While Bech and Lily were chit-chatting in Lily’s hall, Jade was alone at their table, contemplating his life. He could not believe his luck, that a woman he wanted did not want him back. It had never occurred in his life. He was the ladies’ man; other men came to him for tips to win a woman, and they had returned with appreciative testimonies. Had he assumed too much?
Three weeks after that night, Bech, Jade, and Lily met for their usual get-together. They met at an open-air bar in the afternoon. It had rained the day before, the atmosphere very refreshing. It was a good day to be outdoor, and the three friends always looked forward to their meet-ups. This is how their friendship had survived all these years. Even though they had been in the same university, they had had to make time consciously to get together to draw support from one another and study with one another.
Lily was sitting on the bonnet of Bech’s car when she saw the pair approach from the lane. She had been waiting for close to thirty minutes. She had searched the external premises for her friends but she did not find them. She had heaved a sigh of relief after she saw Bech’s car still parked in the lot. For a few moments, she had assumed they had left her too. How ridiculous.
Bech was driving. She seemed absentminded; the passengers in her car were only fortunate she knew the road like the back of her hand. She was driving on autopilot. Jade and Lily exchanged confused glances, wondering what could have happened to their usually stable friend. And the strangest thing of all was that she was wearing makeup. No one could convince Bech to use makeup for any reason. She loved to carry her natural face about. She would say that she wanted to be found easily if she was ever kidnapped.
Jade could not get Bech out of his mind after how he had seen her. That moment in her bedroom was the first time he had seen Bech vulnerable. She always looked steady and sturdy, like an unmovable wall. But seeing her writhing between the sheets, evidence that she was having an active dream made Jade want to hold her and be there for her. The farthest he went was holding her hand and forcing his voice through her unconscious state to wake her up. She had never needed to be awoken for an event; she was always waiting for them to finish.
Bech had never been taken aback by seeing the human male species like she was that night. She had seen him from across the forecourt of the conference hall as she joined the queue patiently waiting their turn to enter the auditorium. Their eyes met briefly, there was a sudden gust of wind, and oh she felt the chill run up and down her arms and a warm shiver down her back. She had felt that way only once in the entire twenty-four years of her life. Bech shook her head to clear the memory; no, she didn’t want to go down that lane.
In the captivating world of “Twisted,” the lives of Bech, Jade, and Lily intertwine in unexpected ways, delving into the complexities of love, betrayal, and unwavering friendship. As their destinies become intricately linked, the narrative unravels the depths of their emotions and the challenges they face in their pursuit of inner peace and true love.
