Page 113 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“Nothing.” His smile grew wider as he looked away, his grip increasing where our hands interlocked, as if he was scared I’d disappear.

We arrived at the bus stop, and Tristan looked out of place as he tried to check when the bus was arriving at the wrong place.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?” I laughed.

“Nope,” he said, still trying to figure it out.

“There is a button right there at the corner, which you can press to know when the bus is arriving.”

“Hmm.” He nodded.

“Why didn’t we just take the car?”

“I wanna experience this with you,” he said, approaching me with quick steps.

“How romantic.” I rolled my eyes.

“I mean, I want to see what it’s like, what you go through every night.”

“You could have taken some time off and done it alone.”

“Your honesty never ceases to amaze me,” he said, and I scoffed.

I placed my palm on the right side of his chest, smoothing his suit absentmindedly as I beamed at him.

“The bus is coming,” I told him.

He allowed me to walk in first, then stepped in behind me. I searched my bag for my bus card.

“I’ll pay,” Tristan said behind me, already opening his wallet.

“It’s two dollars per person,” I explained as he went through the fresh hundred-dollar bills in his wallet, not even five-dollar bills in sight.

“Do you take ATM cards?” he asked, and the driver stared at him like he wanted to smash his head on the dashboard.

“Here.” I used my bus card to pay for both of us.

I walked down the bus aisle, looking for a neat seat. I took the seat next to the window, and Tristan sat next to me. There were only two people on the bus besides us.

My phone buzzed inside my bag. I reached for it and checked the notification. It was a text from Vina, telling me about Jacob asking her out for dinner. My eyes widened at her next text. Vina had never said yes to a date. I’d known her my whole life, and she had never agreed to go on a date with anyone. Jacob was her unit doctor, and she’d told me how he’d been begging to take her out. I smiled and sent a big grin emoji with a wink. She sent an eye-rolling emoji and a middle finger. She texted megood nightbefore I could tease her a little more.

“Vina is going on her first date,” I told Tristan like a proud mother gushing about her kid winning a medal.

“So, Adrian finally grew some balls to ask her out,” he said, scrolling down his phone. He kept adjusting on the seat, like it was too uncomfortable. His long legs couldn’t fit all the way.

“It’s not Adrian. Wait, did Adrian tell you what happened in New York?” I asked, facing him.

He put his phone away and took a glance at me. His eyes flickered to my lips before he looked away.

“He told me they had a good time and it was the best moment he’d had in years, but things got a little too personal, and he fucked up.”

“What did he do? Vina won’t tell me, and she can’t stand the mention of his name.”

“He told her he made a mistake, inviting her on the trip, and everything that happened between them should have never occurred.”

“Asshole,” I mumbled, and I saw Tristan smile.

Adrian was someone I could hardly get upset with, but he had hurt my best friend.

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