The actor asked if they were touched. To cherish the people around them and, more importantly, their fate as a couple, they asked if they would like to kiss deeply, as in the play’s last scene.
Only frozen for a moment, Zoe smiled, tilted her head and kissed him with a smile, her lips brushing his in full view of everyone.
Not knowing what came to mind, Vincent flinched and pushed her away abruptly. He stood up, his expression unreadable and turned his head slightly.
Our eyes met across the theatre.
I felt... nothing. No anger, no sadness, just a faint sense of relief. I broke the gaze, grabbed my bag and left the theatre.
As I reached the exit, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. Vincent chased after me, his hair dishevelled from running. Perhaps it was because he saw that I was calm since the beginning.
Different from the past, he began to explain, “Claire—seriously,” he panted, trying to catch his breath. “Listen, it’s not what it looked like. There were so many people watching. I couldn’t embarrass her—or myself.”
I nodded, smiling lightly. “Uh-huh, I understand.”
He stared at me, confused. “Wait... Are you saying that, or are you just being sarcastic because you’re jealous?”
I laughed softly. “Vincent, what’s there to be jealous about?”
At this moment, Zoe also ran out, but because she was wearing high heels, she suddenly broke her foot when she was almost in front of us.
“Vincent, it hurts so much,” Zoe whimpered, her voice soft and frail.
He hesitated, torn between wanting to help her and the fact that I was standing right there. His expression twisted into an uncomfortable mix of guilt and indecision.
I spoke first, breaking the tension. “If it hurts that badly, you should take her to a hospital. You wouldn’t want it to turn into something serious.”
My words surprised him—he wasn’t expecting me to be so calm, so understanding.
Vincent’s eyes softened as he reached for my hand. “I’ll take her to the nearby clinic and return for you. Wait for me at the entrance, okay?”
“Sure,” I replied lightly.
He looked at me for a moment as though searching for anger or reproach in my face. But I stayed composed, not giving anything away. Finally, he released my hand, scooped Zoe up in his arms and walked off.
I didn’t wait. I wasn’t going to play the fool this time.
***
As I was leaving, my phone buzzed with a call from a junior colleague at the lab.