The Queen Of Hearts

Chapter Three

As soon as we're finally done with the one track we've been trying to get through for what felt like ages, we all decide to take our lunch break at our favorite restaurant nearby.
Half of our studio team is with the band, so we take up the entire long table next to the window front and as always in a large group, it already takes almost half an hour for us to get something to drink.
When my coke finally arrives, someone else arrives additionally. 

The second I see Juliet's face, I freeze and my stomach turns upside down.
I didn't call her.
And she has a look on her face that tells me that she noticed. 
When she reaches our table, I immediately stand up.
Before I can say something, she commands: "Outside. Now. We have to talk." When I hesitate, she adds: "Alone."

Swallowing hard, I get up from my seat and feel all the eyes on me as I follow Juliet outside.
I bet they're talking about us now, I catch myself thinking as soon as we're standing in front of the entrance.
"So," she starts and I prepare myself for the next storm, "Why didn't you call me?"
"I forgot to," I admit because lying is always a terrible idea.
"You forgot?" she repeats, raising both of her perfect eyebrows.
"So your own wife is not important enough for you to think about?"
"Of course not," I quickly assure her as quiet as possible because I don't want to make her outraged or raise the pedestrians' attention on us.
"I just... got caught up."
A really lame apology, but I don't have a better one to offer.
Not surprisingly, it doesn't satisfy her. "Did you want to get rid of me?" she snaps.
"Spend some time with those you prefer?" 
"I'm married to you," I remind her, "Not them. I didn't have any thoughts when I didn't call you for lunch. I just didn't think about it."
"Didn't think about it," she repeats, shaking her head condescendingly.
"I can't believe it."
She sounds both angry and arrogant. "I'm disappointed, you know," she informs me, "Because I thought we were better than this. But it's no wonder that we fight so often when you constantly screw things up like this, Andy."

You're the one who always gets enraged, but I don't dare to say anything like that.
She's right, and even if she isn't, I can't say it if I don't want her to scream at me or just stop talking for the rest of the day.
That's the worst thing, to be honest: When she pretends I'm just not there anymore.
I can't let that happen, so I let her win. Every single time.
And the way she looks at me with her bitter disappointment makes me feel horribly guilty anyway. 

"You're right," I concede sighing, exhaustion present in my voice.
To calm the headache that's starting to build in my head, I pull my pack of cigarettes from my pocket, but Juliet snags it before I can take a cigarette. "We're having lunch," she orders,
"So I don't want you to smoke now." That's not a request; it's a demand. I suppress another sigh and put the pack back. 
"You know, I'm still mad," she notes, "But I'm willing to stop discussing this because of the others. We'll clear this up tonight."
"Can't we just... Let it go?" I carefully ask with hope lacing my words, but we both know that's pointless.
She will either give me another speech, make me do things she considers necessary or expect me to make it up to her, so I might as well already start planning something romantic for her.
I hate that, but it's worth it because it always brings back the spark in her eyes and her beautiful smile I don't even nearly see often enough. 

When we get back, everyone at the table immediately shuts up which makes me feel uncomfortable to say the least, and as we sit down, all of the eyes drop down to the table or away from us to pretend we weren't the topic, but we obviously were.
Our relationship is dramatic enough to cause people to constantly talk crap.

Trying my hardest to appear normal and calm, I hide the slight trembling in my hands, take a sip from my drink after I've offered it to Juliet out of courtesy because I knew she wouldn't want something so sugary, and everyone slowly returns to their normal conversations.
I join a chat about what was happening in the studio today and even though she doesn't contribute anything, I know Juliet is listening to every single word, and not only because she, as always, sits next to me. It's somehow important to her to always know who and what I'm talking to and about.
I don't mind because I know it means she cares, but I can't help but notice it.

Ordering our meals takes way too long and is chaotic because the inexperienced waiter is overchallenged with so many different choices of food at the same time, but we all take it with patience and sympathy.
All of us except for Juliet.
I knew she would pick the low carb option without the mushrooms, but the waiter naturally didn't and when he messes up taking the order, she immediately gets aroused and starts a discussion with him.
I'm afraid to speak up because I don't want things to get worse between us, but I really hate to see her act out like this, so when CC, who's sitting next to her other side, decides to say something, I want to hug and kiss him for doing so.
After a few calming words of his, he even gets her to lower her voice, but she keeps muttering insults until the unskilled waiter vanishes into the kitchen.
The rest of our lunch passes by peacefully, but that's probably only because we're in public.