Punished by Divorce

Breakfast

Naomi

“Happy birthday, cuz!” Corey exclaimed in greeting. I smiled up at him as he leaned forward and kissed my cheek before he sat down. This had been a ritual of ours for as long as I could remember. We always had breakfast together on our special day. Lunch was usually reserved for my mother and dinner had always been a formal affair. This year would be slightly different. Breakfast with Corey, lunch with my mother, and dinner with Erik.

“Thank you, Corey,” I said as I took a closer look at my cousin. His short black hair was styled to perfection. He had freshly shaved and smelled incredible. His brown eyes shone bright and the smile on his lips told me he was amused. Of course, he looked dashing in his three-piece suit that probably cost a small fortune.

“Like what you see?” he teased, and I chuckled as I shook my head.

“You look good, Corey,” I then said, and he blushed as he averted his gaze. “I take it things with Daniel are going well?”

“Things are going very well, thank you,” he said as he picked up the menu. We were both overly dressed for this place, but they made the best pancakes. We had stumbled upon this little restaurant four years ago and it was our little secret. Or at least, I believed it was our secret. Corey could have brought Daniel, his partner, here at any point. I wasn’t about to bring it up though.

“And how is life at Billora?” I questioned. I already knew what I was going to have, but Corey always bored himself with the menu. He would order what he always ordered. We were creatures of habit.

“I mean…it’s ok, you know? It’s work…” he said as he set his menu aside. Before I could answer or say anything further on the subject, the owner stopped by our table.

“Well, if it isn’t the rich and famous,” Gretta said playfully as she smiled brightly. “Now, which one is another year older today?” she asked. Corey instantly pointed over at me and I hid my smile as I ducked my head. “Ah…well then, happy birthday, Naomi,” she said.

“Thank you, Gretta,” I replied.

“Right then, will it be the usual, or are either of you feeling a little adventurous today? I don’t mean to brag or anything, but we do make other breakfast foods,” Corey and I exchanged a look, but Gretta didn’t miss a thing. “So, the usual?”

“The usual,” Corey said with a smile. Gretta headed off, leaving us alone once again. The place was still relatively quiet since it was still a bit early. In another hour or so, this place would be packed. Corey and I had found that out the hard way. “Now, have you spoken to Erik at all about the papers?” Corey questioned softly. It was a subject I had forced from my mind.

“The only conversation I’ve had with Erik was via text, and it was only to confirm our reservations for dinner tonight,” I stated. Corey’s smile faded and I simply shrugged. “I’m not going to deny him, Corey. I want this,”

“No, I know. You deserve to be free…have you told anyone about it?” he asked, and I quickly shook my head.

“Who would I tell? You are literally my only friend,” I admitted softly, and it was the truth. I barely left the penthouse and if I did, it was only to attend to my personal garden that I kept on the rooftop.

“Right, well, this is definitely your time to explore and make some friends,” he said, and I sighed, but Corey wasn’t about to drop the subject and I already knew what was coming. “I mean it, Naomi. You’ve always been a loner…which is fine, but you are going to be a free woman, and you should take full advantage of that. You have been waiting for Erik to wake up and be a husband and he failed. Don’t let this newfound freedom go to waste,”

“I don’t plan on it,” I told him truthfully. “I have some ideas,”

“Good. Oh, and do me a favor, don’t tell your mother about the divorce,” I frowned at him just as Gretta returned to our table with our coffee. It wasn’t fancy or anything like that, but it was rich and so heavenly. She set down the cups before she wandered off.

“Why not?” I then asked, referring to his previous statement.

“Because she might just talk you into pleading with Erik,” he stated firmly, and I nodded. He wasn’t wrong. My parents adored Erik and I had a feeling my mother would try to convince me to stop it from happening. I wanted this, so I wasn’t about to ruin it.

“I will not say anything,” I promised. Corey smiled as he picked up his cup. “Now, tell me about Billora,”

“What is your obsession with it?” Corey questioned before he took a sip from his cup. He hummed in approval before he set the cup down.

“I’m not obsessed with it, I’m merely curious about how your life is, Corey,” I argued softly. Corey’s hard features softened.

“It’s work, cuz. I do what I have to do, but the best parts of my day are when I spend time with Daniel,”

“And why is it that you haven’t asked him to move in with you?” I asked and Corey chuckled as he shook his head. My dear cousin was very much a traditionalist even if he was gay.

“Daniel and I are taking things at our own pace. We spend a lot of time together and most nights he stays over, but…” his voice trailed off as his phone began to ring. The look on his face told me he wasn’t pleased by whoever was calling him. I watched as he declined the call.

“Who was that?”

“Nathan,” he said, and I shuddered. Yes, I wouldn’t have answered that call either.