an hour earlier than planned.
I put on a red short premium bodycon dress. I’d chosen the dress specifically for Ray because red was his favorite color. After applying light makeup, I adorned my feet with a pair of white platform shoes before picking up my clutch purse.
I arrived at the restaurant some minutes later, but when I couldn’t find him, I left him a message on my phone before taking a seat on the left-hand corner, which faced the entrance, so I could see Ray stepping in.
Glancing at my phone, he was just a few minutes late, so I only allowed the waiter to bring me a glass of water.
While chatting with Matilda, I heard the creak of the chair, which informed me of Ray’s arrival. “Hey,” he said as he took the seat in front of me, and I furrowed my brows.
Just hey?
“Hi Babe,” I replied, and he gave me a small smile before a waiter walked up to us.
“We’ll let you know when we’re ready to eat,” he said, dismissing the waiter, and I furrowed my brow.
“Why? Are you not hungry?”
He shook his head, and muttered, “Actually, I’m in a hurry.”
“In a hurry again?” I asked surprised. “Why? Where do you have to go that cannot wait? I thought we were on a date,” I told him and he nodded.
“I called you because I had something to say,” he replied, and I squeezed my face.
“What is it that we can’t talk about over dinner?” I wouldn’t deny the fact that I was disappointed, but then I thought courtesy demanded we follow up with the dinner first, though I was curious about what he had to say too.
Could something be wrong with him or what?
He cleared his throat, and I couldn’t help but wonder how weighty the issue was.
“I’m getting married,” he announced, and I stared at him in disbelief. Did I hear him wrong or what?
“What do you mean? Are you trying to prank me or what?” I asked as I added a chuckle. But when I noticed his expression didn’t change, I feared what would happen next.
“I’m sorry about this, but I have a baby on the way,” he continued, and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
“What… what.” I tried to find the words, but I was too stunned to speak. He gave me an apologetic smile as I stared at him, and before I could blink, he got on his feet and walked out of the restaurant.
Did I just get dumped again?