Reservation: Roy Plus Two

Michelle folded her hands in her lap as she studied the restaurant menu, trying very hard to look like she belonged there.

The lighting was low and warm, the kind that made everything look softer and more expensive. Candles flickered in small glass holders on each table. Soft instrumental music drifted through the room, something with strings and piano that felt elegant even if she did not recognise it. The tablecloth beneath her fingers was crisp and white, the napkin folded into a neat fan beside her plate. There were three forks. Three.

She kept glancing between the menu and the prices, her stomach tightening a little more with each line she read.

Roy leaned forward slightly, elbows hovering awkwardly above the table like he was never quite sure where to put them in places like this. "You can order whatever you want," he said gently.

Elaine nodded beside him, smiling warmly. "Absolutely anything."

Michelle looked up, startled by how sincere they both sounded.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," Roy said.

"You deserve a nice dinner," Elaine added. "Especially today."

The knot in Michelle's stomach loosened just a little. She nodded and looked back down at the menu, trying not to feel overwhelmed by the simple fact that they meant it.

She still could not believe how nice Elaine was.

She had expected awkwardness. Competition. Some quiet, polite tension. That was how these things were supposed to work. Instead, Elaine had slid into the back seat beside her like it was the most natural decision in the world, had talked to her like she mattered, had listened to her like her feelings were important.

It felt wonderful.

Being out with Roy always felt wonderful. He made her feel safe in a way she had never quite experienced before. But being out with both of them felt different. Brighter. Like the date had been multiplied somehow.

A date plus.

She found herself smiling down at the menu.

Elaine reached across the table and lightly squeezed Michelle's hand. "Have you decided yet?"

Michelle nodded quickly. "I think so."

When the server arrived, Michelle stumbled slightly over the name of her entrée, cheeks warming with embarrassment, but Roy immediately mispronounced the wine they ordered so badly that even the server blinked in confusion before politely correcting him.

Roy flushed. "Right. Yes. That one."

Michelle bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, but it slipped out anyway. Elaine laughed too, touching Roy's wrist in affectionate reassurance.

"Fancy restaurants are not his natural habitat," Elaine said fondly.

"I do fine," Roy protested, reaching for his water glass and nearly knocking his napkin into his lap in the process.

Michelle laughed harder, covering her mouth. The sound felt good leaving her. Easy. Light.

And charming. That was the word that settled into her mind as she watched him straighten his napkin with exaggerated care. Charming. He did not pretend to be something he was not. He was just Roy, trying his best, caring too much, worrying too much, being awkward in ways that made her feel warm and tingly.

She loved him.

Across the table, Elaine reached over and adjusted Roy's collar slightly, smoothing it with gentle fingers. Roy glanced at her with a small, grateful smile. Their eyes held for a moment, something soft and deeply familiar passing between them.

Michelle watched closely.

They touched each other without thinking. Little gestures. Fingers brushing wrists. Knees bumping beneath the table. Shared smiles that happened mid-conversation without interrupting anything.

Michelle filed each detail away carefully.

When Roy reached for his drink again, she leaned forward slightly and rested her hand lightly on his forearm, copying the casual intimacy she had seen Elaine use. Roy looked at her, surprised for half a second before his expression softened immediately.

Elaine caught the gesture and smiled at Michelle across the table, a small, approving warmth that made Michelle's heart flutter. She felt included. Guided. Like someone was quietly showing her how to belong here.

For a moment, Michelle's thoughts drifted to her mother.

She had always believed her mother had been a good mother. Strict, yes, but strong. Organized. Protective. Even when her father had been alive, her mother had always been the one setting rules, keeping things structured, making sure Michelle stayed focused.

After her father died, that strictness had hardened. Expectations had grown sharper. Affection had become rarer, replaced by lectures and corrections and long silences when Michelle disappointed her. Michelle had never questioned it.

But watching Elaine now…

Where was that warmth in her own childhood? The easy kindness. The way Elaine listened without interrupting. The way she reached out instinctively, touching Michelle's arm when she spoke, offering comfort without making it feel like pity.

Is this what everyone else had for a mother?

The thought arrived quietly and settled heavily in her chest.

Then another realisation followed just as quickly.

While she was naturally demonstrating what a mother could be, Elaine was most certainly not Michelle's mother. She was something else entirely.

They were both girlfriends of the same incredible man. That connection felt strange and new and oddly perfect all at once. Not replacing anything. Not competing. Just... existing beside each other.

The food arrived, and Michelle nearly gasped at how beautiful it looked. The flavours were richer than anything she usually ate, every bite warm and comforting and indulgent in a way that made her feel slightly guilty and deeply happy at the same time.

Conversation flowed easily. Roy told a story about a disaster at work involving a malfunctioning printer and an entire afternoon lost to toner dust. He grew animated while telling it, gesturing too widely and almost knocking over his glass again.

Michelle and Elaine both reached to steady it at the same time. Their hands bumped, and they laughed together, the shared motion feeling natural instead of awkward.

At one point, Elaine sighed softly. "I wish I could steal him for the night," she said, smiling at Roy.

Michelle froze slightly, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth.

"But," Elaine continued gently, turning toward Michelle, "I think he should take you home tonight. You've had a very hard day."

Michelle swallowed, trying to hide the rush of emotion that swept through her.

Roy nodded slowly, a look of uncertainty on his face. "Of course."

Elaine reached across the table and squeezed Michelle's hand again. "You deserve to feel safe and cared for tonight."

Michelle blinked rapidly and nodded. After a few more minutes, she excused herself to the washroom.

The restaurant washroom was almost as elegant as the dining area, marble countertops gleaming under soft lights. Michelle stepped up to the mirror and stared at her reflection.

Her sundress looked simple compared to Elaine's deep emerald elegance. Elaine carried herself with a confidence Michelle could not imagine having at that age. She was beautiful in a polished, effortless way that made Michelle feel younger than she already was.

Normally, she would feel intimidated. But as she stared at her reflection, another thought rose to the surface.

It wasn't Elaine's opinion that mattered.

It was Roy's.

And Roy loved her.

The certainty of that brought a grin to her face, almost eliciting a giggle. She was loved! Her man, her boyfriend, loved her! And no amount of toxic mothers, no amount of beautiful competition, could change that. She straightened her shoulders slightly, smoothing her dress, watching her expression soften into something quietly hopeful.

When she stepped back into the dining room, she slowed as she approached the table. Roy and Elaine were leaning closer together, speaking quietly. They had not noticed her yet.

"...you have to promise me," Elaine was saying, her voice soft but firm.

Roy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Elaine..."

"Roy," she said gently, but there was steel underneath the warmth. "She has had enough rejection for one day. Probably for a lifetime."

Michelle froze a few steps away, her heart suddenly pounding.

"You take her home," Elaine continued. "You take her to bed. You make her feel loved. The way a woman needs to be loved. Emotionally and physically. She needs to know she matters. That what she went through is worth it. That she is wanted."

Roy looked down at his hands, fingers tightening around his napkin. He looked uneasy. Hesitant.

Michelle held her breath.

"Promise me," Elaine said quietly.

A long pause stretched between them.

"I promise," Roy said at last.

Michelle felt something bright and electric spark through her body. Her exhaustion from earlier, the heaviness she had carried all day, seemed to lift all at once, replaced by a fluttering excitement she could not contain. Taking one steadying breath, she stepped forward.

Roy looked up immediately, his expression shifting into a gentle smile as if nothing had happened. Elaine turned toward her, equally warm and welcoming. Michelle smiled back, pretending she had heard nothing at all.

But inside, her heart raced with anticipation. She was not tired tonight. Not like the night before. Maybe tonight, she thought as she slid back into her chair, maybe tonight could be the night she had been quietly hoping for.

Maybe tonight she'd get the chance to show Roy how good of a girlfriend she could really be.