Chapter 3
my best friend Emily Subrata. She had just split up with her boyfriend of 2
years, Adam Warner, and the tears were still flowing.
Emily's dark brown eyes that usually were so beautiful, were ruined by
tears. Her hair was messy, the red, brown, black streaks in a tousled heap
around her face. Her long legs were folded beneath her, and her full lips
in a huge frown.
Emily blew her nose with the tissue I gave her. "I know it isn't the end
of the world, Ari." She said with a sigh. "But I gave him two years, and he
just leaves me for another girl? Guys can be so shallow." She said, wiping
away a tear, which threatened to trickle down from her eyes.
I thought of Rowen. Was he shallow? If I had been Emily and he had been
Adam, would he have left me after two years, just because of another girl?
It didn't seem possible. Rowen wasn't that kind of person…. Was he?
Pushing the thoughts out of my mind, I turned back to Emily. "Come on,
cheer up. Marks said he's going to take us out to dinner to cheer you up.
Who cares about Adam? Mark is gorgeous, famous, rich and not to mention
unbelievably thoughtful and caring. When do you get such a guy to take you
out to dinner, huh?" I asked.
Em managed a small smile. "It would never work out between Mark and me,
Ari-Sari." She said. I shook my head. "I don't see why not." I said. "Mark
and I are too good friends. Besides, I'm not looking forward to dating
again so soon." She sighed.
I was always trying to set Emily up with Mark. In my eyes, they made a
perfect couple. Tall, beautiful Emmi and equally handsome Mark. I didn't
really understand why Emmi was always adamant about not going out with
Mark. Which girl wouldn't want to go out with Mark?
Nevertheless, Emmi did as I asked and dressed in a beautiful light pink
dress for dinner that night. Mark had bought her a pink rose, which she
accepted with a smile. "You're a regular darling, Mark." She said, smiling.
He was a regular darling. Dressed in black trousers and smart white shirt,
he looked wonderful, his blue eyes sparkling as he held the car door open
for Emily. After she got in, he held the door open for me. I smiled
cheekily as I got in.
"You both look lovely." Mark said, pulling out of the driveway. Em looked
back at me and smiled. "Thanks." We chorused. "I thought it wasn't really
fair that I have all the fun with two beautiful ladies, so I thought I'd
invite someone to share you with. Do you mind?" He asked with a knowing
smile, as he took a sharp turn to where Rowen lived.
My spirits lifted as I saw the door open, and Rowen step out. He looked
amazing. He was dressed in a pair of black trousers and a silvery blue-gray
shirt. His hair had been washed and spiked up, and his after-shave could be
smelt from a mile away; it was gorgeous. He smiled at me as he opened the
back passenger door and got in.
"Good evening, ladies and gent." He said, as Mark turned the car around.
"You look great, by the way." He said to me in a low voice. I blushed. God,
he looked great, himself! I smiled, anyway. "Thanks." I managed to say.
"So, what sounds good to you? Italian food?" Mark asked. Em nodded.
"Nothing beats it." She said. "Ari?". "Ditto." I said. Ro nodded. "Good ol'
Italiano's always the best." He said, with a grin. "Villa Marino, then."
Mark said. "Sure." We all said.
The night was great. Villa Marino was one of the fanciest restaurants in
all of Sligo. It had the best Italian food I had tasted and it was situated
on the edge of Sligo Bay. We sat outside, so that we could see the bay and
the reflection of the town lights, twinkling upon its waters. It was
beautiful, more beautiful than could be imagined.
"Is there anything prettier than that?" Rowen asked, breaking the silence
that had fallen upon us. Mark shook his head. "I don't think so." He said,
with a deeply content sigh. "I mean, I've been all around the world, and I
still get homesick when I think of home and the bay with all the lights
around it, and the cars and double Decker buses going around town… Sligo is
so perfect." He said. Emily nodded in agreement. So did I.
A waiter came to take our orders. "Vut vill eet bee, madaaaaam?" Ro asked
me in a very fake Italian accent. I laughed. "That doesn't sound remotely
Italian, Rowen." I told him. Mark laughed. "Oh, cut him some slack. What
will you eat, girls?". "I feel like some chicken parmagiana." I told him.
"The portions here are quite big in size, my lady. Maybe two of you would
like to share one dish." The waiter suggested politely, in a real Italian
accent.
I glanced at Emmi, trying not to giggle. No one had called me "My lady"before!
"I'll share with you." Rowen offered. I looked at him. His eyes seemed to
sparkle under the lights. I smiled. "Sure." I said.
"Right, okay… Em? Feel like a Marino Special Pizza Delight?" Mark asked.
"The works, they say?" Em quipped, smiling. Mark smiled. "The works." He
said, nodding in agreement. "Can't say no to you, Feehily." Emmi said,winking.
"It will be one serving of chicken parmagiana and one Marino Special
Pizza Delight, then." The waiter said. "And two loaves of garlic bread,
please." Emily said. The waiter nodded. "Champagne all around?" Mark asked.
We nodded. The waiter left.
We enjoyed a very good dinner. The lads had a regular fight over who pays
the bill. In the end, Rowen ended up paying for me, while Mark paid for
Emmi. I was feeling stuffed, and didn't really like it as I always made
myself watch what I ate. It wasn't easy to swim with lots of food being
tossed around your stomach!
We went for a walk along the bay. Unknowingly, we had split up into two
little groups, Mark and Emily, and Ro and me. We walked in silence, just
drinking in the beauty of the night. I glanced at him from the corner of my
eye. Ray was right; I did have the hots for him!
"So, Ari, the Sydney games aren't too far away, huh?" Rowen said,
breaking the silence once more. "Nope." I said, lightly. But every time
someone mentioned the Olympics to me, my heart always seemed to beat
faster. Today it was beating even faster than usual; might have been the
fact that Rowen was right next to me!
"You aren't worried, are you?" Rowen asked, slipping his arm around my
waist. I shivered slightly at his touch; he was so warm, compared to the
cool night.
He noticed. "Cold?" He asked. I nodded carelessly. He tightened his grip
on me. I could smell his after-shave even better. "Back to what I was
saying, you really aren't worried?" He asked me gently.
"Nah." I said. "Not really, I guess. I am excited. But not worried. It's
going to be lots of fun, I guess, and good experience." "I can imagine.
You're lucky. I would give anything to see the Olympics, and you're
actually going to be in them." He said.
"Oh, you must come to see me!" I exclaimed. "You, Mark, Emily, and the
rest of the lads as well. Amma, Thaththa and Anika are going to be there
the whole time. So you must come, at least to watch me swim." I told him.
He smiled. "I can't say no to such a generous invitation." He said.
We soon got back together with Mark and Emily. Emmi looked much happier,
as I could imagine Mark had been telling her some of the hilarious stories
of things that had happened to him while recording and touring with Westlife.
We drove back, dropping Rowen off first, then Em and finally Mark reached
my house. "Thanks for the great night, Markus." I said, laying a kiss on
his cheek. "Oh, don't go in yet. I haven't talked to you in ages!" Mark
complained. I smiled. "All right, so let's talk." I said, settling back in
the seat.
So we talked. We talked and talked, for nearly 2 hours, sitting in the
car. "You really like him, don't you?" Mark asked, as the subject of Rowen
eventually came up. I blushed deep red. "Ari-Sari likes Rowen!" Mark
teased. "Sh!" I said, hitting his arm playfully.
"My little 16-year old baby likes a boy. God, you're growing up." Mark
said, pulling me towards him to give me a hug. I disentangled myself from
him. "I'm not your little baby anymore." I said, hotly. "Come on, Ari, I
was only joking." He protested.
But I was a temperamental girl. My mood had changed. "Night, Mark." I
said, getting out. "Night, Ari." He said, with a sigh. He knew my moods
well enough by now. I could feel his eyes, piercing into my departing
figure as I walked to the door in the dark.