Fragile Truths

Chapter 3

Trisha's POV continues..

A sharp chime cut through my spiraling thoughts. The doorbell.

I froze.

Tina and Veronica. They were here.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I'm not ready. I'll never be ready. But I had no choice. They were on the other side of the door, waiting. I had invited them, after all. I had asked for this.

Deep breath. Smile. Pretend.

I smoothed down my dress with trembling hands, as if fixing the fabric could fix the mess inside me. Then, I walked to the door and pulled it open, a carefully rehearsed smile already in place.

Tina stood there, bright-eyed but with exhaustion etched into her features. She carried an overnight bag, her black dress swaying slightly in the breeze.

"Hey, come in!" I said, forcing cheer into my voice. It tasted like ash.

Tina stepped inside, and as her eyes landed in the apartment, I saw it. That flicker of awe.

Her gaze swept across the room, taking in the high ceilings, the massive windows that overlooked the city skyline. "Wow, Trisha." She turned in a slow circle. "This place is amazing."

I braced myself for the inevitable questions. The curiosity. The doubt. But instead, she just smiled and dropped her bag onto the couch.

"I knew you were living well, but this..." Her voice trailed off.

I laughed. A hollow, empty sound. "Yeah, it's a bit... much."

I wanted to say more. To explain. But how much of the truth was too much? How much could I say without shattering the delicate illusion I had built?

Tina flopped onto the couch, kicking off her sneakers. "Honestly, I needed this. My place feels like a shoebox compared to yours." She stretched, looking at ease, but I saw it. The questions forming behind her eyes.

Before she could voice them, the doorbell rang again.

Veronica.

I opened the door, and there she was quiet, observant, her soft smile not quite reaching her eyes. She hugged me briefly, her warmth familiar yet distant. She always felt like she was holding something back.

"Tina's already here," I said, stepping aside.

Veronica slipped inside, her gaze scanning the apartment, her expression unreadable. But I saw the flicker of something. Curiosity? Suspicion? I couldn't tell.

The three of us settled into the living room, but an unspoken tension thickened the air. I felt it pressing down on me. They wouldn't ask. Not yet. But it was only a matter of time.

"So," I said, forcing lightness into my voice, "what's the plan for tonight? Movies? Junk food? Maybe some truth or dare?"

Tina laughed. "Truth or dare? Are we in high school again?"

I shrugged, gripping onto the conversation like a lifeline. "Why not? We could use a little nostalgia."

Veronica leaned back against the couch, her gaze steady on me. "Truth or dare, huh?" Her voice was quiet, but something about it sent a shiver down my spine. "Okay. But you know, the truth can be dangerous."

The words sliced through the air, laced with something I couldn't quite decipher. My breath hitched.

For a second. Just a second. I thought she knew. Knew about the lies, the secrets, the things I had done to survive.

But then she smiled.

The tension snapped, dissolving into laughter as Tina threw a pillow at her.

"Alright," Tina said, hugging a pillow to her chest. "Let's do it. But I'm warning you, I'm terrible at dares."

We started the game, laughter filling the apartment, drowning out the silence. For a little while, it felt normal. Like we were just three friends, no secrets, no lies.

But I knew the truth.

The lies were still there, simmering beneath the surface.

Waiting to boil over.

Tina's POV

I watched Trisha closely, trying to read the emotions behind her smile. There was something off about her tonight. She was too cheerful, too eager to keep the conversation light. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

"Trisha," I said, leaning forward. "Truth or dare?"

She hesitated, just for a second. "Truth."

"Why do you live in this place? I mean, it's amazing, but... it doesn't really seem like you."

The room went silent. Trisha's smile faltered, just for a moment. I saw something flicker in her eyes-fear, maybe shame. But then it was gone, replaced by that same forced cheerfulness.

"It's a long story," she said, waving it off. "Family connections, you know how it is."

I didn't believe her. Not for a second. But I didn't push. Not yet.

"Let's watch a movie," I said, breaking the silence. "Something light. No more truth or dare."

Trisha nodded, relief flooding her face. "Good idea."

As the movie started, I couldn't shake the feeling that this night was a fragile thing-like glass, ready to shatter at the slightest touch. And when it did, I knew the truth would come spilling out, whether we were ready for it or not.

"I'll get some popcorn", Veronica said and went to the kitchen.

After the popcorn was ready, we all snuggled up for a movie night. As Trisha scrolled through Netflix, Veronica's jaw dropped. "Wait, how come you never told us you had Netflix?"

"Oh, it's my cousin's account," Trisha said casually, moving past it. But inside, I felt a small pang of guilt. I had Netflix and Amazon Prime and never mentioned it. But hey, we never talked about it, so I guess I'm off the hook.

We finally settled on a romantic movie. About twenty minutes in, Trisha blurted out, "Hey, doesn't that guy look like the one from the cafeteria?"

Veronica and I exchanged confused looks. "What guy?" Veronica asked.

"You know, the tall, hot one. From that day at the cafeteria?" she said dramatically.

I knew exactly who she was talking about, the guy. The one I met on my first day, the one whose face I can't seem to get out of my head. But I played it cool, focusing on the movie while they kept on with their boy talk.

The movie went on, and by the end, we were all either giggling or getting emotional over the love scenes. It was barely 10 p.m., and none of us was remotely ready to sleep. "What should we do next? Another movie?" Trisha asked.

Veronica and I, in unison, said "Nah," flopping back onto the couch.

Trisha suddenly got this mischievous look in her eyes.

"How about we cook something? I'm starving."

Next thing we knew, we were in the kitchen, whipping up pasta. Veronica, channeling her inner chef, took full control, declaring herself the head cook, while Trisha and I were assigned as her humble sous-chefs.

As we sat down to eat, Trisha suddenly asked, "Want some red wine? I heard it pairs really well with pasta."

Veronica and I exchanged a Wait, what? glance. "Come on, it's just wine," Trisha said, rolling her eyes and walking to the kitchen to grab a bottle. Before we knew it, we were raising our glasses and toasting to a night of firsts. "To new beginnings!" Trisha said.

"And girls' night!" Veronica added.

"And the Italians, because this pasta is amazing," I chimed in.

We giggled at our impromptu toast and dug into our meal. Turns out, wine does taste good with pasta, and soon enough, we had finished the entire bottle.

"Should we open another one?" Trisha asked, a playful twinkle in her eye. I was about to protest, but Veronica, shockingly, was all in.

Before I could fully process what was happening, Trisha had another bottle open, and we were giggling our way through Instagram, stalking random boys' profiles and sending them follow requests. It turned into a competition of Who can get the most followers before we finally succumbed to the wine, collapsing onto the mattress we had laid out for the night.

As I drifted off, I couldn't help but smile. Maybe things were starting to turn around after all.

Joe's POV

I parked my car, still lost in thought, and headed straight inside. My mind kept replaying the image of that girl I saw on the street. She looked so different from the first time I met her. Why was she occupying my thoughts so much? I couldn't figure it out. I pressed the doorbell, tapping my foot impatiently.

The door swung open, revealing Dorota, Justin's all-in-one maid, babysitter, and second mom. Honestly, she was more of a mom than anything else. She never married and spent her entire life raising Justin.

"Hello, Joe. It's been a while since I last saw you."

"Hey, Dorota, it's always nice to see you," I replied with a smile.

"Justin's on the deck. You know where to find him," she said, motioning me through the house.

I thanked her and made my way up to the deck. Justin's family was loaded, his dad owned a chain of hotels. His mom passed away when he was young, so Dorota stepped in to raise him. Meanwhile, his dad was busy 'working' which was code for spending time with his other wife, who Justin never accepted. As a result, Justin stayed here with Dorota, drowning his loneliness in parties to escape his reality.

As soon as I stepped onto the deck, I spotted Calvin pacing around, clutching a beer. He looked deep in thought, like he was solving world hunger or something. The moment he saw me, he rushed over.

"Dude, you finally made it! I've been waiting. What took you so long? I've got big news," Calvin rattled off, barely pausing to breathe.

"I stopped to pick up some beers," I said, still trying to understand his frantic energy.

Justin, already tipsy, spotted me. "Joe, my man!" he slurred, pulling me into a quick handshake. I tossed him my keys, letting him know the beers were in my car. He signaled one of his servants, who dashed off to grab them.

We made our way to the bar for some drinks. "Cheers to an epic night with awesome friends," Justin toasted, and we all clinked bottles. I could tell he was well on his way to being wasted.

As we drank, Calvin tugged me to the side. "Come with me. I need to talk to you."

I followed him to the poolside, curious about his big news. He took a deep breath.

"As you know, this is my final year at university, and I'll be graduating next year," he started.

"Yeah, and?" I prompted.

He sighed. "My dad wants me to move to Canada and work at my uncle's law firm after graduation."

"Canada? Why there? There are plenty of law firms here, including your own," I blurted, my voice rising in disbelief.

Calvin shrugged, his tone heavy. "My dad thinks it's a good opportunity. His cousin's firm is huge, and he's one of the top lawyers. Plus, my dad's not around much, so he figured it'd be good for me to learn from someone with experience."

I wanted to argue more, but I could see how much this was weighing on him. Instead, I sighed and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Whatever you decide, I've got your back."

He smiled, pulling me into another hug. I couldn't help but laugh. "What's with all the hugging tonight? We look like a couple."

Calvin grinned. "You're gonna miss me and my hugs when I'm gone."

We headed back to where Eric was sitting, furiously typing on his phone. When he saw us, he stashed his phone away.

"Let me guess, the Ashley drama again?" I teased, shaking hands with him.

Eric sighed, his expression annoyed. "Yeah, she's not responding to my texts. It's driving me nuts."

For some reason, Eric couldn't get over Ashley. They were always breaking up and getting back together. She was hot, sure, but also a little insane.

"What about you?" Eric asked, nudging me. "Got a girl in your life yet?"

"Well... there's someone," I admitted. I was talking about Blaire, but for some reason, that girl I saw earlier popped into my mind. Why couldn't I shake her off?

"Who's the lucky girl?" Eric probed.

"That's the thing. I thought I liked her, but now I'm not so sure. I feel... conflicted," I confessed, feeling confused.

Eric raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Man, just ask her out. You won't know until you spend more time with her. If it doesn't click, no harm done."

I laughed, raising my beer in agreement. "You're right. I'll think about it."

Calvin, who had been listening, looked at me seriously. "But I thought you weren't ready for a relationship yet."

"I'm still not, honestly," I replied, "but I don't want to end up alone. With you leaving for Canada soon, I'll need someone to hang out with. But I'm not desperate. I'll wait for the right person."

Calvin smiled knowingly. He'd seen me at my worst after my last breakup with Erine and knew how cautious I was now.

The night continued, the party in full swing, but after a while, Calvin and I decided to call it a night and head home.

Calvin's POV

I thought Joe would help me find a way to convince Dad to let me stay in Boston, but instead, he just nodded along with my decision. Why did I even say I was okay with leaving? The truth is, I don't want to go. How could I leave everything behind especially Natasha? We've already imagined a future together. We haven't been in love for that long, and I know deep down that long distance won't work for us.

Dad's always had this way of pushing me into things I never wanted. I never wanted to be a lawyer, but here I am, halfway through law school. I wanted to travel the world, capture life through a lens, but instead of a Canon EOS camera, I got volumes of law books shoved into my hands. My life felt like a prison until I met Natasha. And now, I have to leave her, too?

Joe's my best friend, but I know he's in the same trap. He's expected to take over his dad's business after graduation, just like I'm supposed to step into my dad's firm. Dad's already mapped out my life. Graduate, work at his law firm, and marry his friend's daughter to 'merge' our families like it's some business transaction. I'm just a pawn in his game.

It feels like I don't have a choice. My older brother did the same thing, followed Dad's plan without question. Now it's my turn to take the lead. When did this become my life?

I don't even remember driving home from Justin's place. I've been drowning in my thoughts the whole way. The electric gate slides open, revealing the towering walls of my house. "Welcome to hell," I mutter under my breath.

Sometimes I wish I could just escape this place. Where everything is about appearances. Perfect table manners, perfect clothes, perfect conversations. It's suffocating. Even breathing feels like it has to be done on Dad's terms. But now... I'm going to be escaping in a way I never expected.

_______________________________

"Secrets are starting to unravel, but some truths are more dangerous than others."