Lying With You

Chapter 4

Bree
"So what's going on with you and Cody?" I ask Olivia as we walk back towards the subway.

We don't live too far apart, it's quite great. We go into work together most mornings. When we get to do our workouts together it's always great to grab an iced coffee with her and head home.

A blush spreads across her cheeks and even touches the tips of her ears.

"Is it obvious? I'm trying not to be too obvious." She tells me.

"I think you're both really obvious." I tell her. She looks down with a happy smile.

"Do you think?" She asks and I nod whilst laughing.

There is nothing more obvious than Olivia and ...'s feelings towards one another.

She takes a sip of her iced coffee with a big grin as we head towards our apartments.

"Hey, how's your sister?" She asks me with genuine concern.

She's met Hana. Olivia has come over a few times and in those times met Hana. She's actually helped Hana put together an outfit to go out and even helped her with her eyeliner.

Olivia is the sweetest.

I would say Olivia is my closest friend. I don't make friends easily, I like to stick to my self. But this year I've been putting in more effort.

"Yeah she's good, she spends most of her time sleeping or partying." I tell Olivia.

Hana and I are so different, doesn't mean we aren't best friends though. She gets to live the life I couldn't because I can shelter her from our parents.

"Sounds like college." She laughs.

When Olivia and I get to her building she stops to give me a hug. She quickly realises what she's doing before she actually gets to hug me.

"Have a nice weekend, I'll see you Monday. Do you still wanna do Pilates?" Olivia asks.

"Yeah that's all good with me." I smile.

"Great, see you then!" She exclaims, turning she heads into her building.

I head a block over to my building.

I get to my apartment and believe it or not my sister is still asleep with five of her alarms going off.

****
"No boyfriend yet?" My mom asks my sister.

She doesn't speak much English. I was the first to become fluent English in our family. My mom doesn't like to speak in English too much, she only does it when we're in public. She gets scared that people will figure our story out and send us back.

"She doesn't need one." I tell my mom.

She's obsessed with the idea of us getting married.

"Don't get me started on you." My mom says before taking a sip of her tea.

Great.

"How's work?" My dad asks.

"알았어, 나 바빠" I say to my dad. My mom's eyes pop out of her head. Good, I'm busy.

"Bree." She warns.

I take a sip of my coffee as the waitress brings over our breakfast.

"Thank you." My mom smiles politely before turning to my sister.

"How's school?" My dad asks my sister.

"It's good." Hana nods, taking her pastry.

We meet up for breakfast in the city once a week, it's mostly on the weekends because dad and I don't work weekends and Hana doesn't have school.

My parents live outside of the city so they travel in, check my apartment, then take us out for breakfast.

During breakfast they'll ask the same questions about my work, Hana's school, any boyfriends (just wait till they find out she's a lesbian)? And what are finances are like.

It's annoying but they're our parents and have risked and sacrificed so much for us this is the least we can give them. We're lucky they don't demand more.

My mom goes on and on at me about finding a boyfriend. It's so annoying.

"Now that you have a career, you should really be looking for one." She tells me.

Right.

God forbid I provide for myself and be independent.

Thankfully after breakfast, the walk to the apartment isn't that long.

When you move away from home, there's something that will flip. You will either be entirely grateful when you reunite with your family. Or, you can't be around them. You notice how different you are from them and how unnatural it actually is to be with them.

I obviously am part of the latter of that group.

Hana and I walk my parents to their car which is parked right next to mine in my apartment complex's building.

"Ah I forgot." My mom says and internally groan. I'm being rude, I mentally scold myself.

"This car needs an upgrade. Now that you have that fancy job-" the job that they brag about to their friends, "you should think about getting rid of this and getting a new one."

Great.

"I'll look into it." I lie.

My parents hug us individually before they get into their cars.

Hana and I watch as they drive off, waving as they do so.

Once they're out of sight, I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I need to go for a run." I say at the same time Hana says, "Thank god!"

Hana and I head back up to our apartment complaining about how awful that was.

"Do you think you'll ever tell them?" I ask once we get into the kitchen.

"I'd like to think so." She says slipping on to a stool at the island. "I just know they're going to freak the fuck out and there's the chance they may never talk to me again."

I can't vouch for what my parents might say or do, but I do know that my sister deserves to be who she truly is.

"Whatever you decide and whatever the outcome is I'll stay by your side. I don't care who you love, you'll always be my little sister." I smile at her.

"Thank you." She says and swallows roughly.

"Do you want to come for a run? It might make you feel better." I tell her.

She scrunches up her face in disgust.

"Come on, we haven't ran together in forever." I plead.

"There's a reason for that." Hana scoffs.

"I will not make it into a competition." I throw my hands into the air, remembering all our other runs. Shes a sore loser, and I'm competitive as fuck. Which one has more motivation?

"Fine." She gives in, standing up.

"You're psychotic, you've already done Pilates and now we're going for a run." Hana retreats to her room.

"It was yoga actually!" I call after her.

Working out just takes the edge off sometimes, it's a good de stressor and trust me I'm stressed all the time.