farewell (18+)

8. Who Said I'm About To Lie?

⚠ WARNING: This chapter contains graphic depictions of sexuality, intended for adult readers ONLY.

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I was walking inside the National Library, distracted by its lush atmosphere, when I noticed Max staring at my butt.

"Um, Max?" I snapped my fingers. "What's wrong?"

His eyes slowly came up from the tight fabric of my dress to land on my own. "Are you not wearing underwear?"

I snorted and followed the people up the marble staircases, amazed by the bronze filigree that supported the handrail. The guide went on to tell us all about the history of the Library, how many millions of items it possessed, and the beautiful architecture of it. Room after room, we'd see busy people doing research, restoration, or filing work. Every area looked more stunning than the previous one.

"Isn't this place beautiful?" I asked, but I got no answer.

I looked around for Max and found him at the back of the group, talking to some random skank. She wouldn't stop touching her hair, puffing her c-cup chest. The bitch was flirting, and there was nothing I could do.

Serves you right, Anna. You knew this would happen, and you still went and did stuff with him.

I started walking a bit slower, to try and listen to what they were saying, but the only thing I got was her hyena laugh. I heard him whisper something to her, and before I could catch myself, my head was turning to look at them. My eyes met Max's, and I looked away so quickly, it was impossible to fake indifference. My feet started carrying me to the front of the crowd in a haste, but I didn't make it that far. His fingers wrapped around my arm and turned me to face him. I tried, for everything that was dear to me, not to look too hurt, but I was sure my looks reflected the mess I was on the inside.

"Hey, that's not what it looks like," he said.

"No! You don't have to explain yourself to me, okay?"

"But I want to."

"Please, don't."

"Why not?" He crossed his arms.

"Because... Look, I don't want you to lie to me, okay? Let's not do this."

"Who said I'm about to lie?"

"I know you are. It's how this works. We fool around, I catch you flirting with another girl, and you feed me some bullshit to keep me interested."

"Wow."

"But we don't have to do this. You're single. I'm single. Let's not play this game. It was good while it lasted."

I turned to leave, but he stopped me. "I wasn't flirting with her."

"What did I just say?"

"I'm not lying! She was flirting. I was just talking to her."

"I don't wanna hear it..."

"What was I supposed to do? Leave her hanging?"

"You're not supposed to do anything! You're a free man!"

Somebody shushed me, and I looked around, startled. The group was far ahead from us now. I gave Max a meaningful look, and we followed them, silently agreeing to end that conversation. I refrained from even looking at him for the rest of the tour, pretending I wanted to pay attention to the guide.

We entered an open space, made of six stories of mezzanines, all packed with literal tons of books. I had never seen so many, and for a moment, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. So many stories, so much knowledge it was crazy. You could see the original metal structures, and the floors were made of actual glass, except for the middle one. At the far top, a skylight stretched from either side of the warehouse, bathing the colossal room in natural light.