Daughter of the Refuge

Chapter Nine

Please don't lie to me, Jojo silently begged. The girl refused to look at him, so he leaned against the rail, facing out toward the street, mirroring her pose.

"I know what you're thinking," she said eventually.

"Do you?" Jojo hummed.

"Just get it over with already," she sighed.

"Get what over with?"

"Please don't play dumb Jojo. You want to know why I lied to Cassandra."

"Actually no. Well yes, of course I want to know why you lied to her, but I want to know if it was just her you lied to." She still wouldn't face him.

"Do you want the truth?"

"I rather it not be another lie." Amara was quiet as she carefully chose her words.

"Yes, I lied. To both of you."

"Why?"

"Because this way I can keep you safe," she whispered turning even farther away, and he couldn't take it. In all the years they had been friends, never once had she felt the need to hide in shame. Why should now be any different? But Jojo knew the answer. Now, they weren't just secret friends. Everyone knew about the girl that Jojo had spent ever night thinking about, whether they figured out that the two knew each other or not.

He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"That's not your job," he spoke, his soft tone matching hers.

"Whether it is or not, I'm not letting you get hurt because of me."

"So you expect me to trust you without knowing who really you are, and accept the lies that you feed me?" She huffed in frustration.

"The only thing I have ever lied to you about was my name. And even that wasn't a complete lie."

"I have spent every moment I've known you, trusting you. Can't you do the same for me?"

"Not if it puts you in danger, no."

"And what makes you think you're the judge of that?"

"Because I know exactly what these things will lead to. It's happened before," she muttered.

"To who?" She threw her hands up before crossing them over her chest, his arms still around her shoulders, holding her in place. 

"Please just stop asking questions. I hate lying to you." His brown eyes softened as he captured her eyes with his. 

"Then don't."

"Nothing is ever that simple Jojo."

"Why does it have to be complicated?" Her eyes fell to the floor, exhaustion overtaking her, and he knew that she was ready to give in. 

"Because life's complicated."

"But when has it ever been complicated with us?" Her gaze snapped back up to his eyes and she pressed her hands to his chest.

"It's never been complicated because we were never in this world when we were together. Things are changing now. And I guess we are too." With that she pushed him away from her, and it was as if the moment the contact between the two of them broke, something else broke. Something neither could describe, but it was a terrible feeling. Neither looked at each other as they stood there, both watching the comforts of their perfect world being shattered, and having no strength to stop it. 

"What are you saying, A-" He stopped himself. He couldn't say it, not when it wasn't her name. "What are you saying?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But all I know is that we don't know each other. Not really."