"I told you this would happen," Melanie said.
"Not now Melanie," Krystal said as she shushed her. "Can't you see she is down?"
"It's alright Krystal," Selena interjected. "She is right. I knew this day would come."
"I don't know, something is off though. Why would he buy you expensive gifts and share with you the things he has, and then walk off without a warning?"
"Because he is wealthy and he could afford to," Melanie pointed out.
Just then Selena's phone rang. "Hello?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Selena, is everything alright? I didn't get a chance to follow up with you when you asked for time off. You aren't sick are you?" Ethan asked.
"It's him," Selena mouthed to her friends as she pointed to the phone. Instantly they rushed to her and pressed their ears close to the phone so they might catch what he was saying.
"No I am not ill; I just needed some time to rest. I think my body was beginning to revolt."
"Okay, that's good to hear. Listen, if you need a place to getaway, you could always use the beach house at the quay. The house is fully equipped and there is always someone there. That is, if you like."
The girls' eyes popped after his offer. "Thank you," Selena said when her voice returned. ‘I will let you know if I decide to. I have a few days off."
"Okay. Take care," he told her. "I will check in later."
"I am officially confused," Selena said as she hung up. She went to the sofa and sat down and her friends sat on either side of her. First he flirts and seduces every girl who would stop to listen, then he wines and dines me like I am the only woman in the world; then he reverts to his old ways and...What was that?" she asked as she pointed to the phone.
"I have no comment," was all Melanie could say much to their surprise."I have to admit this behaviour is abnormal."
"I feel like I am on a roller coaster ride with him and I don't know which way is up or down. He is confusing me tremendously."
"Well why don't you be straight and ask him what he wants from you? You do have a right to know. He can't keep flitting from Prince Charming to the frog at odd intervals. If you aren't interested, then do it for me," Krystal grinned.
Selena gave a half smile. "Of course I want to know. Right now I am just afraid of what I might hear," she said and her voice fell to a whisper as she wrung her hands together.
"At least you will know how to proceed, but this can't continue," Melanie chimed in.
"I know," Selena said.
The girls did not persist in prolonging that line of conversation, for the more they talked the further into depression Selena sank. After they had gone Selena curled up in a ball on the sofa watching re-runs of her favourite television programmed. Seeing Cole and Phoebe in love did not help her mood and soon Charmed lost its appeal. She flipped through some other movies she felt were more appropriate for lifting her spirit, but somewhere between the browsing and selecting she fell asleep.
She woke the following morning with a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn't pin point. She got up and realised dawn was slowly breaking and could hardly believe she had slept an entire night on her sofa. She washed up and made some chamomile tea, and the feeling subsided. She figured she must have eaten something that didn't agree with her the day before.
Now that she looked around her apartment and realised she had to be the one cooking meals and tidying house, Ethan's beach house seemed more appealing. She was tempted to go there and continue the romantic getaways she had grown accustomed to, but she knew she had to confront him or she would never have any peace of mind.
Not wanting to delay the inevitable, she called him later during the day and asked that he come see her that night. They were to go somewhere quiet where they could be alone; the request put ideas into Ethan's mind about the endless possibilities, and he watched the clock for the entire day. Selena did the same and as the time came for them to meet she grew so nervous she could hardly stand.
He took her to a cosy little garden restaurant where they selected a booth in the back of the establishment. There was no one there but them. "Is this private enough for you?" he asked.
Selena smiled. "Yes it is. It's lovely, as usual. You know the best places."
Just then a waiter approached with the wine and menu listing and Selena, not feeling as hungry, ordered braised tilapia with a fruit and vegetable salad. Ethan ordered T-bone steak and creamed Irish potatoes, complimented with both a glass of white and red wine for each. Until the food arrived he talked about how he spent his day, and some real estate opportunities that had come his way. Selena barely heard a word he said; her mind was consumed with trying to find the right way to put her question across.
"Are you hearing anything I am saying?" he eventually asked.
"Hmm?" she said as she looked at him now. "Yes, you bought some stakes in a new hotel. I heard."
"You seem distracted," he said as he surveyed her.
She was about to respond when the waiter returned with the meal. Selena was grateful for the distraction for she had not yet collected her thoughts. Hastily she bit into her fish and chewed two bites before she paused. She chewed slowly as she tried to detect the sensation she felt, and she recognised it then as the same she had felt earlier the morning.
"What is it?" he asked as he saw the puzzled look on her face.
"I'm not sure. I just feel..." she didn't get the words out before a wave of nausea washed over her. She covered her mouth and he jumped up as he hurried with her to the ladies' room. No sooner had she gotten there when she spewed her insides into the face basin. With bloodshot eyes she stared at her reflection in the mirror as she felt the urge to regurgitate overwhelm her. She leaned over the face basin for what seemed a considerable time until she felt she was better enough to re-enter the dining area.
"Are you alright?" he asked and his face was a picture of concern as he stood there.
"I think so," she said.
"Would you like to go home?" he asked.
"No, I don't feel as bad now. I'm not sure what happened just now. Maybe it was the fish."
"Should we order something else?" he asked.
"No, that's fine," she said. "I feel much better now. Maybe it was nothing."
But the moment Selena sat back down again, the queasiness she had felt before rose to the surface again and she was forced to remove herself from the table. This time she walked to the fountain in the garden hoping the gentle flowing of the water would ease the unsettling in her stomach.
"Are you sure you are alright?" he asked again, this time with more concern in his voice.
Selena stood there, until she elected to sit on the concrete wall surrounding the fountain. "I came here tonight with the intention to speak with you about what we are doing," she started.
"What do you mean?" he asked as he sat next to her.
"I mean the mixed signals you keep giving me; first you are with all of these women, then with what appears to be just me, then back to the women. I don't know what it is you want from me," she said to him.
"Oh I see," was all he said. "Not everything is as it appears to be sometimes."
Selena laughed. "And that's the irony. I wanted to know if there was any possibility that you would be in my future. Now I don't even need to ask you that anymore; I already got my answer just by being here tonight."
Ethan looked at her quizzically. "I'm not sure I get your meaning."
"Ethan, I am pregnant."