Page 10 of The Friend Zone Experiment

“Oh, you should bring her along,” she said. “Is it your girlfriend?”

“No!” Ket Siong cleared his throat. “No. A friend. Let me just—I’ll go tell her.”

“OK,” said Renee. “Ask her to join us. Will you come back here, or…?”

Ket Siong nodded. “I won’t be long.”

4

Ket Siong allowedhimself a backward glance as he was leaving the room. Renee had wandered over to look at the sketches, her hair falling across her face as she bent her head. She was obviously eavesdropping on the fashionable white-haired women’s conversation. She bit her lip to suppress a smile, that dimple coming and going in her cheek.

Renee had always been like this: alive to the people around her, perpetually ready to delight in their idiosyncrasies. He had to force himself to turn away.

He managed to track Alicia down in a stark white room. Glass compartments covered the walls from floor to ceiling, containing headless mannequins arrayed in white. Alicia was talking to a woman, a very trendy young person with pink hair.

Whatever they were talking about, it was clear it was important to Alicia. She kept glancing sideways at her companion, her hands flying periodically to her hair—twirling a strand around her finger, tucking it behind her ear.

This made Ket Siong feel a little better about his intention to abandon her. He attempted to catch her attention.

This proved more difficult than expected. Staring at her while walking past faux-casually did not work, though Ket Siong passed Alicia twice without looking away from her. He would have done it a third time, except a middle-aged woman in a floral dress noticed him. She gave him a flattening look of disapproval.

It wasn’t part of Ket Siong’s plan to have security called on him. He waited till the watchful floral woman had moved away, then tried his luck hissing and jerking his head—agonisingly aware, all the while, of the fact Renee was waiting by that ivory ballgown, all too capable of inviting the next attractive man she saw out for a drink, or being so invited.

It was evident that Alicia had spotted him, but was determined not to respond. She continued to pretend she didn’t see him even when he approached close enough that he was right behind her interlocutor.

“You all right, Alicia?” said the pink-haired girl.

“Yes! Fine!” said Alicia. “Just got distracted by that gorgeous jacket—no, not behind you. Right here!”

She put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, steering her to look at the display. While the girl was busy inspecting it, Alicia made a vigorous shooing motion at Ket Siong behind her back.

Loath as he was to intrude, Ket Siong felt it necessary to draw a line. He was not accustomed to being treated like a wayward chicken, especially by someone so much younger.

“Alicia, have you got a moment?” he said.

Alicia’s friend jumped, understandably startled to realise he was there. Alicia glared at him.

“I’ll be back in a sec,” she told her friend.

“What’s wrong?” said Ket Siong, when he’d finally succeeded in pulling Alicia aside.

“Ket,” she said, “do you know what ‘cockblocking’ means?”

“Oh,” said Ket Siong.

Fortunately, Alicia simmered down upon hearing his news. He did not mention Renee’s invitation for her to join them.

“Who is this person you’ve run into?” said Alicia, intrigued. “Is it a woman?” She glanced back at her friend, adding, “Or a man? Or other? I mean…”

“An old friend,” said Ket Siong, who knew perfectly well what she meant. “Will you be OK getting home?”

“Yes.” But Alicia was avoiding his eyes in a way that suggested home might not be her destination that evening.

It was her brother who was Ket Siong’s student, not Alicia. Still, he’d escorted her here. That gave him some responsibility for her.

“Do you know her well?” he said, glancing at the girl she’d been speaking to. The girl was eyeing Ket Siong suspiciously. “You’ve got my number. Text me if you need anything.”

“I’ll befine,” said Alicia. “You go. Have fun.”