Lies I Never Told You

CHAPTER ELEVEN: BLAIR

"Hey, what's with that smile?" I asked Hunter. He's been smiling for a few minutes now like he was in a trance. "Try this. This is perfect with a ketchup-mayo mix, but spiced vinegar with cucumber is equally good." I put a piece of dynamite in his bowl. 

"So, it's true?" A familiar voice said from behind us. "You two are really dating?" I wonder where she heard about it but I'm amazed at how fast the rumors spread. It has only been a couple of weeks since we started with our plan, but here's Kiera, confirming if we really are dating.

"And what is it to you if we're dating?" I asked. "It's not like I have to get your permission to go out with Hunter. Who are you anyway?"

She smirked at me. "Well, I'm just Hunter's first and only love. Right, Hunter?"

Hunter was rendered speechless. I didn't know if it was because Kiera already knew we were dating or if it was because Kiera still believes she was his only love, which is, in a sense, true. We wouldn't be standing side by side now if it wasn't.

"If that's the case, then why is he hanging out with me instead of you?" I said. "You gotta make up your mind, girl. You shouldn't still be obsessed with something you've already thrown away. It's either you keep it or forget about it."

Kiera was silent for a moment, as if contemplating something. "Sure, you can have him." She said that as if I was begging her to give Hunter to me. "I have Brian anyway. He's so much better than you." She was looking at Hunter.

I saw tears slowly welling in Hunter's eyes. He pursed his lips and subtly looked up to keep the tears from falling. 

Kiera linked her arm with Brian's. He seemed uninterested with the whole exchange, with his hands in his pockets. His eyes were scanning the area. But when he turned and see my hand, he ran towards me, suddenly excited. "Whoah! Dynamite. I've missed this." With his bare hand, he took a piece of dynamite from my bowl and took a bite. He closed his eyes, savoring the spiciness of the chili and the flavor of the vinegar mixture. "You know it's my favorite, right?" he told me.

Kiera's jaw dropped at how Brian reacted. The four of us, Hunter, Shan, Ty and I were equally shocked at the sudden childish behavior Brian exhibited. Maybe Hunter and Kiera were seeing it so unlikely for a cafe owner, but Shan, Ty and I saw it differently. It was like, he hasn't had this for a really long time that he got too excited at the sight of the street food. But later it made sense to me why he acted that way. His favorite food plus me, I guess it really was nostalgic for him that he couldn't resist going for it. "I'm sorry. I just haven't had this for years. Dad wouldn't allow me to eat these kind of stuff."

His unwarranted explanation made me scoff. "Well, that's too little of a price you have to pay," I said. I saw his expression change. He dropped the bitten piece of dynamite back into my bowl. Good thing it was the last piece from my serving because I lost my appetite just with the sight of him. I handed the bowl to the Manong who was cooking the food and asked how much I had and paid him. 

Hunter was looking at me with confusion in his eyes. A few moments later, he realized it was time to go. Shan and Ty have already paid for their food, so Hunter did the same. We waited for him to get his change, then we walked past Kiera, leaving her confused at what was happening, and Brian, just following us with his sad look. I can feel his pain, but I had to ignore it. He deserved it anyway.

"Will somebody tell me about this animosity towards Brian?" Hunter asked as we walked away, out of Kiera and Brian's earshot. "He seemed like a nice guy," he added.

Ty was the first to answer. "He and Blair used to be so close. They're actually inseparable. They were each other's anchors. They go through the hard times together -"

"Until he found a way out of the hard times and left me to deal with them alone," I finished Ty's statement. I knew it would end differently if Ty was the one to complete the story.

Hunter nodded as if understanding the whole situation. "So, basically, he was your ex?"

I didn't want to elaborate more about my past relationship with Brian. "Sort of. Yes," I answered.

My response gained surprised looks from Shan and Ty, but they didn't protest. They knew it was solely my call how I want Brian to be in my life. So, from now on, he is my ex. That's actually not a lie. Technically, he is my ex – he used to be everything to me. But that’s no longer the case.

Hunter suddenly let out a laugh. "How funny both of our exes are getting along while we're here, trying to get them back." I didn't know whether to feel relieved that he didn't ask more about my past with Brian, or to feel annoyed that he thought I was trying to get him back.

"Correction. It was only you who's trying to get your ex back. I'm perfectly fine with Brian out of my life."

"Blair." I can sense Shan scolding me, even with her calm voice. Yeah, I should stop talking about Brian for Shan and Ty. I know they still love him and it hurts them to see me hating on him. But what can I do? I just can't not hate him after what he did to me. The best way is to just stop mentioning him in our conversations.

"Let's just go home and watch a movie. Just to let what happened out of your mind, okay?" Tyrone said to me. "Wanna join us?" he asked Hunter to which he nodded reluctantly. We stopped by a grocery store to buy some snacks and drinks, then off we go home.