C A N VA S + Q U I L L
She closed her eyes and she was there, the doors giving
way to her. The lobby was cloaked in shadow. As she
strained to see through the darkness, a tap on her shoulder
snapped her out of her trance. “Fancy seeing you here,” a
familiar voice said.
She opened her eyes to see the man smiling down
at her. He sat in the chair across before she could say
anything.
“I'm Ivan, by the way,” he said.
“Okay.”
Ivan smiled. “You like being alone, huh?”
“Is that wrong?”
“It is in this country.”
“So I need your company, is that it?”
Ivan laughed. “I happen to like this place. I'm here all
the time.”
“Really. I've never seen you.”
“I didn't exist to you then.”
Despite herself, Angel felt relieved at the sight of him,
confirming she hadn't imagined their conversation from
days ago. She kept silent as he waved the waitress over.
He ordered a steak, bloody. Before leaving, the waitress
noticed Angel's untouched plate and asked if there was
anything wrong.
“Yes. These fajitas smells horrible," said Angel, meeting
her gaze. “Like something dying.”
Surprised, the waitress offered to replace it, but Angel
waved her away.
“You know you can't be rude to waiters, right?" Ivan
said, watching the waitress walk away. "She might do
something to my food.”
“I don't care.”
“They're capable of anything. They could spit in your
food, poison it...you get the point. If you think about it,
they're some of the most powerful people in the world.
You ever thought of that?”
Angel ignored him and looked out the window. “I hate
this place,” she said, almost to herself.
“Really?”
“Always have.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I'm not. My mind's over there.” She nodded towards
the condo tower.
“Why?”
“My fiancé. He's there, but he doesn't live there.”
“I see.”
Angel hesitated before going on, realizing this stranger
was the first person she would be telling this to. “He's been
seeing her for the past few months. They stay there for two
hours, sometimes three. Then they eat here sometimes. So
no, I don't care about waiters or, or what they do to my
food, or whether they're gods or whatever, not when my
fiancé is...” The words, freed from their restraints, rushed
out of her.
“Okay, okay,” Ivan said, raising his hands.
“We postponed our wedding for three years,” she
continued, wiping the tears forming in her eyes. “He's
always been busy, but I understood. His agency's taking
off now. I was supportive. So much for that.”
“That's tragic,” he said, smirking. “Again, why are you
here?”
She shook her head. “It's just...sometimes I ask myself if
all of this is real. Like some parts of my life are just...made
up, you know? Maybe I just dreamed the past five years
with him, and I'm just waking up now. Or I'm the one
living someone else's dream.”
“You know, I asked a simple question.”
“Why am I here?” Angel said, stroking her
engagement ring with her thumb. “We're getting married
this December. Finally.” She flashed an ironic smile.
“Still?”
Angel stared out the window again. The condo tower
looked lifeless, with its empty balconies and dark windows.
“That's the dream.”
“So you're just gonna live with this your whole life.”
“Everything's set.”
Ivan nodded, then leaned forward with elbows on
the table, as if coiled to strike. “Has anyone told you how
pathetic you are?”
“What?”
“Pathetic. You.”
“Am I?” Angel said through gritted teeth.
“Well, you're whimpering like a wounded animal.”
His mocking tone cut through her. She had grabbed
her purse and was about to leave when he said, “But I
understand. Misery is comfortable.”
“What does that mean?” she said.
Ivan tilted his head. “I mean it's easy to sit around in a
restaurant you hate, and pretend to eat while your fiancé,
who's right in the building across, is probably fucking
someone else.”
The waitress returned, setting the steak down before
Ivan. He licked his lips, reached into his jacket, and pulled
out a curved black blade, shaped like the claw of a giant
animal. “Look at you,” he said. “You might as well fade into
smoke right now. What are you even doing here?”
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