51 Catching up with a friend

"Diego," a familiar voice reached from behind.

When Diego turned around, he saw a well-known figure with a bright smile on her face. Diego's face lit up from looking at her. All of his stress disappeared, and he waved his hands up to signal the woman.

Soon, she approached him. Her presence made Diego happy.

"Well, well, if it isn't the great Lillian Grey standing in front of me," Diego blurted in his tipsy time.

What happened next?

Lillian Grey, beating the hell out of Diego, who took all of her hits with grace. Then, she pinched his ear to ask,

"Well, well, who was it begging me to come here?"

"Alright. Alright. It was me. Stop it." Diego appealed. Lillian Grey released his ear, which has gone beet red from the pinching.

They both looked at each other for a few seconds, and the tension kept increasing until Lillian Grey opened to chuckle.

"Wow, how long has it been, Diego? Oh, can I have a glass of water first? I'm parched," Lillian requested the bartender while addressing her good friend.

"Mysteriously, you're not free for me. So, I never try to disturb you either. God knows when you work and when you take rest," Diego exhaled as he took a sip of his drink.

"Wait, let me drink this water first." Lillian excused herself. She had boarded the cab to reach this bar, which took a long time.

"Are you feeling better now? But if you're going to keep drinking that thing, you can leave right now." Diego teased.

"Shut up, Diego."

"Can I have dry Martini Please?" Lillian requested the bartender.

The newly appointment bartender who feared Diego's sight, witnessed the same person behave so gentle in the presence of this woman. The guy assumed them to have personal relationship blame for this mysterious shift of demeanor.

"So, What's up?" Lillian sat comfortably next to Diego. Soon, her drink arrived, and she thanked the meek bartender.

"My treat," Diego blurted out.

"What?" Lillian groaned after taking a sip of the classic Martini.

"Congratulation on your new book. Hence, my treat," Diego ended his reason abruptly.

Lillian studied him, struggling to act all stiff and sturdy. She smiled.

"Thanks. But can you handle it? You know how much I am capable of drinking." Lillian warned him fairly.

"Go ahead. I don't mind even if you empty this shop." Diego replied. The bartender went pale after overhearing their conversation.

..

For the next few minutes, Lillian and Diego enjoyed their drinks and chatted. The thick friends since middle school had a lot to catch up on. Diego saw her 'new book release news' and then immediately called her out without mentioning anything.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait up, I have a question," Lillian recollected something.

"Did you talk to Shane about some school admission," Lillian asked.

Back then, when Shane requested her for Diego's number without giving any detailed information, Lillian planned to ask Diego directly for whom Shane had begged.

"Yes, but how did you know?" Diego asked, suspecting them, the college friends.

Lillian realized that they did not use her involvement in this subject and feeling stupid to get caught voluntarily, she devised for an excuse.

Using their deep friendship to establish no secrecy between Shane and herself, Lillian placed her argument.

Diego knew those two newly blossomed close buddies from college. He no longer suspected them and overlooked it to pursue.

"Ah, yes, but unfortunately, I just received an update to ignore his request," Diego replied vaguely.

"Ignore? Ah, anyways, for whom did he request for the admission." Lillian became excited to know.

"Didn't Shane tell you?" Diego asked, more curious to know if Lillian was aware of Giselle's return or not.

He phrased his question in such a way that Lillian's nerve ticked off from hearing it.

If one thing that kept bugging her was Shane's sudden act of keeping secrets. Although she respects his boundaries, but to openly ask her of favor and not mentioning for whom he intends to do the help, aggravated Lillian Grey. She drafted a lot of theories in her mind, but the one that stood out most was:

Shane, having a secret girlfriend and a child!

"Nope. He didn't tell me." Lillian looked down - expecting Diego to fall for it and spill Shane's secrets. However, that failed miserably. Diego didn't utter a word about Giselle but gently dodging the conversation just by replying, "He just told me that it was for one of his friends. He didn't mention any names."

Diego seemed cautious, carefully handing the conversation. He never exposed anything.

All he could think of was, 'Why did Shane hide it from Lillian?' His mind was steadily searching the answer to that particular question. However, his brain got interrupted when Lillian called off the night. She saw Diego and had a chat with him after a long time. Plus, they both enjoyed drinks together. Lillian wanted to return home since it's already getting late. Diego looked at the time, and it was 10:40 PM. However, the bar is still packing with a lot of customers. Diego paid the bill, and both of them headed out.

...

It's almost time for them to part ways. Diego congratulated her once again and requested her often to meet him. He also suggested Lillian a get-together plan with Anna. The trio was inseparable during their high school days. But as they grew older, the times spent with each other got lesser and lesser. Lillian agreed to his plan. She said goodbye and took a few steps. She stopped, turned back, and looked at Diego - who was still facing her.

"I forgot," Lillian said.

"What?" Diego asked.

"I'm in a relationship, Diego," Lillian revealed.

Diego's expression changed instantly. However, he didn't speak a word about it. His eyes kept staring at Lillian's, and after a few seconds, he smirked. Lillian appeared upset from seeing his expression -as if he's pointing out that she used this dialog often while dating. And so far, Lillian had never been into a steady relationship.

"I know. I know. But this time, we're both mutually serious." Lillian confirmed.

"Hey, don't fret, though. Let's see how long this seriousness of yours is going to last." Diego exclaimed.

"Hmm... but this time, I'm feeling different," Lillian stated. Hearing her say that, Diego felt empty. He couldn't find another word to tell her.

Meanwhile, Lillian spotted a taxi and signaled for it to make a stop. She saw the taxi driver arriving at her spot.

"Alright, then. Take care, and yes, I'll arrange a date for all three of us to meet. Thanks for tonight, Diego. It felt good talking to you. Ah, my ride's here. See you then." Lillian said as she took her seat.

"Text me when you reach home," Diego yelled from far.

"Sure. Goodbye, and see you around." Lillian replied by waving her hand, and her taxi took off.

Diego stood there in silence. He murmured to himself, staring at the direction Lillian went off.

He whispered, "Love you too, Lilly."