The three of them stood, staring at each other like it was a contest. Although the room was dimly lit, Santiago and Joan could feel the hot stare they got from Stacy.
To say she was pissed off was an understatement. This was something she had never expected and that with a lady she thought she could consider as a friend. To think that she wanted to offer Joan help some weeks ago angered her more.
Joan stood beside Santiago, rooted to the floor by what she sensed as fear and shame. Fear that she was doing something wrong and shame that she knew what things were like between Stacy and Santiago. When they spoke the last time, she could sense how much Stacy cared for Santiago with how she spoke about their relationship.
She knew there was something between them maybe in the past but all through the time she spent with Santiago, he never mentioned anything about being in a relationship or anything. He would have said something if there was and then she feels like she’s at fault.
She would have at least gotten something out of him to be sure she was in the right situation.
“Stacy? What are you doing here?” Santiago asked when he recovered from the shock she put them in. “How did you get into my office at this time? Couldn’t you come in the morning?”
Stacy walked out of the shadows towards where they stood then stopped when she was about three feet away from them.
“Why did I find you both kissing?” she asked. When she spoke, there was a break in her voice. She didn't appear affected by what she saw, but anger radiated from her body. “Joan, why?” she looked at Joan who couldn’t meet her gaze.
This time there was a hint of emotion in Stacy's voice and her eyes twitched like she would burst in flames any moment.
Joan opened her mouth to speak “I… Stacy… we…” she couldn’t form a simple sentence.
Santiago’s brows furrowed. “You two know each other?” he asked, looking in between them.
Stacy and Joan look at him briefly then back to staring at each other.
“I met her at the café we went to the day I came to your office.” Santiago frowned at that. “You walked out on me before she could get us our order” Stacy tried to remind him.
The furrows on his forehead deepened as he tried to remember.
The voice.
… “Just black coffee? …
He connects the voice to Joan’s and it hits him. She’s the waitress that came to take their order then and he never bothered to look at her because he wasn’t interested in going out to begin with.
“After you left, we… bonded and Stacy offered to help me when she learned about our issue” Joan explained.
“I guess he gave you a better offer with his bed as a bonus” Her voice broke when she said those words and she turned around to get her purse from the sofa she sat on. “Have a lovely night ahead jerks” she said and slammed the door on her way out.
Santiago winced when the bang echoed in the office, he hated the door being banged especially his doors and in front of him.
“I didn’t think she would come here at this time” he laughs “She does have terrible timing, you know” he held Joan’s hand but she yanked her hands from his hold.
“Why didn’t you tell me you both had a thing going on?” she looked at him with blazing eyes.
“You knew her then why didn’t you ask her or me when you knew?” he asked already annoyed by her question.
Like a slap on her cheek. “Oh, so there… there’s actually something going between you two?” she asked in a whisper. Her throat felt dry, and she felt like she was going to cry.
This isn’t something she expects from him and after her last relationship with Henry, this wasn’t what she wanted.
Santiago noticed the change in her mood and he sighed, then tried to hold her hands again but she wouldn’t let him. “Look, there’s nothing between me and Stacy. She’s a family friend”
“Who has a huge thing for you!” she yelled, trying to gauge the tears that threatened to spill “Fine, I take responsibility for not asking about you guys but the least you could do was tell me if you had a past relationship with someone.” She said.
“Okay, now you know” he frowned.
Joan chuckled and shook her head “You are impossible, honestly” She walked away from the table and paced in front of him.
Santiago watched her pace back and forth, holding her head in her hand, face-palming herself, and hissing every second. He knew they both were in the wrong, he mostly but at least the truth was out.
“I wonder why you’re beating yourself too much about it. Stacy is just a friend to me… well, mostly to our family and that’s just it”
“You could have told me at least, just give me a hint or something so I can know. Just don’t let me find out about stuff you are supposed to tell me like this. It’s not fair”
“Nothing is going on between me and Stacy,” he sighed then walked up to Joan and took her hand. “I’ll tell you why she feels betrayed but please let’s take a seat” he points to the chair in front of the table.
Joan looked at him for a moment then walked to their seat, leaving him behind. Santiago took the second chair and sat on it then moved it closer to Joan.
“My dad wanted me to get married quickly and I didn’t want that because I had a messy relationship and Stacy isn’t my ex. My dad wanted me to get married to her before I met my ex but I saw Stacy as a friend and nothing more” he said.
“So you don’t like her, like in that way?” she asked for clarity.
He nodded and then kissed her knuckles. “I only see her as a friend”
“Does she know that?” he nods “Are you sure? Because the last time she came to meet me at the café she asked how it would feel if you proposed and I wondered if maybe you guys were together again” She sighed.
Santiago grinned, and Joan frowned. “What?” he went on to laugh because he couldn’t keep it in “What’s funny?” she was full-on frowning.
“You’re jealous” he pinched her cheek lightly and she smacked his hand away.
“I’m not, I just need to know what’s going on” She sighed again then pouts.
“What’s wrong? I told you all that is to it already. I feel bad for Stacy like she somehow just got caught in the midst of all these. Poor girl” she shook her head.
“I told her countlessly that I don’t like her that way and wouldn’t want to break her heart so she shouldn’t put to mind whatever is going on”
“Did you make it really clear to her what you are telling me now?”
Santiago opened his mouth to say something but he closed it and hummed in thought. “I never romantized her,” he said.
“Is that a word?”
“It’s my word” he winked at her. “I never made it look like I wanted something more from her” he explained.
“Are you sure? Sometimes men do things that make women feel like they want more from her” she told him.
He shrugged. “Women tend to look too much into things. Like they put meaning into things that shouldn’t have any meaning” he threw his hands up in the air.
“Well, if you guys didn’t make it seem more then we wouldn’t look at things that way” she defends.
“So, it’s our fault”
“Just tell the girl if you don’t want anything more if you don’t want anything more” she raised her voice.
“Okay, okay. I get it and I am sorry”
“Tell Stacy”
“I am not the only one who’s sorry here, she’s mad at you too” Joan’s shoulder slouched.
“I know, I’ll talk to her when she’s calm” She sighed once more and leaned back on the chair.
Santiago shook his head and stood to his feet then walked closer to where she sat and crossed his legs over her so that she was in his middle. He caressed her cheeks and smiled down at her. Joan moved the chair back a bit and he moved closer to her.
“Oh please, I’m not doing anything with you” She pushed him slightly and stood up.
“This shouldn’t spoil our date, we still have the rest of the night ahead of us” he tried to convince her.
“Please just take me home” She looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please”
They stood staring into each other eyes for two seconds, Santiago sighed and grabbed his keys on the table then walked to the door, and he opened it then waited for her to leave before closing the door and walking to the elevator.
They got to his car and he started driving to her place in quiet. No one said anything and since there weren’t many people in the street, it felt like a graveyard.
Joan felt bad that she let the night end like this but she couldn’t continue the night knowing she hurt someone unintentionally.
They reached her parent’s place and he went out to open the door for her but said nothing to her.
“Thank you,” she said, he didn’t respond just a nod and he went back inside his car and waited for her to get in before driving off.
Joan leaned back on the door and slid down to the floor, she banged her head on the door slightly so that she wouldn’t wake her parents.
“Did I do the right thing?” she asked herself.