Perhaps Over Tea

Perhaps Over Tea

It had been three weeks since I’d last stepped into this beautiful house. Which meant it had been twenty-one long days since I’d seen the owner of this residency after we had quarrelled like children. Here I was, sitting in this very house’s living room, watching the man who caused me such pain and agony in a mere few weeks make tea. 

‘I gave him that tea set. I have not seen him use it once, until now.’

“Lola,” he set the cup on the table, “please forgive me. What you said deeply resonated with me. I will try harder. I swear it on my life. Please, can we put this all behind us?” He pleaded. I ignored him, picked up the dainty porcelain cup and took a sip. After all this time, he still couldn’t make a decent cup of tea. His mother would’ve been disappointed. 

‘I suppose I should’ve known. You cannot make good tea in a day when you’ve been making terrible tea your entire life.’

“Lola,” he tried again, “please be reasonable. I’m giving you a second chance so we can start anew before the wedding,”

“Benjamin, I do not wish to hear your excuses,” I sighed, setting the cup on the table. The tea looked as though it hadn’t been drunk. “Nor do I want to hear how you made this tea. It was downright revolting. I am not here to take upon this offer of yours. The wedding will not proceed until you can prove to me your heart is true and you apologise for the mistakes you made!”

“Do not raise your voice at me, Lola. Your father put you in my care. I intend to honour that request,”

“So you will acknowledge the words of a dead man but not the ones of a woman with a broken heart?” I hissed, getting ready to leave. “I have no further business with you, Mr Kilpatrick. Good day,” I stood up, headed for the front door, but Benjamin grasped my wrist before I could exit.

“Let's not make things more difficult for ourselves, alright? Be a dear and sit down, Lola. There are things we need to discuss,”

“No, there are not. Let go, Benjamin.” I tugged my arm away from his grip, but he only held on tighter. He dragged me back towards the living room and did not let go until I had promptly sitten back down.

“You are to marry me, Lola Morrissey. The marriage is what you wanted. Why do you protest when the event is to happen in a few months?”

“It’s not what I want. It’s what you want. I am not ashamed to admit that it is what I wanted some time ago, but it is no longer the case,” I replied, unable to look him in the eyes.

“Explain it to me then,” he demanded, “we are in love! How could you refuse such an honour?”

‘Has he become more pretentious since we last met?’

“Were in love, Benjamin. Why do I have to waste my breath explaining it to you all over again? I thought I had made it clear when we argued,”

“Explain.” His word was final like a royal decree, but I refused to bow to it.

“You know you are in the wrong. Your arrogance blinds you in such a manner even I, your proclaimed lover, could not help you see. Perhaps it was that arrogance that made you like this, Benjamin. I was never your equal. It never occurred to you that I deserved to be matched with you since you put yourself in a higher tier,”

“That’s not true!” he bellowed, “How dare you speak of me like that?”

“There you go again!” I shouted in retaliation. “How dare I speak to you like that? Do you forget I am just as much of a human as you are? I loved you, Benjamin! I loved you, and I loved you, and I loved you, but it wasn’t enough. It will never be enough for you. We are finished here,” 

“Lola, you love me, and I expect you to marry me,” He insisted, but I was finished.

“You must live in a constant state of denial,” I scoffed, rising from my seat once more.

“You found someone else, didn’t you?” Benjamin suddenly asked, and I laughed humourlessly.

“Oh, Benny! Congratulations, you finally figured it out,” I jeered, “Yes, I found someone else. She treats me better than you ever could,”

“She?” He stared at me with wide eyes. “Lola, that is disgraceful!”

“It’s none of your business. That’s what it is. Goodbye, Benjamin. I will file a report if you continue to follow me around. I believe they call it a restraining order, but perhaps you didn’t know that, just like you don’t comprehend boundaries,”

“Lola, no! This is a mistake,” He yelled, grabbing me by the arm. 

“See? No sense of personal space. This is ridiculous,” I picked up the teacup and poured its contents over Benjamin’s tailored vest. He shrieked, taking a step back as if he was expecting more tea to splash over him. 

“How could you do this to me, Lola?”

“You’re pathetic, Benjamin. I opened my heart to you, and all you did was tear it open until it bled,” I looked at the cup in my hand and its beautiful design. “It’d be a shame if you were missing a cup from your set,” I mused before throwing it against the wall. It shattered everywhere, an explosion of white that burst like my patience. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out. I hope you can learn from this.” He didn’t say a word as I left, letting me go without a word of resistance. 

‘Perhaps I finally knocked him down a few tiers.’ I shut the door behind me, exhaling in relief. My bonds had been lifted; I was free. In all honesty, I did hope Benjamin would be alright once he’d realised his wrongdoings. I checked my watch and hurriedly walked out of the building, knowing this would be the last time I’d set foot in here. 

It didn’t take me long to arrive at Cecelia’s house, who was expecting me. The door swung open as my lover greeted me with a smile on her face.

“Lola, darling, would you like some tea?”

“Please,” I collapsed onto a seat, “you don’t know how badly I wish for a decent cup of tea.”