The Blender’s Bargain – Chapter 3

Archie

The evening air is cool against my skin as I make my way towards Il Palazzo. It feels like forever since I last saw Lex, and it’ll be nice to have dinner in our favorite restaurant tonight. With him away on business all week, I’ve been counting down the hours until tonight.

“That’s wonderful news, Dad,” I say into my phone, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. “A summer visit is exactly what we need. I’ve missed you.”

My father laughs, the sound as warm and comforting as always. “We’ve missed you, too. You’ve been so busy this year with school and that boyfriend of yours. Mom swears she’s going to cook for you night and day when you’re here, so bring your stretchy pants.”

I laugh and startle a random man as I walk past. “Awesome. I’m dying for some laksa. And I’m never too busy for you, Dad. Lex will just have to share me for a week or two.”

“Good. Good. Come on the train. I’ll send you some money so you can buy the first class ticket.”

I sigh. “Dad, I have a job. I can afford the train.”

“Archie, you’re a teacher,” he reminds me, as if I didn’t spend my afternoon grading math problems. “We all know you’re underpaid and overworked. You come home and put your feet up and swim in the lake.”

I shake my head and stop myself from arguing with him. He wishes I had become an engineer. There’s more money in space travel than there is in teaching third-graders.

But I’m not in it for the money. I never have been.

“Will do, Dad. Tell me about what my aunts and cousins have been up to.”

My dad could talk my ear off for hours if I let him and hearing his voice is a good way to pass the time as I walk. We chat about plans for my trip home, the familiar sights and sounds of my neighborhood route fading into the background.

By the time I end the call and tuck my phone into my bag, the door to Il Palazzo is at my fingertips. I love this classic Italian restaurant and its warm, inviting atmosphere. Artwork adorns the walls, depicting scenes from ancient Italy — ruins long left behind on Earth, vibrant cityscapes of old Italian cities, and picturesque vineyards. Dark wood furniture fills the dining room, illuminated by soft candlelight for a romantic touch. I always feel at home here.

Through the windows, I spot Lex at our usual table, talking on his phone, two glasses of wine already poured and waiting. My heart lifts at the sight of his dashing smile — the one that first caught my eye across a crowded room at a faculty party months ago. Who would have thought one crooked, disarming grin could change the course of my carefully mapped future? Not me.

Before I enter, I give him a long look, eager to see him after this meal in my bed. Lex’s broad shoulders and trim physique lend him a commanding presence in any room he enters. I can’t believe he’s mine most days.

I hurry inside, but as I approach the table, Lex turns off his phone and his smile is… just wrong. The humor is missing from his eyes. Uh oh. What happened on his business trip?

The scent of freshly baked bread and garlic hangs in the air, but my appetite is disappearing fast.

My smile falters as I take my seat across from him. “Hey. Is everything okay?”

He hesitates a beat too long before replying. “Of course. Just tired from the work trip, that’s all.”

Lex has a gentle yet confident voice, like the hum of a cello, pitch perfect, but tonight, his tone rings hollow. Something’s amiss. Everyone says that I have a nurturing way about me, that I can sense when someone I care about isn’t quite themselves, and my senses are screaming right now. My heart sinks as I grasp at the possibilities, each worse than the last. Is he ill? Did something happen during his trip? I would do anything in my power to comfort or assist him, so I hope it’s something I can fix.

But wait… maybe. Maybe it’s not him. Is it me? Is he… seeing someone else? A stab of pain lances through me at the thought. After four months together, have I already failed to make this relationship work?

Stop, Archie! I’m overthinking this, letting my imagination run away with thoughts of doom.

I settle into my seat, quieting my brain, as Lex reaches for my hand. “Archie, you know I care deeply for you.”

I nod, swallowing hard against the sudden lump in my throat.

Shit. Here it comes.

“But the past few months have been… complicated. This relationship isn’t … um, and it’s becoming clear to me that…”

He falters, letting his sentence trail off, but the unspoken words hang in the air. My vision blurs, eyes filling with hot tears I hold back.

Not yet. I owe him — and myself — more dignity than that.

I slip my hand from his grasp. “Please. Just say it instead of stumbling around it.”

Love has always been as natural to me as breathing. But loving easily also makes me vulnerable. I can be fooled by illusions and by the parts of human nature that I can’t quite understand. I need him to be honest with me.

Lex sighs, his shoulders slumping. “I think we should end this. I’m sorry.”

I nod once in quiet acceptance, though my heart splinters into a thousand jagged fragments inside my chest. And within a single heartbeat, the perfect night I had envisioned dissolves into dust. This is not what I needed today. Not even a little.

Lex reaches across the table, taking my hands in his. “Archie, I’m being transferred to the West Coast office indefinitely. I leave in two days. Ending this now seems the kindest thing, for both our sakes.”

I absorb the news in silence, stunned by this double blow. He’s leaving and leaving me behind.

I blink a few times, shocked, my sadness turning to anger. What the actual fuck is happening here?

Is this how easily I’m dismissed from his life? As an afterthought, a loose end to be tied off before he gallops on to grander adventures? Before he left a week ago, he told me he loved me. And now this?

Words are gone. My brain is empty. I grab the glass of wine from the table and chug down half of it in three gulps.

“Oh…” Lex winces. “Oh, no. Archie…” His voice sounds the warning of my impending temper. I may be a loving and caring person, able to withstand the tempers and antics of third-graders on a daily basis, but I do not take lightly to this kind of betrayal.

“When did you decide this, huh?” I ask, my voice low and dangerous. “While you were away on your business trip? Or before?”

Lex hesitates, looking away from me. “It’s not that simple. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.”

The knot of anger building inside me doubles. How dare he do this to me. To us. After everything we’ve shared together?

“You…” I hiss, my voice rising. Lex flinches, but says nothing in response. I continue to stare at him, and he shrinks. “I can’t believe I ever let myself fall for you,” I say, my voice trembling. “I can’t believe you told me you loved me a fucking week ago.”

Heads turn in the restaurant at my swearing.

Lex looks up at me, his eyes pleading. “Archie, please. I know this is hard. But I promise you, I never meant to hurt you.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “Save it.” I lift my chin, forcing a gracious, if slightly evil, smile. “I wish you the very best, Lex. Safe travels.”

He blinks, taken aback by my composure. Did he expect me to explode? Almost, but not tonight. I refuse to provide a spectacle to stroke his ego.

I grab my napkin and drape it across my lap. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you have plenty of packing to do.”

Lex’s eyes widen. “Archie, please… You don’t understand.” Gone is the careless charmer. I now see the coward in his place, uncomfortable with consequences and messy human emotions.

“No, I understand completely.” I shoo him away from the table, and his eyes widen even more. “But Il Palazzo is my place. I have every intention of staying for the fettuccine. Without you. Bye now.”

I blink as I tip my head to the side and stare at him.

“Uh…” He stammers before removing his napkin from his lap and setting it next to his plate. “Uh, okay. Um, yeah.” He stands up, his chair scraping across the tiled floor. “Bye.”

He turns and almost runs from the restaurant, the bells on the door jingling as he exits.

I sit for a moment, looking at the empty chair across the table. My heart hurts, aches, stings. Shit. It’s really over. I’ve lost him. I’m alone again.

But, hell, I’m also glad he was honest and didn’t drag things out with a long-distance relationship. And you know what? I don’t need someone like Lex, someone who can easily leave me behind.

I deserve better.

The woman at the next table over, having dinner with a friend, leans towards me. “Smart choice, sweetheart. I wouldn’t give up Il Palazzo, either.”

Her friend twirls a fork full of pasta. “Best linguine in town,” she says.

“Damned straight,” I say with a chuckle. I dab the errant tears from my eyes and take a deep breath. I lift my glass to them, and they raise their wine glasses in return. “Thanks,” I mumble.

She shrugs. “We women have to stick together.”

I turn and signal to the waitstaff that I need assistance. Fettuccini alone with a good glass of wine is better than with a traitor like Lex. I think I’ll kill a bottle tonight.