My Girlfriend and My Best Friend Were Stealing My Life's Work

I gave my phone a little shake.

"Not just you. You and Cyril. The two of you."

"Your booking app is linked to my number, so the confirmation text came to me. Forget about that?"

Ina's brows drew together. "Orson, you've actually been spying on me?"

Cyril jumped in to smooth things over. "Orson, don't blame Ina."

"I wanted to get away for a bit, and I didn't want to interrupt your research, so I asked Ina to come with me."

"You're not upset, are you, Orson? How about the three of us go together some other time?"

I looked at the two of them and said it slowly, one word at a time.

"Sure. Let's go once I've finished my research, then."

That answer stuck in Cyril's throat, and his smile froze on his face.

After a moment, he lowered his head and sighed.

"I should've held off on booking the hotel. The place says it's nonrefundable now. Ugh…"

Ina held his hand and soothed him gently. "Booked is booked. We'll go as planned. Just ignore Orson. All that research has rusted his brain."

Cyril curled his fingers back around hers, easy and automatic, like a gesture he'd done a hundred times.

So familiar that Ina didn't even register she'd crossed a line, and instead her face went cold as she scolded me.

"Orson, how can you be like this? You won't go yourself, so you block everyone else from going?"

"Cyril and I will go first this time. Once your research is done, the three of us can go together. Simple, right?"

I tapped the message on my phone.

"The tickets are for first thing tomorrow morning."

"If I hadn't found out, when exactly were you planning to tell me?"

"Or were you never going to tell me at all?"

The grief froze on Cyril's face, and Ina's hand stopped in midair, cup and all.

I stood up from my seat.

"When you asked me out today, was it because you wanted to see me? Or did you have something else in mind?"

I'd barely gotten home when Ina called.

"Orson, what was that today? What was with all the passive-aggressive sniping?"

"You don't get it?"

Ina lost her temper on the spot.

"You're not jealous of Cyril, are you? I only went with your buddy on that trip so you could focus on your research!"

"Fine, so you don't appreciate everything I've done. But now you're jealous over nothing too!"

"And your research. I've told you how many times I'd back it up for you, and you never send it. What's that about? My good intentions, and you treat me like a thief?"

I hung up on her.

I opened my laptop and pulled up the college applications system again.

Fairmont. This time, not a shred of hesitation.

Cyril started posting the trip on his feed.

Scenery shots. Food shots. Photos of him and Ina together.

Someone commented: 【Handsome guy, beautiful girl, perfect couple!】

Cyril replied with a smug little emoji.

Ina sent me one message every day.

【Don't let jealousy get in the way of your research. Cyril and I just didn't want to hold up your big project, that's the only reason we didn't bring you along.】

The research. She really cared about my research.

I opened my laptop and casually added a stroke to it.

A week later, the acceptance letter from Fairmont arrived.

I'd just torn open the envelope when Ina and Cyril came rushing in, travel-worn.

"What was that, ignoring our messages these past few days? Trying to make us feel guilty on purpose?"

"Is the research all finished?"

I took out the acceptance letter.

"It's finished."

"You two looked like you were having such a good time, I didn't have the heart to interrupt."

The moment Ina heard my research was done, her whole expression relaxed.

"I hear Kingsley lets you submit your research now. Send it to me, I can submit it for you!"

I gave the letter in my hand a shake.

"Why would my research go to Kingsley?"

Ina's eyes went wide, and she snatched the acceptance letter right out of my hand.