Two Truths and A Lie

Levi's POV

It was just great. Heavy snow was falling, and the weather alerts continued to sound nonstop, warning of an impending snowstorm. I had a meeting to attend in Savannah, Georgia, and I was already on the outskirts when my client messaged me to reschedule. He was meant to show me his vision for his ideal project, and I was tasked with drawing up a building based on his descriptions and ideas as the architect responsible. But now I was stranded on the outskirts of Savannah for the night.

I drove around, searching for a hotel, motel, or perhaps an Airbnb, but nothing was available. Eventually, I stumbled upon a small inn nestled amidst the snow. I parked in the lot, brushed the snow off my jacket, and went straight to the receptionist to book a room for the night.

Something odd happened: I requested to book a room at the same time as another stranger, and the receptionist told us there was only one room left. Our eyes locked with an intensity I couldn't quite describe. In short, neither of us was willing to relinquish the room.

"Just so you know, I'm not giving up the room. I don't want to share, just as you probably don't, but this is my seventh attempt at finding somewhere to stay. There's no hope of finding another option this late, so we might as well share for one night and go our separate ways in the morning," she suggested, her tone tinged with urgency and desperation. I felt sorry for her—it must have been incredibly frustrating. So I said the words I never thought I would.

"Fine, I suppose we have no choice," I responded, informing the receptionist that we'd share the room before taking the keys to our master twin bedroom.

After freshening up, we both sat silently by the fireplace until she broke the quiet, and we exchanged first names.

The room was dim, lit only by the soft amber glow of the bedside lamp. Outside, the storm raged, wind slamming snow against the window. The fireplace crackled faintly, trying its best to keep up.

The silence grew louder, and she broke it again. I guessed she disliked the silence, but I was perfectly content with it.

"Would you like to play a game? As an icebreaker. I can't sleep in the same room as anyone unless I feel comfortable. So, what do you think?" she nudged me, and I considered it.

It wasn't a bad idea, though I suspected she was trying too hard and might give up on feeling at ease in this impossible situation.

But I agreed.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" she asked as the water boiled.

"No thanks," I replied, not really into hot chocolate. She nodded and made herself some.

She sat back down and took a sip of her hot chocolate before speaking.

"Okay, we could play Two Truths and a Lie, Never Have I Ever, or Would You Rather. Which one do you feel comfortable with?" she asked, watching me carefully as I weighed my options.

"Two Truths and a Lie," I answered, as it was my favourite word game.

"Okay, I'll go first. 1. I hate the ocean. 2. I love hot chocolate. 3. I'm an athlete. Can you spot the lie?" she asked with a mischievous chuckle. I pondered for a moment before giving my answer. It was harder when you knew nothing about the other person, but I refused to believe she hated the ocean. She seemed like the type to enjoy a beach picnic, so I was convinced that was the lie.

"1. That's the lie; you don't hate the ocean," I said confidently.

"Wrong! I'm not an athlete," she laughed, but I wasn't amused. Not because I guessed wrong, but because she really hated the ocean.

"May I ask why?" I inquired, curiosity lacing my tone. She frowned, and I picked up on it. She didn't feel comfortable sharing, and that was fine—after all, I was a stranger.

"My turn. 1. I'm stuck in a snowstorm. 2. I'm a writer. 3. I'm allergic to nuts."

"Hmmm, you're not a writer?" she guessed hesitantly, but I nodded, confirming she was right.

"Round two?" she suggested, settling back into the game.

"Sure, I'll start. 1. I've never been on a plane. 2. I dislike dogs. 3. I once drove a car without a licence." I had a smug look, knowing this round was going to be trickier.

"Hmmm, this is so unfair."

"Um, don't hate the player, hate the game," I chuckled, her gaze lingering on my face as if it held the answers.

"Okay, I'm choosing number 2. Fingers crossed." She closed her eyes, and I nearly laughed.

"Wrong! I've never driven without a licence."

"What?" she chuckled dryly.

"May I probe a little?" she asked curiously.

"Sure," I smiled.

"Why have you never been on a plane? And why don't you like dogs? They're so cute!"

"Slow down," I laughed at her relentless questioning.

She sighed, admitting defeat as she awaited my answer.

"I'm acrophobic," I chuckled nervously, and she looked at me, stunned, piecing together why I hadn't been on a plane.

"I've been that way for as long as I can remember. And, well, I had a traumatic experience with dogs, so I just don't like them," I admitted. I had flashbacks of a dog attacking me, but I wouldn't admit it outright—it seems cowardly.

"Hmmm, that's a bummer, but you're not missing much. Plane rides are faster but uncomfortable because you always feel like if you relax too much, you might tip the plane over—"

I cut her off with a hearty laugh.

"What?" she grinned, clearly pleased I got the joke.

"You're so funny, Alya. I haven't laughed this hard in ages," I said, meeting her eyes with a smile.

"And no one has laughed at my sense of humour as much as you, so the pleasure is mutual," she replied with a grin.

"Final round?" I asked, already enjoying the game—finally admitting I was wrong about her trying too hard and giving up halfway.

"Of course. I'll start. 1. I nearly moved to Paris last year. 2. I have a tattoo no one knows about. 3. I once fell off a ski lift."

"Oh, that must have hurt—falling off the ski lift. But tattoo is the lie; you don't give off that vibe," I said, pretty sure of myself.

"Ugh, yeah, you're right. I went easy on you," she said sulkily, unable to admit how easily I guessed.

"If that soothed your ego, so be it," I teased.

"Okay, let's raise the stakes. 1. I almost proposed once. 2. I haven't spoken to my dad in seven years. 3. I used to want to be a musician."

She studied me carefully, as if she could sense the weight behind my words.

"Proposal's the lie,"

"Wrong. Musician's the lie."

"Whoa, that's big,"

"Yeah, I thought she was the one, but it turns out she wasn't. She... cheated on me with my best friend—well, ex-best friend. I couldn't accept it. If I hadn't been there, I might have thought it was a lie, but there she was, promising him everything she had once said to me, while under the covers with him. I returned the ring, and that was that. I...haven't really told anyone that," I revealed, staring at my hands, wondering why I'd just opened up.

I could still vividly remember that day as if it were yesterday. I had received my paycheck that afternoon and excitedly went into her favourite jewellery shop, Pandora. I went ring shopping because I thought she was the one for me and wanted to promise her forever. I asked the sales assistant what the best ring to propose with was, and she brought out the "Holy Promise" 2ct pear cut side stone. It was beautiful, and I knew she would love it. I paid immediately, grabbed the ring, and walked to our shared apartment. But I was in for the surprise of my life. As I walked through the front door, I noticed it wasn't locked. At the entrance, I found a pair of male shoes that didn't belong to me. I recognised them – I had gotten them as a birthday gift to my best friend, Ethan. My heart raced, hoping it wasn't what I thought.

I heard laughter coming from our bedroom and, feeling nauseous, I peeked in. To my horror, I saw them all cosy under the sheets, barely clothed. "I want to be with you, Ethan, and only you," Ria promised him. The same words she'd said to me yesterday that had propelled me to propose to her, but now I felt disgusted. My eyes stung, and my nausea worsened. I ran into the bathroom, throwing up my gut. They must have heard me projectile vomit and ran out shamelessly calling out my name. I rinsed my face, trying to keep my emotions in check.

"Did you really have to go for my best friend? How long has this been going on? Did I ever mean anything to you, Ria?" I asked, unsure if I wanted the answer.

"Don't answer that. I don't want to know." I paused, unable to control my emotions. Rage, sadness, and hurt swirled within me. "Ethan, we've been friends for as long as I can remember, and you go ahead and do this to me?" I wanted to punch him, to break a bone or two, but my strength waned. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I just wanted to get out of here.

"It's over. I don't ever want to see any of you again. You want to be together so badly? Go ahead, with me out of the equation, you can get your happily ever after." I finished, refusing to let them speak to me. I packed my essentials into a bag and left. I didn't know where I was headed, but I couldn't stay here. I returned the ring, not bothering to get a refund. I was out of my body. I booked the next available flight to South Carolina, to stay with my sister, hoping to be far away from New York.

"You just told me. That must have been really hard to move past. You must have felt lonely, keeping  all that inside, losing your closest friend and your girlfriend all in one go." She offered comfort, and I thought I didn't need anyone to comfort me, but it did lighten the burden somewhat.

"Yeah, it means nothing to me now," I said, trying not to make a big deal out of it. I didn't want to dwell on it—it was years ago, after all. Well, three years ago, and I've been unable to be with anyone since. It's safe to say I don't believe in 'the one.' So I wasn't open to new possibilities.

Starting afresh in South Carolina was challenging, but I knew I had to move on and pursue my architecture career. Three years later, I found myself with my own architecture startup company, handling a few clients. It all came down to my biggest investor – my older sister.

Strangely enough, I wouldn't mind if Alya became a small part of my life. She felt like a ray of sunshine I needed to open my heart again, but it was just one night. We'd return to our daily lives, pretending this night never happened.

So I decided to live in the moment and be a version of myself that wasn't closed off to new people.

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