II: The Twisted Night Out

Upon entering the bar, Monique was immediately greeted by the cacophonous blend of music and the exuberant shouts of revelers on the dance floor. The flashing lights added to the sensory spectacle. Undeterred, she carefully surveyed the bar's interior, searching for Amy and her group of friends.

A warm smile illuminated her face as she spotted her friends gathered in a corner. It appeared they had been patiently awaiting her arrival, as she was the only missing piece of the puzzle. With all of them present, Monique could already anticipate the impending scolding from Amy for her tardiness. She was prepared with a retort to match her friend's lecture.

With her dinner date with Joshua canceled, Monique had decided to join her friends instead. Her condo held little allure at the moment, so she opted for a night out with them. She had attempted to reach Joshua by phone to inform him of her change in plans, but his number remained unanswered, suggesting he was preoccupied. Consequently, she opted for a text message to apprise him of her intentions, knowing he would read it at his earliest convenience. Although she had considered informing him about her encounter with his twin brother, Jacob, and the witnessed accident, she decided to save the discussion for an in-person meeting. By now, the twins were likely together, which had prompted Joshua to cancel their date. Monique couldn't help but hold Jacob partly responsible for the dinner date's cancellation; if only he communicated his presence to his family earlier, Mom wouldn't have insisted on Joshua visiting him.

Despite the absence of a reply from Joshua, Monique pressed on with her plans, confident that he wouldn't impede her choices. It was one of the qualities she cherished in him – he never smothered her, granting her the freedom to pursue her desires. In turn, she placed her complete trust in him. This mutual trust was a cornerstone of their enduring relationship.

She continued her stride until she reached the table where her friends were seated. "I apologize for being late, everyone," she offered to her friends, who had turned their attention toward her. She followed her words with a bright smile and took an empty seat beside Amy.

"I was starting to lose hope you'd make it. You're half an hour late," Amy remarked, her gaze fixed on Monique.

"Oh, sorry. I had to freshen up and change my clothes after getting back home." Monique explained. "And on top of that, I ran into some unexpected traffic on my way here, which slowed me down even more. It was quite frustrating." She pursed her lips before grinning.

"I thought your dinner date with Joshua went ahead as planned," Amy asked.

"Well, as they say, assumptions have caused many a downfall," Monique quipped with a chuckle.

Amy responded with an amused grin, grabbing a bottle of beer and offering it to Monique. "Here," she said, passing the bottle. "We've been waiting for you, and we've already polished off two bottles."

"Thanks," Monique replied as she accepted the bottle from Amy's outstretched hand, savoring the bitterness as it coursed down her throat with a sip.

"Excuse me, everyone."

Monique turned her attention to their friend Tameka, who had just spoken up and garnered the group's focus. She couldn't help but notice the sweet smile gracing Tameka's lips.

"Now that Monique is here, I have an announcement to make," Tameka continued a moment later, and Monique detected a glimmer in her eyes as she spoke.

Judging by her friend's demeanor, it seemed like she had some exciting news to share.

"What's the announcement?" Amy inquired, their curiosity collectively piqued.

All eyes were on Tameka, eagerly awaiting her revelation.

Tameka offered a sweet smile and then raised her hand, wiggling her fingers as if to draw their attention. They shifted their focus to her hand, particularly her fingers, where they spotted a gleaming one-carat diamond ring adorning her ring finger. "I'm getting married!" she declared, her smile radiating all the way to her eyes.

"Oh, my god."

"Oh!"

"Wow!"

Their responses were nearly simultaneous, each friend reacting differently to her announcement. However, their underlying sentiment was one of genuine happiness, as Tameka and Gavin had been together for just two years but were already planning to tie the knot.

They had all observed the deep love between the couple. Gavin's affection for Tameka was unmistakable whenever they were in each other's company.

"Congratulations, Tameka," Monique chimed in with a warm smile. "I'm genuinely thrilled for you," she added, her happiness evident.

The other friends also offered their heartfelt congratulations to Tameka. Some inquired about the wedding date, and Tameka promptly shared the details.

Later, Monique felt a nudge from Amy. "What's up?" she asked, glancing at her friend.

Amy raised an eyebrow and gave her a sly smile, a playful grin dancing on her lips. “And what about you?”

Monique furrowed her brow slightly. "What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled by Amy's line of questioning.

"When is the wedding between you and Joshua happening?" Amy inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Monique wrinkled her nose in response. "Well, he hasn't even proposed to me yet," she admitted.

Amy leaned in closer, her voice lowered to a whisper. "If he hasn't popped the question yet, take the initiative. Why don't you propose to him? It's becoming a trend for women to be the ones to propose," she suggested with a mischievous grin. "Just to shake things up a bit," she added.

Monique smiled and chuckled in response to Amy's suggestion. However, she had no intention of being the one to propose to her boyfriend. She wanted Joshua to be the one to take that step, to kneel and ask for her hand willingly.

Her desire was for his proposal to be heartfelt, not born out of pressure. She believed that marriage was a significant commitment that required careful consideration. As many would say, it was not something to be entered into lightly and abandoned when things got tough. It was a lifelong commitment, and she believed it should be approached with caution.

Truth be told, when the moment arrived and Joshua invited her to marry him, her answer would be a resounding ‘Yes’. She was more than ready to take that step. Now at the age of twenty-seven, her ideal age for marriage had been twenty-five, so she felt her dream had been delayed by two years.

She picked up her beer bottle and drained it, then looked up as a waiter approached their table.

The waiter seemed to have something to convey to her, as his gaze remained fixed on her. "Yes?" she prompted him.

"Good evening, Ma'am," he greeted with a smile, then presented her with a glass containing a margarita. "This is from someone," he informed her a moment later.

Out of politeness, she accepted the drink. "Who's it from?" she inquired.

"The gentleman seated in front of the bar counter," he responded, gesturing in that direction. Monique followed his indication and squinted to get a better look. She couldn't help but widen her eyes when she identified the man – it was Joshua's twin brother.

'Was it truly Joshua's twin who had sent the drink?'

Their eyes locked, and he raised his wine glass in acknowledgment. It seemed her assumption was accurate; he was indeed the sender.

"Is that Joshua?" Amy questioned moments later, curious about what Monique had noticed.

Monique redirected her gaze from the man and focused on Amy. "No, that's Jacob, Joshua's twin brother," she clarified to her friend.

"He really looks exactly like Joshua," Amy remarked.

Monique nodded in agreement. The resemblance between the two was striking. "They're identical twins," she reiterated before turning her attention back to the waiter.

"Please tell him thank you," she instructed, lifting the glass of margarita.

"Of course, Ma'am," the waiter replied before departing from their table.

When Monique glanced toward the bar counter once more, she noticed that Jacob was still looking in her direction.

She simply shrugged and averted her gaze from him.