RomCom Cliché

Chapter Seven

They went to the museum a few days later, wandering around the new section devoted to Ancient Greece, rounding statues of old Senators and deities, reading the small signs denoting what each piece of armour was and eyeing the artwork of glazed vases and mosaics and the like. 

Once they'd exhausted the new exhibit, they wandered freely through the museum, the hum of murmured conversations a pleasant background noise as they walked hand-in-hand from one piece to the next.

It was a nice way to unwind after an arduous day at court for Rebecca, and they took photos - together, of each other, some silly and some nice - before walking down the steps of the old building and into a Korean barbecue restaurant that Rebecca had made a reservation at. 

It was a night like many others that followed, feeling so normal in the best possible way that it made Rebecca's chest ache with the urge for it to be real. 

Her love for Freen wound through her, binding her tighter and tighter each time they saw each other.

She stayed at Freen's twice more on the weekend, even being taken to a place called Noonan's - Freen's favourite place for a coffee or a quick lunch - and felt so heartsick with love each time she left with nothing more than a warm goodbye and a vague promise to see her soon. 

How could she be so completely enamoured with someone who seemed so unphased by what they were doing, and seemed intent to keep insisting that it was just casual?

Rebecca got drunk more than once with her friends, crowded around that small basement bar table she frequently occupied with Freen and spilling her confused feelings to them all over cocktails. 

Ratch was the most sympathetic to her plight, ever a romantic as well, although his stream of models on yachts was about as long-lived as most of Rebecca's relationships, with him being the primary cause of their short-lived timeframe. 

She went out for dinner with him on one of his boats, considering his offer to let her bring Freen on it - a prospect Rebecca wasn't too sure about, given how big and expensive the boat was - and joined Milk and Love for a night out at a casino owned by Milk's father, losing a few thousand on the roulette table and winning it back in poker.

Her life seemed to be separated into very distinct categories that didn't overlap. 

Work.Freen. Friends. 

They were three spheres that Rebecca didn't believe would ever be able to overlap, and she was three different people for all three areas as well, and couldn't imagine bringing Freen along to a casino to gamble with her rich friends. 

It was a pity but it was for the best to keep conflicting parts of her life apart. She supposed that was why she couldn't be too annoyed that Freen hadn't told a soul about her.

Still, it made for a rather uncomfortable situation when Rebecca showed up outside Freen's office on a Tuesday, around noon, hoping to surprise her with lunch. 

She'd messaged Freen to find out if she was still at the office and had the address for the dismal building from when Freen had given it to her for Rebecca's driver to pick her up one evening for mini golf and a sunset picnic on the waterfront.

"Oh," Freen said with open surprise as she stepped out of the grey building and pulled up short at the sight of Rebecca leaning against the side of her parked car, waiting.

Rebecca's lips parted as her expression softened into delight at the sight of her, and quickly dropped at the sight of someone following Freen out of the office. Another woman, shorter with dark hair and skin, laughing at something they'd been talking about. She met Rebecca's eyes when she realised where Freen's attention was and frowned slightly, glancing sideways.