Nothing good about goodbye

Chapter 3

“You two look cute together,” Brandon commented with a wide grin.

Amanda beamed brightly, leaning closer to Jason, her hand slipping into his. “We’re official. It’s been long overdue, right?” she said warmly, her joy genuine.

Jason and his friends had gone to a restaurant for lunch. They were all seated around a table laughing and congratulating them.

But Jason's smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he sat stiffly beside Amanda. He tried to focus on the celebratory atmosphere, but his thoughts kept drifting towards a certain brunette with sapphire green eyes.

It had been exactly seven days since Maria had left him. She had never been gone this long without trying to reach out, no matter how heated things got between them. He had waited, expecting her to cave in.

“Guys, remember those meals Maria usually treated us with?” the mention of Maria drew him out of his thoughts. “Her cooking is unmatched. Even far better than most of the dishes in this restaurant,” Martins concluded.

His comment hung awkwardly in the air. Jason shifted uncomfortably as a wave of guilt washed over him. Maria usually went out of her way to host dinners for him and his friends, as her way of trying to get closer to them. But they always took her for granted.

“This is too spicy,” someone would say in the middle of the meal.

“Is this really homemade? Tastes like street food,” another had joked once.

Jason had always joined them in laughing at her, failing to notice how their remarks made her feel awful and discouraged. But despite all the crude remarks, Maria would smile, brush it off, and invite his friends over again, putting in more effort to please them with her cooking.

“Man, you have got to get that Lasagna recipe from Maria,” Martins teased, nudging Jason with a grin.

Amanda had a calculating glint in her eyes as her blue eyes darted between their friends, “Yes baby, I love Lasagna too. Please ask her for the recipe,” she pleaded while clinging to his arm and looking up into his hazel eyes with a petulant pout on her lips.

Jason hesitated, but then a thought crossed his mind. He could use the recipe as an excuse to talk to her. Maybe she will take this as an opportunity to come back to him. With that hope in mind, he pulled out his mobile and firmly pressed number one for a long time to activate his phone’s speed dial.

The line didn't even ring. Maria had blocked him!

His chest tightened. Jason gasped for breath, disbelief washing over him. He tried again to confirm but was faced with the same results.

“No way…” he muttered under his breath. “She blocked me.”

“That's unbelievable,” Brandon exclaimed. “Let me try calling her.”

Brandon lowered his phone with his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. “She blocked me too!”

The once playful atmosphere disappeared, replaced by an awkward silence. Especially when majority of them took out their cellphones and discovered the same thing.

Jason's jaw tightened, and he banged his fist on the table, “If that's what she wants, then fine.” He picked up his phone and blocked her too.

The tension in the air was so thick that a plastic knife could cut through it. Some even followed Jason example, a little hesitantly.

Amanda scoffed, hiding her sigh of relief, “She always thought highly of herself, anyway,” she stated as she brushed a strand of hair that fell on Jason's forehead. “She's in your past. Don’t worry, I'm here now. I'm sure food had a cheap, shabby taste anyway.”

The lengthy silence was now overwhelming and no one agreed with her. Not even Jason.

Amanda picked up her phone and scrolled through it.

“I know a Michelin-starred chef who could make food a thousand times better than Maria,” she added hoping to break the group’s stillness.

“The way she always stood by, waiting for someone to sing praises of her food,” Martins chimed in. “I have to admit that I always found it slightly disturbing.”

“As you guys have mentioned before, she always tried too hard to impress people,” Amanda reminded as if she knew Maria personally. “What a classless behavior, if you ask me.”

Jason forced a smile, squeezing Amanda's hand lightly, but his mind was far away. Thinking about how Maria had finally left him for good and secretly wishing that she'd come back to him.

However, on the other side of the city…

Maria had returned to her hotel, and she sat with Susan, who had visited her.

“I felt very guilty for disappointing him and wasting his trust and the time he spent trying to teach me back then,” Maria explained. “I just had to leave.”

“I still can't believe you ran into Andrès after all these years.” Susan squealed excitedly. “You should go back tomorrow and find a way to talk to him. You could even ask Jason for help in apologizing,” she advised with a suggestive wink at Maria.

Maria lightly chuckled and shook her head. “No thank you. I have no business with him anymore.”

“Okay, you could take a gift to Andrès tomorrow since you're decided on going back to see him then,” Susan suggested with a shrug.

“I plan to design a brooch for him ” She stood up and got her tools, as she began working. “And even make some snacks to share with him after this.”

The next day, Maria went back to the exhibition Andrès hosted with a brooch in her hand and a little basket of snacks for him. She caught sight of him having a conversation with Jason's cousin, Leo.

“Our company would be honored if you agree to collaborate with us. Either by designing a line or letting us use your name for a promotional event…”

Andrès smiled at him without saying anything. He then politely excused himself from Leo.

Leo, in turn, noticed Maria and sneered. “What are you doing here? Looking for a new man immediately after breaking up with my cousin?”

Before she could respond Andrès engulfed her in a warm embrace as his face lit up. “Maria, I had hoped to see you to come back here.”

Leo’s jaw fell in disbelief. “You two know each other?”

Andrès ignored Leo and held Maria's hand as he led her away. Embarrassed, Leo mumbled an incomprehensible excuse and hurriedly left.

Andrès and Maria got to a corner and she offered him her gifts, comforted by his warm reception. “I thought you might have missed the snacks I used to prepare for you.” He got the basket from her as she awkwardly smiled at him.

He took her offerings with a grin on his face and gave her a loose hug. “You remembered me loving these treats of yours. Thank you, I have missed them a lot.”

The venue was still a bit too rowdy for comfort, so they decided to head to a nearby cafe. Upon arriving, they settled down and ordered coffee.

“I’m sorry for taking you for granted, I wasn't sure of what I wanted then,” Maria shyly confessed as she bowed her head to avoid Andrès’ amber eyes.

“It’s okay, I just hope you're ready to continue from where you left off. Because I’m not letting your talent go to waste.” He admitted to her, his smile growing strong. “I was thinking of getting an assistant, would you like the position?”

“I would be honored,” she exclaimed with delight in her eyes.

At that very moment, the cafe door swung open to reveal a frustrated Jason and Amanda who had gone to the exhibition to look for Andrès. Jason and Maria locked eyes and the ex-boyfriend suddenly realized with dismay that Maria had indeed moved on.

Jason's eyes widened in shock.

Amanda held onto his arm again, unaware of the rage that coursed through him. “Baby, I'm hungry.”

He looked at Maria, who beamed with smiles brighter than she ever did with him. It finally dawned on him that his frustration with the unanswered calls and the fact that she was happy without him was fueling his anger. Although he didn’t know why…

With clenched fists, Jason instinctively shook off Amanda's arm from his then walked straight to where Maria sat.

“Maria!”