It All Started with a Lie

Chapter 10.1

I gave her a sheepish smile and hoped she couldn't see straight through my lies. "The door was open."

She laughed, and gently tidied up the books in the corner. "Sorry about the mess, Sonny and I spent the night with Klaus last night. We kinda trashed his room. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to read next and Sonny was panicking about this order that came in last night."

Sonny, her youngest brother, had just started his new fashion line online and had only gotten two or three sales, but I knew this was only the start.  I was fortunate enough to get a few designer pieces from him over the last few months. Ryder hasn't been so lucky, what can I say, I was always the more likable twin. For years he's been making clothes for Richard and Klaus, her brother—Klaus, that is his name, that is the strangers name. Klaus. I would have never guessed.

I couldn't think of a response to say about her comment, about his room. Every thought I began to say seemed to end in my mind with her accusing stare telling me she knew what I'd done, how I'd betrayed her. I almost wonder if it would just be better to tell her now, before the lies spiraled out of control. She'd understand, right? I didn't know who he was to her, I didn't know anything about him. But the thought of having to look in those beautiful eyes and break her heart, and tell her that I had sex with him, felt gut wrenching. So I simply smiled, and asked about the book in her hand. Her eyes lit up as she raved about how excited she'd been to read it and how her brother had gotten for her. I took her arm as she continued to tell me about the plot and led us back downstairs, away from my lies. When she finished telling me about her new book she began setting the table. "How have I never met your brother before?" I'd been to her house constantly, for months, how could I not once met him? And why the hell did they not have a single recent photo of him in the house? So many of them as kids. Not even a graduation photo.

Richard sighed. "I kept him from you." She was blunt and honest as always. "I made him leave when I knew you were coming over, or I'd make sure he stayed in his room. And I know it was crazy, I just had never had a real friend before and I didn't want to lose you."

I wish she hadn't. I wish we'd just met from the start. None of this would have ever happened, I would have never gone near him had I known. I would have stayed far, far away from him. I just needed to meet him a few weeks sooner. I look down at my hands, fiddling with my ring. "It's okay." It was not okay, I betrayed the most important person in the world to me.

"So," she tried to save the conversation, "what's been happening with the handsome stranger?" she prompted.

I stiffened, worried she might see straight through my attempt at a calm demenour. My laugh was chopey as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Nothing really. We've talked about him too much already. Plus your brother should be down any minute now."

Richard frowned. "Oh, screw my brother!"

Already did.

"I want to hear more about the stranger." She sets the three plates down, mine the one without rice, and also in the middle of the two plates. I think about switching them, not sure I'd make it a whole night between the two of them, but wonder if that too would show off how I've betrayed her, so I say nothing. She smiles, but it does nothing to ease my nerves. "Have you run into him anymore?"

Yes. About five minutes ago. In your house. "Nope," I lied. "Haven't seen him since."

And as if he knew we were speaking of him, his footsteps sounded through the house as he came down the stairs to greet us. While I stared at him, freshly dressed in what I assumed to be a Sonny original shirt, hair mangled from drying with a towel, Richard stared at me, watching my every move. I stretched on a smile, ignoring the queasy feeling in my gut and held out my hand to him. "It's so great to meet you." My voice was stoic, almost robotic.