the dinner we pretend
1092 Words
The restaurant was called Aurora. Private room. White tablecloths. Candles that cost more than Clara’s monthly gas bill.
She sat between her parents and felt like she was going to throw up.
Daniel kept clearing his throat. Margaret kept touching Clara’s hand under the table like that would help.
Across from them: Richard and Victoria Blackwood. Perfect.
And next to Victoria: Leo Blackwood.
Clara had seen pictures. He was taller in person. Dark hair. Jaw like he was carved from stone. He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at his phone.
“Leo, put that away,” Victoria said, voice sweet. “We have guests.”
Leo didn’t look up. “They’re not guests. They’re business.”
Clara’s stomach dropped.
Then the door opened and Selena walked in.
*Selena Blake.* Leo’s ex. Designer dress. Red lips. And a smile that was all teeth.
“Sorry I’m late!” she said, and went straight to Leo. She slid into the seat next to him and hooked her arm through his. “Traffic was insane. You saved me a seat, right?”
Leo glanced at her arm. Didn’t pull away. Just said, “Mm.”
Selena finally looked across the table. Her eyes landed on Clara. In her jeans and the one decent blouse she owned.
Her smile dropped.
“Oh. Hi.”
Victoria jumped in. “Selena, this is Clara Brooks. Daniel and Margaret Brooks. Clara is... joining our family.”
Selena’s face went blank. Then confused. Then angry.
“Joining? What do you mean joining?”
Richard raised his wine glass. “We thought it was time to have everyone together. To discuss the engagement.”
The word hit the table like a bomb.
Selena laughed. “Engagement? To who?”
“To Clara,” Victoria said. “Leo and Clara. Friday. Courthouse.”
Selena’s grip on Leo’s arm tightened. “I’m sorry, what? Leo? You’re getting married? To HER?”
Leo finally looked up from his phone. His eyes were cold. Empty.
“Yes.”
“That’s insane,” Selena said. She turned to Clara and scanned her from head to toe. “You’re... you work at the refinery, right? My driver said he saw you there.”
Clara nodded once. “Yes.”
Selena made a face. Like she smelled something bad. “Wow. Okay. This is a joke, right? Tell me this is a joke.”
“It’s not a joke,” Richard said. “It’s a contract. One year.”
“One year?” Selena turned back to Leo. “Babe. Talk to me. This isn’t you.”
Leo's didn’t answer. He just picked up his water and drank.
Clara wanted to disappear. She could feel Selena’s eyes on her the whole time. Judging. Hating.
“So you’re just selling yourself,” Selena said to Clara. Not quiet. “How much did they pay you?”
“Selena,” Margaret said, voice shaking. “That’s enough.”
“No, it’s not enough,” Selena snapped. “This is MY boyfriend. Or he was. Last month he was telling me we should go to Paris.”
Leo cut in, voice flat. “That was before.”
“Before what? Before you decided to marry someone from the factory?”
“Selena,” Victoria warned.
“What? She’s poor! Everyone knows the Brooks company is bankrupt!”
Clara flinched. Daniel put a hand on her back.
Leo set his glass down. “Stop.”
Selena immediately softened. “Baby, I’m just worried about you. You don’t have to do this. We can figure something else out. Me and you.”
She leaned into him. Her hand went to his thigh under the table.
Leo didn’t move away. But he didn’t touch her back either.
Clara watched it all and felt numb.
The waiter brought food. No one ate.
Richard cleared his throat. “So. The ceremony is Friday. Small. We’ll announce the engagement to the press next week. Photos. A charity gala next month. The usual.”
“Usual,” Selena repeated. She looked at Clara again. This time with pure venom. “Good luck with that. He’s quite hot-tempered, you know. You probably won’t last 3 months.”
Victoria smiled. “We have faith in them.”
Faith. Right.
The rest of dinner was torture.
Selena kept touching Leo. Whispering in his ear. Glaring at Clara over her wine glass.
Leo answered in one-word sentences. Never looked at Clara once.
Daniel and Margaret tried to make small talk and failed.
By dessert, Clara couldn’t breathe.
“Excuse me,” she said, and stood up.
She made it to the bathroom and locked the door and cried. The same crying as this morning. Like her body didn’t know how to do anything else.
When she came back out, Selena was waiting in the hallway.
“There you are,” Selena said. “Can we talk?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, I think so.” Selena stepped closer. “Look, I don’t know what game you’re playing. But Leo is mine. We’ve been together for 2 years. This ‘contract’ thing won’t last.”
“It’s not a game,” Clara said quietly.
“Then what is it? Pity? You think marrying him will make you one of us?”
Clara met her eyes. “I don’t want to be one of you.”
Selena laughed. “Sure you don’t. That’s why you’re wearing that cheap blouse to dinner with billionaires.”
Clara looked down at herself. Then back up. “I’m wearing what I own.”
“Exactly,” Selena said. “You don’t belong here.”
Before Clara could answer, Leo came out of the dining room.
Selena immediately switched. She smiled and grabbed his arm. “Babe! There you are. I was just telling Clara how excited I am for you guys.”
Leo looked at Clara. Really looked at her for the first time. Her red eyes. Her shaking hands.
His face didn’t change. But something flickered there.
“Car’s waiting,” he said to everyone. Cold.
Then he walked away, with Selena still clinging to him.
Clara stood in the hallway alone.
Her mom came up behind her. “You okay?”
“No,” Clara whispered.
“I know, baby.”
Outside, Leo got in the back of a Bentley. Selena slid in after him.
As the car pulled away, Selena looked out the window. Right at Clara. And mouthed:
_You don’t belong._
Clara watched the taillights until they disappeared
- Writer
