Behind the Silk Curtain

Yvette's Inquisitions.

"I was never doubting their complexity," I said as our train arrived. "I just don't understand fully what he's trying to say."

We boarded and sat ourselves in seats next to each other -- myself my the window and Thomas in the aisle. We sat facing an elderly couple who smiled at us weakly as we sat down. I looked out the window, watching the world begin to zoom by with the door closing to the carriage and Thomas scotching closer to me than I would have liked.

I glanced over at him, eyeing him and the space that he closed. Pursing my lips, I pressed myself further against the wall of the rickety train and watched the housing estates pass by.

"This goes straight through the city, doesn't it?" Thomas asked me.

I eventually drew myself back to him, taking my attentions away from the world outside to focus on the one that I was faced with. Before I could answer his question, though, the elderly couple across from us answered instead, the man of the couple saying, "It does. All major stations before heading out again."

Thomas gave them a smile, saying, "Thanks." He dragged his attentions from the couple and back to me. His kind eyes gazing upon me, lifting something up within me that I thought lay somewhere hidden…or didn't exist all together. "Where do you get off?"

"Soon," I replied. "Somewhere after you, I assume."

"When people assume, it can only cause problems," he said. "You are correct, however."

Silence resumed around us soon after that, the train carriage relatively quiet apart from the light conversation that other passengers where having that didn't last more than twenty seconds. There was a brief beat of a popular song escaping a pair of headphones from a passenger behind me, something that I recognised but hated from the constant replays that it had at the pub that I was about to start working at.

The world passed quickly in our silence but I did not return by gaze to the quickly passing world outside the station. Instead, I looked upon the couple in front of Thomas and I. They seemed happy, and together for a long time. They held each others hands tightly with the woman murmuring something that I couldn't hear. In reply, the man gripped the woman's hand tightly before lightly pecking the woman on the lips.

Thomas, I found, followed my gaze to the couple and watched them affectionally kiss each other. I soon found his lips near my ear, making my hairs upon my arms stand up on end. The train slowed as he whispered, "If anything, our Romeo and Juliet should have a little more intensity."

When the train stopped and the doors to the platform opened, Thomas quickly kissed me upon the cheek and disappeared off the train before I could say anything in return. I was left with my mouth hanging open and hand raised in mid air, about to reach out to him, and looking like a complete idiot in front of the elderly couple who looked upon me in amusement.

With a sigh, I fell back in my chair and looked down at my hands. After the train started to move once more, I raised my hand up to my cheek and felt the place where Thomas had kissed me. The touch of his lips lingered there still and I was completely surprised at the fact that someone like him had left such an effect upon me.

I mean, I am Lizzie, the girl who didn't let anyone faze her or let any guy who bought her a drink or kiss upon the cheek affect her like Thomas just did. I felt my cheeks flushing in memory of his touch, the firm memory of his lips pressing softly against my cheek.

I was brought back into the world by the elderly couple, the woman saying, "A nice boyfriend you have there."

"He's not my boyfriend," I defended quickly, standing from my seat as the train settled at the next station. "I've only just met him."

"Only the first signs of the beginnings of a friendship," the woman said. "Give it time and you'll see."

Rolling my eyes, I left the train and started for the pub that I would be working at until seven tonight where I would gratefully have dinner provided by the guys in the kitchen and have my position taken over by one of my co-workers. There was a game on tonight, so I would be glad to be out of that place but I wasn't sure what would be better -- a rowdy pub full of Arsenal football supporters or a club full of girls with…clothes? Whatever they wore, it shouldn't have been considered clothing.

I pulled my faux leather jacket further around me and pushed through the morning crowd. There was surprisingly a large amount of people that filled the streets of London. Tourists, probably, and tourists that I had to deal with when I started work in matter of minutes.

Walking around the corner of one of the streets, I bumped into a someone who I vaguely recognised. I held up my hands in apology and was about to utter one when I held back, recognising the girl as one of the "Royals" from my class that attempted to attract Thomas into an "audition" partnership with her and failed to do so. Our faces dropped at the same time, recognising each other from earlier that morning.

"It's you," she spat. I was surprised that she didn't project more anger. Probably all the botox that she was receiving. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to work," I said, cocking her head to the side. "But I doubt you know what that's like…or is, for that matter."

With this, I moved passed her and accidentally knocking into her as I continued onto work. I felt her eyes, along with the other "Royals," glaring at me as I carried on down the street. Their eyes felt harsh, but after the looks that Thomas had given me before, it felt like sunshine upon my skin -- something that London lacked profusely.

It wasn't long before I reached the bar and pushed through the door into the warm surroundings. Along with the heated pub came the smell of alcohol that permeated the air and wouldn't leave it, no matter how much you cleaned it.

Stripping off my jacket, I slipped behind the bar and placed my jacket underneath the counter and bumped hips with my co-worker for the day. I gained a sparkling smile from her as she served up a tap beer for one of our regulars. The regular raised his beer to the both of us before drinking the beer and his eyes turning to the television screen near by.

"Hey girl," Yvette said, the girl I bumped hips with. "How was your first day?"

"Barely bearable," I said, tying a apron around my waist and leaned agains the bar. "How was open this morning?"

"Barely bearable," she laughed as she poured another drink for another regular by the one she had just served.

Yvette was one of my closest friends that I had made while I was studying. She worked at the club most nights with me as well so we had become ridiculously close over the last three or so years that I had spent here. She was a musician, pianist to be exact. She tried to get into RADA, but wasn't as lucky as I was.

Hailing from Morocco originally, she moved to Paris when she was young before finally moving to London when she finished high school. I don't know where she studied now, but I knew that she gigged here and there and had invited me multiple times but I had been unable to attend. I had always planned to go to see her one time…maybe with Thomas one time.

"Lizzie?" Yvette asked, her French accent pocking through and becoming more prominent as she continued to speak. "Hello?"

I shook my head and turned around to face any approaching customers, saying to her, "Sorry. Mind fart."

"Okay, then," she laughed, her pure white teeth flashing from underneath her chocolate skin. "Who are you thinking about?"

"What does it matter to you?" I returned, hoping to get her off my back.

"So you are thinking of someone," she baited, nudging me as she spoke. "Spill."

"I told you, Yvette," I reasoned. "My mind just drifted."

"Yeah, Yvette," said the regular that she had just served. "She just wasn't doing her job properly."

"Hey, no fair," I said, pulling a face at him that only made him laugh.

"You have to tell me about it tonight, then," she said to me. "Over dinner."

"There's nothing to tell, I swear!" I retorted, bumping hips with her once more.

Smiling, work began to flow into its usual rhythmic motion. Once we had served our regulars, and made sure that they were pleasantly happy, Yvette and I began to make preparations for that nights festivities of the football game that was to occur. Various small pieces of decorations began to litter the room.

More and more customers began to enter the pub, the sky outside darkened with a light shower forcing more of London's citizens into shelter save for those who were prepared with their bleak looking umbrellas. As it grew darker and the pub became full, Yvette and I almost becoming run off our feet, I was glad to find that it was seven and I could have a small break for the next two hours.

My replacement came and I dragged Yvette back into the kitchen of the pub where the cooks rushed about preparing and cooking for that evenings amount of food that would be needed. I caught the attention of Daniel, the head chef and the provider of most of my daily meals while I worked here. He had a kind yet very English face with Londoner accent that no one could miss. Even though he was built like a boxer, he had the kindest heart.

Daniel raised his eyebrows at Yvette and I before turning form us briefly, picking up two plates filled with spaghetti. One was decorated with Bolognese source while the other was covered with just its sauce. Taking our plates, I kissed Daniel on his cheek and hoisted myself up onto one of the steel benches in the corner of the kitchen with Yvette who joined me after grabbing a fork for each of us.

Handing me one, we began to eat our dinner. While we did, she said, "I still can't believe that you're a vegetarian."

"I wouldn't really say that," I replied. "I just don't like red meat. I'l eat the occasional piece of chicken or fish but other than that, no deal on the meat."

"Which is a shame because I made a killer Bolognase tonight," Daniel said as he joined us for a moment amongst the rush in the kitchen. "And thanks for the kiss, Lizzie. I don't think you've ever thanked me like that before."

"Well, don't get any ideas because it's not happening again," I informed him.

"I doubt that," he said as he moved in and attempt to peck my upon the lips.

Yvette thankfully intervened, pushing him away by saying, "She's newly taken so don't try to make any moves on her, okay?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, Yvette," I retaliated. "No matter how much you tried to convince me to get one."

"This guy that you were thinking about in the bar earlier seems interesting," she retorted as I saw Daniel becoming more and more intrigued.

"Who is this guy? Do I know him?" he questioned, wiping his hands upon his apron and leaning against the wall nearby.

"Now I've got the both of you guys on my case about some invisible guy that doesn't exist," I said. "I don't undersand what's with you guys and relationships."

"I think it's because you work to damn hard for your own good that you don't even know what the opposite responds to," Yvette pursued.

"Not everyone's like you, miss fancy pants," I said, bopping my head this way and that.

"Don't you give me that attitude, girl," she replied, waving her finger in front of her. "Because no one can talk the talk like I can."

Daniel, Yvette, and laughed and it didn't last as long as I would have hoped as Daniel was dragged back into his work. That left me alone with Yvette once more and subject to her intense questioning that wouldn't stop until she saw Thomas. To be honest, even though he had clouded my mind that moment Yvette had pulled me up on, there was no way in hell that I was going to admit to her that my mind had drifted off to something else that wasn't related to acting.

And as much as I realised I wanted to talk to her about Thomas, I couldn't bring myself to because that meant that she would be on my back about what we were dong at all times and would want to sit down and have one of her lovely "chats" with him. Her "chats" usually considered of a series of questions that would probe deep into his personal space and would make anyone feel uncomfortable.

As I was thinking about this point, I realised how much Thomas and Yvette were alike. If I had managed to get them together somehow, it would be a match made in heaven. My mood changed and I hoped that Thomas would somehow find out the club that I worked at so I could introduce him to Yvette.

When I looked up at Yvette, a knowing expression was plastered onto her features as she said, "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

"Thinking about who?" I said, finishing off my dinner and setting it on the steel bench beside me.

"That guy!" she exclaimed as she set down her half eaten bowl of food and grabbed my by the arms. "Who is he? I want to know everything."

"Dammit, Yvette," I said. "You're not going to get it out of me this way."

With a seductive smile, as we left the pub to head over to the club that we would be working at for the night, Yvette kept on looking up and down at me with a glint in her eye. I couldn't bare to look at her as we trained it a few stations on the underground. We left the carriage that we were in and I bumped into someone unexpected…well, not unexpected if you really think about it.

My face planted into the toned, firm chest of Thomas. I almost lost my balance and only to be saved by his gracious hands that dug into my arms. Closing my eyes in embarrassment, I slowly removed my face from his chest and looked up at him.

"You're not as thin as I expected."