Page 43 of Trial and Error

“Virgo,” I butt in, and he chuckles. “Sorry, continue.”

“I’m a Virgo, apparently. My favourite colour is navy, I used to live in Europe, and I hate mashed potatoes.”

I gasp. “No one dislikes mashed potatoes.”

“I do.”

“Well, you’re the first and last of your kind.”

He chuckles. “I’m an accountant and the CFO for Oscar’s company. I don’t have any preference on where I want my honeymoon, and as for a wedding, I want something small—nothing too flashy.”

I nod in agreement. “Likewise. The thought of having my entire family tree attend feels like too much work. I want my closest friends and family there.”

“Speaking of weddings…” Elias trails off.

I watch as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. My heart begins to pound in my chest as he flips it open and reveals the most beautiful ring. The band is silver and thin, with three small diamonds on either side of the larger oval diamond that sits in the middle of the band.

“Elias…” I press my hand to my chest as he lifts it from the box and twists it in between his fingers. “Is that…” I gulp. “Is that a real ring?”

He seems nervous as he looks up at me. “It is a real ring, yes.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, my eyes glued on the ring. “I can’t believe it’s real.”

“My mom will keep asking why you’re not wearing a ring whenever we see her and we need this to be believable. I know it’s all a bit of a mess, and I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need you.”

I smile and push my left hand forward until it’s hanging in the space between us. “We’re going to need to work on your proposal if we want to tell people how it happened. Because I’m sure your mom wouldn’t be impressed if she knew her son proposed to me in a cocktail bar.”

Elias shakes his head with an amused grin on his face. “You’re right—she’d kick my ass.” He looks down at my hand and then back at me. “May I?”

I nod, watching as he slips the shiny band onto my ring finger. It shines under the lighting, and for a moment, I find myself mesmerized at how it looks sitting on my finger. I look up at Elias, who is also looking down at my hand with a small smile on his face, and even though this isn’t real, there is nothing that could ruin this moment.

“Bridget?” a voice calls out, and suddenly I feel sick.

I turn my head to the side to see both Malik and Imani looking between Elias and me with frowns on their faces. Malik’s eyes drop to the ring that now sits on my left hand and shakes his head with a disbelieving laugh.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he mumbles as he looks up at me with a disappointment.

I watch as he shoves his way past a couple, heading straight for the exit. Imani stares at me in shock as I scramble to get down from the chair.

I say nothing to her as I brush past her and in the direction of Malik.

He’s leaning against the wall outside of the bar, his head tilted back and resting on the brick wall. “Go away, Bridget,” he mutters, and I wince at his use of my full name. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

I hear the front door open behind me and I don’t have to turn around to know it’s Imani and most likely Elias. “Malik, it’s not what⁠—”

“It’s not what it looks like?” He scoffs. “You’re fucking with me, right? Bridget, I just watched another man put a fucking ring on your hand not even three days after you ended things with me, so don’t fucking tell me it’s not what it looks like.”

“If you’d just let me⁠—”

“Does your fiancé know that we fucked a few weeks ago?” he spits. “Does he know that his bride-to-be is fucking around with other men?”

I rear my head back at his tone. “Malik, how dare you⁠—”

“How dare I?” Malik laughs. “I’ve waited fucking years for you to let me do right by you, and when you finally give me the time of day, you just fuck with me and my feelings? Who the fuck does that? I’ve seen you be a lot of things, Bridget, but I’ve never once seen you be a fucking liar.”

A hand shoots out and lands on Malik’s shoulder. Elias stands behind me, his chest pressed against my back. “That’s enough, you will not talk to her like that.”

Malik shrugs Elias’s hand off his shoulder and narrows his eyes, “Respectfully, get fucked.” He looks down at me and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at me with such displeasure. “I take back what I said, Bids. You’re not my girl anymore.”