Chapter – 4

I sat facing Rosie as she worked on my hair.

“You came prepared,” I said, noticing the different shades of hair color packages in her vanity case.

“Yeah. I’ve been planning a visit ever since your breakup, and when Mike called, I grabbed everything that came to mind.” She inspected her bag, producing a catalog of six colors. “So, which one do you want?”

Indecision clouded my mind. The dark shades were appealing. Would it look good? I’d always been a blonde. After contemplating for a moment, I gave up. “Anything that’s not her.”

“Hmm…something dark, then,” she said to herself as she browsed through the packets. “Why don’t you close your eyes and relax while I work on you?” she suggested, and I nodded.

 A few hours later, I was stunned to see my transformation. My now dark brown hair complimented my honey-brown eyes, and it was now cut into layers. Though nothing would change much, it brought a sense of relief.

The day had surprisingly been relaxing, and I felt a lot better after my makeover. Being able to see myself in the mirror without remembering her face was a relief. A sigh left my lips as a liberated feeling lifted my spirits. I couldn’t take my eyes off the mirror as I traced my face with the first real smile in a long time.

Our lunch and evening snacks were delivered to our room. When I opened the bags Mike packed for me, I was surprised to notice he had packed the clothes I preferred to wear before meeting Brian.

I chose my dark purple floor-length dress. Dinner at the Cortez estate was a family event. Grandpapa Cortez expected everyone at the table. Just as I was about to strip, the door burst open, and Skyler entered with a bubbly Chiara.

“Wow!” Skyler’s eyes went wide as she noticed my appearance. “You are absolutely gorgeous. Not that you weren’t before, but I love this look.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you guys arrived. Thanks for coming on such short notice.” Chiara sat on the bed, letting out a loud exhale.

“Notice?” Rosie snorted. “Girl, we didn’t even know we were coming here until Mike hauled our asses onto his jet.”

“That sounds like him.” Skyler chuckled.

“We’re happy to be here, though.” Rosie shrugged and continued to highlight her cheekbones. The talk turned to the upcoming wedding while I changed.

“All right, we have to get ready for dinner.” Chiara and Skyler excused themselves after a while, leaving us alone.

Rosie offered to curl my hair. Thoughts of Brian slipped in and out, but I was managing better than I expected.

“There you go,” she said when she finished curling the last strands.

When we arrived at the dinner table, I was flustered to find my seat next to Orlando.

“Ari, here,” Mike hollered, patting the seat with a wink. Skyler sat on his right, and the seat on his left, which was on the right-hand side of Orlando, was empty. Enrique and Rosalinda sat on the opposite side.

“Arianna, you look lovely, my dear,” Cortez Senior greeted from the head of the table. His son, Ricardo, Orlando and Enrique’s father, gave me a tight-lipped smile.

“Thank you, Grandpapa. You aren’t bad yourself. I see where the Cortez handsomeness comes from.”

“So, you agree we are handsome,” Enrique said smugly.

“Never claimed you weren’t. Except I wish you had inherited a brain similar to Grandpapa too,” I retorted, once again feeling like my old self.

The table boomed with laughter, and my cheeks heated when I noticed Orlando looking at me in my peripheral vision. The amused look on his face was something I had never seen before.

“You sure know how to boost an old man’s ego, Arianna.” Señor Cortez chuckled. “I like your new look. It suits your personality, bold and elegant.”

“I agree. The dark color suits her well,” Orlando commented, making my heart stutter.

“Thank you.” I smiled and focused on the food on my plate.

“Chiara, when is your family coming?” Uncle Rick asked.

“Next week, Papa.”

“Orlando, have you made necessary arrangements for their stay?”

“Yes, Papa.”

“Good.”

Grandpapa Cortez cleared his throat. “Tonight, I’d like to toast.” He picked up his glass. “To Enrique and his lovely bride-to-be, Chiara.”

Everyone raised their glasses of champagne while I raised my water. On my left, Orlando did the same, and we laughed, a short, amused chuckle from me and a deep rumble I barely heard from him. A second later, his cold mask was on again, making me wonder if I imagined it.

“Arianna,” Chiara called.

“Yes.”

“There’s something I wanted to ask you and Rosalinda. Will you both be my bridesmaids?”

“And you ask this after arranging everything, including my dress for the wedding?”

Chiara grinned sheepishly and raised her arms in surrender. “I was sure you wouldn’t say no. Don’t make me beg, please…”

“You don’t have to Chiara. You’re one of us now.” Rosie waved her hand. “Besides, we wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“That’s great.” Enrique clapped. “Arianna can be Orlando’s plus one for the wedding.”

The others at the table stiffened for a moment, and I noticed Orlando’s hand clenching around his glass. He glared at Enrique. If looks could kill, Enrique would be dead now.

“It won’t be necessary,” I piped in, trying to hide my nervousness. “I’ll go alone.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Mike snapped. “If Orlando doesn’t want to go with you, then you can be my third wheel. I’m sure Skyler wouldn’t mind.”

I hit his arm with a playful grin and masked the hurt. You’ll never be someone’s special one, Arianna. My twin’s words surfaced, making my smile falter. She was right. I’d always be a third wheel.

Orlando didn’t speak as we continued to eat. I could feel his occasional glances at me. Everyone chatted normally while I withdrew to my own world. This made me think about all the times we had dinner at this table before. Orlando was the only one who’d stay quiet while we bickered back and forth. It made me wonder if Orlando had a broken past.

He wasn’t always like this. Orlando used to banter, laugh, and play. We had fun during our first trip here, during a summer vacation after my seventh-grade year. Orlando spent his break with us before leaving for college.

The second time I saw him was after I finished high school. We came to the estate to spend our break, and Orlando was here, barely talking. He’d been closed off ever since.

I had seen him several times after starting college when he came to Mike’s home on weekends. But he’d turned silent. The eyes, which once glinted with mischief, now only held a cold anger.

Is it a woman?

I’d probably never know. Mike would’ve said something if he knew. But again, it felt as if a puzzle piece clicked in place. I’d never tried to think about it this way. The men tried to talk to Orlando about it, but he had shut them out. Deep in my heart, I just knew he was hurt. When I couldn’t stomach the food anymore, I stood, excusing myself from the table and faking a yawn.

“Why can’t you be her plus one?” I heard Enrique snap.

“She can invite Brian,” Orlando hissed as I exited the door and took a right. “You didn’t have to push this in my face.”

“They’re not together anymore, dammit!” Mike’s voice boomed. “I thought you knew that already.”

I increased my pace, not wanting to hear anything being said. Somehow, I knew this was coming. Orlando hadn’t been seen with a woman in years. Mike never said he had a girlfriend.

Instead of distracting me, this trip only increased my stress. I could only guess how much trouble it would put me through in the next two weeks; so much for my getaway plan.

Suddenly, it felt like I was stuck with no escape. All the things I tried so hard to forget were coming at me in full force. I understood they were trying to help. But it didn’t work that way, did it? Orlando couldn’t be the cure to my pain.

“Arianna!”

I whipped around, almost losing my balance as my heel caught on the hem of my long dress, tripping me in the process. Orlando closed the distance between us when I barely saved myself from another embarrassment.

“Hey,” I mumbled.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” I composed myself and cleared my throat.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I wasn’t expecting that, and I didn’t know about…” His eyes locked with mine as he contemplated his next words.

“It’s fine.”

His features softened. “So, will you be my date for Enrique’s wedding?”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I was upset because I wasn’t informed about this earlier, and I had no chance to ask you properly. You deserve nothing less.”

My breath hitched, and I blinked, unable to believe what he was saying. “It’s okay. Really.”

“It’s not okay, Arianna. It’s not that I don’t want to go with you. If we are going together, then I’m doing it the right way. I’ll ask you again.” His posture relaxed, and he thrust his hands inside his pant pockets. “Will you be my date to the wedding?”

“Um…” My heart raced. “Ah…yes, sure.” I smiled nervously. He didn’t have to do this, and I was touched by his kind gesture. My mind raced, bringing up unpleasant memories without warning.

Hot tears burned my eyes when I remember how Brian would avoid taking me to public events. Shortly before he proposed to Alana, he began taking her to the parties as his plus one. When I confronted him, he said it was his mother’s request and they were merely representing their business and nothing more.

“Good.” Orlando smiled. “Come, I’ll walk you to the door.”

“That’s…um…you don’t have to do that.” I shifted from one foot to the other and averted my face to hide my tears. If Orlando noticed, his expression didn’t show it.

“I told you earlier, Arianna. You’re my date, and I want to do it the right way. Let me do this, please.”

The words of protest died in my throat, and I pivoted on my heel. Orlando followed closely. His cologne drowned me, and his presence made me self-conscious. When we reached the door, I stopped, unsure what to do next.

“Good night, Arianna.”

Orlando stood there, hands still in his pockets, as he looked down at me.

A small drop of disappointment filled me when I realized he was just being nice. I had to smack my confused brain for getting distracted like this. You’re here to forget Brian, I told myself.

“Good night,” I whispered, meeting his eyes for one last time before entering the room.