Chapter 4: Heartbreak

Jasmine*

From clear observation, the man was bitter about something.

Two of the guards walked toward Lilian but she disappeared into the crowd faster than I could imagine.

I was now alone in my mess, I hoped that Hart will come to my rescue.

"Alright, I'll have to keep you with me until we get your friend."

"Oh please," I began to beg. "I came here to meet Hart, my boyfriend. Please let me, I'll come back, I promise." I lied and he knew it.

He took one more deadly stare at me and tilted his head.

"You got a familiar look, have we met before in some place?” He asked letting his eyes settle elsewhere to avoid looking at me.

I shook my head in fear.

"What is your name?"

"Jasmine Bryan." I said raising my face a bit more since my neck was starting to ache.

"I heard her talking about your would-be husband, what did she mean?"

"Absolutely nothing, Lilian is just a crazy girl."

"Let her go."

With my head hanging, I curtsied. "I'm grateful, I'm sorry about your coat." He didn't respond, infact, he got busy with his cellphone.

As I raised my leg to walk, my oversized shoe dropped out of my feet. "Double fuck!" I cried and the men's mouths were left ajar as I walked out from their midst trembling.

I looked back to confirm if they still had their eyes on me but what I saw was even worse, they were laughing.

Were they laughing at me? Why were they making fun of me? After they had put me in a situation where I had to embarrass myself?

Well, I felt stupid, I should have simply sat my stubborn ass on the chair instead of devising a stupid plan that didn't work out.

I phoned Hart asking for directions to the place where he was seated. I got to meet him sitting with a blonde.

The way they conversed convinced me that they knew each other even before they stepped in here.

"Hello," I said to her, we shook hands while Hart embraced me.

"What will you like to have?" Hart turned in my direction, his cute eyes plunging into mine.

"Pizza, just a medium-sized pizza."

"How about Lilian?" Asked Hart searching around.

I lowered my gaze, "she wants to visit the lavatory, she will join us shortly." I lied without blinking, I just stared into his face blankly.

"What do you think she might want to have?"

"Lilian loves chocolates, two pans of chocolate cake will do."

"That's cool."

"Yeah."

I couldn't explain how worthless I felt when the blonde who sat with us on the table switched over to sit close to Hart, I mean she was literally leaning on him.

My boyfriend? On my day? But then, I learned patience.

She got all his attention. I couldn't make sense of what was going on but then, I remained calm and smiled all along.

Hart missed something, he should have introduced me to her so that she would know that I was the reason for this gathering and not her.

"Jasmine."

Lilian joined us and sat right beside me. "Who's this lady beside your boyfriend?" She whispered in my ear.

"I don't know her, Hart probably wants to play one of his pranks or something but I'm certain it's something funny and positive you know his ways."

"Oh." She chuckled. "Who were those men at the lounge and what did you do to them?”

I was about to narrate my rough encounter with the men when we heard footsteps rightly close to us.

"Alright ladies," The waiter arrived, she held out a loaded tray and dropped each item on the table one after another.

While we ate, I mumbled slowly listening to the sounds from the biting and tearing lest I ate up my ring.

Yes, my tongue was restless, I made it tour around the insides of the pizza but maybe Hart had another plan he never ceased to amaze me.

On my last birthday, he complained about being sick and asked that I go to his doctor.

On getting there, his doctor gave me a parcel little did I know that the parcel contained a set of underwear and a bouquet of rose flowers for my birthday gift.

"Jasmine," he began planting kisses on the back of my palm. "When were your favorite moments on earth?"

Being somewhat amused, I stopped eating. I stretched out my arm to fetch a towel to wipe my mouth.

Hart was my first boyfriend and he had a way of dealing with me which was what I so much admired about him coupled with his sense of maturity.

"In as much as I do not have long legs, I remember how good I was at sprinting." I began.

"At high school when there was a cross country hiking, I won four trophies for the school on different occasions. The head teacher was greatly impressed, she made me her best friend and throughout my academic session, Mrs. Stephanie catered to my every whim."

Hart smiled broadly. "Is that all?"

"No. Another of my favorite moment was meeting with you at the public library after I had graduated from high school. Hart, you make my world go round." I nodded and smiled.

He blushed sheepishly and gave a sensual grin. He tugged at his beard and I knew he was thinking of another question.

All of the while, I had my eyes around him, studying him closely. I didn't want him to take me by surprise.

"Which was your worst moment?"

"When mom passed." I hung my head quickly, Lilian slapped my lap and whispered in my ears.

"Don't slouch!"

I looked up with a fake grin shaking off the dull countenance I was just about putting up.

The blonde coughed, when it seemed like she was going to vomit, we vacated the table, and then she pour out nearly all the content of her belly, and a ring rolled on the floor.

"Oops that was a mistake, it was supposed to be on my plate and not hers," I said almost in tears as I frowned at the waiter who was sitting at a mini counter.

Suddenly I watched as Hart went on a knee beaming with smiles. I shut my eyes and stretched out my hand to him in anticipation.

"Will you marry, will you like to spend your entire days on earth with me henceforth?"

"Yes," I whispered. I waited for it but by the time I opened my eyes, I found Hart sliding the ring into the blonde's finger.

"Hart?" I questioned. "Are you drunk already?"

"No, I'm not."

"What is this a joke or madness?" I asked trying to hold back the body of salty water that already gathered in my eyes. The blonde stood to her feet and they shared a kiss.

I looked down immediately and then, tears dropped on my gown. Oops! Lilian's gown.

"I'm marrying her," He pointed at the blonde. "She has a well-paying job, you are both jobless and worthless Jasmine."

Lilian was shocked, she stood in a corner with a wide mouth and anger and I knew she might want to pounce on Hart.

"Wait, did you just hurt my sister? I thought you were going to propose to Jasmine. What's going on here? Are you going nuts?" Lilian held him by his trousers.

The blonde got closer to defend him but drifted many inches away as soon as her eyes came in contact with Lilian's burning stare.

"Propose? I'm not proposing to Jasmine, I only called her here so I could tell her about the need to put an end to our relationship because I got someone else pregnant."

"How dare you? Who can leave a pretty lady for this doormat? I'll break your empty skull."

Lilian reached out for the bottle on the table and pounced it twice on the tiled floor. Two waiters ran towards her but she scared the shit out of them.

"I'm resetting your worm-infested brains this moment!" She grabbed him by the collar, "Put your head on this table, else I'll shove this into your belly and through your back."