The Price Of Sincerity
Meet again
Jane left the party room after finishing greeting people she knew, passing through the door that instantly allowed her to see the night sky, she sat in one of the empty chairs near the pool filled with floating red roses. Shara leaves and leaves her bag with Jane. The long table in front of her was enough for several seats, Jane sitting at the very end. And a few seats away from him were filled by others. A stranger.
It had been twenty minutes, the wine in his glass was up and he was still alone. She grabs a similar glass on the table, and returns to enjoying the same drink while waiting for Shara to return to her. The woman seemed still busy greeting and chatting to and fro, it had become a habit that could not be separated from her. Jane glanced around her, occasionally her eyes fixed on the stage in the room. The stage that became the throne of the host who was engaged. It says Devan & Katty.
Seeing the guests taking turns to take pictures with them, Jane smiled broadly at him and this time he immediately drank out a glass of beer in his hand. And by chance a servant passed in front of him with a few glasses still contained in the tray he was carrying. Jane quickly stopped him and took another glass of wine.
Jane doesn't know how much longer she'll wait. A half-hour? An hour? He really wanted to get out of there, nobody wanted to talk to him. No one seems to want to talk to him either. Jane picked up the phone in her bag, and she saw the clock as soon as the screen turned on. It was almost eleven o'clock in the evening, he let out a short breath, put his phone on the table and went back to drinking little by little. As long as something entered his mouth he could wait. Even though it was just water, it was more precisely alcohol.
But—dia's bored. Jane rubbed her chin on the table and made her hand as a base while playing the remaining wine that was still in the glass. But only a moment later, he was already startled by the voice of a man. The voice he had heard—somewhere.
“What is this seat empty, miss?”
“Yes,” replies Jane quickly once she re-establishes her head looking at a man who is already sitting in front of her. He looked at the handsome man who had come suddenly to him, he was sure he had seen him. As the man smiled, revealing his dimples made Jane add to his confidence. But he did not remember where and who the blue-eyed man was.
“What we have met before?” Jane burdensome voice when asking for fear of misrecognizing people and making the atmosphere uncomfortable. Especially if he thinks he is flirting with the man behind the neat blue suit, the man behind the clothes and accessories that look expensive. Max Miller's.
“Oh you, you're that woman on that beach right?”
“You're the guy? Turns out your eyes are blue.” Jane's speech was followed by a small laugh on her lips. Turns out he's more handsome with his real eyes, Jane's inner.
“You realize it, yes,” Aware if the disguise fails, Max smiles along and back a hole in his cheek appears. He reached out his hand, “Max Miller, it seems that back then we had not gotten well acquainted.”
“Jane Morgan,” no more doubts on her, Jane shook Max's hand. The cold hand.
The atmosphere seemed awkward because Max was just silent and Jane was silent. A guest greeted Max. An old man who looked gray, but not too old to call grandfather. Maybe he's about forty—an. She chatted with Max for a while before leaving, Jane only replied with a smile as soon as the unknown man looked at her before passing away. Max and Jane are back together, in awkwardness.
“Are you waiting for someone?” max asked as he picked up a glass of the drink on the table. He looked at the three empty glasses in front of Jane, it seemed like the woman had been sitting there for quite a while.
Jane glanced at Shara who seemed to be still chatting with some people. “Yes. I'm waiting for my friend. How're you? Are you waiting for someone too? Lover?”
Oh Jane, what are you saying. A lover? Jane grumbled inwardly, only this time he asked about a lover to someone, let alone a man who had only met twice.
“Hemm. Yes, many pray for their relationship.” Jane glanced back for the second time into the room. He tried to cover up the sadness he felt, he had put in enough effort. But Max can see it clearly, if he's disappointed. Her eyes looked teary but they didn't seem to. But her little heart said that she was not okay.
“Former lover?” Max's question surprised him.
Quickly and slightly stammered Jane replied no. No way, just being in a relationship never. How could that man be her ex-lover. But at least the question made him realize what he was sad about. I'm a nobody, Jane. And max just nodded as if understanding the woman's intentions, understanding that his love was clapping one hand. But he doesn't want to ruin something he hasn't even started yet.
“I just origin talk. But just a suggestion from me, if you look at them like that. People will misunderstand you.”
“Hemm. Thanks for the suggestion.” Jane smiled again, trying to smile. He glanced back into the room.
“It looks like it's quiet there, don't you congratulate the—?”
Max looked at his watch, he still had enough time until twelve. “Let's go, I'm too comfortable to sit here. Or am I making you uncomfortable?"
"Ah of course not, you can sit wherever you want."
"OK, but you seem to know him, oh I mean Devan?”
“Maybe, but also can not be said to know him. He was just my senior in college.” Jane turned away from Max and went back to playing the remaining bit of wine in her glass. Occasionally glanced at Shara's bag beside her, hoping that the woman would come and immediately take her away from there. As soon as possible to leave, to avoid other questions that will be asked by Max to him.
“Really? I—” Max's sentence came to a halt as soon as he saw a woman from a distance behind Jane, the woman seemed to want to approach him.
Damnit. What's he doing here.
“Oh yes, I forgot something. I'll be right back,” Max passed away quickly, disappearing from Jane's sight behind a crowd of passersby.
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