A Friend Indeed

The bar became silent, and the only things Heira could hear were her own thoughts. She snapped out of it when she noticed a shadow looming over her. A man dressed in funny attire came into view as she raised her head.

“Sorry I’m late,” he added, with an eager smile.

Bethy's eyes met Heira’s. They both stared at each other with confusion on their faces. “I think you’ve got the wrong person, cause I'm not familiar with this face”.

“No darling, I'm at the right place. It’s me, your date, we matched online remember? … and I told you I’d meet you here tonight.”

He paused mid-conversation, expecting a sense of confirmation from her.

“Wait! You’re Dan?” Bethy let out a shocking gasp.

“Certainly, Dan in different aspects though. Some know me as DanBytes cause tech is where the money is. DanBuzz, I be turning up and showing out. DanDoodle based on some part of my personality, I don't quite like being called that but I just play it off for the people you know.”

His words tumbled out with misplaced confidence while he flailed his arms in random directions as though he was trying to paint his sentences into the air.

He pulled out a chair to sit as he continued his comic speech. “But for you, I'll be DanLove because the love I have for you completes me,” he said as he made a failed attempt to wink at her.

“Haha… you’re a funny guy, and apparently you look completely different from your profile,” Bethy chuckled awkwardly as she couldn’t contain the embarrassment she was feeling.

“Yeah, but that shouldn’t be a problem. What we need from this relationship is the connection we already have.”

Heira, on the other hand, was enjoying the scene before her. She leaned back, observing Bethy suffer from within as she managed to keep it cool. The amusement on her face was the kind only a best friend was allowed to have.

“Actually, I have waited for so long, I have some business to take care of, so I'll be leaving now,” she beckoned to Heira, who looked like she was having much fun.

Dan tried to persuade her to stay, but she wouldn’t budge. The girls walked out on him as they made their way outside the restaurant.

Heira could not stop laughing at what she just witnessed. Every one of her laughs was intentionally made to torture her friend.

Bethy, on the other hand, wasn’t pleased with herself. It looked like she had just been played. This was the guy she thought was her perfect match.

Things kicked off smoothly between them, and she could have spent every penny vouching for it. She felt so disappointed, she deleted the dating app on the spot.

Heira noticed Bethy’s change of mood, so she tried to make her see the fun side of it by mentioning the grammar he spoke and how apologetically funny he looks until she finally made her crack.

She told her friend she isn’t ready to leave and would like to take a walk to clear her head as Bethy left to her house. She had no reason to leave early, Dante wouldn’t even care about her presence in the house, let alone be happy to see her.

The night air felt cooler than usual. Thanks to Bethy’s date, her heart felt lighter as she strolled down to her favorite cafe on the next block, hoping to grab some tea before heading home.

The bell above the door jingled as she stepped inside. Most of the tables were empty, with very few people found inside. She made her way to the counter and met a familiar person there.

“Sebastian?” she said, surprised.

He looked up, his face lighting with a smile. “Heira! So good to see you here.”

“I could say the same. Long day at work?”

“More like an escaping one,” he chuckled.

Just like old times, they both occasionally come to the cafe after work to grab tea while discussing office matters. A part of her had hoped she would meet him there so they could discuss some issues.

“Crazy how you got married on short notice without informing anyone. You could have at least told me, I wouldn’t be mad about it.”

Sebastian has had the longest crush on Heira. He had expressed his feelings to her, but was turned down because she was in a relationship with Ethan. He thought he would finally have a chance with her when Ethan ended things, but was sadly confronted with the news of her marriage.

“Trust me, it was unexpected for me also,” Heira mentioned, trying to clear the allegation.

“No worries, you don’t need to give an excuse. Anyone in your shoes would do the same. No one would consider me an office man over a man like Dante, who is a business mogul.”

Heira knew Sebastian was clearly hurt, even though he tried not to show it. “It’s really not about that. You are a kind man, Sebastian, and any lady would be lucky to have you.”

“Any lady but you, right?”

Heira shot him a don’t say that stare and was interrupted by him as she tried to speak.

“Speaking of work, what will you do about your situation?” he asked, changing the topic to avoid further discussion on it.

“I haven’t been able to wrap my head around it. I’ll be lying if I told you I know what to do,” she muttered, sipping on the tea.

“That’s a really mean move from your Dad. What did you do to make him this pissed at you?”

“I wish I knew,” Heira mumbled.

A brief silence was formed between them while she pondered over the situation, or if she had really done something wrong.

She finally broke the silence when she got an intuition. “Do you know who will replace me at my post?”

“I have no idea, you know the memo hasn’t been sent out officially,” Sebastian answered.

The busser came in to pack the empty cups in front of them as he was seen resetting tables and cleaning up the cafe.

“But I can find out.”

“Okay, please do that and get back to me.” She said.

Sebastian had always been a good friend to her as he always provided her assistance both in her personal and work life. Although it’s unclear whether he does that because of the feelings he has for her, but he has been supportive and his affections were known.

The hour had slipped past unnoticed, and they both stood up to leave as the cafe was about to close.

Sebastian offered to drop her off at her house when he noticed she didn’t come with a driver. Before she got married, he knew she had a personal driver who consistently brought her to work and took her around the city.

The ride home was fun as usual. Sebastian had always been easy to be around; he had his way of turning the most ordinary topics into something hilarious.

They laughed over silly office stories and teased about their coworkers’ quirks.

Every so often, his jokes made her laugh so hard she had to cover her face, and he only grinned wider, clearly enjoying her reactions.

By the time they pulled up to her street, Heira realized she hadn’t thought once about her worries. With Sebastian, it was impossible to stay heavy for long.

“Tell me you were seriously not planning to take a cab home. Why didn’t you call your driver to pick you up? I’m sure Mr Moretti must have gotten one for you.

“Taking Cabs every now and then might be risky; most of the cab drivers aren’t trustworthy,” he said with concern in his tone.

“Ha.. don’t mind me, I just didn’t want to bother him. It’s late already, and I figured I should just take a cab to lift the weight off him, and besides, the journey home isn’t far.”

Heira struggled as she managed to get the words out. The truth is, Dante hasn’t assigned a driver to her, so now she has to take cabs to support her transport.

Sebastian gave her a long, skeptical look, his expression flat like he didn’t believe a word she just said.

“Alright, looks like we are in front of your majestic villa,” he said as he moved his hands in the direction.

Heira smiled with heartfelt appreciation. “Thanks for the ride.”

“It’s always a pleasure,” he said, waving her goodbye.

She made her way inside the quiet villa, its tall windows glowing softly while garden lights traced the paths, making it stand out at night.

Inside, everything was in order and put in place. There were no staff in sight as they were done for the night and they had all gone to their respective lounge.

Her eyes caught something she walked past. Draped carelessly over the back of a chair was a silk scarf, delicate and clearly feminine.

The edges were hand-stitched with an elegance that spoke of a designer brand. One glance was enough for Heira to know it was expensive, far beyond anything the house staff would own or casually leave behind.

Suspicions raced through her mind. She climbed up into the hallways, pushed open her bedroom door to settle in after a long day.

As she set her bag on the chair, her gaze drifted across the hall. The soft light beneath Dante’s door told her he was still awake.

What a busy man! He must have brought some work home to continue, she thought.

She slipped out of her shoes, changed into a soft satin chemise, and sank onto the bed, ready to enjoy the silence of the night as sleep beckoned.

Just when her eyes were about to be shut, she started to hear light giggles flow through the stillness.

Her head snapped up as another followed; softer, feminine, paired with the low rumble of Dante’s voice. It was clearly coming from Dante's room, and it seemed like he had company.

Her chest tightened, unsure of what was happening or who it might be.

What access does another woman have to his bedroom?

She slipped out of bed, her bare feet hitting the floor as she padded toward Dante’s room. The corridor stretched endlessly, with her heartbeat rising with each step.

She hesitated a bit when her hand clutched the doorframe. Scared of what she thinks it might be.

The moment she nudged it open, the sight struck her like a blow. She was right, Dante was cheating on her.

His arm was carefully wrapped around a woman whose laugh she’d just heard. The same woman that was with him at the restaurant.

Heira froze, her breath catching in her throat, her chest heavy with the shocking truth.

The woman seemed to notice her presence, she rolled her eyes as she gestured to Dante.

Dante rose slowly from where he lay, his tall frame casting a shadow across the room, standing squarely before her.

For a second, she searched his face for even a flicker of guilt, but there was none except annoyance, as though she had interrupted whatever they had going on.

“What are you doing here? Don't you have manners?” he growled.

Heira’s chest burned, a silent ache spread through her veins, and a tear managed to slip out. The man she married is having an affair with another woman in their home and he's not being remorseful.

Her lips parted, desperate to ask why, but the words didn't come out, turning her speechless.

The next minute, she felt a tight grab on her arms, followed by a push and the door slammed in her face.

Dante had just shoved her out of his room.