Yeah.
This was going to be a problem.
I looked at the sister sitting across from me.
She was still looking at me, waiting for an answer.
Then my phone buzzed again.
I didn't even need to check.
I already knew who it was.
My girlfriend.
I picked up my phone and looked at the message.
I'm almost there.
I stared at it.
Then I looked at the sister.
She noticed immediately.
"She's coming, isn't she?"
I paused.
There was no point pretending.
"Yeah."
She looked away.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then she asked quietly,
"What are you going to tell her?"
Good question.
Very good question.
Unfortunately, I had about thirty seconds to come up with an answer.
I stood up.
"We need to leave."
She looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because I don't think having this conversation in front of her would be ideal."
She almost laughed.
"You think?"
I ignored that.
We walked outside the café.
I checked my phone again.
Another message.
I can see you.
I looked up.
And there she was.
Standing across the street.
My girlfriend.
She wasn't crying.
She wasn't yelling.
Honestly, that was worse.
She just stood there looking at me.
Then her eyes moved toward her sister.
And stopped.
Oh.
This was going to be really fun.
She crossed the street.
Neither of us said anything.
She stopped right in front of me.
"Hi."
"Hey."
Her eyes went back to her sister.
Then back to me.
"So this is where you've been?"
I smiled.
"Pretty much."
She stared at me.
"Pretty much?"
I knew that tone.
This wasn't going to be a normal conversation.
She folded her arms.
"I've been calling you all night."
"I know."
"And you couldn't answer?"
"I was busy."
She gave me a look.
"Busy with my sister?"
The sister immediately looked uncomfortable.
I stayed calm.
"She needed someone to talk to."
My girlfriend laughed once.
Not because anything was funny.
"You always have an excuse."
I looked at her.
"And you always assume the worst."
She stepped closer.
"Because lately the worst keeps making sense."
That was actually a good line.
I almost respected it.
She looked at her sister.
"Did you know he was ignoring me?"
Her sister hesitated.
"I didn't know he was ignoring you."
"Interesting."
Then she looked at me again.
"You've been spending a lot of time together."
"She's my friend."
My girlfriend's expression changed.
"Your friend?"
"Yeah."
She looked at her sister.
Then back at me.
"Just your friend?"
Silence.
I could feel the sister beside me tense up.
This was the exact situation I'd been trying to avoid.
I could lie.
I could deny everything.
Or...
I could turn the question around.
"Why are you asking me that?"
She stared at me.
"Because I want the truth."
I smiled slightly.
"You know the truth."
"No, June. I know what I've been seeing."
She took a breath.
"You disappear for hours. You don't answer me. You're constantly with her. And every time I ask what's going on, you tell me I'm overthinking."
I shrugged.
"Maybe you are."
She looked genuinely hurt for a second.
Then angry again.
"Do you even care about me?"
That question hit differently.
Not because I felt guilty.
Because I needed to answer it carefully.
The sister was standing right there.
One wrong sentence and everything would explode.
So I gave her the safest answer possible.
"Of course I care about you."
She stared into my eyes.
"Then why does it feel like I'm losing you?"
I didn't answer.
Because for once, there wasn't a clever answer.
Her eyes moved toward her sister again.
And suddenly she asked,
"Did you tell her?"
The sister looked confused.
"Tell me what?"
My girlfriend looked at her.
"That he's been acting differently around you."
The sister looked at me.
I looked at her.
Nobody spoke.
Then my girlfriend said,
"Actually, forget it."
She turned around.
I grabbed her wrist lightly.
"Wait."
She stopped.
"What?"
"We should talk."
She looked at my hand.
Then at me.
"Okay."
She pulled me a few steps away.
The sister stayed where she was.
My girlfriend lowered her voice.
"Do you like her?"
Straight to the point.
I looked at her.
She wasn't asking about friendship anymore.
She already knew.
Or at least she suspected enough.
I took a breath.
"No."
It was a lie.
A massive one.
But I said it without hesitation.
She studied my face.
For a few seconds, I thought I had gotten away with it.
Then she said,
"Look me in the eyes and say it again."
I did.
"I don't like her."
She stared at me.
Then smiled.
And that smile scared me more than anger would have.
"Okay."
I frowned.
"Okay?"
"Yeah."
She nodded slowly.
"I believe you."
I relaxed.
Too early.
Because she continued.
"But I'm going to ask her."
My smile disappeared.
She walked back toward her sister.
I immediately followed.
My girlfriend stopped in front of her.
"Can I ask you something?"
The sister looked nervous.
"Sure."
My girlfriend glanced at me.
Then back at her.
"Do you like June?"
I froze.
The sister froze too.
For a second, I thought she'd deny it.
She had every reason to.
But then she looked at me.
And I saw the answer on her face before she even spoke.
"I..."
She hesitated.
My girlfriend's expression hardened.
"Just tell me."
The sister swallowed.
"I don't know."
My girlfriend laughed bitterly.
"That's not a no."
I stepped in.
"Enough."
Both of them looked at me.
My girlfriend raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you defending her?"
"I'm not defending anyone."
"Then what are you doing?"
I looked between them.
Trying to think.
Fast.
Very fast.
Because whatever happened next was going to decide everything.
My phone buzzed again.
I ignored it.
Then it buzzed again.
I glanced at the screen.
A message from my friend.
BRO WHERE ARE YOU?
I didn't reply.
Another message appeared.
I'm coming.
I locked my phone and put it away.
My girlfriend noticed.
"Who was that?"
"My friend."
She nodded.
Then looked at her sister.
"Do you know what the worst part is?"
Her sister didn't answer.
My girlfriend looked at me.
"I think you both knew this was happening before I did."
And suddenly, I realized something.
She wasn't here to ask questions anymore.
She was here because she'd already figured out most of the answers.
And now I had one problem.
I could lose my girlfriend.
I could lose her sister.
Or...
I could somehow make both of them believe I was still in control.
I smiled.
Because obviously, I preferred the third option.
The problem was...
I had absolutely no idea how to pull it off.
Like and subscribe