2: Stupid Lie

CIARA

Honestly, what was I even doing here? As if tonight hadn’t already messed my mind. Now, I was hiding in the men’s restroom, tucked awkwardly inside a stall, practically in the arms of a stranger, who claimed he was helping me.

The whole thing was insane. I’d barely processed the fact that the friend I’d loved for five years had been secretly dating my childhood friend. Now, instead of finding a quiet place to fall apart, I’d somehow ended up straddling this guy, because apparently those were his options for cooperating with him. Either I sat on the toilet in a squatting position or wrapped my arms around him and let him lift me up like it was nothing.

And of course, I couldn’t just sit there, graceless with my red dress, not in front of a freaking stranger. So, I did the only thing that made sense at the moment. I stupidly clung to him, letting him hold me, hoping I didn’t look as desperate as I felt.

“Hey, mister, are you sure you’re not taking advantage of my situation?” I whispered, keeping my gaze on him, stubbornly ignoring the sharp patter of pee outside the stall. “You look like you’re enjoying this.”

He didn’t answer right away. But I frowned, certain I’d caught a flicker of a grin on his face when I’d wrapped my arms around him earlier. I only did it so I wouldn’t get caught, but he looked like he was having the time of his life.

“Is it your hobby?” he whispered back, his breath tickling my neck.

“What is?” My frown deepened.

“Accusing people of being creepy,” he looked smug, I almost wanted to hit him for it. But instead, I found myself looking away, heat crawling strangely in my stomach. The way he looked at me, even in this cramped space, was doing something I couldn’t quite name—and it wasn’t making anything easier.

“Why are they not leaving yet?” I whispered, hearing the group of men outside. They’d finished whatever they came in to do, but instead of leaving, they stood around talking about how they would bed their blind dates tonight. The longer it went on, the more disgusted I felt. “Freaking assholes, for all I know, they’re just a bunch of guys with small dicks.”

“Pftt.” The stranger’s arms tightened around me as I heard him stifle a laugh, a low, almost amused sound, barely there.

I shot him a look, equal parts annoyed by the situation and something like relief, because yes, this was awkward, but he’d just helped me and, honestly, he was hot. The way his black hair was tied back so precisely in a bun, the definition of muscle under his shirt… it was obvious he wasn’t just some ordinary guy.

Still, just because I found him attractive didn’t make this any less bizarre. If anything, it made the whole situation even weirder, and I couldn’t quite decide if I wanted to pull away or just stay put a little longer.

For all I knew, Austin was already wondering why I hadn’t come back. Thankfully, the group of men finally left, their laughter fading as they exited, granting me the moment I needed to slip away.

“You can let me down now,” I said, my voice steadier than I expected. He then set me down gently but firmly on the restroom’s tiled ground. When he opened the stall door for me, I hesitated, just for a second, and turned to look at him before stepping out.

“Thank you,” was all I managed, my voice small before I slipped out of the men’s restroom, careful not to be seen, careful not to catch anyone’s eye.

Seriously, entering the wrong restroom was such a stupid mistake, but maybe, in some twisted way, that moment of stupidity had helped clear my head a little.

Austin and Yuri had been hiding their relationship for four years, and while I could grasp their reasons for keeping it a secret, it still felt fundamentally wrong. But what could I possibly do now? They were in love, enough to consider marriage, and despite the sting of the betrayal, I couldn’t bring myself to deny them their happiness.

Besides, I wasn’t entirely blameless in this situation. If I had just said something, confessed how I felt about Austin the first time my heart gave itself away, things would have turned differently.

“Ciara,” he called my name the moment I returned to the table. His voice was soft, maybe even a little shaky, and when I met his eyes, I saw it there: worry, guilt, a bit of fear, too. He looked like he wanted to take it all back, or maybe just make it right.

“I’m sorry. You’re mad at us, right? I get it. We shouldn’t have hidden it from you, our relationship...” He trailed off, the words tangled up somewhere between apology and regret.

He reached for my hand as I sat down, his palm warm and steady on top of mine. Just that simple touch made something inside me ache. I closed my eyes for a second, breathing in, letting the comfort of it settle in my bones even though I knew it wouldn’t last. 

There was still so much I wanted to say, but the words just wouldn’t come out anymore.

“It’s fine,” I managed, forcing a smile that felt sharp and hollow. “I’m hurt, yeah. I feel betrayed. But what am I supposed to do? You two are my best friends. Both of you mean a lot to me, so... I won’t hold it against you.”

“Really?” Austin’s face changed in an instant. The relief flooded him, so clear it almost hurt to watch. He then jumped out of his seat just to move closer and wrap me in a quick, sideways hug. I nodded, still holding on to the bitter smile, and patted his shoulder.

“Thank you. I knew you’d understand us,” he said, grinning as he slid back to his chair. He looked so happy, so light, like the weight of the secret had just vanished. And that, for some reason, stung more than anything else.

All this time, the man I loved was in love with my childhood friend. And I’d been too blind to see it.

How stupid could I be? Four whole years. Four years of missing every single sign, like they’d been speaking a language I never learned.

“By the way, you invited me to dinner because you wanted to say something, right? What is it?” Austin asked, and the question punched straight through me. I could feel the familiar lump forming in my throat, but forced myself to swallow it back.

“I found myself a boyfriend.” I blurted it out, not even sure where the stupid lie came from. Maybe I just didn’t want to look pathetic. Maybe I panicked. Whatever it was, the words were out there now, hanging between us.

“What? Since when?” Austin questioned, somehow, his voice sounding strained, surprised.

“The other week…” I let my words trail as I reached for my glass, sipping the last of my wine, slow and deliberate, while watching him across the table. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, like he was trying to catch a lie hiding behind my words.

“I was actually going to introduce him to you tonight, you know? As a surprise. But there was some emergency at work, and he had to fly to Italy for meetings.” I tried to sound matter-of-fact, but the excuse hung between us again, thin and awkward.

“Does Yuri know about this?” he pressed, and I shook my head. By now, I figured he must have noticed something wasn’t right—I mean, who would invite someone to dinner on Valentine’s Day just to drop news like that? But maybe he was just as clueless as I’d been.

“No, but I’m going to tell her after telling you.” I tried to sound casual, then steered the conversation away from me, desperate to regain some control. “Anyway, I was the one who got surprised instead. So, congratulations on your engagement.”

Austin didn’t answer right away. Instead, he went quiet, his gaze fixed on me, unreadable, as if he was sifting through thoughts I couldn’t guess. The silence stretched, thick enough to press against my skin.

“Austin?” I called, my voice sounding much smaller than I intended. He seemed to jolt back to the present, blinking, then clearing his throat as if shaking off whatever thoughts he was having.

“Thank you,” he said, reaching for the bottle of wine he’d ordered and filling both our empty glasses. The gesture felt oddly formal, like he was bracing himself for something. “How about bringing your boyfriend to the wedding?”

I almost spit out the wine I was drinking, but I managed to stop myself. For a split second, I thought I’d misheard, so I just stared at him, caught somewhere between disbelief and panic.

“Huh?” The word scraped out of me, even though I knew exactly what he’d said. It was loud and clear, after all.

“Your boyfriend. Bring him to the wedding.” Austin sounded determined, more certain of himself than before. It seemed he had come to a decision and decided to go ahead with it.

My stomach lurched, the room tilting around me as I tried to process it. Was he actually serious? Did he really expect me to show up with my imaginary boyfriend at their wedding?

Had I just made things a hundred times worse for myself? Shit. Maybe I had.