The Forgotten Wife

10. Cocktails with the Girls

Meilani

I swirl the straw around the side of the glass jar making the ice cube clink against each other. The drinks are the main reason we come here, I just like that they are made with real fruit and that I can see the passionfruit pulp in my Maria Sharapova cocktail.

It's kind of silly naming the drinks after tennis and golf stars but I guess it plays on their country club image. Britomart Country Club is not actually a country club, it's just an upscale sports bar.

I draw back the straw and start stabbing at the ice cubes to make them bob around, it's somewhat satisfying letting out some of my frustrations on my drink.

"Are you ever going to drink that or are you happy playing wack-a-mole with your ice?" Nicole asks me.

I flick my eyes up to one of my best friends and deliberately take a long drink from the sweet drink.

"So, are you going to tell us why you demanded emergency cocktails tonight?" Nicole asks after taking a long sip from her Tiger Woods.

I shrug one shoulder and say, "I just needed a girl's night."

"It has been a while," Kyla mutters.

I can't help but be jealous of Kyla's hair, it's a light buttercream colour and falls in tight corkscrew curls wildly around her face, she is almost the picture of angelic innocence. She always complains that it is impossible to style but I remind her it doesn't need styling.

"What she means is, you only play with your drink when you are sexually frustrated," Nicole accuses.

Nicole is almost the opposite of Kyla; her rich auburn hair is cut into a stylish bob which only someone with cheekbones like hers can pull off. Her strikingly sharp features are highlighted further by her expertly applied makeup including her signature red lip and bold eyebrows.

"I do not," I defend automatically but I bite my lip the longer I consider her words.

"Don't be embarrassed, Kyla is no better, twirling her hair around her fingers like that," Nicole says as Kyla drops her mouth open and flicks the piece of hair she was holding away.

"What do you mean?" I ask looking curiously between the pair as Kyla tries to avoid eye contact by staring into the depths of her cocktail.

"Josef," Nicole grins.

Kyla blushes bright red and I turn back towards Nicole. "Who is Josef?" I demand scanning the area around us for potential candidates.

"He's that bartender over there," she replies pointing out an attractive blonde guy who fills out his white polo extremely well.

"Don't point!" Kyla whisper-yells snatching Nicole's finger and forcing it back to the table. I pick up my drink just in time to avoid it being knocked over by their scuffle.

"You should just ask him out," Nicole tells her finally freeing her hand.

"I can't, he's like twenty, I'm not a cougar!" Kyla says outraged.

Me and Nicole both start laughing at her. "Ky, you're only twenty-five that's not that big a deal." I tell her.

"Plus, younger guys are so eager to please. Their abs don't stay like that forever, its best to get in as early as you can," Nicole lectures with a wise nod of her head towards a few guys a table over who are developing their beer bellies.

"Aiden's haven't expired yet," I mutter, he might even be in better shape now than when we met. Life is cruel, I wish Aiden had lost his appeal, it would make this divorce easier.