the deal; twh

Chapter 2 - Doubt

Please read the note at the end!!

I waited in the wings of the stage. The rehearsal was going well though, I couldn't fathom what was to come Friday night. No amount of breathing exercises would prepare me for the amount of anxiety that was to come. Pushing away my thoughts, I inhale deeply and run on stage, right on time.

-

I finish my scene and run off stage left. Rehearsal is done. This was the last time I could practice with my cast and crew. Next up, the actual performance. I feel my phone vibrate in my hand.

Ben: When are you done with rehearsal?

Evelyn: Soon, I'll text you when.

I put my phone back down on a shelf and go back on stage for the curtain call. I take in the empty seats; soon they wouldn't be empty. Soon he'll be sitting there. I ground myself as I walk off. I change out of costume, set my props, gather my things and begin to get off the stage.

"Opening night is Friday! Be ready!" Jessie, our director calls out to us. I feel myself get slightly lightheaded. Grounding myself once again, I make my way out of the theatre.

Ben: Henry's in 5?

-

I walk into Henry's, instantly looking for Ben. I sigh and make my way into the queue to get tea. I feel a small tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see no other than... a woman, "Excuse me, how do I get to the subway?" She's American.

"About two blocks down the street." She nods and leaves. Huh, no 'Thank you.'  Right then, Ben walks in. He smiles down at me.

"Hello, Evelyn." He gives me a Sherlock vibe. I smirk.

"Hello, Big Ben." His face contorts, he's shocked.

"You cannot compare me to a clock!" I start walking up to the cash register.

"Britain's most famous clock."

-

"Alright," Ben takes a deep breath, "what should we talk about?" I unzip a pocket of my bag and pull out two pamphlets- one for him, one for Sophie. I slide them over to him. "Cheers." He starts reading instantly. I can tell he read over the word 'married' as he runs his finger over his wedding band.

I let my mind wander. Thinking about the play makes me think of Tom, thinking of Tom makes me think of the deal. Did we think it through? We were only 20. What did we know? He's Tom, he'll find someone, someone much better. When he'll find that someone, that's debatable. What if he finds someone after the deal is done? Oh, God. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I shouldn't have agreed. What am I supposed to do now?

"Lyn? You alright?" Ben looks to me, worry in his eyes. I nod quickly. He raises an eyebrow, he doesn't believe me. I sigh.

"Do you remember the deal Tom and I made in year two of university?"

"The marriage one?" I nod. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, we were talking about it the other day and there's only about a year left. We decided we wanted to follow through with it. Now I'm having doubts." I sip my tea.

"What do you mean doubts?" He furrows his brows. I inhale, then exhale all the same.

"A year is a long time. He'll find someone perfect for him, whether it's in that time frame or after the deal goes through. It'd be futile if we were to get married. Plus, he wouldn't want to get married to me of all people."

"Right, I'd be a better fit for him." He sips his tea with a hint of sarcasm. I giggle, sipping my tea. "Lyn, you're being insane. You've been best friends with Tom for... your entire lives. I think if he can handle being your best friend this long, he can handle being married to you."

"There's going to be someone prettier, funnier... other adjectives I can't think of right now," he chuckles, "if we get divorced because he found that someone, I don't want to lose my best friend." I slowly sip my tea.

"Evelyn, listen to me. There will always be someone prettier, funnier, other adjectives I can't think of right now," I giggle, "but, there will never be someone like you. Now, you can back out of this deal, that's completely fine. But listen to me when I say, you won't regret it if you follow through." I smile.

"Thanks, Ben. I think I'll sleep on it for now. I don't know, it's just-" He cuts me off.

"There's always a million reasons not to do something. Plus, I know about your crush." He starts wiggling his brows. My crush? What crush? I don't have a crush.

Do I have a crush?

"What?" He stops suddenly, his face dropping. He adjusts his position in his seat.

"Nothing. I mistook you for my other friend who... has a crush on... my other, other friend." He speaks slowly and very suspiciously. I try my best to read his face but it's giving me nothing. "Alright then, I should be going. Take care, Love!" He scurries out of the cafe without giving me time to react.

I slump back into my seat. Who is Ben talking about? I could not possibly have a crush on Tom. I mean it would never work, right? He's so... Tom, and I'm so... me. I rub the bridge of my nose and sigh. What did I get myself into? Maybe this deal isn't worth it.

I still have time to think about it. Maybe it's not such a bad idea. I mean, I care for Tom, he cares for me. It'd work, right? Yeah, we just care for each other. No crush. Right?

I couldn't possibly have a crush on him. Right?

Hi! I'm so sorry I took incredibly long to release this chapter! I'll try my best to post the next one soon. This fall is going to be jam-packed for me so I'm not sure how often I can upload but I will continue to try my best. Please let me know what you think so far! Thanks for reading!

-kim ;)