That night, at a sleepover with your friends, someone suggested calling their boyfriends to make prank calls. When it was your turn, you dialed Leon’s number, knowing that, as usual, he wouldn’t pick up. The phone rang until it went to the answering machine. The girls laughed, making fun of how guys sometimes ignored calls. You smiled, though you felt a slight pang of disappointment.

Then it was your friend’s turn. You watched as she dialed her phone, not thinking too much about it, until a familiar voice answered immediately. Leon’s voice. “Hey, love. Everything okay?” he said, in the warm tone he’d always used with you. The surprise left you still. The laughter of your friends, the chatter, everything around you faded away, leaving only the sound of his voice on the other end of the line.

You didn’t know how to react, how to process that Leon had been with you and, at the same time, with your friend. Every moment together, every word of his, every “I love you” now seemed like a lie.

The next day, unable to bear the doubt, you decide to confront Leon. When you meet, he immediately notices your tension. “What’s wrong?” he asks, trying to get closer. You stop him short, with the question that has been burning inside you since the night before.