Nothing Compares To You

Unexpected

"Come back inside darling, there's something you need to see. I have a surprise for you!" Iain guided her back in, unaware of what had just happened outside. He was blissfully unaware of anything other than she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wanted this to be perfect. He wanted to show everyone that he had won. In the non-existent battle between him and Tom, he wanted to show he was the victor. Tom might have the fame and fortune - both of which Iain was more than happy to take advantage of - but he would ultimately get the girl.

He'd felt like a cat on hot bricks all night, one minute fawning over Tom, the next making fatuous comments about how much Debbie was the one for him and how he thought she was just the perfect woman. It was as if he couldn't make up his mind whether to stick the knife in, or take that knife in himself. He told himself it was just nerves, after all there was no way she could refuse him. She loved him right?

As she watched him sit back down, like the cat that got the cream, Debbie realised just how fed up pandering to this man-child she was. When tonight was over, she would speak to him in clear, concise terms. They were done. They weren't a "thing" any more. She just didn't love him. She wondered if she really ever had? That, in itself, wasn't Iain's fault, it was hers. He'd be a rebound, she knew that now. After feeling the devastation of the divorce, she just wanted to feel. Iain had done that. Made her feel. That was why she wanted to be kind. Why she wouldn't want to humiliate him in public.

Why, at the end of the day, she ended up in the worst possible situation imaginable.

Tom, Simon, Joe and Grace all watched her as she walked back to the table. Their silence was eerie. What the hell was going on?

As she sat down, she looked at her plate and almost threw up there and then. On it was a large question mark surrounded by hearts, drawn in chocolate, obviously put there while she'd left the room. A single red rose lay across the plate. From anyone else? Sweet. From him? Terrifyingly real. She gasped, clamping a hand on her mouth, tears stinging her eyes. Oh Jesus this couldn't be happening - could it?

As she looked up in shock, Iain came and knelt beside her.

"Debs, when I went to London I realised that we were meant to be together forever. Being apart from you was like not having my shadow. I know you probably weren't expecting this quite yet, but I thought what better setting, surrounded by friends? Will you marry me Debbie?" he took her hand and smiled at her expectantly.

The blood thundered in her ears, she felt faint and nauseous. Unable to speak, she looked around the table and saw three faces, white and anxious, a fourth - Grace - grinning like a lunatic.

In Simon's eyes she saw a "dear GOD no!" in Joe's a "What the actual FUCK is he doing?" and in Tom's? Nothing, absolutely dead, just staring, mute. Trying to gather her wits, she burst into tears and, sadly, Iain took this as an emotional yes.

"Oh Darling, don't cry it's ok. I understand, you're overwhelmed by it all. Look, I have a ring for you. I designed it myself and picked it up while I was away." he held her hand and slipped the world's most ostentatious ring on her finger. To her panicking mind it looked like something out of a cracker. She knew it probably cost a fortune.

"I - I - it's not...what I want" she whispered looking at it in horror. It burned her finger, branding her with guilt and shame.

"What you want? That's ok I can get you another. This was just for now." he whipped it back off and pocketed it. " You can have anything you want. As my little woman, you'll have nothing but the best." he still had NO idea she'd meant she didn't want to marry him at all.

Before she could even draw breath to explain, champagne was popping, the waiters were clapping and the whole restaurant was buzzing with the good news. It was all snowballing out of control and she felt herself rushing down a tunnel she couldn't get out of.

Looking around the table, she was screaming and nobody could hear her. No! This wasn't happening. No, Tom, please... say something... she looked over and Grace had grabbed him by the hands as she turned to Debbie.

Then her world ended.

"Oh Debbie this is so wonderful - we can have our weddings together! Tom and I will be getting married soon too - won't we darling?!"

You could have heard a pin drop.