She looked up, her gaze landing on the bustling restaurant. Her friends, Zoe and Flora, were already ensconced in their corner, a splash of colour against the muted tones of the interior.
"You're fashionably late," Zoe drawled, her voice laced with amusement. Her other companion with a flushed face flashed her a cutesy grin, the colour of her cheeks giving away the fact that she had more than two cups of alcohol while waiting.
Chuckling, Rosel replied, "Thirsty are we? Wait until you hear about the drama at my workplace."
Zoe amused, gently pushed the menu in her direction. "Order some food before that stomach of yours shrinks into oblivion."
Mouthing a silent thank you, Rosel quickly settled down at the table, flipping through the words of the booklet. The three placed their orders and leaned back onto their seats, settling into the familiar hum of the restaurant filled with chatters.
Flora's voice, high-pitched with excitement, broke through the tranquillity. "Can you believe it? Bryan might propose!" She then took another sip of what seems to be her half finished peach cocktail.
Zoe and Rosel exchanged a knowing glance. They both knew the charade Bryan was playing, a magician adept at illusion, but Flora, with her heart firmly lodged in the clouds, remained oblivious. In other words, they did not like their friend's boyfriend. Not one bit.
"Spill," Zoe demanded, her voice dripping with skepticism. Rosel meanwhile, rested her head nonchalantly on her hand, silently waiting for her friend to elaborate.
Flora's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "He asked about my favourite colour and gemstone. Isn't that a proposal code?"
While Zoe shook her head in silence, Rosel let out a long sigh. "My dearest friend. You're telling me, Bryan, the guy who cheated on you. Twice. In two years. Is going to propose to you and you are going to accept?"
The only response she got was a nod. A cheerful one in fact. "You have got to be kidding me." Zoe exclaimed. Her expression was a mixture of amusement and concern. Flora's pout on the other hand was a picture of disappointment. Her friends clearly did not seem as excited about the news as she had hoped they were.
"Look here. Zoe and I love love love you to death but, Flora, that guy could be flirting with a stone just because it looked pretty. We don't want you to get hurt. Again." Handing out the utensils, Rosel gently placed Flora's ones in her hands. Silence fell on the table as the noise from their surroundings blended in. Zoe let out a sigh before putting on a restrained smile.
The arrival of their food provided a temporary distraction. As they ate, the conversation turned to lighter topics, but Rosel's mind was elsewhere.
'Love sure is a troublesome thing.' The thought flashed in her head. A familiar face, etched into the deepest recesses of her memory, surfaced with a clarity that was both painful and intoxicating. She scowled, downing her drink in one swift motion, the burn of the alcohol offering a brief respite from the emotional turmoil. She was definitely no drinker, yet for some reason she just felt like getting drunk today. Perhaps it was work that had piled up to seem endless or perhaps just the past that still haunts her until today. Her friends exchanged concerned glances. This was unlike Rosel. The usually composed woman was unravelling before their eyes.
"Easy there, tiger," Zoe said, her voice gentle.
The taste of bitterness from the alcohol finally hits her. This is pretty gross. Rosel forced a laugh, the sound hollow and empty. The alcohol was hitting her harder than she anticipated, and her head was beginning to spin. Evident to her friends who had known her for so long, they quietly slipped her glass away and pushed a cup of water towards her. Beside her, Flora, fidgeted with her fingers. A romantic at heart, she could not turn a blind eye to her friend's love life.
"Hey Ros.", she started meekly.
Rosel hummed in return, urging her friend to continue.
"So I brought you up to a few of mine and Bryan's friends who are single. A few of them are rather interested in meeting you. It's been 10 years now, what do you think about meeting someone new?" Flora's actions definitely were less confident than she had sounded when bringing up this idea. Zoe chose to look away, sipping on her drink. Rosel stopped thinking. Another wave of silence fell. Maybe alcohol was a bad idea. Or so she thought.
The suggestion hung in the air, heavy and laden with unspoken words. Rosel felt a surge of panic. She needed to escape, to find a place where she could gather her scattered thoughts.
"Bathroom," she mumbled, standing up abruptly. The world tilted as she made her way out to the restroom at the back of the restaurant. Barely managing to steady herself, she staggered towards the restroom, leaving her friends to grapple with the aftermath of her sudden departure.
Zoe groaned, her voice carrying through the open doorway. "I told you no already."
Flora's reply was soft, a gentle counterpoint to Zoe's bluntness. "I know, but Rosel deserves to be happy too."
Zoe sighed, her expression softening. "You're right. But she's a mess right now."
Inside the restroom, Rosel leaned against the cool porcelain, her head pounding. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The world seemed to be spinning, and the only coherent thought in her mind was that this was a terrible, horrible day.
"I knew this would be a bad day the moment I missed the bus," she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible. "It's all his fault."
A voice, familiar yet distant, cut through her self-pity. "Whose?"
Rosel's head snapped up, her heart pounding in her ears. There he was, standing in the doorway, the man who had once held the key to her happiness.
"Hi Rosel."
'Fuck.' Forget about sanity, panic surged through her once more. She had to escape. Without a second thought, she turned and fled, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
Back at the table, Zoe and Flora exchanged bewildered glances. "What's gotten into her?" Flora asked, her voice laced with concern.
Rosel fled back to the table, her face flushed with exertion and panic. "We're leaving now," she announced, her voice barely a whisper above a shout.
Zoe and Flora exchanged another look, their confusion evident. "What about your food?" Flora asked, pointing to the untouched pasta.
Rosel ignored her. "Ice cream. After Hours. Now." Her voice was firm, her determination to escape this situation overpowering any other thought.
Her friends nodded, their faces a mixture of worry and resignation. They gathered their belongings as Rosel hurried to pay the bill.
As she turned to leave, she saw him again, standing just outside the restaurant. Her heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to look away, the cool night air doing little to calm her racing thoughts.
With her friends by her side, she walked towards the car, the wind whipping through her hair. All she could think about was escaping, putting as much distance between herself and the past as possible.
She shut her eyes, the only lingering thought being that Cupid loves to play stupid games.