Coincidence... Indeed!

Chapter 3

After a charming waiter served our dish of tuna tartare, the conversation slowly drifted from sports to politics and then to each other's businesses. The men seemed very interested in Rowan's flourishing insurance company.

Lucille wouldn't stop talking to me about the best places to shop for flowers and wedding gowns as well as the options she and Chris were looking at to go for their honeymoon. I wanted to suggest Monaco since Rowan and I had gone there, but that would be putting our personal business out, and I was sure Rowan would not approve of that.

Everyone seemed so in their element, talking, laughing and catching up on past years, years that I did not and would never relate with because part of the agreement between Rowan and I was to not ask about each others past.

I soon noticed that Camille had zoned out of the conversation and was now silent.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

She sniffed all of a sudden, attracting everyone's attention. Rowan turned to her with a worried look.

"Are you okay?" He asked. His voice was gentle, the same tone he used when I used to wake from nightmares during the early months of our marriage.

"I'm sorry, I just..." She put a hand to her mouth and began to cry.

Rowan placed one arm over Camille's shoulder and handed her another tissue from his breast pocket.

Okay, seriously, why the hell did he keep tissue papers in his pocket?

She leaned into his embrace. Whether unknowingly, I couldn't tell but I quickly looked away, his earlier warning still ringing in my ears. 

Do not embarrass him.

When was the last time Rowan and I had shared a moment like that? Not sex, but something real—something that wasn’t an obligation? 

The first few months of our marriage looked quite promising but as the months ran by, his work became more demanding, he became more indispensable and I could vividly remember when he told me:

"This was totally an arrangement, Maya, your expectations from me at this point are plainly unreasonable."

That was when I'd asked why he never bought me flowers. 

Camille's voice brought me back to the present.

"Seeing you all here just makes me wanna cry," she sniffled. "If my husband was here as well..." She trailed off and burst into tears again.

"Awwn, don't cry, Camille," the group cooed her but it only seemed to make her more emotional.

I may not understand what it meant to lose a person to the cruel hands of death but I knew, more than anyone, what it felt like to be cut off from someone who means a lot to you.

I held her hands in mine and squeezed a little.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Camille. Not many people are strong enough to go through what you're going through," I said softly, while trying to ignore the stinging sight of Rowan's arm around her shoulder.

Camille nodded and thankfully, Rowan's hand then dropped from her shoulder.

"I'm happy with how well you've received me too, Mary– the name's Mary, right?" She stared at me from above her wet lashes and I had to fight the irritation that was building up.

I probably understood why Rowan couldn't refuse her every time. The way she stared at me was so innocent, but somehow I felt so uncomfortable. 

Be patient and kind, Maya, I said to myself. Don't embarrass him.

I quickly covered up my irritation with a smile. "It's Maya," I said.

"Oh, Maya, sorry," Camille apologized with a look of remorse.

"You've been so kind to me and I really wish we had known each other three years ago, you know, before you got married to Rowan and all that. We would have even wedded at the same time, it'll be so cute!"

My eyes reflexively narrowed. Was she married three years ago too?

My brain began to gather bits of information from our conversation and a crazy thought popped up in my head.

"What month were you married?" I asked, ignoring Rowan’s warning eyes that had shot up to mine. I had to know.  

Camille looked taken aback for a few seconds, as if she found my question odd.

"Sometime in March. Why?"

March! 

Rowan and I got married in April! Could it be that he had impulsively proposed to me and sent her our wedding invitation just so he could spite her? Perhaps he was still into her when she got married and was angry that she had moved on to another man.

"It's…nothing," I said to her and poked my tuna mindlessly.

"If you say so. Can someone please help me open this bottle?"

"Let me," Rowan offered and took the bottled water from her.

"Thank you," she said and smiled, her eyes lingering on his face for a little too long, or was it just me who thought so?

As I sat there, I began to ponder over the past three years of my life. It all started to make sense now. I now finally understood why Rowan had not reciprocated my love for him in equal measure; it was because we were married both out of his resentment and for my father's benefit.

Rowan had never loved me, he had never respected my opinions or ideas, meanwhile I had foolishly spent the years falling head over heels in love with him despite his cold indifference, making excuses for him, believing that one day, I would no longer be a stranger to him anymore.

"Mmm, this tuna is good isn't it, guys?" Lucille asked and I was brought back to the present yet again. The others nodded in agreement.

"Let's make a toast to Lucille and Chris!" Rowan said and as he did so, some food particles fell off from his mouth to his beard and shirt.

"I'll get it," Camille said with a playful chuckle and quickly moved her hands to his face, cupping his chin with one hand and picking the particles from his beards with the other.

Totally shocked and unable to hold back my irritation, I watched them with wide eyes and I'm sure I must have looked worse because the others were exchanging uneasy glances between each other.

"Er, Camille," Mr chatterbox (yes, I haven't still bothered to know his name!) called out with a nervous laughter. "I know you and Rowan are really close friends but you should also consider the presence of his, ah, wife."

Camille let her hands fall from Rowan's beard and she turned to me, blinking rapidly with that remorseful look that had begun to annoy me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mary. I tend to be very clingy, I'm sorry. And it's been so hard for me since my husband's passing. But Rowan…Rowan’s been such a good friend to me. He’s always visiting, and sometimes we have dinner together… I guess it’s become a habit.” She smiled through her sniffles, but there was still something unsettling in the way she looked at him. 

So that was it? Another piece of the puzzle fixed! The late night calls that began months ago, the outings, the "I have to see a friend, it's urgent." That's what it was all about! Little wonder they 'bumped' into each other.

Camille then looked up at me through her lashes, the look of innocence on her face like that of a child who knows he'll be scolded.

"Rowan always told me how kind and considerate his wife is. You…you don’t mind, do you?"

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. 

I shouldn't mind? Was she kidding?

I let out a huff and smiled coldly, “First of all, my name is Maya. And second, I do mind. I mind very much when my husband is this close to another woman. But don’t worry, I'll just leave so I won’t have to see all…this” I pushed the plate in front of me and stood.

However, Rowan had already stood as well and groped my hand tightly. It was a grip that looked gentle but held me like a vise.

“Love, you are drunk. Take the key and go back to the hotel.”

Seriously? Drunk? I didn’t even take a sip of wine!

“Have some rest,” he continued. “I’ll see you soon.”

I'll see you soon.

I pulled my hand from his grasp, my chest heaving with restrained anger. I didn't care much that we were in public now. He couldn't continue to make me feel disrespected just because he had grown apathetic to our marriage.

“I'll be expecting,” I said, enunciating each word with anger as I snatched the keys from him.

As I walked away from the table, I could hear Camille's small voice.

"Did I... I didn't say anything hurtful, did I?"

And I forced myself to fight the urge to hurl a flower vase in her direction.