looked positively green, and seemed to be having a hard time swallowing. He looked around as if he was trying to figure out where the nearest exit was.
Even more thoroughly confused at this point, Cara had no idea what to say next. She glanced at her glass of champagne and fought the urge to grab it and throw it back in one gulp. Searching her mind for a way to extricate them from this situation, she remembered that Shane had been about to make a toast.
‘So,’ she said with an easy-going smile, ‘what were we about to toast to?’
Shane searched her face, and his eyes nervously moved back and forth in his head. ‘Right . . . a toast, yes, right,’ he stuttered, seemingly at a loss for words.
He stopped for a moment and cleared his throat again. ‘Right, you know that, um . . .’ Faltering, he looked down at his lap and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then he grabbed his champagne glass in one hand and offered it up. ‘Cheers to Ben and Kim and their soon-to-be new addition,’ he said resolutely, smiling a weak smile. Cara didn’t move to greet the gesture, so Shane leaned forward to clink her glass instead. Then he sat back in his chair and took a deep drink from the flute.
Cara sat across the table, feeling bewildered about what had just transpired.
Had he really bought a bottle of champagne worth nearly a hundred quid just to toast to family members who weren’t even present at this dinner? she thought to herself. Not to mention that he’d only just learned the news about Kim and Ben’s new baby. Cara felt a growing unease in the pit of her stomach and couldn’t seem to organise her thoughts. All she knew was that something very important had happened – literally in the last few moments – that had greatly changed the tone of the evening.
For some reason, the relaxed mood from before they’d seen the other couple’s proposal never returned, and Shane spent much of the meal in sullen silence. Cara was relieved when the bill was paid and they were finally able to leave.
Walking out on to the street, Shane seemed lost in another world and Cara hoped it wouldn’t take long for them to find a taxi and just get home.
He turned to Cara suddenly. ‘Actually, you go ahead. I need to go back to the office. I just realised I forgot something.’
Cara frowned at him. ‘But it’s after nine o’clock at night, Shane. Can’t it wait till morning?’
‘It really can’t,’ he insisted, signalling an oncoming taxi. ‘Look, why don’t you take this and go on home. I just need to go grab this . . . file and I’ll be back in no time.’
Cara nodded glumly. Something was definitely wrong and she didn’t know how to fix it; she just knew that for some reason Shane didn’t want to come home with her. He wanted to be away from her. She cursed the newly engaged couple who had given rise to all the fears that she had thought she had put away. She had vowed not to mention the idea of marriage again tonight and, somehow, the notion had still followed her in to the restaurant by way of a third party. And now her boyfriend was looking to avoid her.
‘All right,’ she agreed lamely. ‘If this file is so important, go ahead.’ ‘Hey,’ Shane said, pulling her close and raising her chin so she would meet his gaze. ‘I won’t be long I promise, just go home and get settled, and I’ll follow on shortly. Really, I promise I won’t be long.’ He kissed her, and there was something in it that made her anxiety ebb away a little.
‘Shane, are we OK?’ she couldn’t help but ask. ‘It’s just that scene in there and the couple with the engagement . . . and then your mood and . . . just the way everything felt . . .’ She blurted the words out, feeling all of the worries that had been piling up since last night suddenly cresting and overflowing around them.
‘Hey, hey – what did I say this morning?’
‘You said a lot of things . . .’
‘And all of them were true. Look, I just had
Even more thoroughly confused at this point, Cara had no idea what to say next. She glanced at her glass of champagne and fought the urge to grab it and throw it back in one gulp. Searching her mind for a way to extricate them from this situation, she remembered that Shane had been about to make a toast.
‘So,’ she said with an easy-going smile, ‘what were we about to toast to?’
Shane searched her face, and his eyes nervously moved back and forth in his head. ‘Right . . . a toast, yes, right,’ he stuttered, seemingly at a loss for words.
He stopped for a moment and cleared his throat again. ‘Right, you know that, um . . .’ Faltering, he looked down at his lap and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then he grabbed his champagne glass in one hand and offered it up. ‘Cheers to Ben and Kim and their soon-to-be new addition,’ he said resolutely, smiling a weak smile. Cara didn’t move to greet the gesture, so Shane leaned forward to clink her glass instead. Then he sat back in his chair and took a deep drink from the flute.
Cara sat across the table, feeling bewildered about what had just transpired.
Had he really bought a bottle of champagne worth nearly a hundred quid just to toast to family members who weren’t even present at this dinner? she thought to herself. Not to mention that he’d only just learned the news about Kim and Ben’s new baby. Cara felt a growing unease in the pit of her stomach and couldn’t seem to organise her thoughts. All she knew was that something very important had happened – literally in the last few moments – that had greatly changed the tone of the evening.
For some reason, the relaxed mood from before they’d seen the other couple’s proposal never returned, and Shane spent much of the meal in sullen silence. Cara was relieved when the bill was paid and they were finally able to leave.
Walking out on to the street, Shane seemed lost in another world and Cara hoped it wouldn’t take long for them to find a taxi and just get home.
He turned to Cara suddenly. ‘Actually, you go ahead. I need to go back to the office. I just realised I forgot something.’
Cara frowned at him. ‘But it’s after nine o’clock at night, Shane. Can’t it wait till morning?’
‘It really can’t,’ he insisted, signalling an oncoming taxi. ‘Look, why don’t you take this and go on home. I just need to go grab this . . . file and I’ll be back in no time.’
Cara nodded glumly. Something was definitely wrong and she didn’t know how to fix it; she just knew that for some reason Shane didn’t want to come home with her. He wanted to be away from her. She cursed the newly engaged couple who had given rise to all the fears that she had thought she had put away. She had vowed not to mention the idea of marriage again tonight and, somehow, the notion had still followed her in to the restaurant by way of a third party. And now her boyfriend was looking to avoid her.
‘All right,’ she agreed lamely. ‘If this file is so important, go ahead.’ ‘Hey,’ Shane said, pulling her close and raising her chin so she would meet his gaze. ‘I won’t be long I promise, just go home and get settled, and I’ll follow on shortly. Really, I promise I won’t be long.’ He kissed her, and there was something in it that made her anxiety ebb away a little.
‘Shane, are we OK?’ she couldn’t help but ask. ‘It’s just that scene in there and the couple with the engagement . . . and then your mood and . . . just the way everything felt . . .’ She blurted the words out, feeling all of the worries that had been piling up since last night suddenly cresting and overflowing around them.
‘Hey, hey – what did I say this morning?’
‘You said a lot of things . . .’
‘And all of them were true. Look, I just had
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