Contagious lies

11 | Stranger danger

Ezhil Sirju

Facing Alvize was one thing and facing my best friend was another. No matter how hard I try I can't bring myself to look into her eyes. She isn't the type to judge, perhaps a little disappointed that I haven't reached out to her. Other than that I'll face her full support but I still can't.

Tried to mask my bruise by placing my hair in front of it. Hoping it would be less noticeable. Yet Ginevra has always been observant.

"Ez?" Her voice cracked at the end. Causing me to look away from her. "What happened?" She asked as she pushed my hair back.

I cover my face with both my hands as I take a deep breath. What do I even tell her? That the man she tried to convince me to leave tried to kill me? She won't laugh in my face, yet I know she'll think to herself 'what did I tell you'. That thought alone makes me feel so pathetic.

Ginevra grabs both of my arms. Her eyes raised as she looked at me with raised eyebrows. "What happened?"

This time around the question was directed to me. My palms all sweaty as I stood there unsure of what to do with myself. "I'm sorry for barging in here." I told her as my head hung low. "I didn't know where else to go."

She pulled me into a hug without saying another word. Holding on to me as I have been holding on to her. Afraid that once we let go of one another we will crumble.

"He hurt you?" Her voice barely above a whisper. Pain laced her words as her eyes never left mine.

It was a simple question, one where a yes or no would suffice. Yet I was unable to speak. Words stuck inside my throat as my mind drifted back to Samuel. Vivid images popped into my head scaring my heart.

"He did?" She asked for confirmation. My silence made her look away from me. Her hand covered her mouth, stopping her from cursing loudly. Rage now evident on her face leaving no traces of my sweet best friend.

I made myself ready to embrace her. Take in her disappointment. Instead she took me in her arms. The tears I tried so hard to keep for myself are now streaming down my face.

"You should have told me." She whispered softly. Holding on to me tightly. "We could have figured it out together." She continued.

"I'm sorry." I brought out softly.

The rest of the evening was spent in her king sized bed. Ginevra held me in her arms in silence. She was probably reminiscing about her dead boyfriend, while my mind drifted back to Samuel. I have been by his side for years. Woken up in his arms while he sang me my favorite love songs. All those beautiful moments now meant absolutely nothing.

"Will we be okay?" I questioned her, hoping that her answer would ease my heart and leave me satisfied.

She briefly glanced at me before closing her eyes. "Yes, we will." She promised me.

A few other words escaped her lips yet my eyelids got heavier. My vision was now blurry and slowly I dozed off completely. Annoyed, I roll over to the other side of the bed and cover my ears. It was rather late but Ginevra never had a fixed time to eat. The loud noise made me sit up straight and scream for her to stop. Only for her to look right back at me with fear swimming in her irises.

"I thought..." I trailed off as I listened to what was happening outside her bedroom. Alert to every sound that invaded my ears. Loud banging on the door, the sound of footsteps but it was very faint. My mind trailed off to Samuel however he didn't have the guts to break into someone's house. I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves down. If the both of us start panicking it might not end well.