Amira walked up, pretending to be the most gracious host. “Um, Raya, I’ll get a chair for you,” she said, her voice dripping with false concern. She grabbed a chair and breezed past me, placing it far from Skyler. “It’s better here,” she announced.
“You can sit there, Raya,” Skyler said, his eyes barely meeting mine as he flashed that cool smile—the one meant for Tia. The indifference in his voice pierced through me. I stood there, frozen, while everything inside screamed to run.
I decided to sway past that and not act affected in any way. Keeping my chin up, I walked to the far end of the table and sat down. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble.
Amira was all over Skyler, laughing at every word he said, touching his arm, leaning in too closely. To him, it was like I wasn’t even there. He seemed so at ease with her, so free like he never once raised his voice at me. He looked happy and carefree.
“You and Tia looked so good together, I must say,” one of his friends remarked, shooting me a dismissive side glance.
“Exactly. They make a good pair,” another chimed in.
“Hey, Raya,” Amira suddenly called out, her voice laced with hidden mockery, “do you think so?”
Without hesitation, I replied, “If they looked any better together, you’d think they were rehearsing for a show.”
Her eyes widened, clearly taken aback by my response, and for a moment, I savored the shocked silence around the table.
We ate in an uncomfortable quiet, and I watched as Tia made Skyler sip from his glass. In return, he playfully stained her lips with oil, gently rubbing it off with his thumb. Their soft laughter filled the air, as he fed her like her hands were incapable of doing it herself.
“It looks like you both can’t get enough of the time you spent in the Maldives,” Amira mused.
Skyler smiled. “It’s a pleasure to have her back.”
I fixed my gaze on their clasped hands, the knot in my stomach tightening.
Tia acted like I was nothing to Skyler. The entire time, she clung to him as if I didn’t exist, her fingers resting on his arm, her laughter ringing in his ears. I was clearly the unwelcome one at this table. I couldn’t take it anymore. I dropped my fork, the clatter drawing their eyes to me.
Tia, ever so composed, feigned concern. “Oh, I forget to thank you, Raya. My bad.”
“Thank me for what?” I asked, my voice tight with barely concealed irritation.