She whispered the words that caught Suzie’s attention as she looked at her mistress.
Suzie opened her mouth to express her concern, but then Brianna asked with disdain,
"If she’s your maid, why is she eating at the same table as us?"
Brianna was well-versed in the etiquette of being served by others after years of experience. Her cold gaze remained on Suzie, who squirmed in her seat, lowering her head and twisting one of her pigtails to curb her nervousness. However, Suzie’s orders only came from Shelby, and she listened to no one else. That was part of her role as Shelby’s handmaiden.
"I don’t think that’s your place to comment on, Brianna."
"She’s at the same table with me, and I do not eat with people beneath me!"
Shelby said in resignment, massaging her temple. "I don’t want to do this now. Suzie came on my orders, and she will stay in her seat to assist the kids when needed."
"You settled into your role as wife really fast, huh?" Brianna scoffed.
Ava glared at Brianna as if to say, ’Didn’t you want to make up? Why this now?’
She turned to Shelby with a worried, inquiring gaze instead,
"You’re not eating? Is it not to your taste, Shelby?"
"It’s nothing, Ava. I just feel a bit full, but I tasted it, and it’s awesome!"
Shelby sent a glare towards Suzie before she ran her mouth. She placed her fork down and watched them eat, occasionally cleaning up Gabriel when he made too much of a mess.
"Can I have a glass of water instead, Ava?"
"You sure? I can get you a light snack instead."
"It’s okay. How about you pack some of this for me to go instead?"
Ava beamed and signalled for a glass of water for Shelby.
Shelby only took a sip and placed it back down. She started fanning herself and stood up momentarily, taking off her coat. She was about to hang it behind her chair when she felt that something was wrong. The whole restaurant was quiet, all eyes trained on her. Brianna’s fork fell with a clutter, breaking the stalemate.
"Miss!" Suzie hissed.
"OMG, I forgot!" She whispered when she felt the cool air pass through the dress, and she coloured. Shelby frantically tried to put the coat back on, but the damage was already done. The heated gazes of the people in the restaurant were still trained on her.
"Look at you! Looking all sexy and gorgeous!" Ava gushed!
"That dress is gorgeous, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for this place. You know what I mean?" She laughed teasingly, knowing full well why Shelby had that on.
"It’s good you had a foresight for the overcoat, though, because the eyes of some of the men in here want to dig a big hole into you!"
Ava’s insistent teasing was interrupted by Brianna’s sarcastic remark, "Why would you even come out in this?"
All at the table turned to look at Brianna. Her indifferent face as she reached for a new fork to eat her meal was irritating to look at, but no one said anything to her, and neither did she get an answer to her ridiculous question.
"Since you’re feeling warm and cannot remove your coat, let’s go out for some fresh air!"
"Suzie, keep them company. I’ll be just outside. And also, send a plate to Albert so that he’s not left out."
Suzie nodded, and Shelby ruffled Gabriel’s hair, smiling at Ingrid as well. This time, Gabriel did not make any fuss and continued to enjoy his meal.
Shelby stepped out amidst the lusty gazes of all and a few whistles.
"Hey, you! Come oooonnnn, couldn’t you have done a little better than a see-through dress? We’re not at a beach! You should know yourself! Men lust after you even when you are covered from head to toe or even in sackcloth!"
"This was the most decent one I found out of the lot Ava,"
"Well, your mother-in-law is really ready for a grandchild. I don’t know what man can resist this! Whoosh!"
The two burst out laughing just as Brianna joined them.
"Couldn’t you have waited for me to finish eating?" She said as she munched on a few bites she had in a paper napkin.
"I’ll pack something for you to send home."
The three walked around awhile and stopped at an empty street hotdog stall crowded with many girls in school uniforms. Their excited chatter streamed over to the three, drawing their attention.
"You’ll see," Ava responded mysteriously. It didn’t take long for them to realize why she had said that. The stall owner came back out from his stall truck, and the girls let out deafening screams.
"That’s -!" Shelby whispered in astonishment, just as Ava smiled in triumph.
Brianna rolled her eyes, but her gaze was still glued to the young man who was in a low-hanging jean and just an apron. His muscles flexed with each skilful movement he made preparing the hot dog for the customer. His smile was unwavering, and he gave equal attention to each customer. However, they all just lingered on the side after being served. With such an eye candy like that, the hot dog tasted even better!
Shelby stood stunned! This was the one man she had had a crush on in all her life! They had met a few years prior in their high school days, and she had been smitten to bits. She never thought she would see him again. He was the only man in all her years who had made her feel special because even though his eyes had always longed after her like all the others, he had never acted on it like them.
She felt her insides tremble as the familiar, almost forgotten emotions surged up. As if sensing her gaze, his eyes scanned the crowd until it rested on her and the world around him disappeared. Their eyes met in that special moment.
He quickly served the last bun in his hand, wiped his hands with a napkin, and walked over to them with a wider smile on his face.
His gaze never left hers. It was as if they were the only two in the street as he came to stand in front of her, towering over her. There was a time when she would have been super happy with this attention, but for some reason, she only felt happy to see a friend and nothing more than that.
Ava pulled a reluctant Brianna back, and the two watched on. However, Brianna made no move to wipe the scrowl off her face.
"Why is she hoarding all the men!"
"Really? Brianna? Are we going there again?"
"Whatever! Isn’t she married? Why will she entertain him, too!" Ava’s silent glare shut her up.
"Hey!" He whispered when he got to her. "You look good!"
They stood smiling awkwardly at each other, neither making any move to touch the other. It was as if he had never left. He had left initially because she was too young, and he did not trust himself to be a gentleman if he stayed close to her. However, when he had returned to her after her eighteenth birthday, he had been up for a rude shock!
That was the only time he had tried to ’touch’ her but learned the hard way. It had taken a few more times before he realized that he could never touch her, not as a friend and definitely not as the lover he so wished to be.
He had thought long and hard about this phenomenon and never came to any conclusions. He never believed in the world out of the ordinary, but after meeting Shelby, he started to rethink his outlook on life. With such a surreal beauty, the gods would have done her bad if just anybody could touch her. He was just sad that he was part of the ’anybody list of people.’
He had set out to find answers only for his trip to be cut, shocked by her news.
"I heard you got married." A wave of overwhelming emotions washed over him, and he couldn’t help but lower his gaze.
"Yes," her voice went a notch lower. She felt all fuzzy over, but the familiar fluttering feeling in her stomach was no longer there. Shelby now saw him as a very familiar lost friend. She had no idea when her crush’s emotions had been wiped off her.
"Is he treating you well?"
"That’s good. Let me know if he doesn’t, and I’ll take good care of him for you."
"Miss Shelby! We cannot find Ingrid!"
Shelby snapped out of the trance to meet a panicked Suzie, who was holding onto Gabriel.
"I’m sorry, Royston, I have to leave...."
She turned to leave immediately but then,
"Shelby, can I at least call you sometimes ... please?"
He asked this because his calls had gone unanswered the few times he had tried and Shelby had never initiated a call nor returned any. He learnt of her marriage in the news and verified it from Ava. That day had been the worst of the worst. He wondered how she was surviving in there considering that no man could touch her.
"...as a friend?" With a curious glance, she tilted her head to the side and asked.
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