Beyond the Black Curtain

Chapter 7 - I See You

A/N: Hey you, yeah, you! I got another one for ya, keep reading okay? And show some love to the little star at the bottom of the page! Enjoy!

***

Rae

"You sure you still wanna go?" Rex asked behind me, he was seated on my bed while I stood in front of the full length mirror, putting up the finishing touches on my look. I decided to go with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a loose, pink mermaid top cinched at the waist under a navy blue bomber jacket. The entire ensemble was tied up together by a pair of black velvet mid-calf boots. I kept the make up to the barest minimum, my favorite shade of purple lipstick, a little mascara, light eyeliner and a pinch of blush. I tried covering the dark circles that had formed under my eyes due to lack of sleep, but even Rex's make up wizardry can only do so much.

"Yes, I do. I'm afraid Josh will send a search party for me if I don't show up," I say as I turn around, raising my arms for Rex to see if he approves.

"Are you kidding me?" Rex said incredulously. "Save for the luggage under your eyes, you look delicious, honey. Sebba bear is making the hugest, most biggest mistake of his life for not snagging you when he had the chance."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence Rexie-Poo. Are you sure you don't wanna join us? Josh said I could bring a plus one."

Rex shook his head and checked the time. "Nope, I'm good, thanks. Remember my cousin Rina? She's picking me up an hour from now to show me around."

"Oh riiiight," I remember now. "Well, okay so, we'll both have late nights then?" Rex waggled his eyebrow and I immediately regretted what I asked.

"Mmm, honey, I certainly hope a hot Romanian brunette picks you up at the bar for a VERY late night, or early morning, whichever works."

"Dear lord in heaven," was all I could respond to that.

***

I felt knots form in my stomach as soon as my Uber ride pulled up to the drop off at the Sands. I text Josh I was on my way up to meet him. He responds almost instantaneously, also telling me he's on his way.

I arrive first and take a seat at the tables outside overlooking the harbor, admiring the magnificence of the Singapore Flyer and the entire CBD skyline. I could never get enough of Singapore's elegance, I thought to myself. Even though there were some unsavory memories from this trip, it wasn't enough to deter me in returning here to make new ones.

"Well look at you," a voice cracked into my thoughts. I turn around to find a beaming Josh standing there with a huge smile on his face. I push up from my seat and I am instantly enveloped in a bear hug. We pull away several moments later and he takes a long look as if appraise me. "Your eyes look like it's gonna pop out any second, but otherwise, you look hot, sweetheart."

"Be careful Josh, you don't wanna get too much Chris on you," I say in a mock warning tone, causing him to laugh.

He shrugged. "What can I do? I work for the guy."

"How is he?" I ask after our drinks arrived. I just hoped he doesn't know what happened between me and Seb yesterday.

"He? You mean, 'they', right?" I turn away as I sip on my cocktail.

"Well, yeah, you could say that," I mutter as I swivelled back to face Josh again. "How are they?"

"Chris is great, he told me all about the places you went to yesterday and he especially loved the dog park and the DIY ice cream place. He really had a great time, Rae."

"That's good to hear," I murmur, purposefully not asking about Sebastian. It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Won't you be asking about Chris' bestfriend?" Josh asked, fixing me a tentative look. He took my silence as an answer and gave him a small smile.

"Alright then," he said. "I overheard Chris yelling at him after they got back and I had to ask, because, well, if there was something he or Sebastian did to make you feel bad, I would've been ready to beat anyone's ass. Chris explained what happened, it's okay. I won't ask about him anymore."

"Thanks, Josh, I really appreciate it. There's nothing to talk about on that front anyway. Sebastian said what he had to and we can leave it at that since he doesn't want anything to do with me."

"I'm just really sorry he accused you of being a scum reporter," Josh responded and I can hear his disappointment at how Sebastian treated me. "Enough of this depressing talk," Josh's tone brightened as he waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Escape the Bullshit, really?"

I relaxed as soon as he brought up my website. We talked for nearly an hour and it made me realize how much I'm gonna miss Josh as well. I hated the universe for having such crappy timing. Josh, Chris and Seb (if he wasn't busy being a dick) were so much fun to hang out with. It's like I've known them my entire life.

Our laughter was dying down from one of Chris' on-set embarrassing moments when I noticed Josh check his watch for what seemed to be like the 3rd time in fifteen minutes. At exactly five minutes before 9, he excused himself to go the restroom. Even though I already had four cocktails, I was still surprisingly sober, just a tiny bit buzzed enough for me to sleep soundly later. Knots started forming on my stomach when Josh took his phone with him as he got up even though he told me he'd be right back. I return my gaze on the gorgeous skyline and willed myself to relax as I awaited his return.

"That's a gorgeous overlooking view, but the one I'm looking at right now is just downright stunning."

My heart suddenly stopped. That voice.

I slowly turn to my right and find him standing behind the high chair Josh just vacated. Despite the muted lighting, I could the see the growing fire in his cerulean orbs,dark, probing and piercing right through me. It was as if he was staking his claim on me as his gaze held me in place.

"Sebastian," I gasped softly.