Chapter 5: Suspect

One afternoon, Sarah confronted Lily about her suspicions. "I can't help but feel like something is going on between you and James," she said.

 

Lily's heart raced as she tried to come up with a response. "What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"You've been spending a lot of time with him lately," Sarah replied. "And the way you two look at each other...it just seems like there's something more going on."

Lily could feel the guilt weighing on her. "I promise you, there's nothing going on between James and me," she said, hoping Sarah would believe her.

Lily felt her heart sink. She didn't want to lie to Sarah, but she also didn't want to hurt her. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to play dumb.

"You know what I mean, Lily. You've been spending so much time with James lately, and it just seems...different," Sarah replied, her voice laced with concern. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Lily hesitated for a moment before responding, "No, there's nothing going on between us. We're just friends."

Sarah studied her for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay, I believe you," she said, although there was a hint of doubt in her voice.

"I mean, you two have been spending a lot of time together lately, and you seem to be getting closer," Sarah said.