Perfect Illusion

Eleven - "Living With The Asshole."

For what seems like a really long time, neither of us say anything. Nate stares at me, his eyes blinking. He, like me, also seems to be at a loss for words after what Daniel has said.

I know I shouldn't be pissed at Daniel for telling Nate about the engagement. It is my fault in the first place for not telling Nate about it sooner. He is still my friend (perhaps maybe more) and it had completely slipped my mind to talk to him about it.

Now, I have to face the consequences.

I expect Nate to yell at me, or unleash his anger, but his actual response is not quite what I expect.

He throws his head back and laughs.

Really, really laughs.

Like Daniel just told the world's greatest joke.

Daniel and I exchange glances. We don't know what to say.

"Damn, that's funny. Really funny!" Nate continues to laugh for a good thirty seconds before he realises that the both of us aren't joining in.

He stops laughing. The amusement in his eyes quickly fades away.

"It's not a joke, Nate." Daniel says, "We're actually engaged."

Nate's whole body goes rigid, like stone. His eyes harden as they flicker to meet Daniel's, then mine. His face unravels before me, the last of his sanity crumbling away to oblivion.

"No," He whispers as he presses his hands over his face, "No."

Daniel tightens his arm around my waist. I fight the urge to tear away from his grasp.

"I don't believe it," Nate breathes. "I refuse to believe that the both of you are... engaged." He takes a second to say the last word as if he can't quite understand it.

I know how he feels. I can't understand it either.

My first instinct is to tell Nate that it isn't real, that it is just some deal my parents made just to save their company. I want to tell him the whole truth, the one that I already told Cara.

Daniel will probably kill me if he knows I told Cara. It's a total violation of the contract. But I couldn't keep this big of a secret from my best friend. After she found me crying my eyeballs out last weekend, she demanded to know what had happened. I couldn't hide it from her. She would see right through me.

After I told her what really went down, I made her promise that she wouldn't tell anyone about it.

I trust Cara. She always keep her promises.

I trust Nate too, and I really want to tell him... but is it wise for me to do so? When Daniel is standing right next to me?

"Is it true, Alex?" Nate's eyes search mine.

Shamefully, I nod.

I feel like a fucking hypocrite.

I can hide from Daniel the fact that Cara knows, but I can't hide this.

I have to play along.

He takes a few steps back to register everything.

"That's not possible." He frowns. "No, it's not possible. I didn't even know you guys knew each other!" Then, he turns to me, "You didn't even tell me you knew Daniel. I mentioned him so many times-"

"How nice of you to do so." Daniel says sarcastically.

"But you never even gave me any hint that you knew him." Nate furrows his eyebrows. "He's your fiancé for fuck's sake, Alex. Even if that topic never came up between us, you could at least have the decency to say that you were freaking involved with my roommate!"