"What was the rationale behind this preposterous idea?" This was the question resounding on both Joan's and Steve's mind in their various apartments.
The whole thing didn't make one bit of sense to either of them. How could four educated adults just sit down and come up with something as crazy as this? How?
It was just past 5 PM in the evening, yet Joan couldn't wait to just go to bed and wake up the next morning. Maybe by morning things would either make sense to her, or maybe she would wake up and realize she had been having a nightmare and it was just her birthday morning.
She glanced at her phone when it started ringing and picked it up when she noticed the call was from Victoria, "Babe how far?" Victoria asked immediately Joan received the call.
"I just returned from the house sometime ago, and you won't believe they are serious about that crazy idea! How on Earth would they expect me to marry Steve? How do these old people think?" Joan yelled into the phone angrily, and Victoria winced as she moved the phone away from her ear.
"I understand you're upset, but can you direct the yelling at the people responsible for your anger instead of trying to destroy my eardrums? You are shouting at me." Victoria told her calmly.
"Sorry. I'm just really upset about this whole thing." Joan murmured.
"I can't say I understand how you feel. Especially considering the present situation with Steve," Victoria said with a sigh, "But have you at least asked them what prompted their decision? They should have a good reason for it I suppose."
"Victoria no reason is ever going to excuse the stupidity behind their decision." Joan spat out in contempt.
"Hey! Chill. We are still talking about your parents here, and right now you're calling them stupid, and it isn't cool," Victoria admonished, and Joan took in a deep breath to calm herself.
"Maybe it would help you to always remember that your parents' decision comes from a place of love, and they probably believe this is what is best for you..."
"It isn't best for me!" Joan snapped at her.
"Well, you should tell them that calmly. Look, this is when they say two heads are better than one. Yourself and Steve are in this situation together so it might be better if you both meet and put your heads together on the way forward." Victoria suggested warily.
"We should probably do that." Joan said with a sliver of doubt in her voice. She still wasn't ready to face Steve yet, but she knew without doubt that she needed to.
"Yes you should. Just give him a call and let me know what's up after you talk to him. I know you would have needed my company at a time like this but..."
"Don't worry. It's fine." Joan quickly assured her.
"Alright. Now go and give him a call. I'll be waiting to hear from you." Victoria suggested before hanging up.
Joan stood up and paced around her bedroom as she tried to summon up courage to dial his number. She knew she needed to give him a call and suggest that they meet, but she just couldn't look into his face right now or hear his voice. Not when last night was still very fresh in her memory and she was still remembering all they had done and all she had felt. He had touched her body in ways she had never been touched, and had even made her feel things she had never felt. Thinking about what they had last night made her realize how useless her ex had been on bed. To think he had cheated on her despite being bad on bed, Joan thought, and couldn't help giggling to herself, "Good riddance to useless rubbish."
She was jolted back to her senses by the shrill sound of her ringtone, and her heart skipped a beat when she realized Steve was the one calling, "Oh God!" She murmured, closing her eyes as she tried to summon the courage she needed to talk to him.
She took in a deep breath and cleared her throat, "Hey! What's up? I was just about to call you," She told him in an excited rush.
"I suppose you've confirmed they weren't joking earlier?" Steve asked sounding just as upset as she had been a moment ago.
"Yeah," she said with a sigh.
"We need to see. Are you home?" He asked, and she almost panicked. The last thing she wanted right now was to be in any closed space with Steve.
"I was just about to step out to get something to eat. Why?" She asked even though she knew exactly why he had asked.
"I'm on my way to your house. I could pick up something for you to eat. We need to meet and talk," He said, and she could literally picture him pinching the bridge of his nose as he usually did whenever he was upset and deep in thought.
He sounded like his usual self, and she couldn't help feeling slightly resentful of how easily he had moved on from what happened between them and how he was acting as though they hadn't had sex. She wished she could be as indifferent as he was concerning it, but then again she wasn't a very wild person.
"Let's just meet at the fast-food restaurant before my house," She suggested instead, and waited for him to argue but he only sighed.
"Okay. Don't keep me waiting," He said before hanging up.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Joan asked herself as she dropped her phone on the bed and walked over to her dressing table to add a little touch of make-up to her face. There was no need to dress up again since she was yet to take off the clothes she had been wearing earlier.