Purple Romance

''What?'' Andy looked at Godiva with a shocked expression.

''I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark about this. Trust me, I thought about this for a long time. I was confused and afraid. I was shocked by this revelation. I just didn't want to see you get hurt again but after thinking it through, I couldn't keep it away from you''

''How did you know about this?''

''Betty told me. She did some digging into Paula and accidentally found out about this''

''Ha'' Andy chuckled before bursting into laughter. He picked up the mug of coffee from the table and gulped it down but it couldn't stop him. It was like his body was on fire suddenly. An unquenchable fire that wasn't burning him physically but inwardly. He sighed and stood up saying to Godiva, ''make sure Betty doesn't go and tell Paula this. I don't want her to get shocked by the news. She would overthink and get hurt''

''She needs to know. She deserves to know the truth'' Godiva said.

''No, I can't let her find out. I can't let her get hurt by me. I don't want to be the one who ended up hurting Paula. I can protect her from everyone else hurting her but now, I am the one to hurt her'' he gasped and chuckled before adding, ''I want to be alone''

''Andy…'' Godiva stood up and watched him leave.

Back at Paula and Lisa's apartment, the two sisters sat across each other, looking at each other silently.

''Andy doesn't know that we are related, right?'' Paula asked, breaking the silence.

''He doesn't but it won't be long before he finds out''

''Don't tell him anything. Andy will overthink and get hurt. He has been through a lot and I hate to see him get hurt''

''How are you going to keep him from knowing the truth? It is just about time''

''What do you want?'' Paula asked as she looked at her sister.

''You and Andy started dating just a few weeks ago, right? It means you two haven't gone that far yet. You are still a virgin, right?''

''What?''

''Give him up and disappear from his life, then he won't ever find out that we are related. We don't even share the same surname''

''But, I am still your blood sister''

''You are but… how many people really know about that? You've been leaving all by yourself for long enough. I've been in love with Andy and have thought about him for the past ten years. For the past ten years, he has been without a woman in his life and strangely enough he happened to meet you. Don't you still get it?''

''What?''

''He is seeing me inside you. If not, how else is it possible that of all the women he could have fallen for, it had to be you? Because you are just someone he saw me in''

''What was I expecting from you? You claimed that you wanted to make things right with me but now what? You want me to leave my boyfriend for you? The same man you left ten years ago? How could you say that to me? Do you even have a conscience?''

''Then, I guess you want him to know then?'' Mali said threateningly.

''I can't stay away from Andy. No, I won't stay away from him just because you want me to. I work in the same hotel. Even if we were not working in the same place, why should I listen to you?'' Paula gathered all her courage and said her piece.

All her life, she had been giving up a lot of things. Their mother's affection. She had given up a lot of things but never got anything in return. Now, the only man who ever made her feel worthy of love, the one man who always thought about her wellbeing first before taking decisions. She was being asked to give him up. She couldn't do that.

''Because you owe me. You owe the family''

''Do I? Mali, I want you to think deep about what happened that day. Let's see if your memory of that day will continue to betray you'' Paula stood up and picked her bag, leaving the apartment.

Mali furrowed her brows, displeased. She took out her phone and made a call to their mother, ''mom, we need to talk'' she said and hung up, taking her bag along.

...

''Does Paula know about this?'' Leslie asked over the phone as he sat on the sofa watching Lisa playing video games.

He looked at Lisa and stood up saying over the phone, ''where are you? I will be there right away''

''What's wrong?'' Lisa put the tablet aside and wrote on her notepad, pointing it towards Leslie.

''Nothing'' Leslie walked over to her, ''I just need to step out for a while. Andy needs me''

''Is in he some kind of trouble?'' Lisa asked.

''Hmm, just a little one. I promise I won't keep long''

Lisa pointed at the door as it opened. Paula walked inside smiling at Lisa.

''Paula, you are here?'' Leslie turned and asked skeptically.

''Hmm, are you leaving?'' Paula asked and he nodded.

''Yes, there is an emergency at the company. Can you keep Lisa company till I return?''

''Yes, I came to spend the day with her. Don't worry and go do your work''

"Alright, Lise I will see you later. Be a good girl while this handsome lad is gone, okay?''

Lisa smiled and nodded her head. She closed her eyes as Leslie kissed her forehead and tussled her hair before leaving.

''Whoa, you two are really shameless in your PDA'' Paula commented after Leslie left.

''What's wrong with you? Your eyes are red and you seem to have suddenly lost weight. Did Andy bully you?'' Lisa stuffed the notepad with questions on to Paula's laps.

Paula looked at the questions and faked a smile as her tears fell down. Lisa sighed and shook her head. she pulled Paula into a hug, cussing herself for not being able to communicate with her besides writing. There were some things that could only be said.

Lisa hugged her and pouted her lips helplessly. She felt bad that the only way she could console her best friend was through a hug. There were so many things that she wished she could say to her but sadly, she couldn't.

After crying for a while, Paula wiped her tears and looked at Lisa, sobbing as she said to her, ''Lisa. I think that I'm about to lose Andy. Turns out the man Mali came back to reunite with is Andy, her boyfriend that she broke up with 10 years ago. How is this even possible? How could he be that man when there are a lot of men in this world? Couldn't it have been another man? Why did he have to be the man that I love so much?''

Lisa opened her mouth but no word came out. She tried desperately at that moment to say something but nothing came out. She bit her lips hard until blood came out and her eyes swelled up with tears.

''Why are you crying?'' Paula asked her, not able to control herself either.

''Because I hate myself right now'' Lisa wrote in the notepad and showed it to her.

''Lisa, do you know what's even more hurtful in all of this? Mali told me to give up on Andy but how can I give up on him when I love him so much? He is the only man to have made me feel like I can be everything that I want to be but now she is asking me to leave him''

''Are you going to do everything she tells you to? She has taken a lot of things from you, are you going to let her take Andy too?''

''No, I am not going to, but I suddenly don't have the confidence to face Andy right now. I feel so guilty about how hurt Andy will be. I don't even know if he would hate me when he finds out that I am the sister of the woman who dumped and hurt him 10 years ago. The hurt from 10 years ago made him stay away from women until he met me''

''Stop!!'' Lisa signalled with her hand and cupped Paula's face closer to her. She kissed her forehead and hugged her. Paula hugged her back and started weeping again.

The phone in Paula's bag started ringing and she moved away and took it out immediately anticipating the call from Andy but her face fell after seeing the caller ID.

Lisa snatched the phone from Paula and pressed the answer button and they heard Paula's mother's voice.

''Hey, you wench, come to the family home right away''

Lisa ended the call at once and looked at Paula helplessly.

''Should I go?'' Paula asked Lisa.

''She will still find you even if you don't go'' Lisa in her mind silently.

''She would still find me even if I don't go, right? It's better to keep her away from the hospital''