Chapter 7 - The Plan

RACHEL

I’d been standing in front of this restaurant for so long that I couldn’t even remember when I got there, unable to take a step forward or backward. This was the place I was supposed to meet Sebastian, and I just couldn’t gather the courage to go inside.

A multitude of thoughts sprouted in my head. Was I really ready for this? What if Jeremy took me seriously and assumed I was really enjoying the whole open-marriage thing?

I hesitated. Meeting that man would either ruin my marriage or repair it. I recognized a risky game when I saw one, and the step I was about to take was definitely one.

Inhaling deeply, I clutched my bag tightly and stepped into the restaurant. The game was risky, but I could endure anything for the sake of my marriage.

The interior design of the restaurant almost swept me off my feet. It wasn’t built like the normal modern restaurants we were all used to. It was designed like restaurants from the ‘80s but in a more modernized way — dim neon lights, vinyl booths, cowboy hats, and a jukebox. The tantalizing smell of food didn’t escape my nostrils either.

When I got inside, a waiter walked over and bowed. “Good day, ma’am. Do you have a reservation?” she asked, a welcoming smile tugging at her lips.

I couldn’t help returning the smile. “Yes. I booked table thirty-two,” I responded.

“Please, follow me, ma’am.” She gestured and took the lead.

When we got to the table at the far corner of the restaurant, she stopped. “This is your table, ma’am,” she announced.

I mouthed a quiet “Thank you” to her as my gaze shifted to the table. Somebody was already there, his back facing me. And that could only be Sebastian. I didn’t think he would arrive earlier than me.

He also turned when he heard my voice, and when our eyes met, he smiled.

For a second, I was dazed. He had a beautiful, contagious smile. Why didn’t I notice that before now? Oh… Could it be because I was drunk or too exasperated that night? As I stared into his eyes, the tension within me eased. Instinctively, I smiled back at him.

“You’re not going to keep standing there, right?” His voice wafted into my ears, breaking my train of thought.

I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at his face and smile for seconds.

“I…” I rushed to the other side, but before I could pull the chair out, he was already beside me. Our hands brushed, sending a cold, electrifying sensation through me. I instantly drew my hand back, my eyes widening as my throat bobbed.

“You may sit, milady,” he mumbled, gesturing to the chair he had just pulled out for me.

At that moment, my ears turned red and my throat dried up. Something strange sizzled within me, and it only unsettled me further. Fuck. Could it be because Jeremy had never treated me like this before, so the bare minimum excited me this much?

I grinned, nodding as I settled into the chair. He returned to his seat afterward. Just then, a waitress came to take our orders.

“I want whatever she wants,” he simply said.

“You don’t even know what I want. What if you’re allergic to it?” I said, suppressing the urge to smile.

“Well, that means I have to pay the price to enjoy what you enjoyed,” he responded, causing me to chuckle. He was really impossible to win against.

“Okay,” I simply said with a nod.

Then I picked three meals and a drink from the menu — a starter, a main dish, and dessert. The waitress collected the menu from me and left.

Minutes later, she returned with our orders, arranged them on the table, and left afterward. Sebastian and I ate silently. My heart hammered violently against my chest with every bite I took. The thought of sitting and eating with another man made me feel guilty and excited at the same time. I’d never done this before. At first, it felt like I’d committed something abominable, but slowly, a part of me began to think it was the right thing.

And Sebastian? He wasn’t making things easy for me. The way he kept stealing glances at me with every bite almost made me choke, but I didn’t dare raise my head. I was scared… scared I could get used to those eyes. That would be the greatest disaster if it ever happened.

Soon, we finished eating, and it was time for me to lay out my proposal. That was when my feet suddenly grew cold. I tried opening my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out, as if my lips had been glued shut. Why was this so hard after I’d practiced my lines countless times in the car?

“I’ll conclude you’re in love with me if you keep staring at me that way.”

His voice jolted me out of my reverie. I didn’t even realize my gaze had been fixed on him while I drowned in my thoughts.

“What…? Love? That means the world has come to an end.” I waved my hand, rolling my eyes jokingly.

“So, tell me.” He perked up in his seat. “Did you suddenly miss this dumb man?” He emphasized the word. “Is that why you called to see me?” he teased.

I sighed. “Don’t forget I’m a married woman,” I corrected, raising my hand to show him my wedding band.

He nodded and hummed. “Yeah. I know you’re a married woman, but maybe you’ve decided to leave that asshole.”

“That’s not even on the table,” I countered. “I love my husband.”

He chuckled mockingly. “He doesn’t feel the same way about you, though.” He paused as though studying my expression. “A man who truly cares about you wouldn’t want to be with another woman, much less propose an open marriage.”

The statement hit me bitterly and harshly, but did Jeremy really not care about me? Nah. I doubted that. He was probably doing all this because he was confused.

“Okay, Sebastian. I didn’t call you here to listen to you lecture me about my man.”

He darted a flirtatious gaze at me with a smile on his face, resting his elbow on the chair and licking his lower lip. A sensation coursed through my veins as my eyes met his. There was something about him that drew me in and tempted me so badly. And I hated it.

“So, tell me. Why did you call me out here?”

“I have a proposal, and I think you’re the right person for it,” I started.

“Okay…?”

“I want to try the open-marriage shit with him.” I paused for a second to see his reaction, but he remained indifferent, as though he had already known this would be my last resort. Instead, he slightly shifted in his seat and tucked his hands into his pockets. “So, I want you to be my boyfriend.”

Something shifted in his eyes at the mention of boyfriend, but I couldn’t name it. Excitement? Shock? Disappointment?

“Oh!” he interrupted. “So you’re trying to make him jealous and scared of losing you?”

My fingers snapped. “Right on the spot.”

He let out a few bubbles of low laughter, lowering his head and placing one hand on the table. “You know this is a foolish game, right? And I don’t think you’re smart enough to play such a game.”

My brows creased. “Are you calling me a fool?”

“Literally.” He shrugged. “Only a fool would think there’s redemption for a man like your husband.”

“Well, that’s not the point,” I said. “Whether it’s a risky game or not, I don’t care. I just want my marriage back. I want my man back.”

“And what if he never comes back after all the pretense? What if this gives him the leverage to be wilder?” he asked. “Or what if you fall in love with me in the process of trying to make him jealous?”

I felt attacked. Wasn’t he supposed to be my teammate?

My head went blank immediately. I tried to think of a logical response, but nothing made sense. He was right. What if Jeremy never changed? But this wasn’t the time to be pessimistic.

“And what if none of those things happen? What if this actually helps me get my marriage back? Don’t always be like this, Sebastian. Be positive for once.”

He snickered, his eyes roaming over me. “You act like you know me so well. Like I’ve always been negative.”

“Well, you’ve never been positive since I met you. You were the same way at the club.”

He stared at me for a few seconds without responding. Then he nodded. “Okay. Let’s do what you want.”

My eyes lit up. “Really?” I leaned forward. “Are you serious? You’ll be my fake boyfriend?”

“There’s no harm in trying, milady. Who knows? I might end up becoming a real boyfriend before all this ends,” he muttered without smiling, his eyes probing mine.

I laughed, convincing myself he was joking about becoming the real boyfriend. But he didn’t laugh. There was no way he could be serious about that.

“But…” he chipped in before I could say anything else. “You have to follow me somewhere today.”

Part of my brow arched as a different thought sprouted in my head. “And where—”

“You can’t ask questions either. That’s the only request I have.”

Turning my doubtful expression into a smile, I nodded. “No problem.”

Although I’d just met Sebastian and knew absolutely nothing about him except his name, a part of me trusted him so much, and even I didn’t know how it happened.

We were about to stand when my eyes caught my husband, Jeremy, and Clara walking toward the restaurant.

I froze on the spot, my eyes widening.

This cannot be happening.