Fools & Secrets ✔️

Ocho

The Reality Check

Chapter 8

"Damn, look at these fruit baskets! Being a paramedic has its perks, yeah?" Nicha glanced at her friend with a grin. The family they helped yesterday had gifted her team a dozen of fruit baskets generously, and Nicha had decided to bring one for Lisa's mom since she was visiting today.

"Hey, what's up with you? You've been quiet the whole ride. Did you fail another class?" Nicha teased, her tone playful but tinged with concern.

Lisa's head snapped up, her glare sharp. "Do I look like I always fail my classes?"

Nicha raised an eyebrow, unfazed by the glare. "Sorry, chica, but you do get like this when you do. So, what's really going on?"

"Nothing," Lisa muttered, her eyes drifting back to the window.

Nicha wasn't buying it. "That doesn't sound like nothing. Spill." Oh, they've been best friends for 12 years. Nicha knows if something bothers Lisa and it's the perfect example right now.

With a heavy sigh, Lisa finally spoke. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to keep up this fake relationship. It's taking up too much of my time. I should be focusing on my studies."

"Mi punto!" Nicha exclaimed, slamming on the brakes as the light turned red. She turned to face Lisa, her eyes wide with exaggerated disbelief. "We've been telling you that from the start! Did you bang your head or something for finally waking up?" She grinned, teasing her friend, but her expression softened when Lisa didn't respond.

Lisa's silence hung heavy between them, the lightness from moments before gone. "Oh my god..." Nicha whispered, realization dawning on her. "You've only been pretending for three weeks, Lisa. Don't tell me you're already attached? You know it's not real."

"You know I liked him way before this," Lisa confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, but I didn't think it was that deep!"

"I thought so too... but he's really kind, Nicha. Do you know he feeds a family of stray cats in the alley behind the apartment? He's so sweet with his daughter, but not in a way that spoils Eunseo. He's responsible, thoughtful... When I burnt my tongue or when Mama sprained her ankle at work, he knew exactly what to do. And he cooks! He's so good at it. Plus, he helps me with my studies, even when he doesn't have to. How could I not...?" Lisa's voice trailed off as she realized how deeply she had fallen. The moment she saw the photo of Eunseo's mother, she hadn't been able to sleep, her chest tight and heavy with emotions she didn't want to confront.

"What I've been living for the past three weeks isn't my life, Nicha. It's someone else's. And it frustrates me so much because I want it to be mine. But I can't claim something that already belongs to somebody else." Her last words were almost a whisper, and Nicha, seeing the pain in her friend's eyes, reached out to hold her hand as she drove.

"Tonta," Nicha said softly, giving Lisa's hand a squeeze. "You said it yourself—Eunseo wants you to be her mom, and her dad hasn't opposed it."

"But I saw her, Nicha..."
Lisa's voice wavered as she stared out the car window, her fingers absentmindedly twisting a strand of hair. The memory of the photograph weighed heavily on her mind, like a stone in her chest.

"In the flesh? Did she come back for them?"
Nicha's grip tightened on the steering wheel, her brows furrowed as she glanced over at Lisa. There was a flicker of concern in her eyes, though she tried to keep her tone light.

"No... I saw her photo."
Lisa's voice was barely above a whisper. She wrapped her arms around herself as if shielding against an invisible chill. "This should be her life, you know? My fantasy is her reality. She looked so happy in that picture with Eunseo."