Drunk

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

"Ariella?"

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw her in front of her. It was as if she saw a ghost that suddenly appeared in front of her.

A smile could be seen on her face, but its fake.

"Hello," she greeted, keeping the smile that is fake on her face.

"Wh-what-"

"Are you surprised?" she asked.

It seems like she couldn't believe what she was seeing now. It didn't even occur to her that she would see Ariella here.

"Relax, Cindy. Why are you reacting like that," she said before placing her bag on the table.

Her tongue seemed to be bending so she couldn't speak. Many words wanted to come out of her mouth but she couldn't. She doesn't know what to say.

It was obvious from Cindy's reaction and actions that she was very surprised by her.

Ariella seemed to laugh at her.

"Do you always eat here?" she asked.

She got confused at her question. She doesn't know who she's talking about.

She frowned. "Excuse me? Are you talking to me?" she asked.

Ariella looked beside her - right and left- then looked back at her, saying, "Hello. Who else?"

"Ariella, about yesterday-" she didn't finish what she was going to say when Ariella spoke up.

"Shh. I already know what you're going to say, so just shut up. You're the one who should listen because I'm going to tell you something, get it?"

"What is it?"

"Do you always eat here?" she asked again causing her to frown and got confused.

"What are you saying? What do you mean?"

She laughed weakly in annoyance. "Oh, come on, Cindy. Don't act like you don't know what I mean, Cindy."

"I'm sorry, Ariella, but I really don't know what you are saying," she insisted.

"I will ask you again. If you keep on denying, can you see this water?" She pointed the glass with water. Cindy looked down at it. "I will pour it to your face," she continued, giving her a straight look.

"Are you threatening me?" she asked.

"No. Are you threatened?"

Cindy did not speak, confusedly looked at her.

After a few seconds, Ariella smiled widely at her without taking her eyes off her.

"You know, Cindy… I got confused lately whether I should tell this to your fiancée or not."

"What are you saying?"

"Is it fun to have lunch with my husband? Is your boyfriend running out of time for you?"

She was about to speak but she stopped her, hand sign.

"What are you talking about? It would be so nice if you share it with me, because if you deny it even just once, I swear, I will not stop my hand to slap your face."

Upon saying those straight in front of her, Cindy was suddenly speechless for a while.

"Now, how many times did you and my husband—"

"None! Don't think too much. Nothing like that happens," she said making her stop.

"Don't think too much? Can you hear yourself? Huh? Who's wife will not overthink when her husband is meeting other girl, talking to his ex-girlfriend?"

"Ariella, we are not doing anything wrong," she insisted.

"Not doing anything wrong? What do you think about what you are doing? Is it right to an ex-girlfriend having lunch, late night talks with a married man?"

She was unable to speak to her questions. She looked directly at her, meeting Ariella's gaze as if it were coal that was about to ignite.

She didn't speak for a while. She couldn't catch what she was going to say, and where it was.

In an instant, Ariella suddenly softly patted her cheek to caress her. Shw seemed to be floating in the air.

Even though she was shocked, she didn't react much.

"Give me the answers that I need, Cindy," she said, trying her best to calm herself.

"Why don't you ask your husband?"

She stared at Cindy for a few seconds, reading what's in her mind.

"Tell me. You still love him, don't you?"

"I am engaged," she quickly said.

"Answer my question. Do you still love him? Because if yes, take him back from me since I can see that he still loves you."

Cindy did not answer but stood up to leave but Ariella stopped her.

"You are not leaving unless you answer my question," she said.

She looked at her. "Do you love him?" she asked instead of answering her questions.

She raised her eyebrows at her unexpected question. In addition, she doesn't know what to answer to her question. Even to herself, she had a hard time answering that question.

"Because if you love him,....then keep him," she added.

She became speechless while looking at him.

She couldn't stop Cindy from leaving, and she was left stunned for reasons unknown to her.

It's as if instead of feeling relieved, she feels more burdened.

What Cindy said earlier came back to her mind again and again. She tries to answer that question but she is not ready to admit to herself that she does love Anton.

What's wrong if she already loves Anton? They are married. She must love Anton because Anton loves her the same way.

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't realize she was back home. Her soul seemed to separate from her body.

'Do you love him?'

She ignored it when she remembered that question again. She seems delirious. She did not know where her feet would take her.

She was holding a bottle of wine. It's like she's not herself.

'Do you love him?'

She closed her eyes and thought deeply.

"Why not?" she said before she opened her eyes again. "He's my husband," she added before drinking the wine little by little.

'Because if you love him, then keep him.'

She didn't realize that she was slowly getting drunk as Cindy's words came back to her again and again. She didn't even notice Anton's calls.

'...if you live him, then keep him.'

"Fuck you! Is he a stuff for me to hide?" she asked herself while holding the bottle of wine. It was about to run out and she was already drunk. Her eyes were staggering.

"W-why w-would I k-keep him? Huh! Tell me!"

She seems to be going crazy. Being so drunk, she was shouting, asking questions, talking even though there was no one she was talking to.

"Do I love him? Huh! Ariella! Do you l-love him?"

She walked even if he staggered as she held the bottle that still had a little wine in it.

She was so drunk that she fell on the floor. She was sprawled on the floor, still holding the bottle of wine. Squinting her eyes, she tried to look at the ceiling.

'Do you love him?'

She remembered that question again as she pondered.

"Maybe," she answered before finally falling asleep from being so drunk.

She didn't notice Anton's arrival just a few hours later.

He found Ariella lying on the floor. Next to her was the bottle of wine. To compare her, she is like a frog in her place.

She immediately came and picked up Ariella, then laid her down on the sofa.

"What got into this woman's mind to get drunk? She drank alone?" he asked in surprise as he put away her things.

When he was done, he went back to Ariella to wake her up but noticed that she was fast asleep.

He just sat on the floor and watched her. After a while, Ariella opened her eyes slightly.

There was a trace of excessive sleepiness and the desire to close her eyes again, but her eyes tried to look at Anton.

"Do you love her?" she asked weakly before falling asleep again.

He heard it clearly but he didn't know what Ariella meant.