Jasmine
Saphira started to sing in a small voice. She sounded shaky and the crowd caught on to that. "It was a lil mean of you, don't you think." Zachary said. I shook my head.
"Not really." I said without remorse.
When Benjamin sang the other couplet the whole room lit up again. Woman were whistling at him. "Happy now?" Zachary laughed out loud. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Now You are being mean." I said throwing my napkin at him.
"He is incredible, isn't he?" I said mostly to myself. "The guy can sing, if that is what you mean…" Zach admitted.
He was singing a love song and when it was Saphira's turn to sing, Benjamin held her gaze. I felt a pit in my stomach. "Jasmine?" Zachary said.
"Mhh?" I murmured. "Don't worry about it." He said soothingly.
"Let's be real… If Benjamin wanted to be with Saphira…" He said trailing off. I looked at him. Did he not feel what I felt when looking at them? "Then he would have been." He said finishing his sentence.
"I don't think that is really true…" I said. "What do you mean?" Zach said placing his hands under his chin, intently looking at me.
"I mean… I just-" I started to say. "I think it was just his sense of responsibility towards me." I sighed… looking down at the table cloth.
"Any man could hardly find it a punishment to be married to you." Zachary said being kind. "And I don't think he has a hard time being your husband in the least." He said pointing towards my full belly.
I threw my head back, looking at the sealing. Benjamin and Saphira were singing in full harmony, but I could not look at him right now.
"I wish you were right." I said. I shook my head heavily. "I've asked him to stop seeing her… you know." I said bitterly. "Really…" Zach said. Finally I caught his attention.
"You have?" Zachary said narrowing his eyes. "Well Yes…. I mean that is the whole reason we split up in the first place… I mean and God… then I found I was pregnant… and even then… He will not give her up." I said not hiding my disgust.
"I mean… look at them… wasn't this suppose to be a love song they would sing to their so called spouses?" I frowned at Zach.
Zachary's eyes darted back and forth, from them to me. "Maybe you are right." He swallowed. "I can't live like this." I said raising my hands in the air. "I can't share my husband… I did not even want to marry him in the first place."
"What?" Zach said almost spitting out his drink.
"I did not want to marry him." I repeated sheepishly. "Or anyone for that matter." I added.
"You don't love him?" Zach questioned. "Of course I love him." I shook my head. How did he get that idea? "I don't understand." He said.
I sighed. "I love him, I always have… it's just that… I-" I placed my hand on my stomach.
"All woman do, and that's why I did not want to be his." I said and clutched my hands. "I see." Zachary said.
"I get that." He said scratching the back of his head.
I glanced at the stage. Benjamin looked at me and our eyes locked. "Let's give them a piece of their own pie." I said radiant. Zachary cocked his head. "I never dance… really I don't." He said horror struck.
"You can't dance, or you don't like to." I asked him. "The song is almost ending anyway." He said. "Oh come on now… you are not going to deny a pregnant woman a dance now, are you?" I laughed.
"Alright then. It's not like they are singing to us anyway." He shrugged. Zachary walked up to me and took my hand. "Whatever you do, do not like at them." I hissed him. "Let's have a little fun together." I smiled.
Zachary was a little stiff, but he dances just fine. "See… you can dance." I said. "Don't look at them." I said a little annoyed when I saw his head turn. The song ended and Benjamin and Saphira received a standing ovation.
"No. you are still not to look at them." I whispered in his ear. "Why not?!" He hissed back. "Do you want her, or not?" I questioned. "I have her." I contradicted me.
"Really?!" I said skeptically. "If that was so, you and her would be in Malibu, doing whatever… don't pretend you did not join her because you did not want her to be alone with him." I smirked in his ear. Zachary put one of my curls behind my ear and intently looked into my eyes.
"So you want me to look at you like this." He said. "Yes… Like that." I said and placed my hand on his blouse.
Benjamin said something to the crowd, but Zachary and I did our best not to pay them any attention at all.
It was clear they were going to sing another song when I head Ben play an up-tempo tune on the piano.
"Ah.. They don't want us to dance that close." He half-smiled. "See!" I almost shouted. "You are catching on!" I barked a laugh.
Zachary and I were actually really enjoying ourselves on the dancefloor and gave all we got. We were laughing so hard in between laughing, I got a little out of breath. Zachary steadied me and smiled. "This is fun." He said while he held me close.
"Do you know that I am not allowed to be this close to any man." I said making a silly face. "You mean this close…" Zach said leaning in and softly brushed his nose against mine. My nose tingled.
Benjamin missed a key and Zachary and I burst into laughter. "I think your man is getting jealous now." He whispered in my ear. "We can get on Saphira's nerves too, if you want." I said and placed both my arms around his neck.
"God, you smell really sweet woman." Zachary said while sniffing my neck. "You smell like you live in a candy store."
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you so much for listing to me and one of my closest friends as we sang for our better-half's." Benjamin said in a tone I recognized. "We are in deep trouble." I said, while pretending to be shocked.
"Oehh… Let's get us in some more trouble then." He said and kissed my cheek. "Zach…" I started to say.
"Jasmine can you come up here?" Benjamin said. To someone who did not know him, he might of sounded kind, or loving even. But I knew better. He was pissed and that was not a request, but an order.
I glanced at Zach and got on stage and Saphira immediately got off.