The Lie Began Before Hello
803 Words
One Saturday morning, I walked back home from a sleepover at Calvin’s house.
Calvin was my placeholder. A man who loved me deeply, and I felt nothing for him. Not even guilt.
Before I left, I had already lied. I told Tracy I was spending the night with my girlfriends. She had warned me countless times to stop wasting Calvin’s time. I never listened. I never do.
When I got home, something felt… off. Tracy had cooked. That alone was suspicious.
She never cooked when I wasn’t around. So I asked her what had happened. And that is when she said his name. Kiara.
Two years. That name had not been spoken in this house for two whole years. It was almost forgotten. Almost.
So of course… I needed to know why he had suddenly reappeared.
She told me he had just passed by. Casual. Unplanned.
But then she kept talking.
About his new job.
KPMG.
About how well he was doing.
About how he was still single and how she had even tried to convince him to get a girlfriend.
Something in me shifted. I asked for his number. And the moment she gave it to me…I texted him. Immediately.
Not because I missed him.
Not because I cared.
But because of what he had become.
I barely even remembered what he looked like.
My message was simple, ''Hi Kiara, this is Lilly, Tracy’s friend.''
He replied instantly.
And just like that… it began.
I told him I was just reaching out because I heard he had passed by. That was a lie. I wanted more. Much more.
His reply was calm. Polite. Perfect.
The kind of English that tells you everything about a person without them saying it. Refined. Educated. Intentional.
I assumed he had gone to top private schools. It was just an assumption. But it made me want to match him. So I started lying.
I told him I had lost his number when I changed my phone. That was only half true.
The truth is I had blocked him, during my ninety days of prayer and fasting. He had been supportive, encouraging and invested in something I did not even believe in. I responded by cutting him off. Then, after the fast… my phone got stolen. So yes, I lost numbers. But not his. His… I chose to lose. Still, I left that part out. Because lies are easier when they are built on pieces of truth.
From the very first messages, our conversation flowed effortlessly. Like we had known each other for years. Of course, it did.
I do not struggle with lying.
I asked about his job. He explained everything patiently and kindly. The kind of information you could easily Google… but it sounded different coming from him. More important. More real.
He spoke about his work, his schedule, his life. Everything about him felt elevated. Like he belonged to a world I was not part of. Suddenly, I felt small. Inadequate. But also curious because now I wanted more than just a conversation.
I wanted access. To him, his world and his life. So I started building a version of myself he could accept. A better version. A false one.
I told him my internship paid me 1,600 pounds. Not the 600-pound stipend it actually was.
I told him I worked for a big company. Not the small startup Tracy and I had joined as the very first employees. I told him we even worked from home. Another lie.
I told him I was graduating at the end of the year. That one… I knew was impossible. But I said it anyway because I needed to feel like I was on his level. Or at least… close enough.
The conversation kept going. Long messages. Easy laughter. Comfort.
Too much comfort for people who had just reconnected and, at that moment, I knew something dangerous was happening.
If I could not have him romantically, then I would settle for friendship. Deep down, I already wanted everything.
Before we ended the conversation, we made a plan. A simple one. A cook date.
He would come over. I would make his favorite meal. Naan bread. Butter chicken. I said yes. Without hesitation.
There was just one problem. I did not know how to cook naan bread.
Things were moving too fast. Faster than they should have. Faster than I could control. But by then, the lies had already started stacking.
Once I start…
I do not stop.
By the end of that first conversation,
I had already told more lies than I could keep track of.
And Kiara?
He believed every single one.
The only problem was…
I was about to meet him in person.
Lies are much harder to hide when someone is looking directly at you.
- Writer
