It started with a lie

1

I finally reached the bus interchange. Actually the reason I was late because I was trying to find a suitable dress to wear. Knowing that Jonas would be here, I was super conscious of my appearance, even though he's engaged already. Maybe because I wanted to show that I was doing well? I don't know.. 

I found Esme easily. She was standing by the news stand looking super irritated. 

"I thought you chicken out and not coming!" That was the first thing she said to me. 

I rolled my eyes at her. "Why would I chicken out? Just because Jonas is coming?"

"How would I know?" she shrugged her shoulders. "You were saying how awkward it might be... and thinking about not going..."

I pouted. Yeah, I did said that.. 

"Come on, let's go!" she hurried us. "We are going to be late."

The party was starting at seven. Ben had booked a table or room or whatever at the club. Actually, it was his club, but I guess he still had to reserve the place for us because it was Saturday night and it would be expected to sell out. 

"People will be late," I pointed out. Every year, there was always late comers. Sometimes, somebody would come like half an hour before the party ends even. 

"Ya..." Esme snorted. "I'm hungry." Ah, that was the main reason. Talking of which, I was also feeling super hungry. I had an early lunch today at eleven because I was rushing through my work in the afternoon. There would be an event coming up the following week and I was in charge of it so I was amending the final proposal to present to the client on Monday. At times like that, I wished I was a nine to six worker like Esme. She works in a research lab for a pharmaceutical company while I work in an events planning company whose boss works around the clock non-stop. I have been seriously thinking of changing my job but to what I don't know yet.. that's why I'm still at this job..

The club was a fifteen minutes walk away from the bus interchange. Luckily I wasn't wearing heels like Esme who was grumbling all the way because it was cobbled road all the way down to the club. 

A line was forming up outside the club. Before ten o'clock, this place would still be like a restaurant and I had heard good reviews of the food though I had never tried it personally. We showed our invites and were allowed in easily. It was almost half past seven when we got in and we quickly went in search for our room. 

Ben had indeed booked us a big function room of some sort. When we walked in, I saw that not everybody had arrived yet, and of course, the first person I searched for was Jonas and I didn't see him. Our friends greeted us, and we took our seats at the side where there happened to be empty seats. 

After us, a few more people came in and the room was filling up and getting noisy as everybody chatted loudly, catching up with latest gossips and news. For example, Yoon-hee beside me, I hadn't seen her for two years because she wasn't here the last two years away on business trip. We talked about our work what we were doing and boyfriends which I didn't have but she has and she was hoping that he would propose soon. 

When Jonas arrived, I knew because George our mega speaker from school days till now, announced it. And everybody looked to the door at his entrance. Dressed in a suit, he seemed to be overdressed for the party but it made him looked extremely handsome. He seemed to have got even more handsome as now he's older. 

Then the shock came after. 

Behind him, he held the hand of a girl who he led in. I wasn't shocked by the fact he brought his fiancee. But I was shocked by who his fiancee was. And clearly from the reaction of the room, I wasn't the only one shocked.