Deception

Chapter 4

Present time

Lisa got so drunk with her friends last night. She went to Irene's room to check if her girlfriend had gone home. She noticed that the latter was not in her room. So she quickly dialled her number but her calls kept routed to the voicemail. She thought her girlfriend was never serious about being away for a week. She tried to shrug it off, thinking Irene probably spent time with her sisters at their aunt's house. She went to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast knowing her friends would probably be hungry once they woke up.

"What's up, Lis?" Minnie shortly followed her to get a glass of water. "Did you get up early to cook for us?" Among Lisa's friends, Minnie has the highest alcohol tolerance. The rest was probably wasted.

"Yeah, but more of checking if my girlfriend is home." She was slowly preparing the ingredients on the counter.

Minnie's eyes wandered briefly. "I just wonder why you are not sleeping together. Is she a conservative type?" She wanted to ask this even before because she noticed that Lisa was standing outside Irene's room last night as if contemplating whether to go in or not.

Lisa chuckled. "Kind of. But anyway can you let others know that I will not be home until late night. I have to run some errands."

"Are you going to look for her?" She was trying to tease Lisa. Everyone knows that their friend is quite clingy when in a relationship.

"No, I will be looking for Dad. I still don't get any updates from the investigators."

"Maybe it was his choice not to be found. Look, you have been here for a couple of weeks. You even got yourself a girlfriend which is unexpected knowing the circumstances that you are in. I thought we already discussed everything after we quit. Also, Mina's here to fix your problem but I guess she's a little late." She knew her friends' love story so it was only normal for her to get concerned. She was hoping Lisa and Mina would end up together.

Minnie felt bad for both Lisa and Mina. If she could only turn back time maybe she would be able to salvage whatever was left in there. Given that they had sworn an oath to be each other's beck and call. She couldn't just watch and do nothing. They have sworn to help each other through whatever at all times. Perhaps some things are best to be left as they are. No one truly controls anyone's fate. Maybe Lisa is now truly happy with her new relationship.

"Let's not go there. Let's not pretend we don't know the real reason why I have to break up with her." Lisa tried to defend herself. There were many factors to begin with. It was never her intention to fall for her best friend. And when Mina decided to run their family business in Japan, Lisa took the opportunity to let go of her. Some thought that Mina was being selfish but the real story was never revealed. She could have followed Mina or chosen to be in a long-distance relationship. She had a lot of distractions at the time. She couldn't joggle between her relationship and work. And she chose the latter.

"Which is exactly what's going to be the ending of your relationship with Irene. You will just put another excuse so she would quit. Are you even going to be serious with her?" Minnie didn't want to have that kind of conversation with Lisa. They had the same argument when Lisa chose to be in a relationship with Mina and when they broke up. But she has to make her realize that her friend is jeopardizing her own life. Being with anyone is a risk that no one in their circle of friends should take.

"I did fall for Mina. What I felt back then is genuine but our duty is more important. I was willing to change and throw everything. But she has chosen to follow her dreams without thinking about me." She reiterated. She wanted to make herself believe that she was not entirely at fault.

"Stop blaming her. You have your fair share of mistakes, Lis. You know you could have done better when you stopped pursuing her. It all started there." She sighed.