I didn't know how to tell Daehyun that his mom had called. Or better yet, if it really was his mother at all who had called. I wanted to tell him, but it felt like every ounce of courage I had in me before just vanished, evaporated into thin air. Daehyun had told me before that his mother had passed away, so, as I continued to overthink, I wondered if the women had really called at all or if it was simply a dream. My selfish thoughts won over me. I didn't tell Daehyun.

However, I found myself growing more and more guilty as each day passed. The ticking time-bomb of a secret I had inside of me was ready to burst. And soon enough, it did. It was when Daehyun and I had gone out for a snack after school.

Daehyun, leading the way into the hole-in-the-wall cafe we found, quickly eyed down an empty table by the cafe windows. The cafe was quaint and simple, with minimal decorations yet it had a warm homey feel to it. The strong odor of coffee hung stale in the air.

Offering me a chair, which I gladly took, Daehyun sat opposite to me. "Uhh," he said, squinted his eyes at the menu plastered to the wall across the cafe. "What to get. Everything looks so good..."

I looked up at the menu too, but I didn't see it. My guilty conscience pulled my focus away again. I slowly exhaled, which cause Daehyun to turn to me.

"Okay, what is it?" he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "You're acting so weird lately. Did something happen?" I flinched. Daehyun had seen right through me. "Geez, I can read you so easily. You're like an open book. What's the matter? You can tell you're boyfriend," he said playfully.

I looked down, ashamed. The time had finally come for me to spill it. So then, at the moment I knew I owed him the truth. Or whatever the truth was that I knew of, twisted or not, he needed to know. So I explained everything.

***

He was oddly quiet as I tried to explain the story to the best of my ability. Fumbling over my words and awkwardly forming my sentences together. I was genuinely nervous for how he'd react. After minutes, which felt like hours, my secret had been spilled. There was nothing I could do to take my words back.

Daehyun was awfully tense, his whole entire muscular frame rigid and strained. Instead of looking at me, he was staring down at his untouched coffee. His drink was probably cold now. When he finally said something I could barely make it out. It was just a mute whisper, but it sent daggers into my heart.

"I don't believe you."