The Imposter

Jacob

"It's Lily Maxwell on the line. Hold on–" I pause my game and turn my attention towards Lily who's holding one hand up. "Yeah. Yeah. That's good" The crease between her eyebrows softens and she gives me a knowing smile. "Yeah. I'll let him know. That's good. Yeah" I slowly put my joystick away and raise one eyebrow at her. She holds a finger up and mouths "a minute" then proceeds with her series of yesses and "I understand"s.

"Who was that?"

She raises both her eyebrows and pulls her mouth in a playful grin. "You never told me you had a reservation at Mont's" She puts the receiver back and crosses her arms. The mischievous grin still pasted on her pretty face.

I tilt my face and study her. "Reservation? At what?" It's perhaps something she's been planning along. I've heard her talk to some guy overphone for the past few days. She does something like that all the time. She would type in an address in the gps and pretend to not know where we're going while I will be the clueless one driving somewhere hoping to not run into a scientist that would sew us ass to mouth.

She paces across the room and throws her arms around my neck and buries her face in between. "I love you so much Jacob Cavanagh" What? I pat her head that she has dyed back to blonde from brunette. "I love you too" I say, uncertainty clinging to the edge of my voice. Without missing a beat, she showers me with neck kisses and pulls me closer.

The front of my shirt dampens. "Lily?" Is she crying?

"Uhm... Lily, who was on the phone?" She slightly pulls her head up and looks up at me with her watery blue eyes. Her nose is slightly reddish and so adorable that i want to pinch it. "The receptionist at Mont's" Mont's? Who is Mont's? "Lily..." I pull her away slowly "Baby I–" I crinkle my brows together and purse my lips. I usually play along her game but this time something is off. "I'm sorry" Lily breathes into my neck. I take a sharp breath in. Something is off. "You were saving up 10 thousand dollars?" I widen my eyes. There's no more hiding my surprise. "10 thousand what?" My voice comes out high pitched. "Babe, Listen I didn't make reservation anywhere let alone a 40 thousand dollars worth of it" Her eyes widen and she pulls herself upright on the couch. Resting her left hand on my lap, She fidgets with the loose thread in her shirt.

"Maybe they got the wrong number" I say in a small voice.

"But it was under our names. Jacob and Lily Cavanagh"

I almost choke on the last part. Now I know why she teared up. Could it be the other way round? Could Lily have saved up forty thousand dollars for this vacation? Well, she was showing me the engagement ring of some Kardashian last month. Was that a hint?

Rubbing my nape, I shoot a side eye at Lily. She is biting her lower lip so hard and bopping her knees restlessly. When we started dating, almost a year and a half ago I used to find this super cute. I would cradle her in my arms and kiss her adorable lips until we're both breathless. I would then make a marvelous dinner and we would watch her comfort movie. Watching her mouth the lines of every single dialogue would be the cue that my treatment worked.

"Jacob?" She's sitting closer to me now with one leg folded on the couch. Uh oh...

"Sorry, what?"

"Are you sure you didn't drunk dial some Mont's and–"

"I am damn sure!" It gives me a funny feeling. "Do you really think–" I run my fingers through my hair helplessly. "Where do you think I could get 10 thousand dollars from?" Her lips stiffen slightly and I realise I just yelled at her. Quickly, I lower it to an almost whisper, "Babe, your money is the only money I've ever had" I put my arms around her shoulders and her body relaxes a little at my touch. " I have never had–" I blow out a rather exaggerated sigh, "Forget it. I've never seen that kind of money" I can imagine her mind shifting from the gambling stations to all the scams I've done. But that was my past life, my life before a couple of years.

Her shoulders sag and she whispers, "What are we going to do?"

"I–" don't know. "Maybe you can start by telling where Mont's is"

"The hotel is far up in Lake Tahoe. But thats not where they called from. There's another cabin which is closer to our place which–"

"Hold on" I pull myself straighter. "So you're saying the person that was on the phone wasn't from the hotel?"

Lily scrunches her nose, and pulls her thinking mode on. "I mean, they are willing to take us to the hotel themselves from here. At least that's what they meant"

"Aah Lily" i sigh shaking my head. "That's a good old scam" I throw my head back laughing. "You know people these days..." I let out a slight cough to hide my laugh when I notice Lily in her deep frown. "They trick us into coming to the place and rob us. Pretty ancient technique–"

"But the names...?"

I let out a rather forced laugh. "You gotta be kidding me Lily. Seriously?" I chuckle.

"And our telephone number?" My laughter dies. I look at her blankly. "It wasn't something we shared with anyone" Folding her arms, she side-eyes me. She goes on, "We haven't used that thing for years" Except that I did. I still do. My stomach drops. Lily gets up in silence and walks to her room. She knows. She knows. Cathy.

"Cathy" I whisper into the receiver.

"Baby I missed you so much" I can hear her lips nuzzling the mic.

Oh shit.

"Baby I–" I don't know what I wanted to say. That Lily, my other girlfriend knew that I've been cheating on her? Or ask her if she knew I've been cheating on her?

"Uhm quick question"

Fuck. My voice sounds funny.

"Yeah baby" She moans into the mic. Fuck. Not today.

"Did you share this number with–" Who? My other girlfriend? "Anyone...?"

"No" Why was that "no" abrupt?

"Babe" I whisper urgently. "I want you to be honest" I hold my breath.

A chuckle fills the speaker. I still hold my breath, my heart beating awkwardly onto my ribs.

"No, duh" I let out the breath.

"Who wants a mad psychopath threatening to destroy your life?" I cringe hearing my own words.

"Your father doesn't suspect you, does he babe?" She continues, "He isn't awake, is he?"

"He's fast asleep after fucking some random whore he met on the road. He's probably had too much to drink" I bite my lower lip. Leaning on the coffee table, i laugh kind of uncertainly. "He won't be up until the next afternoon to kick my ass. You know, at this rate he probably has like 5 months"

"With the liver cirrhosis?" Her voice becomes smaller.

"Uh yeah" I need to keep the list of my lies short next time.

"I'm so sorry Jacob" I wonder how this conversation went from telephone number to my imaginary psychopathic father.

"Listen Cathy" I pause. "I want you to remember that you cannot share this number with literally anyone" Bopping my knees against the coffee table, I pull out my sweetest voice, "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir" I can imagine her mock salute.

"Is what clear?" I snap my head up. There, at the foot of the stairs, holding the rail in one hand and clutching the torch light in other, Lily stood with a ghostly stare.