Chapter 8 Eight

The night was dressed in golden lights and warm breezes as Johnson stepped into The Quid, a high-end restaurant tucked between polished storefronts and whispering trees. The evening air held the kind of promise that made the city feel alive. Inside, candles flickered on white tablecloths, and mellow jazz hummed above soft conversation.

Johnson had gone all out tonight. It wasn't just a date it was a double date.

Seated beside him was Jane, radiant in a pale blue dress, confident in the way she laughed and tossed her hair. Across the table sat his friend Chris, a relaxed guy with a wide grin, accompanied by his latest flame, Sasha, whose booming laughter could shake a room.

Wine glasses clinked. The group had been laughing for nearly thirty minutes now. It was Jane who leaned in first, looking at Johnson with a playful smirk.

"So," she said, swirling her drink, "tell me something. And be honest."

Johnson raised a brow, intrigued. "Shoot."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

The table went quiet for a beat, all eyes shifting to Johnson. His reply came effortlessly.

"No," he said. "No girlfriend."

Jane tilted her head. "You answered that fast."

"Because there's nothing to hide." Johnson grinned. "If I had one, I wouldn't be here."

Chris chuckled. "Man didn't even blink."

Sasha chimed in, teasing, "Smooth."

They all laughed, and the moment passed mostly.

As the dinner moved forward, talk turned to school, especially Jane's, where she was working on her final year project in fashion design.

"I'm constantly buried in sketches," Jane said. "Sometimes I dream in fabric."

Johnson leaned in with interest. "You know, I have a friend in your school."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Who?"

Johnson casually pulled out his phone and scrolled through his gallery. "Her name's Lisa. Let me show you."

He turned the phone to her. A smiling picture of Lisa under the sun lit the screen radiant, familiar.

Jane's eyes narrowed. "I know this face..."

"Yeah," Johnson replied smoothly, "she's a friend."

Jane didn't say anything at first. She gave a tight smile and looked away. But inside, something had clicked. The date continued, the food was great, the laughter resumed, but Jane's mind stayed busy.

Two days later, the encounter Lisa had never expected came crashing into her literally.

She had just left the library building, her bag slung over one shoulder, head lowered as she scrolled through her phone, when she bumped straight into someone.

"Oh! I'm so sorry" Lisa said, looking up.

"Lisa!" Jane exclaimed, just as startled. "Wow, perfect timing. I was actually coming to see you."

Lisa blinked. "You were?"

"Yeah," Jane said brightly, but her eyes held a purpose that made Lisa uneasy. "Can we talk? Just a quick sec."

Lisa hesitated. Her heart thumped with sudden anxiety. "Sure. What's up?"

Jane smiled, easing into conversation as they began walking together. "So... I went on a double date with Chris this weekend."

"Oh," Lisa replied, unsure where this was heading.

"Johnson was there too. He came with me."

Lisa's stomach flipped. She masked her reaction as best she could.

"Okay..."

"Yeah. Anyway, during dinner, he mentioned knowing someone in my school and even showed me a picture of you. Said you were friends."

Lisa swallowed hard. Her breath felt shallow. "He did?"

Jane nodded. "That's why I'm here. I looked at the picture and thought, I know this girl. I had to confirm it was you."

Lisa's head was spinning. Why would Johnson show her picture? Why involve her at all?

Jane stopped and looked directly at her. "So, do you know him?"

Lisa froze.

The truth was waiting on her tongue but so was fear. Fear of exposure. Fear of being questioned. Fear of what Jane might already suspect.

"Yeah," Lisa said finally. "He's... a family friend."

Jane blinked. "Oh, really? That's cute. He seemed really fond of you."

Lisa gave a weak smile. "He's known my family for a long time."

"That's good to know," Jane said, nodding. "I figured I'd ask. Thanks for clearing it up."

"No problem," Lisa replied, trying not to let the crack in her voice show. "Anyway, I've got something to do. I'll see you later."

Without waiting for a response, Lisa turned and walked away.

The tears pressed hot against her eyes, but she blinked them back. Her entire body was tight with the weight of pretending. Of lying. Of trying to hold together something that was already falling apart.

Why would he do this to me?

That evening, Johnson's calls lit up her screen again and again. He texted. He sent voice notes. He apologized.

"I don't know what I was thinking."

"It was nothing, I swear."

"You're the one I care about."

Still, she ignored him.

The next day, a knock came at her door. She opened it to find a delivery man holding an enormous bouquet of roses.

Then came the boxes perfume, chocolates, designer shoes.

And finally, a velvet envelope with two plane tickets to Paris tucked inside.

Lisa stood amid a small empire of guilt.

It would've meant more if he hadn't dragged her name into another girl's date.

By midweek, she gave in and answered his call.

"Lisa Lisa, baby, thank God. I've been calling every minute. Please, let me explain."

"You don't need to explain," she said, her voice cold. "You took another girl out and brought me up at dinner. What were you thinking?"

"I messed up," he admitted. "I didn't plan to mention you. I don't know what happened I wasn't thinking straight."

"Clearly."

There was silence.

Then he said, "Can we move past this? Just forgive me. I swear I'll make it right."

Lisa inhaled deeply. "I didn't answer so you could beg."

He paused. "Then why did you?"

"Because I've made a decision," she said. "There's one way I'll even consider staying with you."

"Anything, baby. Anything."

"You're going to block Jane. Delete everything her number, photos, texts. You're never going to contact her again. Ever."

Johnson responded immediately. "Done. I already blocked her. She's gone. You have my word."

Lisa didn't respond right away.

"Have you forgiven me?" he asked, voice soft, almost afraid.

"Don't push it," she replied.

"Okay. But can I see you? This weekend? I'll send the driver Saturday, two p.m.?"

Lisa hesitated, then finally said, "Sure. Two p.m. Don't be late."

She hung up.

That night, she sat alone, knees hugged to her chest, the city lights painting her walls in shifting patterns. The perfume he sent sat untouched on her desk. The tickets to Paris still rested in the velvet box.

And yet, her heart refused to calm.

Something didn't sit right.

Jane's tone that day so smooth, so sure gnawed at her.

Was it just curiosity? Or was there something more beneath that smile?

Lisa stared at her phone, a single thought echoing in her mind:

This isn't over.

And it wasn't. Jane wasn't done. Johnson wasn't clean. And Lisa? She was about to learn that some lies have legs long enough to walk right back into her life.