Chapter 1
On Christmas Eve, my friend Ryan Wynn and I went to a gaming lounge, planning to stay up all night playing.
But we ran into Ryan's sister, Lauren. She was holding hands with her boyfriend, kissing under the fireworks.
"Finally, Lauren got the guy she's been crushing on. Took her long enough," Ryan said.
He pulled me over to say hi to them, practically buzzing with excitement.
Lauren awkwardly scratched her nose and introduced us. "This is my brother, Ryan. And this is his friend, Jason Carter. I guess you could say he's my friend too."
Friend?
Lauren and I had been dating for six months, and she just called me her friend.
*****
After Ryan got dumped, he dragged me to a gaming lounge, planning to spend the whole night there.
"So, we broke up. No more late-night calls asking me to tell dumb bedtime stories during ranked matches. Tonight, it's just us two single guys grinding for points," he joked.
Actually, I'd been secretly dating someone for six months.
Still, I came along, guilt gnawing at me the whole time.
Halfway through gaming, we went out to grab a late-night snack and ran into the Christmas fireworks show.
"Whoa, isn't that Lauren?" Ryan suddenly shouted, pointing ahead in the crowded street.
I followed his gaze and immediately saw a slim figure in the crowd.
That figure was way too familiar. It was Lauren Wynn.
The pink scarf around her neck was my gift to her.
She didn't have time to spend Christmas with me, so I gave her the gift early.
Yeah, my secret girlfriend was Ryan's sister.
But what was she doing here?
While I was wondering, I heard the fireworks explode.
The night sky lit up, glittering like it was scattered with a million stars.
Couples around us hugged and kissed, trying to freeze the fleeting romantic moment.
Lauren was no exception.
She stood on her toes, grabbed the collar of the guy beside her, and kissed him.
I could see her trembling eyelashes.
She wasn't here alone.
She had turned down my Christmas invitation under the pretense of preparing for a design competition, but really, she was here to watch the fireworks with another guy.
Time felt frozen.
I couldn't hear a thing, couldn't even see the fireworks anymore.
The cold wind stung my eyes, and gradually I lost sight of the two sweetly kissing.
Ryan punched me hard. "That's Ethan Page. Finally, Lauren got the guy she's been crushing on. Took her long enough."
I looked up at the bright sky, feeling my mind in a haze.
I should never have had that late-night snack.
But Ryan pulled me forward through the crowd.
"No way! We already ran into them. We have to go say hi," he said.
We reached Lauren just as the fireworks ended.
The night slipped back into silence; Lauren and that guy finally broke their kiss, but their hands were still tightly linked.
Ryan suddenly patted her on the shoulder. "Gotcha! Dating behind your brother's back, huh?"
Lauren turned around, and when she saw me, she was stunned.
She rubbed her nose and blurted out, "Why are you guys here?"
Ryan hollered at her, "Don't try to change the subject. Tell me—who's this guy?"
Lauren looked away from me and gazed gently at the guy beside her, her voice dripping with sweetness. "This is my boyfriend."
She hooked her arm through his and went, "This is my brother, Ryan. And this is—"
Both of them suddenly stared right at me. I couldn't help but turn my head.
I heard Lauren introduce me. "This is his friend, Jason Carter. I guess you could say he's my friend too."
The guy looked a little awkward and said to Ryan and me, "Hi, I'm Ethan Page."
Ryan patted his shoulder. "Man, your name's basically all she ever talks about. Lauren's been into you for ages."
I hardly ever showed up when both Ryan and Lauren were around, trying not to reveal my relationship with her.
Even when I chatted with Ryan, I avoided talking about Lauren.
So Lauren had been crushing on Ethan for a long time.
Then what about our six months of secret dating?
I took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Merry Christmas to you and your boyfriend, Lauren," I said. "But aren't you supposed to be working on your design sketches today?"
The moment I said that, Lauren froze, as if even her perfect makeup had stiffened.
Ten minutes ago, I had received a text from her: [Sorry, babe. Christmas is super packed for me, no time to be with you—still buried in my design work. Hope you crush it in your games tonight. Love you.]
She had thought I would go to the gaming lounge near campus, but Ryan dragged me to the riverside—where I got a front-row seat to her love story.
I felt my heart being ripped apart, sharp pain flooding every corner.
All those sweet words she had whispered—they had been nothing but clumsy lies.