"This is what she had become."
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Cleopatra Banks' last week in the small town of New Chelsea is nothing like she would have imagined it, but nothing could have prepared her for the stinging betrayal she's faced with and suddenly the prospect of...
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The rest of the car ride is spent in silence, the sad and distant kind. The kind that I hate and this time around there isn't even one nineties song to fill in the silence in the car.
I've never wanted to hear a nineties song so bad.
Ethan finds a parking space away from his parents' car when we finally get to the restaurant and I know that both of us have to put up calm faces. When I catch Ethan's gaze, there's a moment of understanding that passes between us and an unspoken promise from his side to carry our conversation further.
Tonight isn't about us, but about my father and his accomplishments.
We walk in silence, right behind our parents, towards the entrance of the restaurant named The Crown.
It's a modern type of establishment with glass sliding doors, high ceilings and a few chandeliers hanging from them. The muted brown, black, white and green colors give it a calm earthy look and the subtle lighting above the tables gives it a romantic ambiance.
It's like being transported to another little world and I find myself smiling at the entire setting as we're led to our table by a kind middle aged server named Charleston.
Although it's one of those places without a dress code, the location and setting will prompt anyone to at least go for a semi-formal look and I notice this as we walk past the various tables in the restaurant.
A young couple in a corner booth catches my eye and I smile even wider when I notice the young man holding a black box open in front of a pretty woman with closed eyes.
It's clear to everyone watching them that she's absolutely and completely in love with him, especially with the look on her face when she opens her eyes. She places her hands on her chest and then on her cheeks before she starts nodding profusely, her eyes glossing over.
A sinking feeling travels from my throat down to my stomach as I'm reminded of one really stupid girl who only dreamt of a boy she liked on bended knee, holding out a box with a diamond ring sitting at the center whilst pink rose petals kissed her skin as a gentle breeze blew by.
Remind me again never to fall for someone the way I did Max, and to also get my head out of those silly fairytales from my childhood. Things don't work out as easily as they did in Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty –probably because they had unrealistic waist sizes.
I realize that instead of the anger that usually surfaces when I think of him I'm left feeling sad and disappointed at myself.
"Cleopatra, keep walking. They're waiting for us at the table," Ethan's voice comes from behind me and snaps me out of my daze.
Good Lord. For how long have I been staring?
Ethan lets out a low grunt from the back of his throat and places a hand at the small of my back, giving me a gentle push to move forward when I make no effort in doing so myself.
