They were best friends for years, sharing every secret except one. When Felix finally confesses his feelings, Josephine lets him down with a gentle lie: she's not interested in men. Heartbroken but determined to keep their friendship, Felix tries to...
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Josephine met Larisa at the mall, the two strolling through various stores, perusing racks of clothes and shelves of accessories with ease. They had done this countless times, and the familiarity of it made Josephine feel a rare kind of peace. They paused at a display of colorful scarves, Josephine picking one up to examine it, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Oh! Let me tell you," she started, her tone surprised, "I think we might not need to keep up the whole 'pretend dating' thing much longer. Felix is on a dating app now."
Larisa sighed, a look of relief washing over her face as she dramatically held a hand to her chest. "Thank God," she muttered. "I'm honestly so over this whole thing. I hate lying to people. Felix is so nice too."
Josephine chuckled, nudging her friend playfully. "Glad to know you've enjoyed being my fake girlfriend."
"Oh, I didn't say that," Larisa smirked. "But, seriously, if you think he's ready, you should tell him. Let him know we were just pretending now, so that he really has some closure."
Josephine's playful grin faded, and she shifted her weight slightly, feeling a twinge of hesitation. "No way! Not yet. I want to wait until he's officially dating someone. You know, just to be sure. Once he's dating someone that he falls in love with then he won't worry about me anymore.
Larisa stopped in her tracks, fixing Josephine with a look of exasperation. "Are you kidding? Jo, this has gone on long enough. He's got to find out sooner or later. Even then, he'll still be mad that you lied to him. The longer you wait, the worst it's going to be."
Josephine held her hands up defensively, giving her friend a reassuring smile. "Relax. I'll tell him, I promise. Just... let's give it a little more time."
Larisa rolled her eyes but eventually let it go, deciding not to push the matter. "Fine. Just don't come crying to me when he figures it out on his own. Some men don't take lightly to be rejected like that, especially if you lie."
As they continued down the aisles, Josephine's phone buzzed. She glanced down to see a text from Ryan: Hey, are you free after work this coming Tuesday? I'd love to take you out to dinner.
She felt her cheeks warm, a small smile spreading across her face. Larisa noticed instantly, raising a brow. "Who's that?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"It's Ryan," Josephine replied, her voice soft and almost shy. "He wants to go out for dinner on Tuesday."
Larisa smirked, nudging her with her elbow. "Ooh, it's getting serious, huh? You two have been texting and hanging out all the time now."
