CHAPTER 27: MEN

“Is everything okay?” Louis looked at Jessica worriedly. She had been acting funny these past few days. Jessica didn’t answer and continued to stir her drink absent-mindedly.

“Jess?” Louis called her.

She still stirred her drink, her mind 5,000 miles away.

“Jess!” Louis waved his hand in front of her face.

“Huh?” That caught her attention. “Yes?”

“What’s wrong, Jess? What’s bugging you?” Louis asked with concern.

Jessica forced a smile and shook her head. “Nothing,” she lied. Then changing her mind. “Err…” she hesitated. “Louis…”

Louis waited expectantly for her to continue.

She had to dump him, dump him, dump him… she drummed the thought continuously into her head. “Louis…I…we…maybe..” she stammered.

Louis frowned. “What is it, Jess?”

I don’t think it’s going to work out between us. Maybe we should just call it quits. There, I said it… Jessica sighed. Now, if she could only say that out loud…

“Louis…let’s just quit…”

“Quit?!” Louis exclaimed in surprise.

“…err…quit…this place and go catch a movie or something instead?” Jessica blabbered on, unable to bring herself to do what she had wanted – no, make that HAD to do. She regretted ever having dared Flora in the first place.

“Oh, okay,” Louis smiled. “Do you want to go now?” he asked as he got up.

Jess nodded and smiled back at Louis’ handsome face. There was absolutely no way she could do it. Maybe she was falling in love after all, she sighed. She would just have to forget about the bet. She would just have to tell Flo the deal was off. Her friend would just have to settle for the watch instead…she didn't care. Flora Lau was not going to take HER man, she smiled as she got up to follow him.

“Hey Flora, where have you been? Haven’t seen you for awhile,” Nic asked her as she sat down at the bar.

Flora shrugged and gestured absent-mindedly with her hands. “Oh you know, been busy and all that.”

Nic placed her usual drink in front of her without waiting for her to order. “Here you go. The usual, right?”

“Yup. Thanks,” she smiled at him. “Hey, Nic. Have you seen Bowie around lately?” she asked suddenly.

“Bowie?” Nic frowned, trying to put a face to the name. He shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t quite remember…”

“Oh, it’s okay then,” Flora forced a grin. She had been trying to get in touch with Bowie for a couple of days now but to no avail. She sighed.

“Flo!”

Flora turned her head listlessly to see whom it was that had called her. It was Jessica.

“Hey, why the bored face?” Jess asked as she sat down next to her. “Look, I’ve got something to tell you,” she continued without waiting for Flora to answer.

“So, tell away,” Flora said with little interest.

Jessica looked around the pub. “Not here. There’s too many people.”

“Yea, this place always has lots of people. It’s not as though I don’t know. Why tell me something I already know?” Flora blabbered on incoherently.

“No, no. That’s not what I wanted to tell you. Let’s go some place quieter,” she tugged at Flora’s sleeve.

They ended up at a quiet coffee shop not far from Qbar. Flora stared off into space, her mind very obviously not one with her body.

“Flo, I can’t do it,” Jessica went straight to the point.

“Me too…” Flora mumbled.

“Look, can you pick something else. Anything else,” Jess said.

“What is it I want anyway?” Flora whispered absent-mindedly. It was very obvious she wasn’t really paying attention to what Jessica was saying.

“So, yea. What do you want?” Jessica asked.

“If only I knew…”

“Are you going to tell me or not?” Jessica said impatiently. “Cos if you aren’t, then the deal’s off. I can’t give you him, all right. I just can’t,” she told her friend.

Flora looked at her blankly. “Huh? Where is he?” she asked.

“He’s at work,” Jessica sighed. “Look, did you hear me? I said there’s no way I can dump him.”

“Since when did Bowie become yours to dump?” Flora questioned accusingly.

“Bowie?!” Jess exclaimed. “Who’s talking about Bowie? I’m talking about Louis!” She grabbed Flora by her shoulders and shook her. “Hello! Are you with me? Have you heard what I’m been trying to tell you all this while?!”

Flora blinked a couple of times, her mind finally registering what she was seeing. “Oh, sorry. What was it you were saying?”

Jessica sighed. “You’re going to make me go crazy one of these days.”

“Huh?” Flora looked at her blankly. “You’re were telling me that I was going to make you go crazy?”

“No!” Jessica cried out. Then she sighed. “I was saying that I can’t go ahead with it. Pick something else.”

“Can’t go ahead with what?” Flora asked, this time genuinely not knowing what her friend was getting at.

“Can’t go ahead with dumping Louis!” Jessica yelled.

Flora raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And why’s that?” she grinned mischievously.

“I…I…I think I’m in love,” Jessica finally brought herself to say those words. “I don’t know, Flo. I’ve never felt anything like what I’m feeling at the moment. I can’t dump him, okay? And I can’t give him to you. No way.”

Flora faked a shock-horror expression. “You? Jessica Lee, in love?” she gasped.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Yea…can you believe that?”

“Why not?” Flora smiled. “Oh Jess, I’m so happy for you.”

Jessica looked at her friend in disbelief. “But I thought you wanted to Louis?”

Flora waved her hand. “Oh come on, you didn’t really think I was serious, did you?”

“Well, you did go ahead with the dare and you won fair and square.”

Flora grinned sheepishly. “Err…about that, yes. Urmm…well, how should I put it? I didn’t win anything. I didn’t go ahead with the dare. I didn’t do anything with Karen. IT didn’t happen. You don’t owe me anything.”

“What?!” Jessica gaped at her. “Then what was that all about?!”

“It was just my little trick to get you to admit you were in love with Louis,” Flora chuckled.

“You witch!” Jessica exclaimed as she threw a napkin at her.

Flora laughed. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

When the laughter subsided, Jessica frowned at her friend. “Okay, so what’s the deal with you and Bowie now?”

Flora shrugged. “He’s not picking up my calls. It’s been 3 days now.”

“And Karen?” Jess asked.

“We’re friends. Just good friends.”

Jessica nodded even though she wasn’t quite sure what Flora meant. “Uh huh…”

“Hey!” Flora suddenly exclaimed. “Louis and Bowie are buddies, right. Could you possible find out why he’s avoiding me?”

“Flo…” Jess looked at her friend. “Do you really like Bowie or are you taking him for a ride?”

“Oh, come on Jess. Don’t go preaching to me now that you’ve found your Mr. Perfect,” Flora snapped.

“I am not preaching to you. But, look we’re not exactly young anymore. Maybe it really is time we settled down, tone down what we’ve been used to all our life. I’m just worried about you,” Jessica explained.

Flora sighed. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know anything anymore, Jess. I thought I liked Bowie but I kept thinking about Karen all that time. Then I thought I liked Karen but when it came to that ‘moment’, I couldn’t do it. And now, I can’t seem to get Bowie out of my mind and he won’t pick up my calls.”

“Hey,” Jessica smiled. “Why don’t I speak to Louis and find out what’s going on with Bowie, okay?” she assured her friend.