Awkwardness and unease were visible on her face. After a long pause, Sheryl hesitantly said,"Well... that's why I came to you."
"What do you mean by that?" Sue asked in a suspicious voice, with an incredulous look on her face.
"I will take a few days off because I need to look after Charles," Sheryl blurted out taking a deep, bracing breath.
"Are you out of your mind?" Sue accused loudly while staring at Sheryl in disbelief. 'Sheryl must surely be out of her mind. She has a boyfriend who loves her so much. How can she take care of another man? What if Anthony gets jealous? Does she not care about his feelings?' she thought indignantly.
"How could you do this? What if Anthony comes to know? You..." Sue continued trembling with emotion. She didn't dare to imagine what would happen once Anthony learned about Sheryl's madness.
"As I said earlier, that is why I came to you. I hope you can do me a favor," Sheryl said in a flat voice. She looked at Sue with soft, pleading eyes. "I hope you can keep him in the dark about this. I don't want him to learn about this," she requested.
"You are truly not in your senses," Sue responded with her mouth agape. With a cold look at Sheryl, she went on in a determined voice,"I can't lie to him for you. He doesn't deserve this, you know."
"Believe it or not, I am not cheating on him with Charles," Sheryl defended herself. With an unhappy glance at Sue, she explained,"I'll just visit his house to cook for him. You are reading too much into these simple gestures."
Taking note of the resolve on Sue's face, she continued,"If you tell Anthony all this, he will get very upset. It is unnecessary to worry him."
"But..." Sue retorted as she squinted at her best friend,"Are you sure about this? You know he has a crush on you so why are you still going to take care of him?"
"He got injured on my account," Sheryl answered steadily as she continued to look at Sue in the eye. "He saved me and in the process got hurt himself, so I must look after him. Otherwise, my conscience will keep pricking me always."
Sue keenly watched Sheryl as she spoke. She looked for signs of deceit on her face. However, she found nothing suspicious.
With a wry smile, she said,"You're confident that I won't refuse your request, aren't you?"
"You're wrong," Sheryl replied with a faint smile. Knowing Sue's deep love for Anthony, she feared that her best friend would sympathise more with Anthony.
'Although I am clear about my feelings for Charles, Anthony might misunderstand us. It's better to keep this from him and not let him know anything about it, ' she pondered.
"I know you always think Anthony devotes more in our relationship. You think he loves me more than I do him. And you even think I don't care about him. Right?" Sheryl asked. She knew Sue well.
"Yes," Sue replied directly and clearly. "We have known each other for years. Anthony has done many things for you and no one knows that better than me. Earlier, you used to treat him well. But since you met Charles, you have changed a lot. I feel sorry for poor Anthony," she added.
Sheryl took a sip of her wine. In the past, she had no idea about the depths of her feelings for Anthony. But now she was aware of that.
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