Played like a Guitar

Chapter 18 : The Third Wheel

"Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." - Carrie Fisher

Chapter painting: "Pouring Wine" by Victor Bauer.

***

We were shown our seats inside the most romantic restaurant I had ever seen, with round white tables, red rose petals covering the interior alongside old brown and gold candelabras. The jazz music and dim lights further contributed to the intimate atmosphere.

"You didn't expect me to fly all the way here to surprise you, querido?" - Valentina asked, pinching his cheeks real hard. The couple were sitting in front of me, ignoring my existence. Not for long.

"I didn't actually, I thought you were busy with your collection." - he replied, trying to cover the tattoo, miffed that his girlfriend appeared out of nowhere to ruin the end of a perfect day.

"Why yes, but I missed your beautiful face so much I just had to fly all the way here and see you." Good thing my stomach was empty, otherwise the tablecloth would be covered in a nasty green substance by now.

"I'm leaving for Vienna tomorrow, though." - he informed her rather coldly for someone who hasn't seen his fiancée in a while.

"And I will be joining you, of course. My jet is waiting for us at the airport, no need for you to be cramped in...business class." - she muttered. People call her an influencer? She glanced towards me, almost surprised to find me sitting there.

"So, Nova, what brings you here? I love your outfit, it's so...simple!" Even though other guests were dressed fancily in suits and gowns, I preferred my dirty white shirt and sugarcoated cardigan, thank you very much.

"How nice of you to ask! Victoria, was it?" - I chuckled like a single-brain-celled idiot. "Anyways, I'm finishing my master's here, currently waiting to receive the student of the year award as a matter of fact." - I bragged, sending Jamie a bitchy glance, and based on the single drop of sweat dripping from his forehead, he got the memo. "It's a golden shiny trophy for smart people like me. You make other people sew clothes for you, right?" - I explained to her in simple English terms so her tiny brain could understand.

"It's Valentina actually." - she corrected me. "You'd think the star student could remember a simple name, especially mine." - a demonic evil laugh echoed throughout the restaurant. "I'm kidding! Actually, I design statement pieces everyone will be wearing this summer. My dear friends Anna Wintour and Donatella Versace are so excited to see my creations! Don't worry, I will gladly give you a discount if you can't afford the real price." How about I flip the table and smash your head against the floor?

"I heard they have really good sushi here." - Jamie brought up irrelevantly, in the middle of a war.

"Muy bien, darling. Only the best for you." - she kissed the very same lips I tasted an hour ago, my blood boiling inside from anger and jealousy. She's lucky I chose German over Spanish in high school, otherwise I would've given her a piece of mind she would understand clearly. "Is that a tattoo?!" - she hollered in astonishment, shifting his neck towards her to see it up close.

"Um, yeah...just had it done before you came here. Do you like it?" - he acted as if Valentina was his mother, as if what we just did was completely illegal.

"It's...it's...what's the word? Ah, yes, adequate." - her fake smile visible from a mile away. "Nothing that lasers can't solve nowadays." - she already planned its removal, but he wasn't exactly protesting either.  Instead, he gave her a short recap of all the places we visited beforehand to which she answered phlegmatically with "uh-huh's" and "yeah's" while deciding what Instagram filter to apply to her latest post.