There he sat, marinating his grey cells with a side of overthinking. Where was she now? Who was she dating? Was she still thinking about him? Was it the right decision to get a divorce? The questions raced through his mind at the speed of light. But he didn’t tire thinking about the different permutations and combinations that resulted in 1500 odd endings.

With every passing day, the thoughts got muddled further. And his conspiracies started taking meaner forms. At first it started off with the “Hey, how are you?” prototype of text messages. But sooner than later, he was obsessively stalking her on every possible social media. Until one fine day, when he got an invitation from her to visit The Goose and Gridiron. Elated by some response from her side, he prepared for the day. It almost felt like he was going to renew his vows. He muttered a speech under his breath as he scrambled into his wedding suit (the invite mentioned that the theme was a red carpet event). And he sprayed her favourite fragrance generously before smiling back at his reflection and heading out.

The restaurant was a reflection of her beauty. Accented with floral hangings and fairy lights, he felt like he had walked into a dream. He looked around nervously to find a sea of invitees gliding around the place. Craning his neck, he found it strange not to spot her in the crowd. He found his name on a table, where he sat expectantly. The tag next to his read her name, which made him smile. The wait grew longer as he was served a series of mouth watering delicacies. And then came the Tequila Marinated Pesto Chicken, searing green and full of flavours. The other guests at the table savoured the delicacy with utter delight, while he sat shame faced. Knowing exactly why he had been invited to the event.

He had stolen this recipe years ago to make it a favourite at his restaurant. But somehow, his chef had never got the flavours the way she did it. She was heart broken then. But she had forgiven him. But then—he did it again. He loved the intoxicating flavours of the tequila tossed into the pesto soaked chicken… He realised it was wrong but it was too late by then. The domino had fallen. Their marriage broke.

The table was now being wiped clean. And as he got up to leave with the other guests, a waiter crept up to him with a cheque. The guests looked at him in puzzlement, and he looked back with an embarrassed sigh. For he was the only one on the guest list who paid a price—for his meal and his deeds.