Silver Lining | Grooms #3

VII. Work Parties

Friday rolled around once again and this time as well, Esha wasn't going to be able to retreat in the comforts of her room. Given the big project they had bagged which was said to change things for the company and it's future as it looks into expanding, they were throwing a celebratory party.

Esha cleared her throat standing behind Camille to mark her presence. Camille turned to see who it was but did not greet her. She went back to staring at her drink. Esha walked up to the table, placed her glass on the surface, and then instructed. "Out with it."

Camille gave her a clueless look, "Out with what?"

"With why you're back to behaving like your bitchy self." Esha bluntly pointed out.

Camille opened her mouth with every intention of scolding the younger girl to learn how to speak to someone who is older to her and her superior. Then, she had no mood for acting like an elder sister and picked up her glass of wine. "Last weekend after our Saturday meeting, my boyfriend dumped me."

Esha internally groaned while Camille took a sip. She hated such situations where someone would be down because a relationship failed. She couldn't connect with the feeling. Still, she knew how to be a friend and hence said, "Atleast it wasn't your fiancé dumping you the day of your engagement party."

Camille assumed that happened to Esha and her eyes snapped to hers, widening. She carefully placed her glass back on the table and tried to find something polite to say but simply ended up reacting as any person would, "Oh, I'm sorry. That's horrible! What an asshole."

Esha held back a laugh, "Oh, please. Look at my body. Did you really fall for that? I'm the one who dumped him."

Camille was at first shocked but then reasoning returned to her. She did see Esha's body. No guy in his right mind would say no to her. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed. "Bitch."

Esha still smiled sincerely, "Got you to smile, didn't I?"

Camille, dropping the act, did smile back. Even though it wasn't true, she wasn't like other friends of Camille who would sympathize with her, offer to talk about it, and all because that just made her sadder.

Esha lifted her glass to have a sip before advising, "I'll tell you what I tell all my friends. I could give you the whole being a strong and independent woman speech but I think you already have that one down. I mean, look at you. You are the creative director and I don't need to remind you of the satisfaction and the sense of accomplishment your work must bring you. So, if he can't see and appreciate that, then fuck him. There are plenty of fish in the ocean."

Camille questioned, "You've never been in a serious relationship, have you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Simple, my dear. If you had, you wouldn't be saying this. It's not so easy to move on."

"Yes, but it's silly letting a break up affect you so much because with every end of a relationship, you give away parts of yourself and pretty soon, you'll be left with nothing. Why give someone else that power? Let them control your happiness? Better to learn something from the break up and move on than think over everything you could have done differently and have regrets when chances are - you two would have still ended things even if you did things differently."

"We'll have this conversation when you do have a serious relationship." Camille replied instead of getting into the argument over different philosophies for she believed that relationships weren't about the other person controlling whether you were happy or not but about sharing a part in your happiness.

Esha muttered under her breath, "That'll be a day."

Few minutes later, Camille said, "Ouch."

Esha turned her attention to her instead of looking around the room. "What?"