He Said He Only Pretended to Love Me, So I Left Him Chapter 05
He stared at me without blinking, like he was trying to tell if I was lying.
The first person to freeze wasn’t my mom-it was Diane, the one who’d just been going on and on about dating. Her fork halted midair. “Lena, you… you really already have a boyfriend?”
I couldn’t blame her for being shocked. For as long as I could remember, I’d practically gravitated toward Jace every day.
When I got a little older, every time our families ate together, I’d blush just sitting next to him. Sometimes I’d even blush just exchanging a few words. Anyone with eyes could see I liked Jace.
Back then, we were still young, so people chalked it up to kid shyness. Later, I learned to bury my feelings. I tucked that crush deep down where nobody could see. Until the day I heard him say he
hated me.
Under their stunned stares, I pulled out my phone, scrolled to a photo, and handed it to Diane. “Here’s a picture of us together.”
Behind me, something crashed to the floor with a sharp clatter.
Diane and I both spun toward the noise. Across the room, Jace’s glass had shattered at his feet.
“What is wrong with you? You can’t even hold a cup?” Diane’s eyebrows snapped together.
My mom rushed over at the sound. “Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry! That cup was old anyway.”
My mom grabbed stuff to clean up, but Jace stubbornly crouched down. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Fowler.
Please, let me clean it myself.”
He cleaned meticulously, wrapping every shard in clear tape. It took him nearly half an hour to
finish.
On the couch, Diane studied the photo over and over. “Lena, how long have you known this guy? Is he a classmate from your university?”
I lowered my eyes and shook my head. “He’s not a classmate. We’ve only known each other about a
month or so.”
“A month? Absolutely not!” Diane’s gasp came at the same moment Jace cut a sharp look my way.
He had just sat down, and Diane immediately shoved the phone in his face. “Do you know this guy?”
Jace’s eyes landed on the photo, and he visibly flinched. He glanced at me, but still nodded. “I know him. He’s… he’s a decent guy.”
“What good are you?” Diane smacked his shoulder, disgusted. “I really don’t get why you had to be so stubborn. Happy now?”
She turned back and handed me my phone. “Lena, sweetie, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just think a month is too short. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Diane took my hand in hers and patted it gently. “You’re grown now. You know what’s what-I don’t need to lecture you. But I do need you to hear one thing: make sure you’re safe, okay? Always protect yourself.”
I squeezed her hand back and gave her a grateful smile. “I know. Thank you.”
After Diane and her family left, Jace edged a little closer to me. The silence was thick and strange.
He sat next to me, working himself up for a long moment before finally speaking. “Why did you lie? That guy in the photo-he’s just a celebrity.”
“And you? Why did you lie?” I took a sip of water and fired the question right back, flat and cool.
He dropped his head. His voice carried something I couldn’t read. “I was just trying to help you.”
“Oh. Well, thanks a lot then.” I stood up the instant the words left my mouth. I wasn’t staying in the same space as him another second.
When he finally left to go home, I didn’t look at him again.
His Instagram, dead silent for a whole month, finally got a new post.
[Today, not sure if I should be happy.)
That evening, my mom knocked on my door. “Sweetheart, can I come in?”
I closed my phone and called back, “Yeah.”
She came in and sat on the edge of my bed, hesitating. I gave a no-big-deal shrug and smiled. “It’s about me saying I have a boyfriend, right?”
My mom nodded, worry all over her face. “Your dad and I are both worried. A month isn’t long enough to really know someone. When Jace’s family was here, we couldn’t really say anything we just had to go along with it.”
