Love Begins with Deceit

I took the flyer with trembling hands, feeling a wave of sadness.

I remembered seeing Julian for the first time at the racetrack.

He was about my age, dressed in all black racing gear, pulling off his helmet in the sunset as he ran toward me.

"You're Rachel Thorne, the ace coach here?" Julian had asked.

His gaze, full of admiration, met mine.

Surprised, I found myself locked into his tender eyes. Right then, I knew I might have fallen for him at first sight.

"Rachel, why aren't you picking up my calls?" Julian's voice snapped me back to reality.

I looked up to see Julian with Ellie, who looked calm.

It was almost comical, this pair acting like strangers just to get back at me.

"Why aren't you picking up my calls?" Julian asked again, his anger barely contained.

I stared at both of them, said nothing, and just gave a cold laugh to show my disdain.

Julian grew annoyed at my reaction. "What's with that attitude?" he snapped, frowning.

Ellie, who had been silent till now, chimed in irritably, "Hey, Rachel, what's your problem with Julian?"

"Drop the act," I said, arms crossed, eyeing the damn couple.

"Wh-What?" Julian stuttered, clearly not expecting my direct approach.

"What are you talking about? What act? What got into you?" Ellie snapped, pointing right at my nose.

"Ellie!" Surprisingly, Julian cut her off.

"You didn't come home last night," Julian said from his wheelchair, eyeing me. I could swear there was a hint of blame in his tone.

"But when did Julian and I ever have a 'home'?" I wondered.

"I've blocked you. Didn't you see?" I held up my phone. To drive the point home, I added, "That means we're done. Got it?"

"Don't you dare!" Julian's face contorted with fury. His hands clutched the armrests, veins bulging with tension.

"I ended up like this because of you. And this is how you treat me?" His voice quivered with a mix of disbelief and anger.

The old me would have rushed to comfort him, like pacifying a child. Now, he just disgusted me.

I was done dealing with Julian.

Under their watchful eyes, I kicked the wheelchair.

"Enough with the act," I stated calmly.

Julian reacted swiftly, standing up just as my foot swung toward his wheelchair.

He steadied himself, his eyes growing redder. Clenching his teeth, he confronted me, "When did you find out?"