Beauty And The Liar: A Liar, Liar Novella

f o u r

No. She said no. To. Him. Fuck, what was that all about? She's always done everything he asked and she did them flawlessly so he gave her more and more hoping that one day she would ask him for help but she never did.

No.

The word rung through his mind over and over again until he found himself grabbing his keys and running after her. His chest felt tight at the thought of her being angry at him. What was this feeling and why was it consuming him?

He ran out of the building and saw it was too late — the bus she usually takes left and the stop she waited at was empty.

He sat at the bar, nursing his drink, when someone sat down next to him. Without a glance, he knew it was his friend, and he used the term loosely. An accurate description would be: thorn in his side. He met the guy in university, he was his academic rival and they always fought for first place with their gpa.

"You look like you're about to cry," his friend observed, lifting a hand for the bartender.

"Shut up," he spit back. "What are you doing here?"

"Because I had a feeling in my gut you would be here and since I am basically your only friend, I took it upon myself to lend you a shoulder. So, what's got your mind messed up?"

He had nothing to say so he took another sip and stared straight ahead at the bottles that lined the glass behind the counter. His friend got a drink and to fill the awkward silence, started talking about something random he didn't really care about.

"And that's how I woke up in a fountain."

He side eyed his friend before pushing his glass forward for a refill. "You need help."

"That's why I'm in therapy. You finally gonna tell me what's up with you?"

After telling his friend about everything, he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the lecture he knew was coming his way.

"So let me get this straight, you're sulking because you were rude to your assistant and got upset she actually told you off?"

Well, when he put it that way, he could really see how dumb this whole thing sounded.

"I messed up. I just figured she wouldn't have an issue working late since she always said yes," he answered.

"But she specifically told you she couldn't and you kept pushing her until she snapped. I don't know how she does it man, working under you."

He scowled, annoyed that his friend kept hitting the nail on how, once again, stupid it all was. Ever since he's met her he's done more stupid things than he done his entire life. She was like a hurricane, destroying everything he's ever known.

Because you're a loner you forget that people have other obligations as well," his friend filled in.

"I just—"

"Look," his friend interrupted. "It's very clear what you need to do: apologize."

"How do I do that?" How was he supposed to tell the girl he was kinda obsessed with that he's an asshole because of how crazy she made him?

"For starters, I'm sorry works wonders."

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid," he said firmly. "I know how to apologize."

His friend took a sip of his drink and scoffed. "I'll bet my entire life savings you do not know how to do that."

"Keep your ten bucks." Tomorrow, he'll give her flowers and apologize for being such a dick. Wait, did she even like flowers? Or was she more of a plant kinda girl? He thought back to her desk, void of plants or flowers and he felt discouraged all over again. He needed something personal to her so she could see he was genuinely sorry for everything.

She liked apples. She always had an apple a day because she believed it kept doctors away. The sudden thought gave him hope and he downed his drink, slapped enough money on the bar counter and headed towards the exit.

"You're welcome!" His friend called and he waved a hand over his back, excited over the idea he got on winning her forgiveness.