Holding back

Michael or Pablo?

"Vilu, have you seen Angie?" I asked as I sat to the table. I woke up this morning and she had gone, she didn't speak to me last night and I wanted to make sure she's ok. I still have no idea what's going on. Who is Michael? What 'baby' was he referring to?

"Yeah, she's gone to see Pablo..." Vilu murmured without making eye contact with me. Odd.

"Pablo? I thought she said she was going to see someone called Michael?" Said Olga, who was oblivious to everything that happened last night. Now it makes sense. She couldn't look me in the eye because she's lying to me.

"Olga, will you go and make some tea, please?" I asked sternly as I looked at Vilu, who still wouldn't look at me.

"Yes mr German." She replied. Clearly, she could sense the tension. She made her way to the kitchen without another word. I watched her leave before turning to face Vilu.

"So which one is it, Violetta?" I asked, giving her another chance to come clean.

"Pablo... I already said..." She said, sticking to her story.

"Well then, let's give Pablo a ring, see if he agrees with your story!" I got out my phone to ring Pablo when Vilu snatched the phone out of my hand.

"Fine! She's with Michael! But I promised I wouldn't tell you! Please don't do something stupid!" She panicked.

I sighed as I sat down beside Vilu. Angie hasn't spoken to me since Pablo's party yesterday, as soon as Michael appeared she ran home and locked herself in her room.

"Vilu, what has Angie said to you?" I aksed. I hoped that Vilu knew something and would tell me, so I wasn't completely in the dark.

"Nothing..."

"Violetta! You have lied to me once already, don't lie to me again!" I shouted. I was increasingly losing my patience with her.

"Look, you will have to talk to Angie yourself, it's not my place to say." She sighed. I sighed too and nodded my head. I knew she was right. I just hated not knowing anything, because that means I can't help her.

"I'm sorry Vilu, it's just... I love her, I hate seeing her like this." I sat down at the table and placed my head in my hands.

"I know you do, and so do I- wait. Wait. Wait!" She screeched.

"What is it?" I stuttered, jolting my head up and looking alert.

"Did you just say that you love Angie?" She asked whilst clapping her hands with excitement.

What have I done?

Violetta looked at me with so much hope. I could tell she was hoping that I'd admit that I love Angie and that Angie would feel the same and we'd live happily ever after. Which is why I lied. I couldn't get her hopes up because Angie doesn't love me.

"No, no, Vilu I meant that... I love her platonically." Vilu stared at me with a confused look. "That means just as a friend." I added.

She rolled her eyes. "I know what platonically means."

"Then why'd you look confused?"

"Because you just said that you don't love Angie. You said you needed to kiss her to figure out how you feel." She waved her fingers in the air, gesturing that the last bit was a quote from me. And it was. I did say that. And I figured out how I felt. I figured out that I love her.

"I kissed her. And I felt nothing." I felt sick to my stomach for lying like that. But what was my other option? Tell Vilu that I'm totally in love with Angie, let her get her hopes up? No, I couldn't do that.