Chapter 14
Lily Corsini and Nikita Wolfe's friendship was based on a kinship of ideals and interests and a bond strengthened by the sweetest childhood memories. They had met on the first day of school soon after a young Nikita began living with the Wolfe's. Lily's independent nature made her anxious to be liked by the shy new girl in class and her own family, a bunch of stubborn Italians with a proud clan spirit, had been won over by Nikita's cerulean eyes and blond tresses the first time they had done homework together.
They had survived their first crushes together, bought their first lipsticks together and attempted their first part-time jobs at the same establishment. In high school, many heads would turn when they walked side by side, each one posing a striking contrast to the other: Nikita - tall, athletic, her Nordic coloring glamorous and her shapely legs endless while Lily was more delicate, petite, dark with shiny black hair and an aquiline nose enhancing the shape of her almond shaped brown eyes.
There had been no disappointments, as often happens in relationships cultivated through youth, to tarnish the image of those times as anything but innocent and carefree. Even when they had embraced very different lifestyles (Nikita entering the Academy and Lily beginning her career that brought her the coveted role of buyer for Woodies) and had not managed to keep in touch as much as they would have liked, they preserved the ability to share the moment. When Lily had married and moved to the Big Apple with her husband Edward, it had felt as if the sisterly link they had formed while living in Baltimore had never been interrupted. Therefore, it wasn't strange when Nikita had maintained a surprised silence on her friend 's marital infidelity. To be honest, from the very beginning Nikita had considered Lily's behavior completely alien to her character. There had only been one other man prior to Edward and, much to the embarrassment of Lily's traditionalist family, she and Edward had lived together for a year before marrying. Nikita wouldn't have said and didn't know whether or not they burned for each other, but she wasn't really in the habit of judging anybody. Lily's confession had been surreal and far more surprising because it was done with a firm determination to soon put an end to the union Nikita had always believed solid. Yet her friend's joyful expression when she finally spoke about her lover, the look on her face of total joy as she declared their long waiting to be together had finally arrived, had shown Nikita the absolute truth about the situation. In that moment, Lily had looked as if she was another person but, at the same time, the light from inside her was oddly familiar and Nikita had felt it reaching out to her, searching for a recognition she couldn't deny. She had not known if she felt more outraged or honored for being the first to be informed of her friend's love.
Driving home, Nikita felt an undefined apprehension and asked herself why anybody else 's problems should worry her more than her own and exhaled a sigh of relief at the sight of her block coming into view. Once she parked, she moved to her apartment, barely waving to Mrs. Cooper, a tenant who would probably be happy to delay her with some recent gossip about her sister-in-law, and took the elevator to her floor. Her place was at the end of the passage, number 412. In front of her door, Nikita saw a dark-haired woman kneeling down with her arms covering her head.
''Lily" she called, as the clicking of her heels on the floor seemed to alert the other woman of her presence and propel her to get up on her feet.
It wasn't until they were face to face that Nikita realized that the brunette beauty before her had her lip split open and was bleeding. Her eyes opened wide flashing a rebellious surge of wonder and indignation and trying to connect with Lily's two furtive brown orbs.
"Did Edward do this?"
It seemed impossible. Passive, controlled Edward Davis hitting Lily, the wife he adored?
"Nikita, can we go inside please?"
Nikita's hand stopped in midair, as she had been moving to touch the bruised cheek and instead looked for the door keys in her purse. Physical contact wasn't always comforting for someone under pressure.
"Of course."
As they entered and Lily sat on the couch seemingly preoccupied about folding her jacket properly, both women felt slightly uncomfortable with each other.
Lily Corsini and Nikita Wolfe's friendship was based on a kinship of ideals and interests and a bond strengthened by the sweetest childhood memories. They had met on the first day of school soon after a young Nikita began living with the Wolfe's. Lily's independent nature made her anxious to be liked by the shy new girl in class and her own family, a bunch of stubborn Italians with a proud clan spirit, had been won over by Nikita's cerulean eyes and blond tresses the first time they had done homework together.
They had survived their first crushes together, bought their first lipsticks together and attempted their first part-time jobs at the same establishment. In high school, many heads would turn when they walked side by side, each one posing a striking contrast to the other: Nikita - tall, athletic, her Nordic coloring glamorous and her shapely legs endless while Lily was more delicate, petite, dark with shiny black hair and an aquiline nose enhancing the shape of her almond shaped brown eyes.
There had been no disappointments, as often happens in relationships cultivated through youth, to tarnish the image of those times as anything but innocent and carefree. Even when they had embraced very different lifestyles (Nikita entering the Academy and Lily beginning her career that brought her the coveted role of buyer for Woodies) and had not managed to keep in touch as much as they would have liked, they preserved the ability to share the moment. When Lily had married and moved to the Big Apple with her husband Edward, it had felt as if the sisterly link they had formed while living in Baltimore had never been interrupted. Therefore, it wasn't strange when Nikita had maintained a surprised silence on her friend 's marital infidelity. To be honest, from the very beginning Nikita had considered Lily's behavior completely alien to her character. There had only been one other man prior to Edward and, much to the embarrassment of Lily's traditionalist family, she and Edward had lived together for a year before marrying. Nikita wouldn't have said and didn't know whether or not they burned for each other, but she wasn't really in the habit of judging anybody. Lily's confession had been surreal and far more surprising because it was done with a firm determination to soon put an end to the union Nikita had always believed solid. Yet her friend's joyful expression when she finally spoke about her lover, the look on her face of total joy as she declared their long waiting to be together had finally arrived, had shown Nikita the absolute truth about the situation. In that moment, Lily had looked as if she was another person but, at the same time, the light from inside her was oddly familiar and Nikita had felt it reaching out to her, searching for a recognition she couldn't deny. She had not known if she felt more outraged or honored for being the first to be informed of her friend's love.
Driving home, Nikita felt an undefined apprehension and asked herself why anybody else 's problems should worry her more than her own and exhaled a sigh of relief at the sight of her block coming into view. Once she parked, she moved to her apartment, barely waving to Mrs. Cooper, a tenant who would probably be happy to delay her with some recent gossip about her sister-in-law, and took the elevator to her floor. Her place was at the end of the passage, number 412. In front of her door, Nikita saw a dark-haired woman kneeling down with her arms covering her head.
''Lily" she called, as the clicking of her heels on the floor seemed to alert the other woman of her presence and propel her to get up on her feet.
It wasn't until they were face to face that Nikita realized that the brunette beauty before her had her lip split open and was bleeding. Her eyes opened wide flashing a rebellious surge of wonder and indignation and trying to connect with Lily's two furtive brown orbs.
"Did Edward do this?"
It seemed impossible. Passive, controlled Edward Davis hitting Lily, the wife he adored?
"Nikita, can we go inside please?"
Nikita's hand stopped in midair, as she had been moving to touch the bruised cheek and instead looked for the door keys in her purse. Physical contact wasn't always comforting for someone under pressure.
"Of course."
As they entered and Lily sat on the couch seemingly preoccupied about folding her jacket properly, both women felt slightly uncomfortable with each other.