The call with Jane gave Brian so much relief that it was like a giant knife was laid off from his back. It was agonizing him that she did not remember who he was when he first met. The past was treacherous, but it was still a part of who they are. He is a firm believer of the philosophy that the past makes us or breaks us. And he is hoping for the former.
Brian originally planned to go back to his condo unit since he had an agreement with Jane to meet there. Technically, though, she'll just come over to get her stuff and personally thank him. The thought rejoiced Brian to the point that he decided to buy Jane's cookbook and ask for an autograph. It seemed creepy but it can be just a friendly act of support and can be a tangible memoir. After some self-persuasion, he pushed on with the thought and swerved his car towards the Town Center.
Arriving at the commercial area, Brian run past tons of people casually shopping. He dodged a running kid waving some toy car. He positioned himself away from an old couple as he tried to overtake them. Hurrying was a tall task, but he finally managed to reach the National Bookstore shop. Jane's cookbook was displayed in the New Finds section which can be seen as one enters the store. Brian looked at his watch. It was already 4:15 pm. The traffic was to blame. An invisible sweat dewed down on his cheeks as he reminded himself that he needed to be home at 4:30 as he thought that Jane would probably be there at about 5 pm. He had to be there 30 minutes before to clean up.
Luckily, there was no line at the counter at the National Bookstore that time so John bought Jane's cookbook with no problem. He skimmed it a bit and thought. Maybe I should start to learn cooking. He laughed at the idea. Brian is a more decent cook than he'd like to admit but compared to his skills in management, his cooking is a bit of a tragic story.
Seemingly happy with the purchase, John engaged in another gruesome journey across the crowd towards his car. This time, he was faster. It was already 4:25 pm and it was a 10 minute ride to his condo unit.
I gotta hurry. Those three words were the only thing in his mind.
While Brian was driving towards his flat, Erika was in a bathroom stall at a salon in the commercial center. She did not want to use the public bathroom stalls since she did not like the aesthetic. She loved to frequent salons and found out that it had better bathrooms so every time he needed to retouch her make-up, she would go straight for the salon.
Erika retouched her make-up with a depressed mood. This was triggered by Jane's question earlier about regret. She had many regrets in her life and one of them was letting Brian go. Well, technically they both let each other go when they both decided to pursue their careers in different places. They both did not believe in long-distance relationship since they both are the kind of people that crave physical contact. Oh, how she missed the intimacy.
As she reminisced the past, she decided to call Brian. She had already asked Gabe if Brian had changed his number and it turned out that he did not. At least some things have not changed. She thought.
She dialed the number and waited for a few seconds to ring however Brian's cellphone seemed to be unattended or out of coverage area. She was quite livid at the fact. However, she digressed and just settled for the voicemail.
"Hello, Brian. It's me Erika. I just called to tell you that…" Erika was silent as she was piecing up what to say. "No, it's something that I have to tell you in person. I'm gonna be there at your flat." There was a strong conviction in Erika's tone as she decided to confront this wall that has been there since they met back in the conference room.
Erika looked at the mirror as she wiped a tear in her face. She whispered a curse as she realized that she ruined her make-up. She had no choice but to start over again.
Erika's emotional moment in the bathroom stall was opposite of what John was feeling as he was looking at the mirror in a bathroom stall at a local studio. The business meeting was a success. He had met with this local music producer to produce a song that John was writing. They threw some ideas around and had some creative experimentation in the studio. It was a productive day which made him ecstatic. But, it was not the only reason why he was ecstatic today. The other reason was Jane.
"Hey, John. I have been meaning to ask you. Can you perform in my club tonight? I want to see how people will react about the song you have been writing. You can do it acoustic right?" Allan asked. Allan was a local music producer. He also had a club. He was short but what he lacked in height, he made up with his fashion style and musical talent. He knew tons of instruments and produced some music that topped local charts which John admired. That is why John wanted to work with him in the first place.
"Yeah, sure. Where and what time?" John gleefully relied.
"At the town center. It's a club called No Feel. Most of the goers are rich and had a lot of network so it's a good chance for you to let people know you are out there." Allan really genuinely wanted to help John. Maybe he saw some talent in John or maybe he's just generally a good guy. John did not really care what reason as long as Allan saw some value in his craft.
When John decided to play at the club, the first thing that came to his mind was to invite Jane. However, he feared that it would be too soon and it would just creep Jane out. But then, he argued that Jane was a cool girl and probably be welcome to any kind of fun especially if it was just to listen some music.
John had many moments in his life where he just went for it. He was always afraid of regrets which is why he was always open for trying no matter the consequence. Failing after trying for him was better than regretting not trying at all.
And calling Jane was another one of those moments where he just went for it. This way he'll have no regrets.