Finding Us Again

WATER MEETS ICE

They got to the hotel an hour later and all through the ride, they said not one word to each other.

“It might be best to leave our luggage in the car and check in later,” Michael said as he navigated the car to a parking position when they arrived. “Let’s see if we can meet up with the mixer. We’re late enough as it is.”

“But I need to change. I’m stale and sweaty. I need to freshen up first and I’ve already called Mr. Rice, he’ll send porters to get our luggage’s” Michelle moaned. After an almost two-hour commute, her blue striped shirt and white shorts outfit no longer seemed like a good idea.

“Sure. Be my guest. Go get changed and get to the hall when everyone has left. That sounds like an ingenious thing to do.”

Her nostrils flared, his sarcasm was the last thing she needed. Fishing out her makeup bag from her tote, she dusted on some powder and reapplied her lipstick, making the best of a bad situation.

“Ready?” Michael asked when she put away her makeup.

Michelle didn’t respond, instead zipping her bag shut and getting out of the car. Michael grunted as he turned off the ignition and disembarked, and as they walked towards the hotel, he surprised her by holding her. She turned to look at him and he smiled at her as he squeezed her hand, and the simple act was enough to make long forgotten butterflies in her stomach flutter.

“No need walking into the place looking like we’ve been arguing,” he said as they walked.

This was enough to restrain the fluttering butterflies inside her, the realisation that he was only holding her to put up a show, cooling everything that had started to k****e. Pulling her hand from his, they followed the signs to the hall where the mixer was taking place.

Getting there, it was already filled with chattering people, confirming just how late they were. Plastering on a smile as they walked in, Michelle felt curious eyes on them as they wove through the room and could imagine what their old classmates were murmuring amongst themselves; the woman who stole her best friend’s boyfriend...and the man who allowed himself to be stolen.

As if sensing her anxiety, Michael held her hand again, squeezing it in silent reassurance. This single act was enough to calm her, and she squeezed back, praying the night wouldn’t prove to be the train wreck she now feared.

“Ah, if it isn’t your favorite person over there,” Michael chuckled, pointing across the room and Michelle smiled when she saw Cole, the guy she had briefly dated in junior year, waving from where he sat with Tyler his best friend, and their former class president, Ethan.

She raised her hand in a wave and her spirits further lifted when she spotted a table with some of the more level- headed girls in their set, girls not quite as prone to gossip. Squeezing Michael’s hand so he could stop walking, Michelle smiled at the women on the table.

“Madison, you look exactly the same!” Michelle exclaimed, hugging her. “Some of you are so blessed, while some of us are carrying around an extra thirty kilos!”

“Nonsense darling, you look amazing,” Madison gushed, before smiling at Michael . “Michael , right? Aww, it’s so lovely that you two stayed together all these years. You both look so good!”

Michelle could feel every drop of blood drain from her face at Madison’s honest mistake. Chatter on their table stopped, and Michael’s grip on her hand slackened.

It was going to be a very long night.

“It’s great seeing you guys!” Michelle said, the smile on her face more of an effort to retain. With a final wave, she allowed Michael navigate her to a table that had vacant seats.

“You’d think people would have gotten their facts right after many years,” she muttered under her breath as they sat.

“Relax,” Michael said. “You know she didn’t mean any harm.”

Well, that was little consolation for the humiliation she had just suffered. To her relief, the event’s organiser and one of the people she’d been friendly with in school, Christine , took the stage, hopefully with enough distraction to shift attention to other things.

“So, we’ve had our drinks, our cocktails, and have had our Mixer as we’ve caught up with old faces,” Christine said. “Now, it’s time for us to play a game I don’t know what call it but oh well. Many of us haven’t seen each other in twenty years, and some of you look so different, I’m still trying to be convinced you’re who you say you are.” She threw Cole, who had gained a considerable amount of weight since they were in school, a look, eliciting laughter from the room.

“Back in the day Cole was Prom King,” Christine continued “One of the hottest guys back then and even now of course” she said elsicti g another laughter. “Who was his date back then?”

“Kimberly!” someone in the crowd answered.

“I think it should be unanimous to crown him the Most

Changed today!”

Kevin waved with a laugh, just as good a sport as he was when he was the most desired boy in school. His outward appearance might have changed but he was clearly still the top guy he was back then.

As Christine continued to talk, Michelles concentration waned, her mind drifting to the things she needed to sort out with Wendy before their party the following weekend. Having just secured a large yacht, things were shaping up for what she hoped would be the classiest party their invitees had ever attended.

“Now, this category is very dear to my heart,” Christine was saying as Michelle's attention returned to the stage. “It’s a category my beloved Tyler and I were nominated for back then; Most Likely to Get Married. But alas, we, as well as the other nominees, lost out to Michael and Amelia.

Michelle’s heart plummeted all the way to her feet as attention returned to her and Michael. Michael's hand covered hers as he smiled up at Christine on the stage, but if the muscle twitching in his jaw was anything to go by, he wasn’t enjoying this any more than she was. Following her husband’s lead, Michelle also aimed a plastic smile Christine’s way.

“Michelle, on the other hand,” Michelle continued, grinning at them, “won Most Likely to Travel the World. It turns out she and her bestie, Amelia, decided to trade places, with Michelle marrying Mofe and Amelia traveling the world.”

Oh for goodness' sake!

Michelle’s smile disappeared as she pulled her hand from beneath Michael’s, quite done with the embarrassing walk down memory lane. So what’s the big deal if Michael and Amelia were an item back in school? That was over twenty years ago. It was time for everyone to just f*****g move on.

Thankfully, Christine’s focus shifted to her next set of victims, and after what had to be the longest hour of her life, a DJ took over, playing hits from their school days of 1993 to 1999.

Even though Michael got up at intervals to chat with old friends, Michelle was content to just sit at their table, busying herself with the nibbles that were served and smiling politely at anyone whose eyes she met, all the while willing the event to be over already.

The reminder that there was still another full day of events wasn’t a pleasant one. Left to her, she was ready to leave now.

She was biting into a spring roll when the energy in the room changed. From the way all eyes were darting to the entrance, and then to her and Michael, and back to the door, Michelle knew. Even before turning to look, she knew that her nemesis had arrived.

But nothing, not even the i********: picture she’d seen just that evening, could have prepared her for the sight of the stunning woman gliding into the room. In a short yellow sundress that showcased a slender frame, glossy fair skin, and legs that went on forever, Amelia Ruff was a knockout.

Knowing all eyes in the room were on them, Michelle had to restrain herself from doing what it was she really wanted to, which was to turn to look at her husband’s reaction to the vision of loveliness that he had once been involved with.

Unable to keep from staring, Michelle watched as Amelia walked through the hall, waving and exchanging pleasantries like royalty, and she had never felt dowdier in her entire life. Once the same size, from what she could see, she had few kilograms on her one-friend.

Amelia turned in their direction and Michelle felt every muscle in her body liquefy as Amelia smiled and walked in their direction. Michelle cast a panicked glance at Michael and saw that he was also looking at Amelia, but with a wide smile on his face. How could he be smiling?! They were about to come face to face with the woman they had both betrayed, and he was smiling?!

What was there to smile about?!

“Wow, look at you two!” Amelia exclaimed as Michelle and Michael rose to their feet in greeting. “You both look so great!”

“You look beautiful,” Michelle said as Amelia threw toned arms around her neck in embrace, smothering her with her pungent floral perfume.

“So do you! This extra flesh suits you!” Amelia exclaimed, looking from her to Michael. “And look at this guy, still so handsome.” She looked from Michael to Michelle, still beaming.

“You both look so good together. Who would have ever thought?”

Up close, not only could Michelle see how much more beautiful Amelia was, how much more flawless her skin was, and how much more perfect her features were, she saw something steely lurk beneath Ameila’s syrupy smile. As the eyes of the one-time best friends held, there was a hard set to Ameila that brandished the sword her sweet words did not.

She was out for war.