The space between us

Chapter 5_ Lily Knows too much

It started with a group chat message from Lily at 8:02 a.m. on a Wednesday:

> Lily: Emergency brunch. 10 a.m. at Sunbeam Café. Don’t be late.

Daniel: Is this a real emergency or a Lily emergency?

Lily: Real. Absolutely. 100%.

Ryan: I’m in.

Ethan: Don’t you have class?

Lily: Don’t you?

By 10:05, they were all seated at their usual corner table in Sunbeam Café, a small place with big windows and pale wooden chairs. The smell of fresh pastries filled the air, and sunlight spilled over the table, making the mugs of coffee glow amber.

Lily, naturally, had ordered three different kinds of pancakes “for the table” but was already halfway through one stack herself.

“So,” she began, cutting into a blueberry pancake, “how long are you two planning to keep pretending you’re just friends?”

Ethan’s fork froze mid-air. “What?”

Ryan laughed, leaning back in his chair. “Here we go.”

“I mean, come on.” Lily gestured with her fork, nearly sending a blueberry flying. “You arrive together. You leave together. You share food like you’ve been married for ten years. And don’t think I didn’t notice you feeding him a bite of your tart at the festival, Ryan.”

“That was one time,” Ryan said, grinning. “And he stole my drink first.”

Daniel, sipping his coffee, raised an eyebrow. “She’s not wrong, though. You two do have… a certain dynamic.”

Ethan set his fork down carefully. “We’ve been friends since we were kids. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.” Lily didn’t look convinced. “And I’ve been friends with Daniel since first year, but I don’t sit in his lap when there are perfectly good chairs available.”

“That happened one time!” Ryan protested. “And only because the bench was full.”

Daniel smirked. “Sure.”

---

The conversation drifted toward weekend plans, but Ethan could feel Lily’s gaze flicking between him and Ryan now and then, like she was filing away observations for later use.

When Lily excused herself to order another coffee, Ryan leaned across the table toward Ethan. “You know she’s never going to drop it, right?”

Ethan sighed. “I know.”

Ryan tilted his head. “Does it bother you?”

Ethan hesitated. “Only because she’s wrong.”

Ryan’s smile was small, almost unreadable. “Right. Wrong.” He sat back again, drumming his fingers lightly on the table.

---

After brunch, they walked out into the crisp morning air. Lily linked her arm through Ethan’s without warning.

“You know,” she said softly so the others couldn’t hear, “if something is going on, you don’t have to hide it from me.”

Ethan glanced at her, but her expression wasn’t teasing anymore—it was gentle. Warm.

“There’s nothing to hide,” he said, and hated how unconvincing it sounded, even to himself.

Lily just squeezed his arm and smiled. “Okay. For now.”

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