Chapter Nine

“Richard stepped into the bar quickly before the door slammed shut, with the cold gust of wind following him in. He felt the warmth almost instantly, in sharp contrast to the chilly atmosphere outside. The next thing to greet him was the cool, enticing music playing in the background. He almost found himself swaying to the saxophone medley as he slowly began to walk in.

The lighting was low, so his eyes took some time to adjust. Then, he beheld the scenery in front of him with fascination.

Round wooden tables were placed all around, with four wooden stools at each table, all arranged in such a way that one setup doesn't bump into another. And each one of these tables were occupied with people with the need to cool off after a long stressful day. Or, probably just people who wanted to chill and enjoy the beautiful winter evening.

Up ahead, a long countertop with tall stools placed in front of it; for customers who wanted drinks straight from the waitresses at the counter. With people all around the counter, Richard was slightly surprised that he still managed to spot out the person he came for. After all, he thought, if he couldn't recognize his best friend anywhere and anytime, who would?

Richard moved around the tables and the people seated by them. Arriving at the counter, he stopped suddenly and smiled at his friend, who seemed oblivious that someone was watching him. Or not.

‘Are you gonna take a seat, or are you gonna stand there smiling like a girl on her first date?’ He twisted on his stool until he faced the surprised expression on Richard's face.

Both men laughed and hugged themselves, slapping each other's backs.

‘How did you know I was standing there?’ Richard asked with genuine amazement.

‘Your reflection on the cabinet glass, you idiot.’ Charles laughed, pointing behind the waitresses at the counter. A brown wooden cabinet stayed suspended on the wall, displaying several kinds of drinks through its glass doors. Charles was right; the lighting was enough for Richard to see their reflection on the glass, and their childish smiles too.

Through them, he saw the doors to the bar swing open. And a familiar figure walk through them. His smile began to fade when he recognized the long brown hair, the plump rosy cheeks, and the walking pattern.

Suddenly breathing heavily, he let go of Charles and spun around.

His worst fears were confirmed.

Which were also his hidden desires and wishes.

Bianca Monroe just stood there, in her favourite black turtleneck sweater, with a long leather jacket draped around her right arm. Almost every skirt she put on, like the white one she wore now, ended up being short for her, thanks to her height. Which was the main reason why she didn't wear heels, other than how uncomfortably unstable they were.

She'd spotted them, and they saw her. Charles was the only one still smiling.

That's when Richard knew he'd been set up.

‘Pretty, isn't she?’ Charles patted Richard's back with a wide grin.

In another Universe, Richard's glare could've been enough to set Charles ablaze. On this one, Charles simply smiled back.

‘After all this is over, you can hulk out and kill me. Now, however, we've got things to discuss.’

‘Things like?’ Richard managed to squeeze the words out through gritted teeth.

’You'll see.’

Minutes later, the three of them sat around a table that was vacated by two couples on a double date. Three drinks stood on the table top; a Scotch for Charles, beer for Bianca, and some orange juice for Richard.

Charles frowned at Richard's choice of drinks.

Richard scowled at Charles for tricking him in the first place.

And Bianca raised an eyebrow at both men who were acting childishly.

What a lovely evening it was turning out to be.

‘You guys need anything else?’

The waiter, a young man in his twenties, waited eagerly for a response, obviously oblivious to the tension at the table.

‘Uh, thanks. We're good.’ Bianca smiled sweetly at him. Even the sound of her voice made Richard swallow hard. Realizing he had beads of sweat on his forehead, he decided that he needed to hold it together or risk looking like a fool. Wouldn't be the first time he cracked under the pressure she exerted on him.

‘Charles never told me you'd be here.’

It took Richard a couple of seconds before he realized Bianca was talking to him. He also realized he'd stopped breathing, and almost cursed himself for his lack of discipline.

‘He . . . didn't tell me we'd be having company too.’ Richard managed to say.

‘And all was revealed in due time.’ Charles said defensively, raising a glass of Scotch.

‘ Why exactly are we here, Charles?’ Bianca was starting to sound impatient.

‘Aw, Bianca. Can't we just have a little fun? For old times sake.’

‘I hate to break it to you, bud. But we can't go back to those days. We aren't kids anymore. Things—’ Richard stole a glance at Bianca sitting across from him.

‘—Things have changed. A lot has changed.’

Bianca looked at Richard with emotions he couldn't read. Richard looked away from her enchanting stare.

Charles shifted his gaze from Richard to Bianca, and finally shook his head.

‘What was I thinking?’ He conceded. ‘You're right, Richard.’ He dropped a briefcase on the table, and Richard was busy wondering where that came from.

‘You brought work to a bar?’ Bianca chuckled, bringing her bottle to her lips.

‘You truly haven't changed much, Charlie.’

‘Unfortunately for you,’ he joked.

He flipped it open and extracted a sheet of paper from the inside. He placed it on the table, pulled out a pen from his coat pocket, and continued to stare at Richard.

‘Is this—’

‘It is, ol' Richy boy.’ Charles downed another glass. Bianca looked lost.

‘The updated version of your will. Just like you asked.’”

★

A knock on the door caused Joshua to jerk slightly. The grogginess he felt made him realize that he'd fallen asleep on the couch. He sat still for a moment, trying to recover some level of agility. Then he noticed the laptop, balanced on its side, on the floor. It must've fallen off his lap when he fell asleep.

The third knock spurred him into action; he picked the laptop and memorized where he'd stopped reading from. Then, he shut it off. After the fifth knock, he rose from his position and staggered towards the door.

Tracy looked different, Joshua noticed as he swung the door open. Maybe it was the fact that she wore a lot more lipstick and mascara. Or that she had a fringe hairstyle as opposed to her usual ponytail. Perhaps it was because she wasn't dressed in blouses or slacks or suits or jackets; she simply wore a plain white long-sleeved sweatshirt with blue jeans pants and some impressive Nike kicks.

One thing that didn't change was the way she smelled. Her perfume strolled leisurely into Joshua's nostrils and lingered there. He resisted the urge to pick her up and sniff her like a flower.

Another thing that didn't change, that could never change, was how pretty she looked.

"Can I come in?" She requested with a smile.

Joshua looked at her perfect teeth and almost fell to his knees. Who could say no to an angel?

"Oh, my bad. Please come in."

He stepped aside and allowed her into the apartment.

She walked timidly with her tiny brown purse over her shoulders, and sat down gently on the green couch in the middle of the living room.

Joshua caught himself staring awkwardly at her, closed the front door, and quickly offered to make her . . . lunch?

He quickly glanced at the round pendulum clock on the brick wall, on his right from where he stood.

A couple of minutes past two, in the afternoon. And he thought it was closer to five in the evening.

Time really did move slower in the suburbs.

He looked back at Tracy and continued his proposal of lunch. She smiled at his kind gesture, but shook her head.

"I've got another idea," she said, raising a yellow plastic bag to his view.

Joshua squinted at the bag, wondering why he hadn't noticed it before. Then remembering he was too busy ogling at her. The Chinese language on the front side of the bag prompted Joshua to think of one thing.

"Is that—"

"Yes, it's Chinese food." She interrupted with a laugh. "Just stop asking me so many questions and get down here!"

Soon after, Joshua had his face covered in noodle juice and chicken sauce. Tracy, with a paper package containing dumplings and chicken, shook her head and laughed at the man-child before her. They'd moved into the kitchen, sitting close to each other at the medium-sized table.

Joshua smiled in embarrassment as he wiped his moist mouth with a paper towel. "Pardon me, I couldn't help myself." He explained.

"I can see that," chuckled Tracy. "How come you like Chinese food so much? Was it a regular serving in your boot camp?"

Joshua looked at Tracy and returned her smile. "First off, it wasn't a boot camp. It was a police academy for young cadets. Secondly, I didn't develop cravings for Chinese food at the academy. It was from back home. See, my father used to take us to this Chinese restaurant a few blocks from my house as regularly as possible. That's where the addiction began."

Tracy rested her elbow on the table, and placed her head on her hand; the perfect listening position.

Joshua smiled again and continued.

"The first day we arrived there was only the second week it'd been in business, so I had no idea of what to expect. My dad smiled as my brothers and I ordered the only thing on the menu; noodles. Four steaming bowls were placed before us in a matter of minutes, all having the same contents. Since we weren't used to chopsticks, we ate with forks on our first day. I'll never forget the way the flavours slapped me when I tasted it." Joshua smiled at the memory.

"I couldn't explain it then, but all I knew was how good it tasted. How I wanted more. We ended up taking two bowls each and some more to go." Joshua laughed.

Tracy hadn't stopped smiling since she walked in 20 minutes ago. Somehow, it kept getting bigger. Joshua walked to the fridge, depositing the noodle pack in the trash along the way. He pulled out two soda cans, grasping them in one hand, and a glass cup in the other. Setting a can and the glass before Tracy, he sat back on the stool with the other soda in his hand.

"You never told me you had brothers." Tracy remarked. She snapped her soda open and poured it into the glass.

"I guess the opportunity never presented itself," he chuckled nervously as he scratched his head.

"Maybe so," she sipped her soda slowly.

"What about you, Tracy? Any family of sorts? A husband, maybe?"

Tracy spurted some of her drink while laughing. The dark brown liquid tainted her white sweatshirt, creating streaks of brown lines running down. Some of the soda even ran down her nose. Joshua was immediately apologetic, grabbing paper towels and rushing over to dab her face.

"Argh! You'll ruin my makeup!" Her voice was muffled under the paper towels.

"Damn. I'm sorry." Joshua took a step back with his hands up in surrender.

"It's okay," she chuckled. She dabbed on her sweatshirt until she gave up when the stains didn't disappear.

Her gaze met Joshua's and lingered. Slowly, she moved closer until she could feel his breath on her face. Looking up into his blue eyes, she smiled yet again, sending shivers down his spine.

"I'll have you know," she whispered, "That I have no husband waiting for me in some faraway city. I'm as single as a singlet.

Joshua grinned. "So am I."

"Good."

One minute they gazed into their eyes, each waiting for the other to breathe.

The next, they both sank to the floor, devouring their lips and tearing at each other's clothes.