A few moments later...
The café door creaked open, and Dean stepped in.
He squinted around the room, his eyes scanning each table—until they landed on Sejal and Ken sitting together.
For a split second, his face froze in disbelief.
It was the last thing he had expected.
Dean slowly walked over to their table, still stunned.
> "You're here?" he asked, his voice carrying a mix of shock and a trace of longing.
Ken smiled politely and replied,
> "Yeah, Sejal and I came here with the help of her brother, Herry.
But what about you two? What are you and Suzy doing here?"
Before Dean could say anything, Suzy stepped in smoothly, her voice light and composed—
> "Oh, we just got married recently. Dean got a job transfer here, so we moved in together."
Sejal froze for a second.
She stared at Dean—her eyes searching his face, trembling quietly beneath the calm.
Dean looked away. His jaw clenched as he glanced briefly at Suzy, the lie burning like acid in his chest.
Breaking the silence, Sejal whispered,
> "You guys order coffee... I'll just be back from the washroom."
She got up and walked away.
Seconds later, Dean stood too.
> "I just got back from work. I should go freshen up."
But instead, he followed Sejal quietly—straight toward the corridor near the washroom.
---
As soon as they were out of sight, Dean caught up with her and grabbed her hand tightly.
Before Sejal could even react, he pulled her close and kissed her—again and again—on her cheek, her lips, her skin.
Startled, Sejal pushed him away with force.
> "Aren't you married to Suzy? Then why are you doing this, Dean?!"
Dean's voice was dark, quiet, intense—
> "I don't care who I married. I'm not letting go of you."
Tears welled up in Sejal's eyes as she whispered,
> "Dean... I'm only engaged to Ken. We haven't married yet.
But you—you already married Suzy."
Dean grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently.
> "You wanted to be free from me, didn't you? That's why I married Suzy. I did it all for you—so you could move on!"
Sejal's voice trembled as she looked at him, her heart torn open,
> "All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, Dean...
But I don't think even you know what makes you happy anymore."
Dean leaned closer, eyes glassy and broken,
> "I can't be happy without you, Sejal... never."
Just then, Sejal's phone rang. It was a call from Ken.
Startled, she pulled herself free from Dean's grip and hurried into the washroom.
She stared at her own reflection in the mirror, trying to calm the storm in her chest.
Moments later, she walked out—composed, emotionless.
She returned to the table and sat beside Ken.
Dean came and sat on the opposite side, across from her.
Suzy shot Dean a sharp glance, filled with unspoken questions and barely hidden anger.
Trying to defuse the tension, Dean suddenly leaned in and kissed Suzy on the forehead—
A staged display, to convince everyone, maybe even himself, that everything was fine.
But the silence that followed was thick with tension.
All four of them sat through the rest of the evening trapped in a strange, suffocating drama—
where the only conversations that happened... were through their eyes.
---
To be continued...