Annie's head jerked right. Ian's jaw dropped and Giselle's cheeks went light pink and barely a moment later, she blushed completely. Celestine's eyes wandered from one face to the next and she chuckled, "Wow, hornet's nest, hah? You're both sleeping with her?". A finger pointed at Giselle, then at her husband and back. Afterward Ian's ex leaned back and laughed, "Fuck me, I just wanted to tease! Damn. Alright, so I'll break the tension. So who wants to know the real reason, that guy over there and me broke up?".

While Annie stayed silent and managed to compose herself well, Giselle's face dropped into her palms and she fought tears. Ian looked out the window, his expression serious and quite unreadable. It showed that he was good at poker. Celestine smiled and opened her arms slightly, showing her palms to everyone at the table, "Oh c'mon! Don't be like that, it can't be that bad, right?". Ian and Celestine sighed at the same time, probably for different reasons while Giselle pressed her lips together and lifted her head back up. The blush had faded and her usual calm self resurfaced. During her moment of distancing herself, she contemplated options. Putting her cards on the table now would be the worst option of them all. Showing an interest in the breakup story was also among the less popular options. Her eyes avoided Annie and instead moved over Cel toward Ian. She nudged him with her hand on the thigh. Without turning his head, his hand grasped hers. She squeezed it tightly. It gave her some strength.

She hadn't made her calculation with Annie though. The neighbor woman put on a smile and wondered, "So what's the real reason you broke up?". Giselle swallowed and glared at Annie, who just shrugged at her. And then it dawned on her that her reaction to Cel's comment alienated Annie. If she couldn't stand up for whatever they had, neither would her neighbor. Ian held on to her hand, he had sweaty palms. This wasn't good.

"Oh, since you asked so nicely I'll tell! Back when, we've been a thing for about 4 years and then that girl here showed up", Celestine paused her story and pointed her finger at Giselle, "and she wrapped her claws around him like a vampire. But he...". Giselle interrupted in outrage, "My what now?". Celestine waved her off, "Alright, vampires have fingers. So where was I. Ah yes. He didn't tell her that he had a girlfriend, instead he just cancelled one date after another until I saw them pass by the former bakery on Heston Street that is now a sneaker store? You know the place, right? Anyhow, I was inside that bakery and they walked down the street, holding hands and all. Of course, I was in shock and confronted him in the evening, but we ended up making up, having sex and other things". Cel smirked and Giselle followed the story now with a raised eyebrow. She remembered those days well enough. Ian had been single, or so he had claimed, yet he had to work evenings and he never invited her over into his apartment, because he had a flatmate that didn't like visitors. Things started to fall into place now. When the flatmate had moved out after a month or so, she eventually had moved in, months later. And the tension between her and Celestine, not quite the coincidence now. She withdrew her hand, overcoming Ian's resistance. When she finally set both hands on her lap, Ian's and her eyes met. He looked sad and yet unreadable otherwise.

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A waiter distracted them, handed them the menu and asked for drinks, but Celestine told him, they hadn't decided yet. When the fashionable young waiter with rectangular glasses gracefully departed with a nod, the story continued, "A week later he smelled like a vanilla plant and a few days after that I found a bite mark on the neck. And that's when I blew up. I moved out to a friend of mine and we were done". The woman grinned at Annie and looked quite innocent, and also very much unaffected by this story. Then a small addition came in form of a whisper as Celestine leaned closer to Annie, "I don't know who to blame really. I was mad for a long time, but I guess I've moved on. So how about you? Do you think you can get them to break up?".

While Ian still gave no hint on participating in the conversation, but Giselle clenched her hands into fists. She glanced at a frowning Annie that wore an expression she had never seen before. It looked anxious or uncertain. Then Giselle spoke up, "I don't think that's your business. And quite frankly, we haven't talked about it. We're grown ups, not everything needs to go up in flames". Her voice started out steady and stalwart, but it faded into a shaky, unconvinced whisper. Her eyes locked with Annie's, and she reached with one hand over the table but found nothing. Her neighbor stayed distant and cold, she didn't understand any of this anymore. Her husband stood up without a single word, clad in an expression of sad frustration and swiftly walked to the entrance.