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After that, Zoe and I didn't speak for another week.
But I would occasionally hear from Stella that she seemed to be fighting with Jayce a lot.
Stella said Jayce was too selfish and had an extreme personality.
She didn't know what Zoe saw in him.
That was Stella's question.
But wasn't it mine too?
For five years, I had practically offered my heart to Zoe on a platter.
But in the end, she didn't appreciate any of my efforts.
She still couldn't forget Jayce.
Now, hearing about Zoe's troubles, I was certain I felt no melancholy at all.
I was so indifferent, even I couldn't understand it.
That day at dinner, Stella asked, "Cole, my company is having a dinner party tonight. Everyone agreed to bring a plus-one. I was wondering… would you be willing to come?"
Her company party meant Zoe would definitely be there.
And Stella was surely excited about me going.
For a while now, we had both considered each other as our significant other.
But then I thought, since everyone was bringing a plus-one, Zoe would definitely bring Jayce.
If she wasn't embarrassed, what did I have to be afraid of?
I agreed to Stella's request, and she smiled like a child from across the table.
To avoid embarrassing Stella, I got a haircut early and put on a suit before arriving on time.
Before I got to the hotel, Stella was already waiting for me outside.
When she saw me, her face bloomed into a smile, a goofy, happy one.
"Cole, you look so handsome today!"
"Dressing so sharp, other girls won't be able to take their eyes off you. I'll get jealous."
I gave her a playful look and followed her into the hotel.
Before entering the private room, worried she might be teased, I took her hand. The next moment, we were inside.
"Whoa! Stella, you've been holding out on us! Hiding such a handsome boyfriend all this time!"
The room erupted in cheers. Stella's face flushed, and she squeezed my hand tighter.
"This is my boyfriend, Cole."
I couldn't help but look over at Zoe. It was then that I realized it had been a month since I last saw her.
She didn't hide the surprise in her eyes at all, staring straight at me and Stella, her gaze finally landing on our clasped hands.
Strangely, Jayce wasn't with her.
We sat down opposite Zoe. Her stare was so obvious that I just avoided it, pretending not to see.
Someone asked Stella, "Stella, how did you and your boyfriend meet?"
Stella answered openly, "I have Zoe to thank for that. She set us up."
"Wow, Zoe, you know this handsome guy? Why didn't you keep him for yourself and introduced him to Stella instead?"
"Zoe has a boyfriend, remember? A couple of weeks ago, he was picking her up from work every day. That guy was handsome too."
Her colleagues chattered away. Someone asked Zoe why she didn't bring her boyfriend.
Zoe downed the wine in her glass and said sullenly, "We broke up."
"He was never home, always out playing with his mountain bike buddies. The one day he was home with me, he just played video games the whole time."
"What's the use of being handsome if he's heartless? Just gives me wrinkles. Better to break up sooner rather than later."
My movements paused slightly. She and Jayce had ended up like this?
Beside me, Stella reached for the shrimp on the plate. Seeing this, I quickly grabbed it before she could.
"I'll peel them for you."
I placed the peeled shrimp in Stella's bowl and smiled at her.
"Eat up."
Stella's eyes sparkled. She took a napkin and wiped my hands. "Thank you, Cole."
Then I served her soup and more food.
Our colleagues started teasing us, saying the party was just an excuse to watch us be lovey-dovey.
Across from us, Zoe was silent the whole time, just mechanically putting food in her mouth.
For some reason, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
The dinner was very pleasant. I met some of Stella's colleagues, who warmly congratulated us and even said they'd give Stella a big red envelope when she got married.
When the dinner ended, everyone went their separate ways.
Since I had been drinking, I didn't drive. Stella called a cab.
While waiting for the car, I saw Zoe again. She was standing alone, away from the crowd, her face pale, her lips pressed together in silence.
Stella called out, "Zoe, we're going the same way. Want to share a ride?"
I thought Zoe would refuse, but to my surprise, she walked over without a word.
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