Strings of Solace

Chapter 6

Falling asleep that night was more difficult than ever. In just one day, there was so much stimulation for my poor brain that it was still sifting through the events long past its usual bedtime.

It didn't help that I was supposed to see Stephen the following day, after all the embarrassing things I said, after we agreed to something as awkward as a fake marriage. The whole day felt more like a feverish dream than reality.

"What am I supposed to wear tomorrow?" A random thought popped into my mind. "It's a date, but it's not really a date. However, it should look like a date, so shouldn't I treat it as I would treat an actual date? Shouldn't I agonize about what to wear, hair, makeup, and so on?"

Seeing that there was no use in lying in the dark when sleep refused to grant me access to its realm, I turned on one of my sister's favorite senseless TV dramas, hoping to tire out my brain enough so that it would naturally shut down.

When I opened my eyes to a new day, I realized it worked as I didn't even notice when sleep snuck up on me, whisking me away to my favorite Wonderland of vivid dreams.

After getting ready for the day, I just sat staring at the clock. I had some chores to finish, but I couldn't seem to focus on anything but waiting for the time to come for me to get ready for my date. The worst thing about it was that it wasn't the positive type of nervousness one got when going on an actual date, but more of an I-am-so-embarrassed-I-want-to-die type.

When my phone started ringing sometime later, I answered automatically, without checking the number, used to my mother and sister being the only ones to call me. It completely slipped my mind that Stephen and I had exchanged numbers before parting ways the previous day.

"Hi, Mina," Stephen's voice said, somehow deeper than it was in person. "How are you doing?"

The casual greeting caught me off guard as he acted like this was our daily routine. As if this wasn't the first time he had called me, never having done so before, not even in high school when we were sort of friends.

My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold the phone. After all, I was talking to my future husband. And even though I didn't have any romantic feelings for Stephen, the mere knowledge that I was talking to the person I was about to spend the rest of my life with electrified my nerves — it was the strangest feeling ever.

"Ahem... hey. Yes, I am doing well," I said, agonizing over how unnatural I sounded. "You?"

I couldn't really follow the conversation as I was still grappling with my own issues, but it was still the polite thing to ask. I was happy that at least I had enough presence of mind to keep the conversation going somewhat naturally.

"Nothing much, getting ready for our date," he said without missing a beat.

How he could talk so casually about it, as if it weren't a big deal, like it was something completely normal, was strange to me. Listening to him speak made me think he believed we were going on an actual date. But, believing those lies was the best way to sell them to others, wasn't it?

"I'm just calling to remind you about our date," Stephen continued when I stayed quiet for too long. "And I was wondering if you wanted us to have lunch as well because I remember how you get when you are hungry, and we're meeting just at that weird time between breakfast and lunch."

I was stunned by his thoughtfulness, so it took me a while to answer. Yet, he didn't hurry me or make it difficult for me. He simply waited patiently, which was a pleasant change as I was usually rudely rushed when I found myself in similar situations in the past, unable to form concise sentences because of shock or excitement.