Debora and Adam were supposed to meet in the living room, whereas Joel would stay in the kitchen, with the door closed, preparing something for dinner. But things just weren't going all that well with the cooking, mostly because he was anxiously waiting for the aftermath of a conversation that hadn't even started.
If that conversation helped reunite his best friends, he would be the one to blame. He had been the one to strongly encourage that encounter. He had convinced Debora to meet Adam, and if the sexual attraction could be a problem, they could meet in their apartment - at that time, Adam had already learned that Joel and Debora shared the apartment.
An easy recipe, like spaghetti Bolognese, wasn't working at all. The pasta was overcooked, and the sauce was way too sweet! Joel was very frustrated, at that point. Maybe, he would have time to order take out, if he went quickly.
Suddenly, Debora came into the kitchen to meet him and see how things were going. She looked overly pretty in his sight, and that disturbed him.
"You have excelled yourself, just to make a good impression on Adam." He tried to sound nonchalant.
"No, I didn't!"
"Do you have make-up on?" He insisted, reasoning that she still had strong feelings for Adam if she had come out of her way to impress his best mate with her good looks.
"No, I don't."
He barely believed that he was slightly jealous.
"Do you know what you're gonna tell him?" He asked, trying to drift his attention.
"I have rehearsed something in the mirror..." She mocked herself. "But, of course, I don't know how it will turn out." She confessed. "I'm so nervous, Joe."
He simply looked back and then drifted his attention to the mess he was doing. Debora saw the confusion in the kitchen, and before she started to whine over Joel's lack of organization, she decided to leave him alone.
________________________________________________________________________________
Debora hadn't seen Adam with his shaved hair yet, and Joel didn't care to share anything about that. So when she opened the door to Adam and saw that all his hair was gone, she was shocked.
"What happened to your hair?!"
"I needed a drastic change, so I shaved it off." He explained. "Do you like it?" He dared ask, with a hint of hesitation in his tone.
Adam had a pair of eyes that could mesmerize anyone. Debora swallowed hard before giving him an answer.
"I liked the long hair better." She truly liked long hair better, but the lack of hair on Adam's face wasn't the thing that affected her, it was his eyes and his overall manly structure.
He interpreted otherwise:
"You still haven't forgiven me..."
"Let's talk." She encouraged him.
He walked ahead of her into the apartment. When he saw Joel in the kitchen, he waved at him through the glass door and continued his way into the living room. Debora followed after him, and because she wanted to be done and over with, she started her speech by grabbing a long piece of paper from the pocket of her sweater and reading it out loud.
"Joel told me about your misdiagnosis." She started. "I must tell you that I'm really sorry, and I cannot imagine all that you went through..." She lost control of her paper because Adam had pulled it down and looked at her in the eyes.
"Don't read to me, Debbie, please! Talk to me." He pleaded.
Her eyes met his, and she felt so ashamed. She humbly realized that she was no better than him; she also made mistakes; even if they were legit, they were mistakes. Debora started sobbing and covered her face in her hands. When she felt his hands wrapped around her, her heart jumped, and she stopped crying, feeling awkwardly comfortable in that embrace. There was no sexual attraction anymore, just care and warmth.
Debora left the living room temporarily to clean the moisture off her face and her runny nose. When she returned to the living room, Adam expected her; he was seating on the couch, recalling the first time they shared an intimate moment.
"Debbie, can you ever forgive me?"
"Always." She replied with a smile on her face. "Can you forgive me as well?" She pleaded with him.
He nodded, relieved. Even still he decided to explain his actions.
"When I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and a very short life span, I decided to commit my life to God. I hid my disease from everybody because I didn't want people pitying me. I felt so alive, despite that diagnosis."
Debora drew closer to him and sat on the other end of the couch, listening attentively.
"Until that casting... I saw many women, beautiful women." He emphasized. "But none were like you. Your voice, your self-worth, and confidence, even though you were nervous," He was nostalgic. "They unlocked something in me that I've never felt before. I knew, the moment I looked in your eyes, that falling for you was inevitable." He looked back in her face, delighted and pleased to be in her presence. "If I ever lied to you about my true feelings it was only because I didn't want you to suffer." He then looked down, defeated. "I was afraid you'd fall in love with me, just as quickly as I fell for you. When you told me that you've never felt that way about anyone before, my struggle became even more unbearable." He took a deep breath. "I was hopelessly in love with you, but I was afraid."
"You coulda just told me about your situation."
"I didn't want you to have to bury me if you loved me that much." He faced her. "That would be so painful."
"Adam, you shoulda let me decide."
He nodded.
"We liked each other so much that in the end, we made each other sin, so we just hated each other after all." She declared.
"I guess."
They were silent for a while until Adam decided to be courageous and put the situation in other terms:
"Debbie, I still love you. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and I was hoping that..." He was hesitant. "We could start over since I've come clean."
She was surprised by that proposal.
"Oh no!" She felt so sorry for him, she grimaced for a while until she gave him a final answer. "Not you, oh no, Adam!"
He saw what was coming.
"I don't have feelings for you anymore."
"No?" He didn't count on that. "I hoped that..."
"You're not the man God has in His plan for me." She declared.
To hear about God again simply annoyed him.
"But we don't have to follow His plan." He tried to argue. "Give me another chance to be that man."
"Adam..." She tried to make him stop insisting.
"I will prove to you that I can love you more than anyone in the world."
Debora was scared to hear that.
He stood up and left the room, headed for the entrance, and left the apartment without saying another word.
_______________________________________________________________________________
When Debora entered the kitchen to check on Joel, he was leaning against the wall, absentminded. He wasn't expecting her to be out so soon, so when he eventually noticed her, he quickly asked:
"Where's Adam?!"
"Gone." She was disappointed.
"I thought he'd stay for dinner." He spoke. "So are you guys picking up from where you left off?" He prepared for the worst.
She shook her head in disappointment.
"It's over, Joe."
"Come here." He walked to her, offering a shoulder. He was good at that.
Debora had grown accustomed to his friendly and comforting embrace.
"It's so hard to let go! Now, I'm like: what do I do with my life now? You know?"
"Yeah, I do." He sure understood it from having to let his mother go because she was no longer among the living. "I guess we need to learn to let go." He touched her hair carefully, feeling its curls, and enjoying it very much. "That's the hardest part of life, and also proof that we weren't meant to die."
She walked away from his embrace, feeling an atmosphere building up. She decided to change the subject about Adam. That was a closed page, and she wanted to re-write another, this time with God taking control of the pen.
"Guess what?" She tried to change the atmosphere.
Joel wrapped his arms to his chest and looked at her in admiration:
"What?"
"I'm gonna be Chloe's maid of honor."
He walked to her side, helping her serve the food for their dinner.
"Nice." Joel didn't act as though he was surprised.
"Why are you not surprised?"
"I already knew. Ben told me." He spontaneously replied.
Well, Debora didn't expect Joel to know that, so she asked, looking at him with a suspicious gaze on her face:
"Why did he tell you about that?"
"Nothing." He tried to sound nonchalant, as he moved the plate to the table in the living room. When he saw that she had followed him with her plate and sat at the table, in front of him, he realized that he had to share the truth. "Well, I'll drive to Melbourne next weekend."
"You didn't tell me." She noticed.
"I should have." He apologized. "I didn't want to leave you here all alone." He manipulated the truth because when he spoke to his brother about that weekend, he said he wanted Debora to be there with him.
"I wouldn't be alone, Joe!" She smiled. "But that's so sweet of you!"
"So, do you wanna come with me?"
"Wouldn't that be weird?" She was worried about giving the wrong impression to his family.
"That's what I told Ben," Oops, Joel lost his caution.
She stopped eating and looked at him, slightly perplexed, and then she asked:
"You wanted me to go with you to Melbourne?"
He tried to keep his composure:
"Yes, I like your company, Debora." After an intense silence, he decided to say something. "So, you are Chloe's maid of honor, and now you have a great excuse to come." He smiled. "Abah-leh will be happy to see you!"
And there came that silence to make things sound even more awkward.
"Joe," She was troubled in his presence. "I need to turn in. It's been a long day. Do you mind if I do the dishes tomorrow?"
That was so sudden that he didn't really know what to say, so he just replied:
"Okay." When she was out of the living room, he remembered to say: "Good night, I'll see you tomorrow!"