Page 2 of Sea La Vie
Under her breath, she turns toward Mikey and mutters, “Was it really nothing to you?”
“Awh, babe. C’mon. You know I didn’t want nothin’ serious. It’s what we agreed to. Just a little fun here and there.” He takes hold of her hands and gently kisses each one before letting them go.
“Excuse me,what?” I ask, pushing a hand through my perfectly combed and styled hair—the hair that was supposed to be perfect for this one perfect night.
“I’m going to go get some Indian food.” He pats Liv on the shoulder, completely unfazed, leaving her in search of his next meal. It’s almost comical until I remember the ring in my pocket,the live band, and photographers waiting for us at the Italian restaurant.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the small velvet box I’ve been carrying around and protecting with my life for the past two weeks.
Liv’s eyes grow wide when she sees it, and I watch a multitude of emotions cross her face in a split second—regret, anger, and even a little curiosity—before she opens her mouth to speak.“Tate, I don’t even know what to say.”
“I would probably start with sorry,” I suggest with a scoff and toss the ring back and forth between my hands a few times.
She sighs and runs her hands along either side of her face. “I really am sorry,” she says, not looking as sorry as I think she should.
In the few minutes I’ve been standing here, I've been trying to figure out what I’m most upset about—the fact I caught Liv cheating on me, or that my plan is ruined…for the night and my future. There’snothingI hate more than a ruined plan. It makes me itchy.
“I think we should probably take some time apart,” I finally say.
Liv chews on her bottom lip and nods. “Okay,” she says. “But—”
I stop her, holding a hand out. “You’ve been seeing someone else behind my back for six months, Liv.Six! You do realize that’s when you moved in with me, right?” Liv’s bottom lip catches between her teeth and her eyes dart around nervously.
“I really don’t know what to say,” she says again, as tears start streaming down her cheeks.
I’ve seen Liv cry plenty of times before—when her cat died, when she stained her favorite Lululemon leggings, and when she backed her BMW into a billboard—and every time I’ve always felt the need to tuck her in close, wipe away her tears, and tellher everything would be okay. But this time, the urge doesn’t hit me. I stand up from my trusty potted plant and turn toward the doors at the far end of the room.
“Where are you going?” She asks. “Please let me go with you. Let me explain!”
“I think I’m good,” I say and begin to walk out the doors Mikey just exited.
“Wait!” She cries. I turn around, thinking maybe she’s going to give me some good sob story to try to change my mind. Instead, she wiggles her nose uncomfortably. “You have something green between your two front teeth.”
I run my hands through my hair and sigh. Without another word, I continue on my way.
As I slide back behind the wheel of my Audi, I sigh again and let my head sink back into the headrest. My hands grip the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles turn white.Holy crap.
Deep breaths, Tate. Deep breaths.My cell phone rings through the speakers in the car, and Jordan’s name pops up on the dash’s display.
“What?” I answer, devoid of an emotion.In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.
“Tate, my man! How’d it go?”
“She’s been cheating on me with her yoga instructor,” I say through yet another sigh. It feels like that’s all I’m capable of right now.
Jordan lets out a low whistle. “Dang.”
“Dang,” I echo. “Are you up for a free Italian dinner where you’ll be serenaded by a string quartet?”
“Seriously?” Jordan asks.
“I already paid for it.” My stomach rumbles, and I absentmindedly rub it. “I’m hungry, too.”
“I’ll be there in twenty.” He hangs up the phone, and I sit in the silence a few seconds longer before finally pulling back into traffic.
Two hours later I’m sitting with Jordan at the Italian restaurant, mesmerized by the sunset that I should’ve been enjoying with my fiancée. This restaurant is known, not only for their amazing food, but their view of the lake it sits on. The lake that Liv and I had planned to move to once we were married and starting a family.
Jordan drags a garlic knot through some marinara before he shoves it into his mouth and chews. “I really am sorry,” he says through a mouthful of dough. “But you know you didn’t love her.”
