A Secret Kept For Close Friends

That night, Chloe was unusually quiet. Lying beside her in the dark, I could only hear the sound of her steady breathing. No sleep-talking, no tossing and turning.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly.

I woke in the middle of the night, my throat dry. I slipped out of bed to get a glass of water.

I stopped in the doorway.

A single floor lamp cast a dim glow over the living room.

Chloe was curled on the sofa, wrapped in a cashmere blanket. Romeo stood before her, his back to me.

"Are you really going to marry her?" Chloe's voice was soft, but it cut through the silence. "The woman you publicly claimed behind my back?"

Romeo’s voice was heavy with exhaustion. "We agreed, didn't we? After Mom died, we can only be brother and sister."

"Brother and sister?" Chloe scoffed, her voice sharp and cold. "Is that how you kiss your sister? Have you forgotten that night in the Hamptons, when you almost—"

My hand tightened on the doorframe.

They used to date.

Romeo’s back was ramrod straight. "That's in the past. When Mom found out about us, the shock triggered a fatal heart attack. On her deathbed, she made me swear I would never be with you. It’s been impossible for us ever since."

I held my breath.

So that was the truth.

"So you chose her?" Chloe's voice grew shrill. "A middle-class girl with no background, someone who won't cause any trouble? Because you don't dare pursue a relationship your family might actually oppose, right?"

Romeo was silent for a long time.

"Sloane…" He finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "She pursued me for three years. Her feelings for me are real."

"Real?" Chloe’s voice cracked. "Then what about me? What about all those years we dated in secret? All the promises you made, telling me you’d make us public when the time was right?"

Romeo's shoulders slumped. The man who always stood so tall now looked impossibly vulnerable.

"I'm sorry, Chloe," his voice was barely a whisper. "It's the biggest regret of my life."

Just then, Chloe lifted her head.

Her gaze traveled over Romeo's shoulder and locked onto mine in the darkness.

She'd seen me.

I saw a cold, calculating glint in her eyes. Then she tilted her chin up slightly.

Her voice suddenly turned gentle. "Romeo, I only have one last request."

He glanced down at her.

"Kiss me, like we used to. Just this once, just for tonight," she pleaded softly. "Starting tomorrow, I'll try to be just your sister."

Romeo's body tensed. The air around him seemed to thrum with his inner conflict.

"Just one kiss," Chloe’s voice choked with a sob. "And I promise, I'll let go."

Long seconds stretched on, the moonlight creeping across the floor.

Then I saw Romeo slowly lean down, his arms reaching to circle her shoulders.

Chloe immediately pressed her lips to his. Then, from an angle he couldn't see, her eyes met mine again.

A triumphant smile bloomed on her face.

She was putting on a show just for me, and Romeo was her unwitting star.

My heart was surprisingly calm.

I slowly pulled my phone from my robe pocket and started recording.

The soft click of my phone unlocking shattered the night’s silence.

Romeo spun around. The moment he saw me, his blue eyes blew wide with shock, panic, and raw fear.