Lies I Never Told You

CHAPTER FOUR: BLAIR

Shannon and Tyrone meaningfully stared at me while I entered the room. "What are you not telling us?" Tyrone asked, playfully pinching my sides.

I tried to answer casually. "Nothing. What would I not tell you?" I tried not to smile. I sat on the vacant seat between them.

Shannon tilted her head to her right and gazed at me like she can see the constellations in my eyes. It was a few seconds of staring game before I conceded. I surely couldn't hide anything from them. They were the only ones who know all of my truths.

"Okay. There's somethi-" As if on cue, they sat up straight, facing the front, arms crossed, and faces crumpled. "Come on. It only happened an hour and a half ago. How could I possibly tell you? What am I? A fortune teller?"

Again, in unison, they faced me, eyes sparkled, each of their arms leaned on my chair. "Spill," both of them whispered so we would not catch the attention of our other classmates, and of our professor.

"I won't be walking home with you later." They inched their faces closer to mine. "He invited me to have snacks after class. So, most probably, he'll walk me home," I said. "But not literally 'walk me home'. Just like, we will walk together and part ways before we reach home. Just like that."

"You aren't giving us the juicy details. How and why?" Tyrone asked.

I just shrugged. "Let's save it for the weekend, 'kay? See you tonight at my house. Bring your pajamas." I smiled and focused on today's lessons.

Our professor dismissed us at exactly three o'clock. We headed to our next class in the Old Building. But when we got there, we saw a notice posted on the door saying that our 3pm class is cancelled. The note was signed by our professor.

"So, who wants coffee?" Tyrone suggested upon seeing the note. "While you spill the beans, Blair?" He looked at me raising an eyebrow.

Shannon seconded, "Yes! Tell us more, Blair." She might have noticed that I was constantly checking my phone. "What's so interesting about your phone at this moment, Blair?" she asked.

"It's Hunter," I said. "He hasn't replied to my text yet. So, I don't know if he received it or not. I don't know if I should wait for him here or if I should just leave. I'm not even sure if he'll actually come."

"Did he tell you what his plan is? Where he will meet you? What you're doing? Where you're going?" Shannon asked.

I sighed. "He just asked me to have a snack after class. He told me to text him which room my last class is and I did. He said he'll wait outside the room. But I don't think he's anywhere near here. He hasn't replied to my text yet."

"Girl, what are you so anxious about?" Tyrone asked. "That's not so you. If I were an outsider here, I'll think you like him so much."

I threw him a piercing glare. "Duh!"

"Yes! Perfect!" He clapped his hands and beamed at me. He put is right arm around my shoulder and said, "Remember our mantra about boys?" he asked.

"We're not bitter, we just know better. Beware of boys, we are not their toys." The three of us chanted.

"What's that got to do with Hunter?" Shannon asked.

Tyrone shrugged. "Nothing. Just reminding our friend here that we know better."

"Yeah. I get your point." I said. I shouldn't be affected by Hunter. I shouldn't let my guard down. I shouldn't show any hint of weakness when around him.

"Great. Now let's go get some coffee before you get your snacks." He basically dragged me by my shoulder as we walked. "Just text him where we'll go so he can just go there."

"Blair," a voice in front of us called when reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Hunter," I called back.

He moved his gaze from me to Tyrone, whose arm still rests on my shoulder, then back to me. "You're going out already?"

"We're going on a date," Tyrone said. His voice unusually deep. He's messing with Hunter.

Hunter looked at me, confused. "I thought your class is until 4pm." He looked at his watch. "It's only 3:15," he added.

"Our class was cancelled," I explained. "So, we're leaving."

"Didn't we agree to have a snack after class? Or have you forgotten?" he asked. I can feel the disappointment in his voice.

I shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't forget. You didn't reply, so I assumed you're not coming." I hope it didn't come out in a pathetic tone.

His forehead creased as he checked his phone and shrugged. "Well, I'm here now. So we can still have this snacks." It doesn't seem like he's asking.

"Sure," Shannon replied. We all turned our attention to her. Tyrone was obviously not amazed. "Well, she agreed to go with him first, right?" she told Tyrone. "So, why don't we two go and have our coffee and let them have their moment?" She moved her brows up and down and took Tyrone's arm off of my shoulder. She kissed me on the cheek. "See you later."

"See you later, Blair," Tyrone said as he kissed both my cheeks. "And you." He turned to Hunter and said, "good luck!" He waved goodbye as they walked away.

"So, where are we going?" I asked Hunter. We started walking out of the building.

He thought for a while before he answered. "There's a new snack house and coffee shop three blocks away. That's Kiera's new favorite."

I nodded. "So, are we expecting her there?"

"I don't think she'll be there. It's Friday. She's probably home preparing for a night out with her friends," he said.

A few moments later, we stopped in front of a shop. "Here it is," he said. This one's new. It's only been open for two weeks now. But I can see that the cafe is already running good business. It's almost full with only a few vacant tables left.

I looked at the sign on the door. Bright Blithe Cafe. I suddenly felt my stomach churn. So, he really did it. "Can't we just go somewhere else?" I shouldn't be here. He shouldn't see me here. I don't want to see him.

Hunter looked confused. "Why? The food's great here - not to mention the drinks," he said. "I heard it was owned by the youngest son of one of the richest businessmen in the country," he added. Yeah, I know that very well.

He took my hand and pushed the cafe door open. We were welcomed by the smell of brewing coffee. The walls are adorned by framed paintings and drawings. Some of them are all too familiar to me, it made my heart ache.

I tried to take my hand and leave, but it was too late. I was already face to face with him. His perfect smile wasn't enough to hide the shock that was evident in his hazel eyes. But after a few seconds, his smile grew wider as his eyes did. "Hi Blair. I'm so glad to see you here. Welcome to Bright Blithe."