CAILY GALILEO
I walked into the restaurant Dylan had booked for our dinner date. It wasn’t as luxurious as the ones he had usually taken me to for our dinner dates but it wasn’t so bad either.
And I guessed he was trying to cut down on costs since he spent so much on making Kate comfy.
His eyes lit up the second he spotted me approaching him and he smiled. I smiled back at him, feeling good at how his eyes lightened up with happiness at the sight of me.
He got up from his chair and met me.
“Hi babe.” he kissed my cheek and I kissed him back on the cheek.
“Here.” he pulled out my chair for me and I whispered a thank you to him, relaxing myself in the chair.
He walked over to his own chair, the light smile still on his face.
“You look beautiful tonight. I mean, you always look beautiful though.” he chuckled, complimenting me but I could not help but shift a little but uncomfortably.
Him calling me beautiful just made me recall that stranger calling me beautiful. His voice was deeper than Dylan’s voice very clearly and…
‘Oh no, Caily.’ I scolded myself mentally to get unstuck from whatever I was pulling myself into.
“Thank you. You look handsome yourself.” I replied Dylan’s compliment and watched him shrug his shoulders with a small chuckle.
“What do you wanna order, darling? And I hope you’re not mad this restaurant is a little bit on the cheap side. Their meals are actually very very good. Even Kate compliments their culinary skills a lot.”
I felt the guilt in me get suppressed by a small amount of anger.
There we go again. Kate.
“Let me guess, Dylan.” I started with a faux smile and leaned in a bit across the table.
“The reason you brought me here was because you had spent too much on Kate and you have to cut down on costs with the woman you claim you love.”
“Caily.” he called my name, his brows creasing with a frown at the disappearance of his smile.
“I don’t just claim to love you. I do love you. I really do and you know Kate is really like a sister to me, we have been over this topic a lot of times already..”
“Like a sister, Dylan? I am not sure other guys talk about their sister so much when they are with their girlfriends.”
“I won’t talk about her if that’s what you want, love. But I really want you to know that I truly love you…” He reached his hands over the table and motioned me to give him my hands.
I hesitated for a second before stretching my hands over the table and taking his.
“I love you, Caily and I want you to know that. I can’t do without you and I promise I’m going to fix things soon. I’d stop paying so much attention to Kate and focus all my attention on you, trust me. We’d get engaged and we’d get married just like you have always wanted, hmm?” He tugged at my hands gently.
“Caily.” he called my name again, tugging lightly.
“Fine.” I said with a small pout and his face cracked into a smile.
“Let’s order something tasty and then you tell me all about how your week has been, alright?”
“Yes, there has actually…”
I was interrupted by the ringing of a phone and for a second I thought it was mine and I almost panicked at the ringing but then it was just Dylan’s phone ringing.
“Oh, just a minute.” he said, staring at the screen.
“Sure” I flashed him a little smile and watched as he got up and walked away.
I didn’t think much of it so I picked up the menu and started looking through it for what I’d be having. I was still yet to decide when Dylan returned to me, and anxious look on his face.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Uhm, babe. I don’t know how you’re going to take this but I think I have to go for a bit. Kate just called…”
At the mention of Kate, I dropped the menu and gently leaned into my chair. My signature faux smile settled on my face as I looked up at my boyfriend.
“And she said her car broke down and she’s stranded in the middle of nowhere. It’s late and it’s unsafe too…”
“Oh, Kate got a car? I had no idea” I expressed genuine surprise because I truly had no idea Kate got a car.
“I did get her a second hand car but I guess it’s not so good seeing as it broke down and…” The rest of his words flew past my ears and I could only see his lips moving.
I was seated on the chair in my own blind and unacting rage. Dylan had not just gotten Kate a comfortable apartment, he had also gotten her a car.
I only regained myself when he stopped talking.
“Caily? Is it okay for me to go? I’d stay back if you want me, I swear.” he said, already moving towards his chair.
“No, no. How would I deal with the guilt if something bad happens to her while she’s out there? You should go get her right away.” I stated.
“I’ll be back in no time, alright?” He rushed towards me.
“Just order for your meal. I’d meet you at it, okay?” He kissed my cheeks once, twice and thrice.
“Alright.” I assured him with an expression that told him it was really okay.
I heard his steps as he rushed away from me, off to be a prince charming to another woman in distress.
I lowered my head, my gaze on the purse on my laps as I felt my heart hurting at this treatment. No matter how much I wanted to understand him, I also wanted to be treated well, I wanted to be treated like I was genuinely loved by him.
I got up from my chair, steps slow and faux smile unfading. I walked out of the restaurant slowly, almost dragging my heels across the floor.
Outside, it was a moonlit, beautiful night.
“Pretty.” I whispered as I looked up at the moon and the beautiful stars. I could feel my sad heart hurt a little bit more as I recalled gazing at the moon and stars once upon a time with a particular someone whose name I didn’t even want to ever mention.
Did I deserve to be treated like this? To be treated like the third wheel in my own relationship?
I pulled my phone out of my purse and found Dylan’s contact.
“I am breaking up with you. Goodbye.” That was perhaps the shortest breakup text I had ever sent to him.
I knew what was going to come right after this breakup text. He was going to come to my home tomorrow and he was going to come beg me and tell me how much he loved me and I, stupidly as always would eventually accept him over again.
But not this time. That would not happen this time around because I wasn’t going to be home tomorrow evening when he would come over.
I had rejected that proposal like a fool, saying I had a boyfriend but now, I no longer had one. It was time to accept that proposal.
With slightly nervous hands and yet a mind more determined, I typed in every letter of the text.
‘I broke up. I am interested in the offer.’