The lie I loved ; The decievers game

The lie I loved: A night of masks

Chapter Two: A Night of Masks

The dinner date arrived, and I was nervous. Rachel had been acting strange all day, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint. I had no idea what to expect.

As we arrived at the restaurant, Julian was already there, looking dashing in his tailored suit. Rachel's eyes locked onto him, and she smiled sweetly. But as we sat down, I noticed her demeanor change. She became...off.

'Julian, darling,' Rachel said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, 'tell us, what do you do for a living?'

Julian hesitated, his eyes darting to me before responding, 'I'm in finance.'

Alex, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, 'Oh, cool! I'm in finance too!' He launched into a lengthy, awkward explanation of his job, leaving us all bewildered.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, 'Fascinating, Alex. Simply fascinating.'

As we sipped our wine and ordered our meals, the conversation flowed easily, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that Rachel was hiding something. She laughed a little too loudly, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.

Julian, sensing her unease, tried to steer the conversation towards safer topics. 'So, Rachel, what do you do for fun?'

Rachel's smile faltered for a moment before she responded, 'I'm a thrill-seeker. I love trying new things.'

Alex, eager to impress, jumped in, 'Oh, I'm a thrill-seeker too! I once went skydiving and-'

Rachel cut him off, her voice dripping with sarcasm, 'Wow, Alex, that's so impressive. I bet it took a lot of courage to jump out of a plane with a parachute.'

The tension was palpable, and I tried to intervene, 'Hey, let's talk about something else. Julian, what do you like to do in your free time?'

Julian hesitated, his eyes locking onto mine before responding, 'I enjoy reading and hiking.'

Rachel snorted, 'How quaint. A finance guy who likes hiking. How original.'

As the night wore on, the jokes and laughter became more forced. It was clear that Rachel was trying to provoke Julian, but why? And what was she hiding behind her mask of sarcasm and humor?

As the dessert plates were cleared, Rachel's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, her expression unreadable. 'Excuse me, I need to take this.'

As she stepped away from the table, Julian leaned in, his voice low. 'Lexi, I think we need to talk. Soon.'

I nodded, my mind racing with questions.

Rachel returned, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief. 'Sorry about that. Where were we?'

Alex, oblivious to the tension, launched into another awkward story. But Rachel cut him off, her voice dripping with sweetness. 'Darlings, it's getting late. Shall we call it a night?'

As we filed out of the restaurant, the cool night air was thick with unspoken words. Julian's eyes locked onto mine, his gaze burning with intensity. Rachel's smile seemed to hide a thousand secrets. And Alex... poor Alex looked like he was still trying to figure out what had just happened.

As we parted ways, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this night would change everything. The masks we wore had slipped, revealing glimpses of our true selves. But which ones were real, and which were just a deception? Only time would tell.