Another Alice

The waitress came over to Gabriel’s table a second time, asking him if he was ready to place his order. He smiled before explaining that his date was running a few minutes late. Still, he’d have to order something soon. 

He had a table with a view, and watched the rain-battered streets and people on the sidewalk as they scurried for shelter. It was a fierce downpour, and he too had barely managed to keep himself dry before coming to Meredith’s Place, this comfortable little restaurant. He wondered if the same could be happening to Adelaide. Maybe she’d got caught up in the weather.

Gabriel took out his smartphone. To his surprise, there weren’t any recent messages from her. That’s so strange. I wonder if everything is alright.

The last time they spoke, she’d sounded a little out of it. When he asked what had happened, she told him that it was nothing, and that they should meet at the restaurant instead of him picking her up. They’d been dating since freshman year, so it was easy for him to deduce when she wasn’t okay, even though she pretended to be.

He lifted his hand to signal the waitress, who swiftly came over.

“Are you ready to place your order?”

“I’d like a bottle of chardonnay, please.”

The waitress nodded and headed toward the bar. Gabriel resumed looking out the window again, observing everyone going about their nightly routines. The sight of a young family caught his attention. The children were dressed in matching raincoats and taking turns hopping through puddles. He smiled. Shouldn’t they be in bed by now? But what did he know about kids? He pushed his fingers into his pocket, gently touching the small velvet box which held the white gold engagement ring.

Tonight was Adelaide’s twenty-third birthday, and, like every year since they’d met, they were going to celebrate it together. However, the ring in the box was something he’d been pondering for a while.

“I hope I’m not too late,” someone whispered in his ears.

He jumped, then quickly glanced over his shoulder as a cold hand touched his neck. “No, you aren’t.” His dark brown eyes went up to meet her amber-colored ones. “I’m just glad you made it in one piece, especially with the weather.”

“I had an umbrella,” said Adelaide, “but I left it in the entry area.”

She sat in the chair across from him, unwrapping the scarf around her neck, and collapsing her chocolate-brown hair. But as she tucked the strands behind her ear, Gabriel, staring at her, started to squirm uncomfortably, his palms sweating all the more. Mentally, he’d mapped out the entire process of how the night should go, and yet, now that she was finally sitting before him, the weight of the box in his pocket was like a brick.

He looked up from the menu he was pretending to read, about to break the silence. But suddenly, he was at a loss for words—her eyes were already locked on his, and what he was about to say melted like cottoncandy on the tip of his tongue. Because at that moment, as the orange glow of the candlelight illuminated her face with summery radiance, and made her white dress look borderline angelic.

She raised a brow at him. “Is everything okay?”

“N-No, I’m fine. I just thought that...you look...really nice tonight.”

Adelaide smiled. A wave of relief washed over him, and he began to relax. There was just something about the unusual silence that had him a little worried.

“I can’t decide between the lamb stew and the veggie burger,” she said. “What’re you getting?” She paused after seeing him make a confused face. “What is it?”

“It’s just a little strange,” he said. “I thought for sure you’d get something with noodles.”

She blinked at him. “What about the noodles?”

His eyebrows furrowed, and he stared at her in frozen disbelief, trying to comprehend what he’d just heard. “Usually they’re your go-to whenever we come here. You called it a ‘must-have’, like every time.”

“Oh yes, of course,” she said, reaching for a breadstick from the basket. “I just thought I’d try something new, you know. But then again, something with noodles does sound good about now.”

Gabriel took hold of the wine bottle that was brought to their table before pulling off the cork. It let out a loud pop, and he pours the Chardonnay for them both. He held his glass up in a toast, but he was the only one, as Adelaide didn’t raise hers. She just stared out the window with a stony expression before turning to look at him again.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked. “You look a little down.”

She rose from her seat. “Everything’s good. I just need to use the restroom quickly.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”

He placed the glass on the table, and, just like that, she swept across the restaurant in a hurry, leaving him with his thoughts and extra time to rehearse what he had in store for the night. He quickly pulled out the ring box. Should I drop it in her glass now? Gabriel thought. But what if she swallows it by—

“Gabe?”

The sound of Adelaide’s voice sent his heart into overdrive. He hid the box as she dropped into her seat, exhausted, hair dripping wet, in the middle of damping out the water from her dress’s shoulder blades with a handkerchief. It wasn’t the look of someone who’d just stepped out of the restroom. How’d she get that drenched in less than five minutes?

“What happened?”

“I got caught in the rain,” she answered, still drying herself, “and I lost my umbrella, plus my phone had gone missing, which is why I couldn’t reach you.”

His mouth hung open; it couldn’t be true. Was she telling him that she’d just arrived at the restaurant—then who was that before? Had he been so focused on what to say that he’d imagined another Adelaide? Or was she playing an elaborate prank on him?

The waitress from earlier walked over to their table. “Good evening. Have you decided on what you’re ordering?”

Adelaide skimmed through the menu before closing it. “I’ll have your shrimp carbonara.”

“Okay, and for you, sir?”

“I’ll have the same.”

After jotting down their orders, the waitress left.

“Gabe, who was that girl before?”

He stared at her, feeling lost. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Don’t play games. The girl that was just sitting here. I saw her get up and leave.”

Gabriel chuckled at this. Now, she’s definitely messing with me. “That’s very funny Adelaide. Nice try.”

She did not smile.

“You were the one sitting here,” he said, trying his best to understand. “You called me sweetie. And you went to the restroom — Wait —and you were wearing different clothing.”

Adelaide’s eyes twitched as she smoothed her wet hair back away from her face. “Don’t be ridiculous, I literally just got here.” She looked at him with knotting brows. “Plus, I couldn’t find my phone and I misplaced my dress, so—”

“Is that why you’re drenched?”

He saw the subtle twitch in her upper lip as she tried to contain herself. “Weren’t you listening? I just got to Meredith’s Place. I walked here from my building. Then I got caught in the rain, and what’s worse is that you were already dining with some girl who—”

“A girl who what?”

“She looked exactly like me, Gabe,” said Adelaide, a tinge of fear in her voice. “Our eyes met through the window while I was in the rain standing outside. Which is probably why she left!”