Chapter 6: The First Lie
634 Words
The drive home was quiet.
Too quiet.
Ted couldn't stop thinking about what had happened at the restaurant.
Please stop threatening me.
The words kept repeating in his mind.
Who was threatening Aria?
And why had she looked so frightened?
For the first time since meeting her, Ted felt powerless.
He wanted to help.
But he didn't even know what the problem was.
The next morning, Ted woke up to several messages from Zuan.
Zuan: Bro, answer your phone.
Zuan: Emergency.
Zuan: Minho almost burned breakfast.
Ted sighed.
Some things never changed.
A few minutes later, he arrived at Bobie's apartment.
As expected, everyone was already there.
Minho was arguing with Zuan.
Bobie was trying to stop them from destroying the kitchen.
And Jun-yu sat quietly in the corner, watching the chaos.
"Good morning," Ted said.
Jun-yu looked up.
"Not for Minho."
Everyone laughed.
Minho pointed at them dramatically.
"One accident and suddenly nobody trusts me."
"Because the smoke alarm was involved," Bobie replied.
The room erupted again.
For a brief moment, Ted forgot about his worries.
Until his phone vibrated.
Aria.
Immediately, his attention shifted.
Aria: Can we meet later?
Ted smiled.
Ted: Anytime.
That evening, they met at a small café near the river.
Aria arrived ten minutes late.
Something felt different.
Her smile looked forced.
Her eyes looked tired.
And for the first time since meeting her, she avoided looking directly at him.
Ted noticed immediately.
"You didn't sleep."
Aria forced a laugh.
"Was it that obvious?"
"A little."
For a few moments, neither spoke.
Finally, Ted decided to ask.
"Aria."
She looked up.
"Yes?"
"The person who called yesterday."
Her expression changed instantly.
Ted saw it.
Fear.
Just for a second.
But it was there.
"You don't have to tell me everything," he said gently.
"But I'm worried about you."
Aria looked down at her coffee.
Silence.
Then she spoke.
"It isn't important."
Ted frowned.
It was the first time she had ever sounded distant.
"Not important?"
She nodded.
"Just someone from my past."
Something about the answer didn't feel right.
Ted couldn't explain why.
But deep inside, he knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.
Aria quickly changed the subject.
"How's the music project going?"
Ted answered, but his mind remained elsewhere.
The conversation continued.
Yet something had changed between them.
A wall now existed where there hadn't been one before.
And neither knew how to remove it.
Later that night, Jun-yu was walking home when he noticed something strange.
A black car sat across the street from Ted's apartment.
The engine was running.
But nobody seemed to be getting out.
Jun-yu slowed down.
His instincts immediately told him something was wrong.
The tinted window lowered slightly.
Just enough for him to see someone inside.
Watching.
Watching Ted's building.
Jun-yu stopped walking.
The car remained there.
Motionless.
A chill ran through his body.
Because whoever was inside wasn't there by accident.
They were waiting.
Watching.
Observing.
Jun-yu quickly pulled out his phone.
His first instinct was to call Ted.
But before he could
The black car drove away.
Slowly.
As if it knew it had been noticed.
Jun-yu stood frozen.
Something was happening.
Something bigger than any of them realized.
And somehow
Aria was connected to it.
Meanwhile, Aria sat alone in her apartment.
The city lights shone through the window.
Her phone rested on the table.
Another message arrived.
Her heart sank immediately.
Unknown Number.
She already knew who it was.
With trembling fingers, she opened the message.
The color drained from her face.
The text was short.
Only six words.
But they were enough.
Tell Ted the truth yourself.
Or we will.
Aria slowly lowered the phone.
Tears filled her eyes.
Because for the first time
The secret she had been hiding was about to destroy everything.
- Writer
