I almost start crying at hearing that question. I can’t even take a sip of water, no way I can deal with dessert.
“None for me,” Alex responds. “Mona?”
It’s as if he is expecting me to say no, which is why I decide to go with the opposite.
“I would love to see the dessert menu,” I say.
Alex’s eyebrows go up in surprise while the waiter produces a menu on the spot. I take it and start looking over it. It all sounds delicious, but since I am so stuffed, the more I look over everything, the more I feel like the food is about to all come back up.
“I’ll have a slice ofDeath by Chocolate,” I finally say. “To go.”
Hopefully it’ll keep for a few days until I recover from the current food coma I am about to slip into.
The waiter picks up the plates off the table, and, not going to lie, all I feel is relief at not having to look at it anymore. I guess they’re right when they say that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
I can feel Alex staring at the side of my face, but I really don’t feel well, and I wonder if it would be impolite to ask to go to thebathroom. Hopefully, I’ll be able to relieve myself of all this food. I am having cramps now.
“Are you okay?” Alex asks when I press a hand to my stomach. When I look down, I see how bloated I look. What the hell did I do to myself?
“I’ve never been better,” I snap at him. “Thank you for showing up here and basically high jacking my date.”
He smirks. “How did I highjack your date if he never even showed up?”
That raises my hackles. “He is a very busy person. Him missing our dinner is not a common occurrence.”
“Oh, you know that for a fact?”
I swear it sounds like he is teasing me. I don’t like it.
“He is a gentleman,” I continue defending this man who I’ve never even met.
Alex watches me thoughtfully without giving me any clues as to what he’s thinking.
“How long have you been seeing him?”
I swallow and look away as I prepare to lie to him to his face. I bring my eyes back to his, and there is no hesitation in my tone when I reply.
“Long enough to know that what you’re trying to imply is not accurate.”
He snorts. “I am not implying anything. I was just being curious. Is he the reason why you blocked me?”
Anger takes over, and I see red. Just in time, I do remember that this is not the place where I should be going off on this man.
“No, Alex,” I smile sweetly, a bite to my tone. “I blocked you because you treated me like trash, and I finally had enough of it. I didn’t want to have to always be bracing myself for yet another rejection from you.”
He didn’t expect my candor, that much is clear. The surprise on his face is expected in a way. I don’t think he was ever awareof the damage he did to my self esteem while we were together, all because he was scared to commit while he couldn’t let me go. Whether he did it on purpose or not doesn’t even matter anymore. All I care about is the fact that I will never put myself through that again.
I jump when the waiter materializes next to the table. He only addresses Alex, which gives me the opportunity to take a deep breath in and focus once again on how miserable I am.
“Sir, the doggy bag is ready for you to grab on your way out.”
Alex nods gracefully. “Thank you, we will remember to pick it up.”
He stares at me while I have this sudden urge to burp. If I don’t do it, it may come out the other way, and I don’t think the patrons of this restaurant would appreciate it. It hits me so suddenly, I don’t know what to do. Panic takes over, and I stand up abruptly.
“I need to use the restroom.”
Without waiting for anyone to respond, I start marching away from the table. I have no idea where the bathroom is, and I don’t realize that until I find myself in the middle of the quiet restaurant. Since I am being me, I somehow manage to gather attention when I spin on my heels in a big circle, a hand now pressed to my chest in an effort to stop myself from belching out loud.
