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  Part- 317:

  Just then, Mili, who had been quiet, piped up, she caught the catch phrase, finally her smile is back, who have uood everything just with few words, her toinged with mockery. “A retionship built on a lie? Sounds romantic. Just don’t get too attached, Toya; it’s not like you two are actually dating.”

  Toya’s irritation fred. “What’s your problem, Mili? You think it’s funny to poke at my feelings?”

  Mili raised an eyebrow, her smirk never wavering. “I’m just saying it’s ridiculous. You’re putting your heart on the line for a charade. You should know better than to py pretend with someone like James.”

  “Someone like James?” Toya echoed incredulously, her voice rising. “What’s that supposed to mean? Just because he has a life and friends doesn’t mean he’s not worth my time!”

  Mili shrugged, unfazed. “It means yetting caught up in something that’s just for show. You o see him for what he really is. He’s not going to settle down with someone who ’t even be ho about their feelings.”

  Toya felt the heat rush to her cheeks, anger and embarrassment swirling within her. “And who made you the expert oionships? You act like you know everything, but you don’t even know what’s going on in your own life!”

  Mili leaned forward, her eyes fshing. “At least I’m not lying to myself! You think this is going to end well? He’ll move on, and you’ll be left holding the pieces of a broke. Is that what you want?”

  “Stop it, both of you!” Dipa interjected, her voice rising above the heated exge. “This isn’t helping aoya, just be ho about how you feel. And Mili, y off her! She deserves to feel what she feels, even if it’s plicated.”

  Mili crossed her arms, her expression hardening. “Fine, but it’s only a matter of time before reality hits. You’ll see.”

  Toya shot Mili o gre, her heart pounding in her chest. “You think you know everything, but you don’t. Maybe I’m willing to take that risk. Maybe I want to explore what this really is, regardless of what you think.”

  As the tension thied, Dipa’s voice cut through like a lifeline. “How about we focus oorrow? You both have each other’s backs out there. That’s what matters, right?”

  Toya took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside her. “Yeah, we’ll figure it out. But I won’t let you or anyone else dictate how I feel about James.”

  Dipa nodded, her expression softening. “That’s the spirit, Toya. Just remember to unicate. And Mili, maybe you could try to be a little more polite, pretty please?”

  Mili huffed but ultimately said nothing, her gaze directed toward her coffee cup as if it held all the answers.

  As the versation shifted to lighter topics, Toya felt the remnants of the earlier argument linger in the air. But there was a flicker of hope that perhaps, in time, she could figure things out—both with James and within herself.