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. Besides, she was too busy to apply makeup: Bech always had to go somewhere right now.
“Bech,” Lily broke the silence in the car from her regular back seat, “did I mention that you look stunning?” Bech didn’t take her eyes off the road; she just raised one perfect eyebrow and kept driving. “Jade, have you not seen Bech? Why are you not talking?”
Jade turned in the front seat towards Bech. Indeed, she looked different. She was glowing. Or was it his own emotions that made him see things that way?
In the back seat, Lily saw the vibe emitting from Jade. She could see the guy falling helplessly for her friend. He wasn’t good at hiding his emotions after all.
As if Bech could sense his gaze, she turned to him and met his eyes briefly. No, she didn’t see what she saw. She couldn’t have seen what she saw. Jade was not that expressive, and he would in no way be interested in a woman like her. She was plain! She shook her head and smiled. Her dream came to her again and she smiled. She had something better to look forward to.
Finally Jade spoke. “Bech, what did you do to your face? You are glowing.” His tone was too quiet for Bech’s liking, but Lily caught on and began to giggle.
In no time, they arrived at the theatre, a full hour ahead of entry time. The three friends usually walked around the premises, admiring the green gardens that encircled the theatre, the statues of the previous directors and great actors of a near-distant past, and the iconic building that housed the theatre with its plush seats and washrooms. Lily had once mentioned that she wouldn’t mind sleeping in the washrooms because of how pristine they were at all times, eliciting laughter from her friends.
Today, however, Bech and Jade seemed absentminded; only Lily was bringing up the conversation. Even she stopped trying and they strolled around the premises in silence, each keeping to their thoughts.
Twenty minutes after their arrival, other show lovers began pouring in, and Bech began scanning each man in the crowd for her dream man. She hoped to meet him, even though the thought unsettled her. After waking up, she had begun to wonder how it would feel to be loved again after everything… could she ever love again? She shook her head to clear the thought.
Soon the announcement for entry was made and the three friends headed for the entrance. The disappointment was evident on Bech’s face as no other man bothered to look her way except Jade. Why was Jade acting weird today?
As usual, after their tickets were verified, they made their way to the front row of the auditorium with their bottles of fruit juice and slices of pizza. Incidentally, Jade was seated between Bech and Lily and Bech could feel Jade occasionally rub his knee against her. He made it seem unintentional, but three or four times could not be unintentional. What was he up to?
Bech couldn’t focus on the play. She was alert for any piece of paper that would drop on her lap for a secret rendez-vous. Just as the play was about to end, she felt a soft breath near her left ear and she froze. Could it be… her heart sank when she heard Jade whisper, “Can we talk after the show?” She turned to look at him and nodded, carefully hiding her disappointment. What could he want to talk about?
Finally, the curtains were drawn and the audience filed out slowly, everyone chattering about the exquisite performance of the young cast of characters. Bech had not made any observations as she was engrossed in reproducing in the flesh the man in her dreams.
When they got out into the garden, as if on cue, Lily excused herself and left Bech and Jade alone. “Let’s take a walk,” Jade said, offering his hand to Bech. Bech took his hand and they walked out of the premises into the night. They walked on quietly for some time.
The night sky was breathtaking. Bech couldn’t help but breathe in the freshness of the air around them. The developers of the theatre had planted trees along the lanes. The trees made the lanes more sinister at night but tonight, there was a bright full moon up there. The sky was so clear that she could read a book if she had one. She felt the gentle pressure of Jade’s hand and looked up at him. Why had he asked her to walk with him?
Just as the thought ran through her mind, Jade stopped them both. He turned Bech around to face him. This was going to be more difficult for him than he had imagined. The essence of the long walk was for him to collect his thoughts and tell the woman how he felt about her but it hadn’t worked so well. Here he stood right before her, unable to speak.
She looked up at him, expectant. He looked into her eyes and saw the innocence. He didn’t want to ruin her like he did the others. He wanted to keep her safe, even from himself. But he wanted her for himself too. He opened his mouth and gasped, but no words came out. He saw the confusion on Bech’s face and touched her chin. Finally, he said, “I haven’t stopped thinking about you, Bech. What are you doing to me?”
Bech was taken aback. She knew she must step back but she couldn’t. So mesmerized was she with Jade’s dark eyes. She had seen that look before… many, many years ago. “What are you doing to yourself, Jade?” Bech responded mildly. “Why did you bring me here?”
“I… can’t stop thinking… you’re so different… May I be so bold…” he moved his head down towards hers… “to touch your lips…” he did, with the pads of his thumbs so softly like a feather’s touch… Bech’s eyelids fluttered close. Jade took that as an invitation and kissed her… tentatively at first, and when she didn’t push him away he held her waist with one hand and cupped her cheek with the other and kissed her more boldly. He didn’t know how long he had before her proper sense kicked in; he put all his emotions into that kiss, giving, taking, nudging, until he felt the gentle pressure on his chest and the slow withdrawal of her lips. He let her go regretfully, maintaining contact with her, forehead to forehead. “There’s something here for you, Bech,” he said, drawing her right hand to where his heart hammered hard in his chest.
Bech disengaged finally. She looked fully at his face. The face of her steady friend. What was going to happen between them? Or perhaps he was just like the others, coming to take what they felt belonged to them? “Jade, what is this?”
“Did you not feel anything?” Jade asked back, surprised that she asked in the first place. Was he the only one who experienced the fire?
Bech moved two steps aside. The man in her dreams could not be Jade, could he? She didn’t harbour any latent emotions for him, did she? Was she subconsciously interested in a relationship with Jade? She didn’t allow any of these questions to leak on her face or into her voice when she said, “Jade, what did you want me to feel? It’s already late. Let’s head back for Lily. She might be wondering what happened to us.”
With that, she whirled around and started the walk back. All Jade’s words were stuck in his throat. He had given her his deepest, most selfless kiss, and she didn’t feel anything? Had he lost his touch with women? But Bech wasn’t like other women. He only followed her with no answers to his questions. What sort of woman was this?
