My Husband and I
(Dark Romance) ?
Episode 4
It was around noon when John and I arrived at the place. The appearance on the outside made the place seem small, stiff, and old. However, the place was cool. It was vibrant and filled with many colors. My husband found one of his friends outside and they got engaged with a long talk. As soon as I stepped inside. I was faced with a bar that ran from the front to the side with a menu right behind it.
The counter had marble and was decorated in blue with white chairs in front to sit on. There were lights above it on a ceiling that looked to be marble itself and was quite beautiful. It made the shop itself look brighter. The walls of the entire shop were decorated with fancy wallpapers.
There were booths lining the left side with glass partitions separating the section. Of course, there were mini decorations such as plants in a few places, but what really caught my eye was the black wall. Unlike the rest of the walls in the shop, this one had a white background.
“I’m sure you like here?” A rough voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Yes, it is,” I smiled at the person standing before me.
“Not as beautiful as you are,” the dude spoke again, breaking wh@ťěver spell was cast on me.
Flustered, I could hardly come up with a response, “Well, I…um,” I laughed awkwardly.
I glanced up at the said stranger dressed in cream-colored slacks, a white long-sleeved shirt, and an apron covering his front. The dude before me held a smile on his face. We were almost the same height.
“Thank you…”
Before I could finish my sentence, John walked in. And suddenly a part of me felt ashamed for accepting the waiter’s compliment. He wasn’t my husband and there I was, excited that some stranger complimented my beauty. Although I wasn’t attracted to the waiter. I just felt off for being happy. Even if it was just a moment.
While I was stuck in my miserable mind, I hadn’t noticed that my head had lowered in shame. Or that the waiter’s smile had turned into a frown. I turned to face John just to see if he would have the same reaction I had when I first walked in, but I was disappointed. To my dismay, his expression seemed bored as he hardly glanced around the place. I tried not to let it bother me as John walked in front of me, effectively blocking my sight from the waiter who spoke to me.
“Welcome!” the waiter said in a cheery voice as he greeted my husband.
Choosing not to greet the waiter back, John spoke in a rough voice, “A booth for two.”
“Yes, sir. But I was serving the woman behind you first.”
“We’re together,” John said lamely.
“Oh, apologies. I didn’t realize you were siblings.” The waiter still held a cherry tone as he spoke.
“We’re married not….,” My husband cuts in.
“Wow! You both look alike tho. Don’t mind me,” the waiter said jokingly. I couldn’t help but smile. I found him amusing but my husband didn’t.
“Please, my wife and I want a table. Or you want to keep asking questions.”
“John,” I grabbed his arm to stop the words he was speaking.
“He’s just messing around.” He said angrily.
“Is everything alright here?” An unknown voice interrupted the conversation. We both turned to the voice and faced a man dressed the same as the waiter, except he wore a cap.
Unlike the first waiter, the man was extremely tall, and I could tell he worked out based on the definition of his arms through his shirt. Although the cap shielded his eyes, the man looked handsome. As he approached us, I felt my husband tense up from beside me as I still had his arm gripped in mine, deciding to take charge.
“Yes, everything is fine. My husband and I were just asking for a booth,” I told the waiter with a smile I usually give to my clients.
When he finally reached the three of us, I had to tilt my neck up a bit to look at him. He lowered over me easily and surprisingly, he was even a bit taller than my husband.
As the man finally came to a stop in front of me, we made eye contact. I had to stop myself from backing up from him. Not out of fright, but from some sort of electric shock.
The man was handsome, yes, but he made me feel something with just one look. And if his lips that had parts subtly meant anything, then he may have felt what I did. How could a man beside my husband be able to make me feel electrified with just one look? Having imaginary fantasies about a man without a face was one thing, but to actually feel lustful toward another human being that wasn’t my husband was mortifying.
“I’m sorry about my colleague. Let me make the arrangement. I can get you guys a table right away,” said the handsome waiter.
Neither I nor my husband was able to speak as the second waiter gathered the menu for us. As he did, he shared a glance with his colleague, that kind of look that literally meant, “keep messing up.”
“Please, follow me,” said the waiter as he lead the way. My husband and I followed behind, leaving the tense vibe we had earlier.
The place he took us was lively and full of people sitting at tables, booths, or the bar. No matter the person I glanced at, everyone seemed to be happy as they chatted excitedly. We quickly reached our booth and sat down across from one another as the man handed us our menus.
“Your server will be with you quickly, enjoy.” He informed us and before he walked away, he glanced at me one last time.
Deciding not to wonder about the man whom I shamelessly lust after earlier, I picked up the menu and saw John doing the same. Surprisingly, there were quite a few options on the menu, and all seemed inviting. Pancake stack with strawberries on top and whipped cream, parfait, pizza, and other stuff I barely knew. I was practically salivating over food I hadn’t tasted.
“Everything looks so good, I don’t know what to get,” I said to John, trying to stir up conversation.
“Why were you flirting with that dude?” he asked calmly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I just said.”
“He was just joking.”
“Are you serious, Mary? I saw the way you were glancing at him.
“I…I..” I dumbfounded.
“I’m your husband and you’re my wife. Act like it,” he spoke harshly in a lowered tone.
“And watch what you order. Remember, we will be seeing a doctor by the end of the month and I don’t want you overeating. You still need to be as healthy as possible to carry our child. He went back to reading the menu as if his words didn’t affect me. Or maybe he wanted his words to sting as if to punish me for not having his back. I just didn’t want things to escalate earlier since we hadn’t been outside as much. We followed the same routine every day and some days I was tired of it. I wanted to be the best wife and make John happy. But sometimes it just feels impossible.
Fighting back tears, I excused myself from the booth to use the restroom. As I reached there, I locked myself inside. I tried to hold them in to not ruin my makeup, but I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sure why I was even crying. Of course, he hurt my feelings, but normally I don’t feel that way. I had to remind myself that I love him. I love John. Where would I be without my husband?
As tears trickled down my cheeks, I dried my eyes with a tissue and walked to the sink, and faced the mirror. I wasn’t too messy, but my eyes were a bit red. I straightened myself up as fast as I could so that if someone came in, they wouldn’t see that I had cried.
As I ran the water again to wipe away some smear marks, the bathroom door opened. I noticed someone who wasn’t a woman walked in. Spinning around, I was shocked to be faced with the second waiter who had attended to us.
“What are you doing in the woman’s room?” I asked with no bite to my tone, but caution.
“It’s actually unisegz,” he said and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to wash my hands.”
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t know,” I sniffed.
Slowly approaching the sink to not scare me off, he asked, “Would it be because of your tears?” I paused and cleared my throat.
“I apologize on my colleague’s behalf if he said anything offensive…”
“No, he didn’t say anything bad. In fact, I found him funny.” I laughed a little. I was slightly embarrassed that he knew I was shedding tears in a restroom.
“It’s just a family problem,” It slipped out of my tongue before I realized that I shouldn’t have told him. “I mean, personal problem,” I stuttered.
“I see,” he began to wash his hand.
“Um, I should get back to our table. Excuse me,” I said, taking one last look at myself in the mirror. I threw away my tissue and began to leave.
“This is far from a personal problem.” His words reached my ears as I pulled the door open. Looking back at the man, I saw his eyes already focused on me in the mirror.
As impossible as it should be, it felt as if his eyes were seeing me wholeheartedly. As if I were the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Impossible, I thought.
“Thank you,” I said and left the restroom feeling lighter while my thoughts lingered on the handsome waiter.
To be continued…
Frank The Writer