Questionable Enthusiasm

The sun was high up in the sky but the restaurant that the four ladies dined in felt like a sub-zero deep freezer with each lady having cunning thoughts to herself as they pretended to tinker with their phones.

Ava, whose back was facing the floor to ceiling window that showed other shoppers passing by, was thinking of how to bait Olivia just so she could prove her intuition was right.

Across her was Emily who was busy creating scenarios in her mind as to how to put Fiona in her rightful place… away from her and her friends and back to showbusiness where she belongs.

Fiona, on the other hand, who sat to Ava's left, was thinking of ways to snag that exclusive birthday dinner invitation.

And Olivia, who was running out of patience, was furtively tapping her fingers on her lap under the table as the slow service was getting on her nerves.

It had been fifteen minutes since they placed their orders and no food was in sight. She's hungry and she needed her meal now, not a minute later.

At that time, Olivia tried her best to divert her attention from her brewing anger by checking out her fingernails. She started to contemplate on getting her nails done after lunch.

Suddenly, Olivia's phone started to ring, breaking the block of an iceberg that was floating on their table. She glanced at her phone that laid screen up on the table and thought twice whether she should pick up the call.

Somehow Olivia's gaze lingered on her phone long enough for the three other ladies to sneakily dart their eyes to her phone. Emily, Ava, and Fiona's eyes widened like saucers as they all saw the name that was flashed on Olivia's phone screen.

Emily and Ava hid their smiles, pretending to take a sip on their empty teacups as they witnessed Fiona's face briefly drop before putting on her best actress face for them to see.

Olivia felt the three ladies' eagle-like stares, prompting her to glance up to meet their judgemental eyes and instantly smelled the spirit of inquiry oozing from their skin.

"Aren't you going to pick that up, Livi?" Ava slyly urged, a corner of her lips curled up in jubilation over getting her instinct proven to be right.

Annoyed at Ava's questionable enthusiasm over her phone call, Olivia stood and excused herself, walking away from the table. She stopped just before she reached the double door entryway where a wall mounted aquarium served as a divider between the entrance and restaurant's service area. She glanced over her shoulder and came to the conclusion that she was a good distance from the other's earshot.

Olivia looked over her shoulder one more time and locked eyes with Ava's beady round ones so she cocked an eyebrow at Ava as if telling her sister-in-law to mind her own business. Ava responded with an irksome smirk before moving her attention to Fiona.

Thousands of miles away, Maxen fist pumped in the air when Olivia picked up his call. It meant that she's not that angry anymore, right? Renewed with hope, he cleared his throat and tried to simmer down the euphoria that filled his spirit so as not to sound chirpy during their conversation.

"Baaaby," Maxen cooed that Olivia didn't know if she should be annoyed or grateful at the timing of his call because she needed a distraction from the combined forces of Fiona's cursed bangle and the slow service of the restaurant.

"Don't baby me. I'm not your baby," she barked in a whisper as if annoyed. However, her cheeks flushed red upon hearing Maxen's enigmatic laughter across the line.

"Yes, you are…" Maxen's voice tapered off and Olivia could hear him take a sharp breath on the other end of the line. She listened as the little prince took his time to formulate words.

"Are you still mad at me?" Maxen asked.

"A little," Olivia answered truthfully.

Hearing her answer, Maxen dipped his hand inside his pockets and stretched his back. He memorized the words that he would tell her the entire flight if ever she picks up his call but look at him now stammering and lost in translation.

Out of words and out of luck, Maxen asked in vain, "How can I make things right, Olivia?"

Olivia's heart broke to some degree when she heard Maxen's stricken words but she's too livid to even care for his feelings at the moment so she spouted, "I don't know, Max. How about you stop turning into a horny bunny everytime hear the jingle from a freaking bangle?" Her tone was harsh. Her words were pained.

"Baby, listen to me. Don't push me away, please. That won't happen again. I promise," Maxen pleaded, his desperation surprised him too.

"Max," Olivia paused after calling out his name when she was reminded of how Lance broke up with her over the phone. "Let's not talk about serious matters over the phone." She drummed her fingers on her lap and continued, "I need to hang up now. I'm having lunch with Emily."

"I know. I just called Shadow. I asked for her number earlier if you don't mind," Maxen confessed. "You told me not to waste taxpayers' money so I didn't assign a guard for you and I got her number just in case. See, I will always listen to what you have to say," he smugly said.

Olivia stifled the smile that bloomed from her heart after listening to Maxen's imploring.

"Ok. Ok. I'm hanging up now. Bye," she abruptly ended the call without giving Maxen a chance to reply. She knew that one more word from him and her anger would vanish into thin air. She looked at her phone when she heard it beep and saw a message from Maxen.

[I'll be home before dinnertime.]

Olivia huffed and murmured to herself as she sauntered back to their table. "Let's see if you could get back in time, Your Highness." Her brain challenged Maxen's promise because she knew it would take hours to fly back to Nisia from his conference. Who is this little prince kidding?