Always The Second Choice

13. Date Interrupted

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Dominic let out a chuckle as Nicola got rid of the sodden paper straw and took a large slurp of her kiwi ice cream shake attaining a milkshake mustache as she did.

"You are such a child!" He laughed as he used the back of his wrist to wipe her face. 

"Look who's talking!" Nicola rolled her eyes, turning to the berry ice cream bowl. 

"Who would have thought you would have this much space left in your stomach after all the food you had at lunch? Not to mention two servings of ice cream." 

Nicola narrowed her eyes at him. "Let me give you some advice." She pointed her spoon at him. "Never comment on someone's appetite unless your opinion is asked." 

Dominic nodded, taking that as his sign to shut up. 

"P.S." She added as an afterthought. "Desserts at upscale restaurants and hotels are never filling enough." 

Dominic nodded again. He agreed with her on that. That was why he was a patron of this small low-key ice cream business. 

"How often do you do this? These team dinners?" He asked. He wanted to find out more about his wife. 

The past few days after her outburst had given him time to come up with a plausible strategy - friendship. 

The divorce was inevitable but he could be her friend, a person to turn to. She didn't need to feel alone all the time. 

Pity.

The feeling that Nicola despised more than anything in the whole wide world. 

That's what her husband felt towards her. 

"It's usually once a month. First Fridays. But this month had been so hectic and we wrapped up most of the things yesterday so we needed to celebrate." Nicola was feeling talkative, the exhaustion lowering her inhibitions. She had refrained from drinking because she planned to get more work done - not that she was much of a drinker anyway - and Dominic because he was driving. 

Dominic listened attentively. He needed to be able to clear up his schedule every first Friday of the month. 

"You come here often?" Nicola already knew the answer. She was asking just to be polite. 

"Yeah..." Dominic left the word hanging. 

Just as he thought of the devil, she appeared. 

His phone screen lit up with her name. 

Nat

One look at the screen and Nicola nodded, everything clear. "Yeah."

"Give me a moment." Dominic grabbed his phone and walked out of the small room and answered the call. 

"Where are you? We had lunch plans." Natasha, once again, sounded hysterical. "You are almost an hour late." 

Dominic pinched his eyebrows. "I am sorry Natasha, I forgot about lunch. I am out with Nicola." 

"Excuse me?" Natasha's voice grew more shrill. "You ditched me for her?"

Dominic did not like her tone.

"You talk as if you are the wife and her the business associate." He would not have said that any other day but now that he was convinced that if he wanted to do right by Nicola while they were married, then he would have to give her some importance.