Chapter Two: The Dinner

His eyes were shifting to Taya who drove his sport car like a racer. He was not scared of the way she drove but he was scared that she might silently glance at his phone screen and caught the chat. Instead of keeping his phone away, he typed along anyway. Of course, after making sure that Taya focused on the road ahead.

She is driving now. We are going to the restaurant. After I drop her home I will come over.

Once he hit the send screen button, he stuffed his phone in his jeans' pocket.

"You sure you don't want me to drive?" Lucas asked in a calming tone. He began to worry about the way she sped up.

"I can't recall when was the last time I drove this fast. I missed being me. I have been mushy all the time, involved in girl stuff, flowers, decoration and design for our wedding day. Everything is too much, sometimes. I think I need a break." Taya eyes still pinned on the road ahead through the windshield.

"What? A break?" Lucas interrupted, her eyes narrowed towards Taya.

"Yes, a break. You know, a pause from the world spinning around sounds good, right? Driving like this actually relaxes me, even it's just towards a restaurant." Taya glanced at Lucas with a mysterious smile but she was smart enough to change it fast to be a common warm smile. It was still about an hour of a drive and Taya drove the rest of the way with a heavy heart. Lucas told her how excited he was because their wedding day was within three weeks and Taya couldn't feel cheaper as a fiancee.

Every once in a while, Lucas' phone vibrated but he completely ignored it. He tried to switch Taya's attention most of the time by holding Taya's thigh and flirting that disgusted Taya most.

"Baby, let me just drive and don't distract me, please." Taya eventually took Lucas' hand away of her thigh and sighed.

"Okay, baby. I am sorry." Looking away through the windows, Lucas was actually so tempted to check on his phone but he held back and succeeded till they arrived at the restaurant.

She might be able to act as if nothing happened but the more she covered her feelings the more she felt odd and stupid. All between her and Lucas felt nothing the same now for her. In her eyes, Lucas was no more than a coward.

Molecules began to form in Taya's eyes as her blood boiled, remembering the conversation Lucas had with the unknown girl. She closed her eyes, trying to blink back the tears as she slowed the car into a parking lot of a fancy Italian restaurant.

Putting the car into a halt, she parked the car just perfectly. Lucas was fast to hold the door for Taya. Totally ignoring her pain and rage running around inside of her, she hooked Lucas' arm, hanging her purse over a shoulder as they began to walk straight to the reserved booth like the happiest couple in the universe.

Italian dish was her most favorite. She usually got easily hungry just by inhaling the aroma. That evening was totally different though.

Lucas, like a gentleman he was always, pulled a chair for Taya and pecked Taya's cheek. Taya usually felt overwhelmed and got butterflies in her stomach around Lucas, especially when Lucas was being all sweet but her whole body was frozen. She stood there like a statue, her eyes blankly stared straight as if her mind wandered away somewhere.

"Baby?" Lucas rubbed Taya's back and that instantly made Taya look up at Lucas.

Chuckling, Taya shook her head. "I am sorry, I think I need to use a restroom. I'll be right back."

Making a bee line towards nearest restroom, Taya pushed through the door roughly like an angered bouncer. Her eyes were red and widened, tears rolled down her cheek. A couple of girls who washed their hands seemed to be shocked upon Taya's entrance.

Not paying attention to the girls, Taya used the vacant sink to wash her face, wiping her tears off. She looked her reflection in the mirror as her hands dug into her purse, taking out a compact powder and a lipstick. Fixing her make up on, she inhaled deeply and exhaled out heavily as an effort to calm herself down. Tossing her stuff back into her purse before she left the whispering girls behind.

She walked like she owned the place, with her chin up, a sweet and confident smile on, she was not afraid to make eye contact with people around except her fiance. When reached the booth, she wasn't strong enough to look into Lucas' eyes. She just couldn't. Instead, she looked at Lucas' eyebrows.

Lucas was about to stand up and pull a chair for Taya but Taya waved to stop him. "It's okay, baby." She pulled a chair herself and sat down, grabbing a glass of wine, sipping on it a few times just to drain it off.

Expensive Italian dish was on the table already. Italian a couple of healthy appetizer and a large pizza were served but her appetite was like being swallowed by the earth beneath her feet. The only one that Taya desired was the red wine.

"What's wrong, baby?" Lucas, who sat across from Taya noticed the shifting expression on Taya's face when Taya eyed the food. "You don't like what I ordered?"

"It's perfect." Taya nodded with a smile but still avoiding eye contact. She refilled her glass with red wine, lifted the glass in salutation and sipped it once. "Let's eat!" Taya motioned Lucas to start eating while she drank the rest of the wine in her glass.

"You plan to get drunk tonight?" Lucas smirked, his face was so tempting, especially his eyes. His neat golden hair, a broken white collared, long sleeved cotton shirt combined with a pair of jeans that had always been Taya's weakness but tonight, Lucas' face reminded her of a Joker despite his elegant appearance.

"Not really. I just don't feel like eating." Taya replied idly which made Lucas' brows rise in surprise.

"You can order something else if you like." He offered while bit a slice of quattro formaggi.

"It's okay." Taya put down her empty glass and folded her arms on the table in front of her chest. She looked at Lucas, scanning him from his head to his face and up his head again, first Lucas smiled at Taya but after seconds, he felt something different in her gaze. He swallowed his food and gulped his wine before asking, "Why are you looking at me like that?" He wiped his lips with a napkin waiting for Taya to answer.

Instead, no longer avoiding eye contact, Taya stared straight into Lucas' blue eyes and the moment she blinked, she realized that she had been holding a knife in her hand.