Rina hadn’t gotten over Joel’s sudden fury over the phone, no matter how hard she tried to push it behind her, to act like it didn’t matter. Joel was her friend for the duration she spent at the fashion house, and nothing could ever change the fact that he had helped her when everyone else pushed her away, when she was bordering on the edge of poverty, with only a few dollars to sustain her.
It bothered her that his thoughts towards her had changed, even though it was none of her fault. Rina wished he had been patient enough to figure out what was going on with her, rather than act all vengeful and spiteful, hurling harsh words at her. She had gone through so much already and didn’t deserve that from someone she used to consider her friend.
It was not strange to believe that Joel was acting out because she had left the fashion house and rejected his advances, but at the same time, wasn’t that too much of a response? Rina had done nothing outside what she had set to do from the beginning, so why then did she have to go through this as well?
Unable to accept it just like that, Rina left the villa that night, before Zayn got back from the office. She told Igor not to bother going with her since it was a personal outing, and he seemed to understand, even though he didn’t look totally satisfied. Rina didn’t have time to think about that as she got into her car and sped along the roads, hoping to meet Joel at the fashion house.
She met the gates locked with the doorman informing her that Joel had gone home for the night. Getting back into her car, Rina navigated through the dense traffic, acutely remembering the way to his house even though she’d only been there once. She drove into his compound in a few minutes, stopping the car in front of the building. The lights inside were on, with the glass walls showing no one.
Rina took a deep breath and rested her head on the steering, trying to ascertain if she was doing the right thing. While a part of her wanted to just turn around and let this be, the other part wanted to do all she could for her friendship with Joel, to get him to understand that Regina wasn’t doing anything she didn’t have to do. The shrill of her phone caused her to raise her head, and she sighed when she saw Zayn’s name on the caller ID. Igor probably told him she left the villa in a hurry without giving him any definite address, but Rina knew if she picked up the call, he would ask her to return home. And then, all of her being would want to listen to him.
Turning the phone upside down so the lights from the screen didn’t make her look back at it, a sudden rapt at the window caused her to jump in her seat. Her head whipped in that direction, her eyes falling on Joel, bending with his face almost pressed against the window. Rina took another deep breath and rolled down the window.
“Why are you sitting out here in the driveway?” Joel questioned, like the call a few hours ago hadn’t happened.
“Nothing,” Rina muttered.
“Come on. I made dinner.”
“What?”
“You were going to come in, weren’t you?”
Rina nodded and rolled the windows back off before alighting the car, leaving her phone inside on purpose. As she followed Joel inside, she wondered how convenient it was that he was making dinner at the exact moment she decided to show up. Or had he been cooking for just himself, deciding to share in the spur of the moment? Rina didn’t want to do anything to inconvenience him. She’d learned that he was the type of person who would recount every good thing he had ever done in a person’s life.
“Welcome to my home for the second time,” he beamed, letting her walk in through the doors. Joel gently eased her jacket off her, his fingers lingering on her skin longer than necessary before stepping aside to put the jacket away. He returned a moment later and led her into the kitchen, where Rina slid onto the kitchen island.
“I know you told me to stay away from the kitchen,” he chuckled, grabbing a pair of gloves and pulling the oven open. “But I couldn’t resist doing this today. I was craving homemade turkey even though it isn’t Thanksgiving and I thought you wouldn’t mind that as well.”
Rina angled her head and watched as he moved about, setting the island. There were a lot of vegetables on display, as well as rice, simmering sauce, the huge turkey placed in the middle, and then a bottle of her favorite wine. She wondered how he had figured that out.
“I don’t understand,” she murmured. “How did you know I was going to come along this evening? Or is all of this some big coincidence?”
“I knew you were going to come,” Joel replied, sliding onto the stool opposite her. He grabbed the wine and poured her a half-filled glass. He said nothing more about it, but Rina still had questions.
“But how?” she pushed. “And why are you acting like we didn’t …like you didn’t say some hurtful words to me today? That is why I’m here, not for your meal.”
“Well, I am hungry, and I am not saying anything until we eat. So why don’t we get into it on time?”
“Joel…”
“I cannot assure you of its taste,” he chuckled again, acting like he was having the time of his life. “But at least, the turkey is properly cooked. I looked up a video on YouTube and… don’t look at me like that. These days, YouTube is the bomb for cooking videos.”
“I’m not looking at you because of that.”
“Then what?”
“I’m not hungry, so I guess I’m just going to wait over there until you are done eating.”