Companions and doubts
The smoke of the Cappuccino whirled around the white foam, spreading its bitter, nutty fragrance.
"So...How long have you been a manager here?" I asked Arian to break the awkwardness.
"Is that what you ask after ghosting us for years?" He glared at me. Arian's appearance also changed over time. He wasn't the boy I used to beat up for goofing around anymore. His tone held the sound of responsibility and maturity.
"Well...A lot happened, so I...had to distance myself from everything." I tried to smile to conceal my guilt but couldn't.
"Ethan had a difficult time, a very hard time. I'm still amazed how he earned a living." I glanced at Arian and saw him frowning while staring at his cup. Earned a living? He was a CEO, you had to be joking, dude!- was what I was thinking, but refrained myself to say more. He seemed to hold grudges against me. So I wanted to lighten up the mood.
"Ethan and I got married."
"WHAT!?" with a loud slam on the table, he sprang up. His eyes were about to bowl out of their sockets.
"You can't be joking! What?" He fumbled with a hand on his head, turning right and left. It appeared that the news was more of a miracle to him.
"That prick! He didn't even tell me?"
A rush of anxiety took over my body as panic surged through me, "You have contact with him?" I stared at him for an answer, knowing it would be a crisis for me.
"Well, not anymore. But still!"
My mind felt a bit relieved, but staying there for longer wouldn't be a good decision. Was it a bad idea to reveal our marriage?
"Anyway, do you have any contact with Naveah?"
Taking a sip of warm Cappuccino, I glanced at him for an answer but all I witnessed was a wide grin exposing his teeth.
"....We've been married for two years now!"
"Dude, What??!!" This time I slammed the table and stood in shock. That was the most unexpected news since all they did was humiliate each other when we were young. What were that enemies to lovers troupe?
"Don't inform her that I'm here!" I Caressed my forehead, worrying about my stay here and the shock I was getting from the coincidences.
"Well, about that..." He hesitated to answer as he's eyes scrolled sideways.
"What did you do?" Before I could get an answer, I heard the clacking sound of shoes halting behind me.
"...Irene?"
I looked behind as soon as the voice reached my ear and saw a pretty girl with short brown hair in a black jacket and boots. She took off her sunglasses and revealed her deep brown eyes. It was none other than my childhood best friend,
"Na...veah?" My voice quivered, seeing her after more than ten years. A gulp plunged down my throat not knowing how to respond as I was busy calming my heart down.
Before I could make a move, I felt her arms tightly around me and her vulgar words near my ear, "This bitch! Where the fuck have you been? Why did you cut us off without any notice!"
I had no words to convey as I patted her back while squeezing my lips from hearing her sobs.
_________
"Tissue?" I held out the box towards Naveah, seeing her still wiping her nose while sobbing.
"Shut up! Who are you? Do we know this woman?" She turned towards Arian, whining and complaining when I glanced at the watch to see 10 minutes passing by through her whining.
"Okay! Okay! Calm down now, will you?" My words seemed ineffective towards her as she hissed at me, "Calm down, what? Kick her out of this hotel. We don't know her."
"Aye, excuse me! So the strangers staying up there are your in-laws or something?" I complained. Arian seemed to enjoy our reconciliation even though we were vocally fighting. Since he was aware, that was one sort of our love language. I typically felt emotional, and happy but with a sense of loss and longing, remembering the wistful memories and time we had between us. Except Ethan wasn't there right at that moment.
"How did you catch up to Ethan? We don't have any contact with him now." To answer Arian's question, I cleared my throat and prepared myself to represent to them all the things that happened between us and what schemes he'd done to get that marriage to happen. As expected, Naveah and Arian's reactions were delightful. They felt happy despite judging my situation, whichever made me doubt myself. Was I the only one who was on the wrong path?
"What do you plan to do now? I don't think he'll ever sign in the divorce paper." Naveah at last, started having a normal conversation with me. She had grown taller. Her style gave off the signs of adulthood. After all, she was an adult as she got married before me.
"I know he won't, but I don't want to be with any man. When things get a little silent, I'll return to the UK and look for jobs there."
I stared outside the glassed walls as I laid my face on the table, and a sudden realization hit me,
"Hey! How much do you know about Ethan?" I turned towards them.
"We lost contact with him after college graduation...So not much."
"It would be better if you know it from your husband." Naveah mimicked me, rolling her eyes.
".... I'm single!"
"Yeah, right!"
Curiosity kept tangling up inside of me. I sought answers- why did he change so much? What had happened to him? Why was he so obsessed with me? Can I really trust him? Was I regretting running away?
I kept questioning myself, thinking I might never know the answers, but like it was told- "No one knows what will happen in the future."