Veiled Affection

Chapter Six

Discovering who she was, someone I seemed to be the last to get to know, certainly was a strange awareness. But, to defend myself, everyone knew only the superficial bit of her. I ended up knowing her wholly, and in recognizing that truth, all those years of unfamiliarity seem vanished.

In that moment however, I didn't quite know what to say to her if I were to see her again. Apologizing seemed odd, making a joke about it wouldn't be right. Perhaps just going wherever my mind would take me would be an option. And that next time was already a week later, on the double date.

Cate and I had contacted once before that evening. She called me up and requested we decide on a suitable day to schedule in our double date. It ended up being a short call, but the thing that took my notice then was that she addressed it as a date, and left the word 'double' entirely out of the conversation. I didn't know why she did it, never did I ask either, I just know it made me kind of giddy.

The plan was to invite Andrew and Cate over, so Gregory and I had prepared a dinner for the four of us. God knows how long Greg was toiling in the kitchen all day long, fixated on impressing the guests that were to arrive. And the only two things he addressed to me all day long, were how famous our guests were, and how I prepared the food wrongly, making it best if I just stayed out of the kitchen.

Despite of a missing helping hand, the moment when they did arrive at our home, all was taken care of by Gregory. Andrew and Cate were welcomed, and shortly after we were all seated. We cordially dined, we cordially conversed, and it was all just pleasing. A little uneventful perhaps, but other than that, rightly agreeable.

There wasn't a moment when Cate and I spoke to each other. And by that I mean really spoke to each other. Of course we did converse together, but it was different now that they were there with us. We were together, but we weren't alone together, and even though there wasn't anything secretive about our previous conversations, it did feel different now that Gregory and Andrew sat there, attentively listening to what we had to say.

About halfway through the evening, a question was brought up by Andrew.

''So, how did you meet?''

Dear me, I thought to myself, and Greg begun.

''I saw my wife on the back of a book 10 years ago and I thought she was hot. It was one of her first books she's ever written and as I saw her picture I was like 'Damn, nice', and now I wake up in the same bed as her and I say 'Damn, nice' every single day.''

He has used those false lines over and over again. Memorized in his brain and there to be said for anyone who asks. It has always sparked the same exact reaction: as he can't hold back his laughter, people try their best to mask the fakeness of theirs. Always that same uncomfortable reaction. Always.

Until Cate decided to deviate from always.

As he was laughing, and Andrew evidently faked his, she simply smiled.

''Aren't you funny?'' She said, then turned to me. ''I take it you didn't marry him because of his humor.''

The unexpected answer made for a breath of laughter to escape from my lips. Did she really just say that? Finally someone who acknowledges it, I thought to myself, until I discovered that I must have muttered it aloud, for the room was immediately filled with her gorgeous laughter.

''I can't possibly be the first to say it, can I?'' She said surprised.

Everybody was quiet as Cate's laugh slowly died down. I was aware that I had spoken out my thoughts, and therefore did nothing more than putting on a rather stiff smile. I looked at Andrew, and saw that discomfort was written all over him. I looked at Gregory, and he looked slightly hurt. Prideful as he had always been, and never did I so much as solemnly agree with everything he had to say. That moment was the first time I said anything at all that could hurt his pride. I saw then, upon hearing our words, Gregory's eyes expressed agitation which his lips could not utter. At least not in front of our highly esteemed guests.