YELLOW

EZEKIEL

The moment she entered the house, she bumped into Ava. Ava sneered, looking up at her.

“Where are your glasses, nerd?" she spat, glaring at her. “You're already desperate to ruin my dress and my day."

Lia scoffed. “I can't ruin an already destroyed dress, Ava. And if you think the dress makes you look like a princess,you might want to ask Julian thrice. He tends to tell the truth when you pressure him."

She walked past Ava, like she was just some pest seeking attention. She gave a cocky smile. I couldn't help but smile. The Lydia I knew would have stammered when Ava spat nonsense on her. But now, she wasn't scared to defend herself. She was feisty.

Ava groaned, her face laced with pure embarrassment and rage. She was intimidated by Lydia's presence and it was evident.

LYDIA

My heart sank low to my stomach the moment Julian slipped the ring into Ava's finger. Now, he was engaged to her, really. The way he picked her up and swirled her around lingered in my mind for a long time.

Julian had swirled me around once. That was in high school when he aced his maths exams. He was beyond happy, because his father wouldn't be disappointed in him. So, in the hallway, he picked me from my waist and swirled me around, smiling brightly. I had felt loved by him, just by that act. But, we weren't dating then.

I sat on the sofa, my hands crossed as I tried to compose myself and not look like my heart had left my body. My high school classmates were also there. They whispered among themselves, constantly mentioning my name and how gorgeous I looked now.

Funny how they were the same people who avoided me for being nerdy and ugly back in high school.

After a few minutes, Dave, my senior in high school, stood in front of the room, hitting a metal spoon against a glass cup to get everyone's attention.

“Attention, ladies and gents," he said aloud. “To celebrate Julian and Ava for a successful engagement, they're gonna play a game of guessing each other's favourite things."

The guests cheered, clapping their hands loudly. I glanced towards the left side of the room, searching for Julian and Ava. They were settled on a sofa, sipping a glass of wine, Julian's hand holding Ava's waist gently.

“Let Lydia join in the game. It should be a game between the three of them on who knows who best."

My eyes widened and I froze for a moment. It was unmistakably a lady's voice. My eyes darted around the room, searching for whoever had said it, but it was futile. There were twice a dozen people here, and it could literally be anyone that hated me.

I shook my head. "No. I'm not interested,” I said, when I saw every eye in the room on me.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

They echoed loudly, their voices overshadowing mine.

Then, I heard it. Julian's voice.

"Lyd can join in. I don't mind.”

I jerked my head back at him, my eyes narrowing. What was he up to? And why would he agree to something like this? Like the engagement wasn't hurtful enough, he wanted to embarrass me too.

He strode over to where I sat, Ava behind him. “Just this once, Lyd. Don't think much about it."

I stared at him, squeezed my hand, my finger nails pressing deep inside my palms. I didn't want to do it. It would still hurt me in the end.

“Please, Lyd."

And I instantly agreed. I couldn't say no to Julian. Not when he added please. And he was right, it was just a game— a game that would hurt me, but still a game.

We circled around the room, Julian, Ava and I sitting opposite one another. The rule was simple; the loser gulps down two glasses of alcoholic wine at once. Then, Dave began with the questions.

“What's Julian's favourite country to visit?"

I knew the answer, but I kept quiet. I waited for Ava to answer first since she was now his fiancée. Also, I didn't want to sound too desperate or obsessed.

“Dubai," Ava said, smiling.

“Canada," I said, my voice sharp.

“Lyd is right,” Julian said, glancing at me, smiling sheepishly.

My heart was leaping with joy, but I held it in, my face neutral. Julian loved Canada because of how autumn there was. He once visited there with his father, and since then, he was obsessed with that season.

I looked at Ava. Her face was pale with anger and embarrassment. She glared at me, her face solid. I didn't care. It wasn't my fault she didn't know him too well. She gulped down two large glasses of strong alcohol, wincing.

“Julian, what is Ava and Lydia's favourite colour?" Dave asked again.

Julian's smile faltered when he heard the question. He glanced at me, then at Ava.

I had told Julia many times back when we dated in high school, so I was certain he knew it.

“Ava's colour is purple," he said.

“Yes, boo," Ava grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheeks.

Then, he glanced at me. "And… Lydia's favourite colour is… blue.”

My face paled. Blue wasn't my favourite colour, it was Julian's.

"You're wrong,” a deep voice said. I turned behind me to see Ezekiel leaning on a wall, one hand tucked in his pocket. "It's yellow.”

I stared at him, snifling. At least someone got it right. But it wasn't who I expected it to be. Definitely not Ezekiel. I had wanted it to be Julian. If he had said it, I would be sure that he still remembered me. But, no.

"It's just a game, after all,” Julian defended.

Ezekiel sighed. "Stop the game. This isn't about Lydia. It's you and Ava that got engaged. Don't involve anyone else in it.

And just like that, everyone dispersed. They always obeyed Ezekiel's words without complaints.

####

I sat on the chair in the dining room, gulping down a glass of alcohol. I had lost count of how many I had drunk, but I knew it was a lot.

My sight blurred, and my throat felt raspy. I thought it would stop me from crying, but it didn't. The tears slid down my face, onto the table. No matter the number of times I continued to wipe my face, it still slid down my face. And now, I was high on alcohol.

“Lydia,” someone called behind me. I turned to see Julian approaching me, clutching a glass of wine. He staggered, then settled down on the chair beside me.

“I'm s–sorry, Lyd,” he apologised, stuttering. "I thought your favourite colour was blue. You… always wore blue when we were dating."

I shook my head. “That's because you love blue, Julian. I always wore it for you.”

He smiled. "I wasn't joking when I said you look gorgeous, Lyd. You really do. You've changed a lot."

My cheeks flushed as I looked at him. I couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or the way he complimented me now.

But I was sure that I still loved him, the same way I did years ago.

I leaned in close to his face, my eyes fixed on his lips. I knew what I was about to do was wrong, but I was going to do it anyway.