Chapter 27 Third party
Knock-knock-knock
“Come in,” Dana said in response to the knock she heard on her room door. She saw Joana walk through the door and welcomed her in.
“Oh, hey Joana, how are you today?”
“I’m good,” Joana said. “What’s up? I haven’t been seeing so much of you lately.”
“Oh well yes, I’ve just been in my room, nothing much. Is there something you want to talk to me about?”
“Yes, I had an argument with Derick,” Joana said immediately.
“About what?” Dana asked her surprisingly.
“I’m a bit nervous to talk about what happened, we had a fight over something and I told him that we shouldn’t be around each other anymore. I feel bad for the things I said to him, and I feel weird going to meet him alone, but I came to you to see if you could maybe talk to him for me.”
“I don’t know,” Dana said. “Derick isn’t the type to get angry over things easily, I need to know what really happened so I can know how to approach this better.”
“I don’t know if I feel comfortable saying it out.”
“Don’t worry, let me read your mind instead.”
Even though she still thought it was strange and hated when Dana did that, it suddenly felt like a much better option.
“Oh my God!” Dana shrieked. “You kissed him!!!”
“Hey, I didn’t kiss him, he kissed me!” Joana yelled, “realizing that maybe telling Dana was a bad idea.”
“But you didn’t pull back immediately, you held onto the kiss for a while!”
“I was surprised, me holding on to the kiss could have meant anything!”
Dana didn’t believe her; you could tell by the smile she had on her face that she wasn’t buying Joana’s excuse for kissing him back. Joana sighed upon reading Dana’s mind, just kill me now, she thought.
Dana calmed her voice before continuing to speak to Joana.
“I want you to answer this question with all sincerity, I’ve already read it in your mind but I need to know if you are aware of it. Do you like Derick?”
“No, of course not,” Joana said, squeezing her brows. “I have a fiancé, Dana.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Dana said. “Don’t you think that with all that happened on your wedding day, you coming here and all, might have been fate? Haven’t you ever thought of it? Maybe Andrew might not really be the man for you?”
Joana calmed herself, she certainly didn’t want to begin another argument with Dana.
“Derick is not the man for me, and if I have any feelings, any at all, it would have been from what Marylin Lou felt for him in the past. Andrew is the only man I love and the only man I ever will love, I just want to settle things with Derick that’s why I came here to you, but instead of making things better, you’re only making things worse.”
“I’m sorry,” Dana said. “I just missed having the old couple here, but it turns out that you’re not the girl he used to know.”
“Thank you,” Joana said, Dana then continued with her sarcasm.
“But still, if you wanted to settle things with Derick, why not go and apologize to him yourself, why are you bringing me into it? Or are you scared of going to meet him alone?”
“Stop it, Dana, I’ve told you already. I don’t want him to misinterpret my apology and start kissing me again, that’s why I need you there.”
“Ok, I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise you that something like that won’t happen again, you know I won’t always be there to stop you both from wanting to smooch each other.”
“Let’s just settle the argument first, then we can decide how things will be from now on.”
***
“You wanted to see me?” Derick said as he entered into the study room and met Joana and Dana seated at the study table waiting for him. If it were before the kiss, he would have shrugged it off as one of their normal trainings but now why did he feel like he was about to enter into an interrogative session?
“Yes, I did,” Dana said. “Please sit down, Derick.”
Derick did as she said while continuing to stare at Dana and Joana, he noticed Joana trying to avoid his gaze. Dana then continued speaking.
“Joana told me that you both had an argument, don’t worry, we’re not here to judge you for what happened, she just wanted to apologize for the things she said to you.”
“If all she wanted to do was apologize then why didn’t she come to do it herself? Why did she have to bring you into the matter?”
“I think Joana can answer that herself,” Dana said, placing the focus on her as they both turned to look at her, waiting for her to respond.
She cringed, why did Dana have to do this to her? Did she expect her to say what she had told her back at her room?
There was a long moment of silence as Joana thought of the best answer she could give, she had to be careful and choose her words wisely, as anything she said or thought now would determine if Derick would ever want to speak to her again.
