2: 2
2
Every date was three people.
Today was no different.
The two of them walked ahead, talking and laughing.
I trailed behind, carrying the bags, with no way to get a word in.
Hubert hesitated for only a second. Just when I thought he'd refuse, he spoke.
"Kath, you're allergic to those paints, so don't come in with us. Why don't you head home first?"
"Painting a plaster figurine takes hours. You'd be waiting outside way too long."
My heart sank hard.
My nose stung.
If he knew I was allergic to the paint, why not just choose not to go at all?
I gripped the movie tickets in my hand and reminded him.
"Hubert, today's supposed to be our date. I already bought the tickets, and the movie's about to start."
"You can watch a movie anytime. How much were the tickets? I'll send you the money, and I'm buying Hubert for the whole day."
Melody pouted, then pulled out her phone and transferred me a hundred right there.
She tugged at his arm and swung it back and forth.
"Hubert, come on, let's go."
He didn't know whether to laugh or sigh at her. He gave a soft click of his tongue, the corner of his mouth curving up.
"How much allowance do you even have left? Throwing a hundred at someone so freely. I'll send you some later."
He pulled the door open and let her go in first.
Before he went in, he waved at me, hurrying me along.
"Kath, head home for now, or sit outside and wait for us to come out. We'll try to be quick."
"I'll watch the movie with you another day. Today's about keeping Mel happy first."
I opened my mouth, but before the words could come out, he was already following her inside.
I stood there so long my legs went numb.
Across the street, only a pane of glass separated us.
Inside the shop, Melody held his hand, a plaster figurine in hers, turning to say something to him with a bright smile.
Hubert reached up and fondly wiped a smear of paint off her cheek, seeming to answer.
She immediately balled her fist and gave his shoulder a coy little punch, then nestled into his arms.
It was only a pane of glass, yet it might as well have been a canyon between us, the distance felt that far.
My heart felt soaked in ice water, the cold seeping all the way through.
Back home, I pushed the door open to a quiet apartment.
I opened my feed and scrolled straight into the set of nine photos Melody had posted that morning.
So I finally saw those nine hundred roses the way they'd looked in full bloom, as lovely as the app had promised.
The girl nestled in his arms, making a heart at the camera, the huge armful of roses at her side blazing like fire.
*Melody: Thank you to the app for the gift. If you love her, post your photos together and claim nine hundred ninety-nine red roses!*
A few more days passed, and the movie never happened.
Every time we wanted to go out.
Melody had to come along.
Hubert always put what she wanted first.
The buzz around the movie had faded, so I just stopped bringing it up.
Saturday was the day set to pick up the ring at the counter.
It was the birthday gift he'd ordered for me long ago.
The ring just took a long time to make, so it was a week late being finished.
But when I got there and gave my ID number, the counter told me the ring had already been picked up.
I froze, and asked without thinking.
"Who picked it up? But I've never been here..."
The rest of the sentence died in my throat.
If I hadn't picked it up, then Hubert had.
The clerk checked and said.
"Your boyfriend gave your ID number and came in with a girl to pick it up. It's been over five days now."
My heart clenched hard.
