Lending Out My Boyfriend to My Blind Best Friend

1: 1

My best friend was blinded in a car accident, and her boyfriend died in a fire. When she came to, she tried to follow him in death three times.

The last time, after they'd barely pulled her back, her parents knelt down in the hospital room and clutched at the hem of my pants, begging:

Nora Fox, she's the only child we have. If something happens to her, the two of us won't be able to go on living either.

"Tim Harding's about the same height and build as Bob Henson. We're begging you, please, until Renata Swanson recovers, just tell her Bob is still alive and let Tim stay with her."

I looked at Renata, still unconscious on the bed, gritted my teeth, and nodded.

From that moment on, my boyfriend became my best friend's boyfriend.

To make it easier to look after Renata, I moved in with them and resigned myself to playing the nanny.

Until six months later, when I came home early from a business trip and stood outside the door, listening to them talk.

Renata's mother asked:

"Renata's eyes have been fine for three months now. She's home all day binge-watching shows and shopping online. If we drag this out any longer she'll be found out sooner or later. If I'd known, we should have used some other method."

Renata's father sighed:

"If she hadn't insisted on breaking up with Bob back then and made a scene in the middle of the road, would any of this have happened? That Bob was out of his mind too, crawling straight under a truck. At least he didn't drag Renata down with him."

I froze on the spot.

Realizing that my boyfriend and I had both been deceived, I immediately pulled out my phone to call Tim.

But the next second, Tim's voice came from inside:

"Don't worry, Uncle Alvin Swanson, ma'am. I'll take care of the rest. I'll figure out how to handle Nora. Renata has suffered so much for me. I'll never let her down."

I stood outside the door with my hands full of gifts, my fingertips going white.

I looked down. In my right hand were the imported eye-care supplements I'd brought for Renata.

In my left were local specialties I'd picked up out of town for Uncle Alvin and Renata's mother.

And the limited-edition watch for Tim, the one I'd waited half a month to get.

Now every one of them was a joke, burning until my palms ached.

Renata's mother's voice came from inside:

"You were the one Renata had her heart set on all along. She broke up with Bob because of you. You really can't let her down. You two are finally together after all this trouble. You can't give up halfway."

The blood in me went cold, bit by bit.

I took a deep breath and reached up to ring the doorbell.

The talking inside cut off at once.

A few seconds later, the door was pulled open.

Renata's mother saw it was me, went blank for a moment, then forced out a stiff smile:

"Nora? You're back. Perfect timing. The two of us have something to deal with at home, we were just about to leave."

She didn't even dare meet my eyes. She turned, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.

Renata's father followed close behind.

They both moved fast, as if afraid that one extra second would give them away.

I carried my things inside, pretending nothing had happened.

On the couch, Renata was tucked into Tim's arms as usual.

She had an orange segment in her hand, about to lift it to his mouth.

Hearing the sound at the door, her hand jerked and the orange dropped to the floor.

She shrank back into Tim's arms, frightened:

"Bob, who came in?"

Tim wrapped his arms around her at once and looked up at me, his brows drawn tight:

"You come back early without a word, and don't make a sound coming in? Aren't you afraid you'll scare Renata?"

Renata groped for his arm and gripped it, fingertips trembling, the picture of someone startled.

"The project wrapped up early, so I came home."

I set the gifts down on the table and let my eyes sweep over Tim.

He was wearing the loungewear I'd bought him. There was a pale pink lipstick mark on the collar.

Something in my eyes dimmed.

"Thank you for all the trouble. You even went out of your way to bring things back."

"Eye-care supplements? I hear they're good for the eyes, and they're not cheap. I'll thank you on Renata's behalf."

Hearing that it was my voice, Renata settled down.

She reached out, feeling around for the eye-care supplements on the coffee table.

But her fingertips skimmed neatly past the glass and closed steadily around the bottle.

"Is this for me? Thank you, Nora, you're so good to me."

She smiled, all innocence.

Tim frowned at me:

"You just got back. If you're tired, go rest in your room first. I've got Renata covered."

This was the newlywed home the two of us had spent half a year choosing.

But his tone made it sound like I was the outsider who didn't belong.

I said nothing more and turned to go back to the guest room.

At night I got up for water and passed Renata's room.

The door wasn't shut all the way, and their conversation came through, every word driving into my ears.

"Tim, I feel so awful. Nora and I have been like sisters for ten years, and I went and fell in love with her boyfriend. I even faked being blind and clung to your home, using such a low trick to take you from her..."

"Am I a really terrible person?"

2: 2

Tim's voice was soft enough to drip.

"Don't say that. Love doesn't run on who came first. Real love isn't a crime."

"If you have to blame someone, blame me. I was the one who fell for you first. It has nothing to do with you."

"But Nora is my best friend..."

"Don't worry about her."

He cut her off, coaxing gently,

"There. If you're still upset, I won't go back to my room tonight. I'll stay here with you."

Renata paused, hesitant.

"Won't that be bad? If Nora finds out she'll be angry. I don't want to hurt her."

"What's bad about it?"

Tim laughed once, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Everyone knows I'm your boyfriend now. Spending the night with my own girlfriend is only natural. I know how to handle Nora."

Then came the rustle of fabric.

Muffled little gasps tangled with the sound of slow, lingering kisses.

I stood outside the door, my hand clenching tighter and tighter.

The cold of the glass crept from my fingertips into my chest until my whole body shook.

Without a sound, I went back to the guest room.

The water in the cup went cold, all night long.

At breakfast the next morning, Tim sat beside Renata, head bent as he peeled a soft-boiled egg for her.

He used to say peeling eggs was a hassle. Every time, I was the one who peeled his and set it in his bowl.

So it turned out it was never the hassle. It was just the wrong person.

"Here, open up."

He held the egg to Renata's lips, and she obediently opened her mouth and ate it.

A crumb caught at the corner of her mouth, and he reached over and gently wiped it away.

Only when all that was done did he look up at me.

His tone was as flat as if he were addressing a roommate.

"Renata wants fresh-squeezed orange juice. Go make some. Her eyes make things hard, and the juicer isn't safe for her."

My grip on my chopsticks tightened.

I didn't say anything. I got up and went to the kitchen.

When I came out carrying the juice, Renata was feeling around for her cup.

I had just set the juice down beside her hand.

Her wrist suddenly tipped.

The whole glass spilled straight out, most of it splashing onto me.

Cold juice soaked through the fabric and clung to my skin, and I shivered.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Renata scrambled to her feet, hands flailing, nearly knocking the porridge off the table too.

"I can't see, I didn't get a hold of the cup..."

"Nora, are you okay? It's all my fault, I'm so clumsy."

Tim shot up at once, steadying Renata first, terrified she'd fall.

Only after making sure she was fine did he turn to me with a frown.

"What is wrong with you? You can't even set a glass down properly? Renata can't see. Was it too much to hand it right into her hand?"

"She knocked it over herself."

My voice was very quiet, my chest tight and aching.

Tim actually laughed in anger.

"Nonsense. It's because you didn't put it in her hand that she had to feel around and knock it over. Wrong is wrong. And you're still talking back?"

"Enough. Go change your clothes. Don't stand here making a face at Renata."

Renata tugged at his arm, sniffling softly.

"Bob, stop. It's all my fault. If only my eyes weren't blind, I wouldn't be such a burden to you both..."

Tim's voice went soft at once, patting her back to soothe her.

"It has nothing to do with you. She's the one being difficult. Don't take it to heart."

I stood where I was, watching the two of them play off each other, and suddenly I almost wanted to laugh.

I didn't argue anymore. I turned and went to my room to change.

Once I'd changed, I came back out and stood in front of Tim.

"There's something I want to say to you. Let's talk."

Tim froze for a beat, before he could speak.

Beside him, Renata suddenly clutched her chest and let out a muffled moan.

"Bob, I can't quite catch my breath... my head is so dizzy."

Tim forgot all about me on the spot.

He bent down, swept her up into his arms, and strode toward the room.

As he passed me, he didn't spare me a single glance.

"Why didn't you say something sooner if you felt sick? I'll take you back to rest."

"Did you not take your medicine on time? You're always so difficult. How am I supposed to stop worrying?"

My outstretched hand froze in midair, then slowly drew back.

Over the next few days, this same act played out every day.

Every time I wanted a chance to have it out with Tim, Renata would run into one trouble or another.

The chance kept landing right in front of me, and kept slipping out of my hand.

After more than a dozen failed tries in a row, I gave up.

The world of adults isn't black and white.

And not every question is meant to have an answer.

3: 3

That night, Tim went downstairs to buy Renata a late-night snack.

I was sitting on the couch drinking water when a sharp shatter of glass came from the bathroom.

Renata called out to me, helpless.

"Nora, are you out there? I was trying to wash a cup just now, and I accidentally broke it..."

"I can't see, I don't dare move. Could you come help me up?"

My hand paused around the cup.

I walked over and pushed open the bathroom door.

Sure enough, broken glass was scattered across the floor.

Renata was standing barefoot in the middle of it.

Her body swayed, like she might fall at any second.

I sighed and reached out to steady her.

"Careful, there's glass on the floor."

The instant my hand touched her arm, she suddenly grabbed my wrist and forced it down.

Right below was a jagged shard of glass.

"Ah"

She screamed in pain, her body lurching backward out of control until she was sitting on the floor.

Blood welled up from her wrist in an instant.

Almost at the same moment, the bathroom door swung open.

Tim stood in the doorway, the late-night snack in his hand.

He saw the blood on the floor, his pupils shrank, and he strode over in a rush.

"Renata!"

He scooped Renata up off the floor.

Then he looked up at me, the fury in his eyes almost enough to swallow me whole.

"Nora Fox, have you lost your mind!"

Renata was curled in his arms, trembling all over from the pain, and still she spoke up for me.

"Bob, don't blame Nora..."

"I broke the cup myself, and I called her over to help. I lost my footing and grazed the glass. It's not her fault..."

"You're hurt this badly and you're still defending her?"

Tim's brows knotted with the ache of it, and his eyes turned even colder on me.

"If she'd come over to help you out of the goodness of her heart, would you be cut this deep?"

"Nora Fox, do you think that just because she can't see, you can bully her however you want?"

"I didn't push her. She grabbed my hand and pressed it down herself."

I looked at him, my voice calm enough to surprise even me.

Tim laughed like he'd heard the biggest joke in the world, his tone thick with scorn.

"Can't you make up a better lie than that? She can't see. How exactly did she grab your hand and press it right onto the glass?"

"I think you're just jealous of her, scheming to hurt her! How did I never see how vicious you are?"

The words were barely out before a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

He was about to soften his tone, but Renata only cried harder.

"It's all my fault... it'd be better if I just died, then I wouldn't keep making Nora angry..."

"Bob, let me go. I'll go back to my parents' place, out of your way..."

Tim held her tighter, and that flash of hesitation vanished without a trace. His voice was final.

"Don't say things like that! You're not the one who should be leaving."

"Nora Fox, get out."

"Pack your things right now and get out of this house. There's no room here for a woman as vicious as you!"

I looked at him for a long time.

From high school, when he handed me a love letter with his face flushed red.

To graduation, when he said he'd give me a home.

To half a year ago, when he held my hand and told me to wait for him.

Five years of images flashed past my eyes, one after another, and settled at last on the disgust in his eyes right now.

I suddenly laughed.

"Fine."

No argument. No demand for an explanation.

I turned and walked toward the spare bedroom.

Tim seemed not to have expected me to agree so readily.

He froze, about to say something, but Renata gave a muffled whimper in his arms.

"Bob, it hurts so much..."

He pulled his gaze back at once and carried Renata off toward the bedroom.

When I wheeled my suitcase out the door, the master bedroom was shut tight.

From inside came the sound of Tim's gentle comforting, and Renata's soft, coaxing voice.

Half a year of grievance and resentment scattered completely in that moment.

I closed the door, took out my phone, and messaged the company's HR.

"The training placement at the overseas headquarters, I'll take it. I'll handle the paperwork tomorrow."

The company had offered me that placement three times.

The first time, I turned it down to support Tim's startup.

The second time, I turned it down to prepare for the wedding.

This time, I wanted to live for myself.

4: 4

I stayed at the hotel for two nights and finished all the paperwork.

For a full forty-eight hours, Tim didn't call me once.

He probably figured I was sulking, and that once I cooled off I'd come home on my own.

After all, every time we fought before, I was the one who backed down first.

The day before I left the country, I went back to the complex to pick up the books I'd left at the parcel station.

I'd just reached the door of the building when I ran into Tim.

He was carrying a dessert box, from that shop with the cheesecake I used to love most.

When he saw me, he froze for a second, his expression a little awkward.

Where have you been? You haven't come home in days.

I answered flatly, not wanting to say much to him.

I had things to do.

That day... I said some things I shouldn't have.

He scratched his head and held the dessert box out to me.

I bought this for you, call it an apology. Don't take Renata's thing to heart, she's sick after all. Once she's a little better, we'll start planning the wedding...

Halfway through, his phone suddenly rang.

The moment he picked up, his voice went soft.

What is it, Renata? Okay, I'll come right back.

He hung up and shot me a hurried glance.

Renata says she's scared, I have to go back. Keep the cake. Whatever it is, we'll talk once I'm free.

With that, he turned and ran, his steps urgent.

I watched him go, then tossed the dessert box into the trash bin beside me.

The next day, I boarded the plane bound overseas.

Watching the city shrink smaller and smaller outside the window, I murmured,

Goodbye, my five years of youth.

Goodbye, the Tim I used to know.

Meanwhile, Tim spent the whole day at home watching movies with Renata.

Late that night, when everything was quiet, he thought of Nora, and something in his chest felt heavy.

He really had said too much that day.

A girl on her own, staying somewhere else for days now, and he had no idea whether she was doing all right.

He picked up his phone, wanting to call Nora and ask when she was coming back.

But the call wouldn't go through, her phone was off.

He frowned, thinking she was still angry.

The next day, he got up early on purpose.

He went and bought the hash browns from her favorite place, then stopped by the jewelry store to pick up the diamond ring he'd ordered long ago.

He drove to Nora's company, planning to surprise her.

The receptionist looked up with a smile.

Good morning, sir. Who are you here to see?

I'm looking for Nora Fox, in the design department.

The receptionist paused, then flipped through her records.

I'm sorry, sir, Ms. Fox is no longer with the company.

She applied for a training placement at the overseas headquarters. Her flight was yesterday afternoon. She's already gone.