Three weeks before, Mia and Nick's fake dating was posted on social media.
Pim's phone buzzed just as she was getting ready for bed. She glanced at the screen and saw Mia's name flashing. It was late—too late for casual calls. A horrible feeling developed in her gut as she hesitated before answering.
Mia never phoned this late unless something was severely wrong.
"Mia? Pim said, sitting up. "Why are you calling so late? What's wrong? "
There was a long silence on the other end, followed by a deep sigh. The hesitation in Mia's breath sent a chill down Pim's spine.
"Mia," she said, firmer this time. "Talk to me."
Finally, Mia spoke, her voice strangely faint and uncertain. "Pim… I need to tell you something."
Pim frowned, shifting to the edge of her bed. "What is it?
Another pause, then the words came out in a hurry, as if Mia wanted to say them before she lost the nerve.
"Nick and I… we're going public with a fake relationship."
Pim blinked, thinking she had misheard. "What?
"It's fake," Mia repeated hurriedly. "Just a front, it's not real, but Arthur can't know."
Silence stretched between them while Pim absorbed the words. Her grasp on the phone intensified.
"You're joking," Pim remarked finally. "Please tell me you're joking."
"I wish I were," Mia acknowledged. "But it has to happen."
Pim's chest burned with fury and confusion. "What the hell do you mean it has to happen? Do you even comprehend what this will do to Arthur?"
Mia's voice wavered. "I know."
"No, Mia, I don't think you do." Pim rose, pacing the room. "He's barely holding himself together. He still loves Nick. He's still waiting for him. And you're telling me you're going to pretend to date him? Do you have any concept of how cruel that is?"
Mia let out a trembling breath. "I don't have a choice."
Pim clenched her jaw. "Of course, you have a choice! You're choosing to do this. And for what? Why?"
Mia paused. "…It's for Nick." I owe him a favor. He said it for a short moment.
Pim froze. "What do you mean?
Mia's voice sank to a whisper. "I can't explain. Just… believe me, okay?"
Pim laughed angrily. "Trust you? You're asking me to lie to my best friend. You're asking me to sit there and watch him break while you and Nick put on this act. How do you expect me to accomplish that?"
Mia didn't answer right away. Then, she said, "Because I need you to."
Pim pulled her eyes tight, feeling an overpowering sensation of helplessness.
Arthur has already lost so much.
And now, she had to be part of this?
She had to keep this from him.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell Mia no, to refuse, to call Arthur right now and tell him everything.
But then she thought about her own heart, of her crush, and the interwoven links between them all.
And just like that, she understood she was imprisoned.
Pim slid onto the side of her bed, her hands quivering.
"Mia…" Her voice was thick with sorrow. "I don't know if I can do this."
Mia's breath hitched. "Please, Pim. Just for now, just till the timing is right."
Pim gulped past the lump in her throat.
She wanted to say no.
But she couldn't.
"Fine," she whispered. "But I hate this. And I detest you for putting me in this position."
Mia didn't argue.
She only muttered, "I know."
And as the phone call ended, Pim sat in the darkness, feeling like she had just betrayed the person who mattered most to her.
Pim didn't sleep that night.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts replaying the discussion over and over.
Arthur had been doing better—or at least, that's what she had convinced herself. He wasn't okay, not really, but he was trying. He was painting again, burying himself in his craft the way he usually did when life became too much.
But this… this would break him.
Pim went for her phone more than often, her fingertips hovering over Arthur's name. She could still call him. She may still tell him the truth.
But then what?
He would go seeking Nick. He would demand explanations. And knowing Arthur, he would only wind up hurt all over again.
Pim hated herself for it, but she couldn't do that to him. Not yet.
Her chest hurt with frustration as she put her palm against her forehead.
She needed air.
Throwing on a hoodie, Pim grabbed her keys and left her flat. The streets were silent at this hour; the city's normal turmoil muted to distant echoes. She wandered without a destination, attempting to clear her thoughts.
Her phone vibrated again. Mia.
Pim breathed loudly before answering. "What?
Mia's voice was tiny. "I couldn't sleep."
"Neither could I," Pim murmured.
A pause, then Mia added, "I'm sorry."
Pim clenched her jaw. "You should be."
Mia sighed. "You don't understand, Pim. Nick… he's hurting, too."
Pim stopped walking. "So is Arthur. Don't defend him.
"I know," Mia acknowledged. "But Nick thinks this is the only way."
"The only way for what?" Pim demanded.
Mia didn't answer.
Pim laughed dryly. "You expect me to trust you, but you won't even tell me the truth."
"It's complicated," Mia muttered.
Pim shook her head. "No, it's not. It's selfish. And it's cruel."
Mia stayed mute.
Pim took a long breath, pushing herself to calm down. "Does he know?
Mia paused. "Know what?
"That Arthur never gave up on him. That he still loves him. That he still feels there's a chance."
Mia's breath hitched. "I don't think it would change anything."
Pim felt something inside her crack. "Then you don't know Nick as well as you think you do."
Mia didn't answer right away. "I need to go."
Pim breathed hard. "Of course you do."
Mia's voice was quiet. "Pim… please don't hate me."
Pim closed her eyes. "I don't hate you, Mia. But I loathe what you're doing."
And for the first time, Mia had no response.
The call terminated.
Pim stood there, the city lights flickering about her, and wondered when everything had gotten so impossibly damaged.