Chapter 57

Mia had sunken down hap-hazardly onto the comfy bed in her room. She was grateful for finally being alone, seeing Harvey had shook her. She was impressed by her ability to use motor skills until she was in her own company. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily. It wasn’t especially shocking to find Harvey at this wedding party. It was shocking that she hadn’t anticipated his presence...at all. How could she have forgotten that he often ran in similar circles to Gabriel? A mere oversight or sheer stupidity?

Her biggest concern for the weekend was steading her broken heart. She’d only recently taped the pieces together and now splinters were falling away; from one non-encounter. How was she supposed to face him for an entire weekend?

…no, wrong question.
How was she supposed to ignore him for an entire weekend when her eyes were likely to find him and trace his every movement? She was certain she’d return home worse than she was feeling right now. Some people never saw their exes once ending a relationship and she was seeing Harvey almost as much as when they were having their affair.

He’d already moved on and treated her indifferently. Could her heart take such treatment from him while she was forced to watch him deal with another person with tender affection?
She feared she could not stomach the idea.

“Ugh!” Mia outstretched her arm and fumbled around. She eventually grabbed hold of a pillow and pressed it over her face, screaming as she kicked up her legs. She just wanted to go back home to her daughter and forgot she’d ever laid eyes on him, especially with someone else.
Mia sighed, removing the pillow off her face and checking the time. She hadn’t much time to get dressed for tonight’s rehearsal dinner. Could she feign illness and stay locked up in this room for the weekend? She considered the option seriously, maybe something highly contagious? She groaned, she despised the modern world sometimes, if this was regency times she could cry a simple headache and be excused.
She pushed herself up and made her way to the shower. She just had to get through a few hours. She’d lived through much worse; failed marriage, humiliation and subjugation. She had to stop underestimating herself. All she had to do was stand in the same room as a man she had sex with?
Hell, she’d been living with the one who’d taken her virginity in the backseat of a car and cheated on her. This situation was nothing.

***

Raya’s entire body convulsed as if she was having a mini-seizure; one that grabbed and realised her in the same breath. Harvey raised a quizzical brow at her from his seat at the corner of her room. The spectacle so obnoxious that he’s noticed it from the corner of his eyes. He’d had time to respond to emails, shower and get dressed for tonight’s rehearsal dinner. Raya on the other hand was yet to comb her hair or do her makeup. She had given him a sheepish smile when he’d knocked on her door ten minutes ago. This was a woman who loved expressing herself with bold make-up and clothes, so Harvey knew he had a long wait. Without fuss, he accepted her offer to wait inside for her to finish.

“What’s with you?” he drawled lazily, returning his gaze back to the mindless magazine in his hands. “You look as if you’re glitching.” He turned the page aimlessly. He’d never been this bored in his life.

“I’d just thought of something.” Raya was standing, gazing at her reflection in the mirror as she applied her make-up. Since she was attending another female’s wedding, she had to tone it down out of respect, but she still needed her look to represent her bold self. Anything less made her uncomfortable, as if she was an imposter in her own skin.

“Alright, then.” Harvey responded uninterestedly. All he saw his duty as was checking to ensure she wasn’t suffering from some illness. Raya stared at his reflection and narrowed her eyes. Of all her friends, this particular one never pried, which could be a blessing, except for when she wanted questions so she could give follow up answers. Sometimes it was awkward just to rattle off your thoughts to your friends if they didn’t seem curious. It gave off the impression that they couldn’t be bothered.
Raya dropped her foundation brush down, it clattered on the vanity, and she was measuring his reaction in the mirror. Harvey blinked once and upon his eye opening he was glancing at her through hooded eyes. “Something on your mind?” He could feel the beginnings of a headache.

“Yes, but you obviously don’t care to know what.” Raya blinked back at him stubbornly. Harvey sighed, pressed the magazine shut, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves one at a time and sucking his teeth. “Don’t you get curious?” she questioned before he had an opportunity to respond.
Harvey shrugged and averted his gaze to the left, considering her question. “I’d always thought that if someone wants me to know something they’d tell me.” He answered truthfully. He was never one to pry into his friends lives unless there was cause for concern, if they wanted him to know something then he’d be told. Isn’t that how it works? Questioning a person constantly can potentially make them uncomfortable if they aren’t ready to speak on it.

“That can be mistaken as a lack of interest.” She advised him. Too much of a good thing was potentially bad. There must always be balance, something Harvey struggled with. He either came off as caring too much or too little and it was almost always the latter. He rarely expressed his feelings or asked about those of his friends.

“I can take a criticism,” he gave a single nod, no matter the placement a female held in his life he realised they always had expectations. If only Mia had placed some on him. He would have been more than ready to fulfil hers. “What came into your mind that was so vile to cause you to act like a malfunctioning robot?” He crossed his left leg, resting his ankle on his right leg’s knee and granted her his fullest attention.
Raya narrowed her eyes, spinning around to gaze at the real life Harvey. “Do you mean it or are you just asking to make me happy?”
How was it possible for a woman to appear angry and pouty at the same time? “I don’t think that’s how the male brain works, not for me at least,” he clarified, realising he really couldn’t speak for all men, some really would just do something for doing it sake, but if he honestly didn’t care, he wouldn’t have followed up with the question. “Some of us like to be told where we go wrong and given the chance to correct it, how else would I know what you expect from our friendship?” he probed rationally. Raya hated that he was making some sense.

“I don’t care about the male brain much,” she began, opening her colour palette, “Don’t have much males around me anyway, gay remember?” she teased him, “but women also tend to feign interest too, didn’t know if that was something I had to endure in our friendship.” She replied. Harvey had been one of the few persons who truly knew her, her secrets and struggles.

“I am always interested in whatever you have to say, just because I never openly ask doesn’t mean otherwise, but I can appreciate how that can give you a bad impression.” He expressed articulately. Raya regarded him, only Harvey can deal with an emotional situation impassively. She smiled, it was a curious combination in a man; aloof but understanding.

“So, I’ll ask again, what came into your mind?” he requested patiently, a trait he didn’t have much off to begin with.

“What if Mia suspects us to be couple?” She shuddered by the mere enunciation of the words. The colour in her face had drained at thought of anyone suspecting her and Harvey to be a couple.

“Why would a stranger care to form such a ridiculous notion?” He probed expressionlessly. Moreover why did it matter?

“A stranger?” She huffed, clearly offended “I am not stupid; do not treat me that way.” She eyed him intently.

“Fair enough, but the questions remains, why the hell would anyone think that?” There was no chemistry between him and Raya. How the hell could there be?

“Are you dunce?” “We may not see each other’s gender because we literally play for the same team, but what is the assumption of a man and woman attending a wedding together?” she questioned openly, waiting for him to come to the same conclusion as her. He’d been silent, pondering upon her question but she could tell he was still the sceptic.

“Even your mother made that assumption and she knows you.” Raya added in persuasively.
Harvey shook his head, “Either way, I don’t see how that assumption should affect her.”
Raya pursed her lips at him. “Why did it even matter what she mistakenly concludes?” he threw his hands up in the air and waited. Either way, Mia had made her decision; he had no obligation to clear up any misunderstandings.

“Because, I like her, don’t want to give her the wrong impression.” Raya was applying colour to her lids now. “As I see it, this could go both ways, either you walk away with her or I do. For any of those options to happen she must know there is nothing between us.” Raya teased. She knew she was playing a weird game with him but either way he didn’t seem affected. She assumed only another male attention would cause his jealously to stir.

“You are an incorrigible psychopath.” Harvey dismissed her nonsense.