CHAPTER 15: FOUR GUYS, A GIRL & A WATERING HOLE

"Hi Nic, the usual please," Jess said as she sat up at the island bar.

Nic turned around from whatever he was doing. "Oh. Hi Jess." Then he glanced pass behind Jessica as if looking for someone else. "Flora's not with you today?"

"No. She couldn't make it," Jess told him, a little annoyed that he seemed more interested in her missing friend.

As Jessica was about to pick up the glass of Martini Vermouth that Nic had placed in front of her, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Jess?"

Jessica turned towards the voice. A familiar face smiled at her as she racked her mind to remember who it was.

"Julian!" she exclaimed as it all came back to her.

Julian smiled nervously at her as feelings of gladness and of fear overwhelmed him.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you for awhile," he said apprehensively.

Jessica couldn't help but smile. The silly boy obviously didn't know she had been avoiding him. "I've been fine. What about you?" she said.

The exchange was so cordial, it was worst than two strangers meeting for the first time. Jessica looked at him and decided that he was still very cute. Especially that dimple of his. She figured she might as well have some fun.

"Want to move to a table instead?" she asked him.

Julian nodded at her suggestion and extended his hand to help her off the bar stool. Jessica gave him her hand and climbed off. She let it linger on his palm as Julian wrapped his fingers around hers and led her towards a table. Then he relunctantly let them go and pulled the chair out for Jessica to sit down.

"Thanks," she smiled at him.

"Shall I get you another drink?" Julian asked her when he noticed that her drink was almost finished.

"No, I'm fine. Sit down, will you?"

As if her wish was his every command, Julian sat down immediately. Jessica grinned to herself.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" she asked, turning on the seduction.

"Hey, cheer up, man. Maybe Jess was just kidding when she said Flora had a hot date tonight."

Louis slapped Bowie on the back as they walked into Qbar together. Nick was already very much ahead of them, frantically scanning the pub for somebody.

"She's here. Jess is here," he exclaimed excitedly. Then he frowned when he noticed the guy sitting to her. "Who's he?"

Bowie shook his head at Louis' comment. "Well, she did tell me she had a prior engagement. It's probably that hot date that Jess told you about."

Louis rolled his eyes in exasperation. He couldn't believe how both his friends were reacting. He wondered what they saw in those two women anyway.

"Ni..." Louis turned to look for his other friend. He noticed Nick had already made his way towards the table where Jess was sitting with the other guy. "Come on, Bowie," Louis said as he pushed Bowie towards the same table. "She's there. You can ask her all you want to know about Flora's hot date."

"Hey Jess," Nick grinned as he walked up next to her.

Jessica looked up and once again a picture of the cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland flashed before her eyes. Behind the cheshire cat, she saw the one she wanted to see.

"Hi Nick." Then looking pass him, she smiled at Louis. "Hi Louis."

Nick noticed how Jessica's gaze tend to linger longer on Louis. He also noticed how she hardly ever paid him any attention. Nick dropped his shoulders a little and sighed as he watched her chatting away happily with Louis.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. This is Julian," Jess exclaimed and quickly introduced Julian to the rest. "Julian, that's Louis, Nick and Bowie."

After the exchange of pleasantries, Jessica reverted her attention back to Louis, ignoring both Nick and Julian. Bowie just simply stared into his beer.

Seeing how depressed Bowie looked, Louis asked Jess about Flora. "Hey, what's this hot date that Flora's gone on?"

Bowie perked up at the mention of Flora's name. Louis nodded knowingly at him as if to tell his friend, 'I'm asking for you, okay?'

Jessica followed Louis' gaze and saw him looking at Bowie. She smiled a sigh of relief as she realised his earlier interest in Flora was very likely because of his friend.

She gave a little chuckle. "She's out with Karen Chan."

Bowie brightened up a bit when he heard a woman's name. "She's out with a girl," he smiled with relief.

"Ahh..." Jess continued. "But she's out with no ordinary 'girl'. The 'girl', as you so call her, is a lesbian."

"WHAT?!" Bowie yelled.

Louis couldn't help but laugh at the revelation.

"How could you let your friend go out with her then?!" Bowie exclaimed.

Jessica shrugged and grinned at Bowie impishly. "Hey, Flora chose to go out with her. I didn't make her."

Bowie looked at her curiously. "You don't mean to tell me Flora likes women?" he asked cautiously.

Jessica laughed out loud at Bowie's comment. She shrugged, feigning innocence leaving a poor, confused Bowie to figure it out on his own.

"Who likes women?" Nick butted in, eager to join in the conversation. Julian just looked on with interest.

"Flora," Louis replied. "According to her," he continued, pointing at Jessica.

"Hey, I never said that," Jess chortled.

Louis grinned at Jess' smiling face. Her smile and laughter were absolutely infectious. And he caught himself gazing at her awhile longer than normal.