Page 9 of The Friend Zone Experiment

She did not recognise him. She gave him a discreet once-over. Ket Siong registered, with a sense of unreality, that she was checking him out.

There was a slight trace of uncertainty in her eyes. It struck him that she might be trying to work out whether any interest she expressed had a chance of being reciprocated. Ket Siong probably wasn’t the only straight man at the exhibition, but he was definitely outnumbered.

Whatever Renee gathered from her inspection, it seemed to give her confidence. She smiled. “My name’s Renee.”

“I know,” said Ket Siong. He wondered if Renee often chatted men up at parties. She was wearing several rings, but the fourth finger of her left hand was bare.

“You do?” she said, her smile fading.

“It’s Yap Ket Siong,” he said quickly, as if he was a telemarketer at risk of being hung up on. “Maybe you don’t remember…”

Renee’s eyes widened. “Yap Ket Siong?”

Ket Siong felt a kick of apprehension in his stomach. He dreaded seeing her face close down. They hadn’t parted on good terms.

Renee looked him over, this time not bothering to hide her scrutiny.

“Oh my God, it’s really you,” she said. “You’ve grown up!”

Her face came alive, her expression worlds away from what it had been when she thought she was flirting with a stranger. The smile that broke across her face now was a Renee classic, spontaneous and unguarded, a dimple appearing in her left cheek.

Ket Siong remembered the dimple. It had caused him considerable difficulty back in the day. It had seemed to him that it would be a lot easier being in love with her and having to hide it, if not for that dimple.

Relieved, he smiled back, only realising once it happened how unfamiliar the expression felt on his face. “So have you.”

“But this is amazing! I never thought I’d see you again.” Renee took a step closer to him, her hand hovering as if to touch him,confirm he was really there. She flushed and drew her hand back, pushing her hair behind her ear. Ket Siong felt a small, unwarranted stab of disappointment.

“Are you here on holiday?” said Renee.

She seemed genuinely pleased. It was generous of her, given what he’d done the last time they’d seen each other.

It had been a long time, Ket Siong reminded himself. What had passed between them back then meant less to Renee, probably, than it meant to him. She’d had numerous boyfriends before him, and no doubt boyfriends after.

He felt a glow of warmth nonetheless. “I live in London now.”

“Me too.” Renee laughed. “Funny how things work out. I guess everyone comes to London in the end. How have you been?”

Ket Siong’s first thought was of Stephen. He felt his face stiffen, a sick lurching in his stomach. It was Stephen his brother meant when Ket Hau said, “The important thing is, we’re safe, we’re together. Everything else, we can handle.”

“Fine,” said Ket Siong. “What about you?”

“Oh, I can’t even begin to tell you,” said Renee, with feeling. “There’s so much.” She glanced around the room.

The gallery was shadowy, most of the light coming from the spotlights trained on the displays. This threw the gowns into sharp relief, so that they glowed against the velvety black backdrop like jewels, but it also gave the space a deceptive sense of intimacy.

Of course, they were not actually alone. There were a couple of other people there, older women with beautifully coiffed white hair and clothes so deliberately shapeless they had to be the extreme of fashion. They were talking in low voices by a glass case full of sketches, gesturing with their champagne flutes as they pointed out details to each other.

“Do you want to go for a drink?” said Renee, her eyes on the women.

Ket Siong hesitated for slightly too long. The light in Renee’s face dimmed.

“You’ve probably got plans,” she said, so easily Ket Siong wondered if he’d imagined her disappointment. “But we should catch up sometime. I’ll see you around?”

If Ket Siong let her go now, he might never see her again.

“A drink would be great,” he said. “But I came with someone. I should let her know.”

Renee’s expression flickered.