So I went.
The moment I walked into the private room, the atmosphere shifted. Call it women’s intuition, but Amy came straight over to me. “You’re Lisa, the one who looked after Ben, right? He’s told me all about you.”
I looked at Ben. I thought he didn’t want her to know about ‘us.‘
Amy studied us both for a moment, then continued, “Ben says you’re his best… gal pal.” She held out a glass. “As his girlfriend, I should toast you.”
<
I wanted to ask him, “Gal pal? The kind you
sleep with?” But I didn’t have the nerve. I’d
taken some antibiotics for a cold earlier and
couldn’t drink. I opened my mouth to explain,
but Ben, his arm around Amy, took the glass
from her hand.
“You and your alcohol tolerance,” he said
indulgently. He raised the glass towards me.
“Lisa, I’ll drink to that.” His eyes dared me to
refuse.
Everyone in the room knew about Ben and me.
Having his ex and current flame in the same
room was clearly entertaining them. All eyes
were on us, some amused, some malicious,
some just curious.
But I’d only agreed to come to the party. I
hadn’t agreed to drink.
Just as I was about to refuse, a deep voice cut
through the air.
“My wife isn’t feeling well. I’ll drink for her.”
A hand reached out and took the glass from
- me. It was Tom. He looked like he’d rushed
over, but his presence still commanded
attention. He drained the glass in one gulp.
Ben frowned, a flicker of something that looked
suspiciously like jealousy in his eyes. “Tom,
what’s going on here?” he asked.
After Tom turned to look at me, I saw a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. His long fingers brushed my cheek. “Darlin‘,” he said, his voice laced with amusement, “Tell them. What’s our relationship?”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Tom squeezed my waist. I shivered, looking into his sparkling eyes. They were intense, almost intimidating.
The room erupted in whispers. Everyone knew Tom. He was the golden boy born with a silver
<
8:19
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Tom. He was the golden boy, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the kind of family history that ended up in textbooks. The only son, spoiled rotten, but somehow, he’d always kept his distance from women. There were even rumors he preferred men. Except for that one time, someone swore they saw him escorting a woman into a hotel, not emerging until the next afternoon…
Tom’s lips were almost touching mine when I snapped back to reality. I closed my eyes, topk a deep breath, and blurted out, “Tom’s my boyfriend.”
A chorus of “Whoa!” rippled through the room. I avoided Tom’s gaze. That one time with him had been a total accident. I didn’t even notice how dark Ben’s face had gotten.
Ben clearly didn’t believe me. His eyes darted between Tom and me, taking in our closeness. “Oh really?” He tightened his grip on Amy’s
<
8:19
wrist, his knuckles white.
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“Ben, you’re hurting me!”
Ben’s attention snapped back to Amy. “Oh god,
Amy, I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice full of
remorse. He kissed her wrist.
Watching them, I felt nothing.
Amy didn’t buy it either. “You two are so… affectionate,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, wedding bells soon?”
Tom and I were from completely different worlds. Marrying Ben wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows. His family was just…regular rich. But Tom? There weren’t many families in the city who could match his pedigree. Amy’s question was designed to humiliate me. She probably
thought Tom was just having a bit of fun, nothing serious.
く
I was sure he’d ignore her, but he didn’t. “We’re
working on it,” Tom said smoothly. “You’ll all
be invited to the wedding, of course.”
The room went silent. Everyone was stunned. I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Was he helping me or burying me deeper? If this didn’t work out, I’d be even more humiliated.
Ben’s disbelief turned into a strained smile. “Congratulations then. I wish you both… all the
best.”
I had to play along now. “Thanks. We should get going. Have fun, everyone.” I prayed Tom wouldn’t pull away and expose my lie.
Someone, never one to miss a good show,
called out, “Tom, leaving so soon? Have a few drinks with us first!”
To my surprise, Tom, all smiles and charm,
downed a few shots. He was a completely
