Really, I've been doing this for six chapters, do I still need a disclaimer?
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Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
Every smile you fake is so condescending
Counting all the scars you made
And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through
I've never been anywhere cold as you
-"Cold As You", Taylor Swift
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The two days after Petunia's wedding went like a blur to Lily. Her parents were both getting used to not having their elder daughter at home. The house was considerably quiet without Petunia's constant gossiping on the phone and Lily was even prepared to admit that she missed the constant verbal wars she had with her sister. She also had to get used to having all her parents' attention on her(because contrary to what Petunia believed, their parents gave the two of them almost the same amount of attention). Her mother began scrutinizing her every move, from her clothes to her posture ("Sit up, Lily, you'll give yourself a hunched back!"). Lily rolled her eyes at this, but it also caused her some discomfort. Why was her mother suddenly making such a fuss about her appearance?
She voiced this out to her father who simply chuckled. "She just missed Tuney, I suppose. And you are of age, Lily, society will have its eyes on you and you have to watch your actions. You don't want to have anything bad said about you, do you?"
Lily did not miss the slight apprehensiveness in his tone. Ever since she arrived, everyone seemed to be a little tense around her: Remus, his mother, her mother and father, even the maids. There seemed to be something (a secret, she assumed) that they were determined to keep from her.
Remus told her that he was going to visit her before she left. She was reading on a bench in the garden, waiting for him, when she heard the loud, obnoxious voice that could only belong to Sirius Black.
"My dear Lily-pad!" he called out, rushing to her followed by Remus, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Congratulations! I have just heard the news that- OUCH!"
Whatever news Sirius was talking about, Lily never found out. A look of panic crossed Remus's face and he forcefully stomped on Sirius's feet, making him hop on the spot, trying to ease the pain on his toes.
"Moony!" he roared, "What was that for?"
"Sorry, accident," Remus said calmly, not sounding sorry at all. "Sorry, Lils, I have to tell him something."
Lily looked dumbstruck at the two but ignored them and went back to reading. Suddenly her eyes fell on the flowers that remained from Petunia's wedding and she remembered how Remus talked to her during the wedding. The way he was nervously reassuring her, asking her to forgive him for something he has clearly not done yet…
"Oh Merlin!" she gasped loudly, making the two stop their whispered argument and looking at her. Sirius looked ashamed (as ashamed as he could look, really) and Remus looked guilty. There could only be one explanation.
"Remus…" Lily said cautiously, walking to them. "My… my mother didn't coerce you into marrying me, did she?"
Relief flooded Remus's features while Sirius guffawed loudly. "What?" Sirius said, almost choking on laughter.
"No, she didn't, what made you think of that?"
"Well, you were acting strange and suddenly Sirius congratulates me, oh, I'm sorry," she blushed in embarrassment. "That must have been awkward."
"You think?" Sirius said, still laughing. "I can't believe you thought you're marrying Moony of all people."
"Better him than you," retorted Lily, smirking.
"Do you take pleasure in hurting my feelings Lily?" Sirius asked her, feigning hurt.
"You want an honest answer?" Lily said, in her best imitation of innocence. "Yes. So, Remus," she turned to him again, "we're not getting married?"
Remus grinned. "No."
"Good," Lily said, "as much as I love you as a friend, I could never marry you. You and I are too similar to co-exist together."
"My sentiments exactly," Remus told her.
"But if that's not it, the why was Sirius congratulating me?"
Remus threw Sirius an irritated look. Sirius, however, looked as calm as ever and said, "I was congratulating you on getting rid of your sister. Now she's in the hands of her wha- I mean, husband."
Lily giggled. "I kind of miss her," she admitted. "It's just not the same."
"You miss her calling you rude names all the time?" Sirius tilted his head childishly, his tone laced with mock curiosity.
"Yes," Lily mused. "I think I do."
"I think you're mad," Sirius told her.
"You'd miss your siblings too if they left, no matter how bad your relationships are."
"I don't think I would miss Regulus, the stupid git. I think he's joining the Death Eaters," said Sirius, looking blankly at the flowers.
"I thought he's what, sixteen?" Lily said, surprised. Sirius nodded. "What business does he have joining You-Know-Who if he's sixteen?"
"My parents think he's doing the right thing," said Sirius, frowning. "They want me to join in too."
"You wouldn't, would you?" Lily asked worriedly.
"Don't be stupid, Lily, of course I wouldn't!" Sirius cried out incredulously, shaking his head. "I don't want to serve He-Who-Has-No-Nose."
"You know you're going to get yourself killed with all your back talking, do you?" Remus said, sitting next to Lily.
"Oh, what will dear, sweet Marly do when I'm gone?" Sirius said, feigning agony. "She will be heartbroken!"
"Marlene will survive," Remus stated as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Sirius huffed at him and stuck out his tongue.
Lily laughed. "Speaking of that… I hear you're finally in a, can I call it a serious relationship?" she directed the question to Sirius with a teasing grin.
"I guess you can," Sirius said slowly, contemplating the thought.
"Well, congratulations!" Lily said, clapping her hands together. "Someone finally set you straight!"
"I won't say that just yet, I mean, we've only begun dating two weeks ago," said Sirius. "It's not that serious, I mean, no commitment yet."
"But it's an improvement," Lily pointed out. "I get the feeling that it's not a one-time shag or something."
"Yeah," Sirius said after a while. "Yeah, I suppose it is."
They had a moment of awkward silence after that.
"Are you going back to finishing school soon?" Remus asked all of a sudden, breaking the silence.
"Tomorrow," Lily replied with a small smile. "I'm not really looking forward to it, but I have to."
"Ah, the perks of being a woman," Sirius said with relish, looking as if he had suddenly come to his happy place.
Lily ignored him.
"You want to try being one for a day, Padfoot?" Remus asked him.
"Only if Lily agrees to lend me a dress," Sirius replied seriously. "Would you?"
"I don't think your girlfriend would like that very much," Lily chuckled.
"She has spoken!" Sirius declared triumphantly to Remus. "Sorry, Moony, you won't see this," he gestured towards his body, "in a dress, no matter how amazing I will look."
"Please," Lily groaned in frustration, "do not give me that bloody mental image."
"What?" Sirius said defensively. "I bet I'll look prettier than you in a dress! Maybe- silver to compliment my eyes?"
"Sirius, be quiet, please," Lily said, shaking her head. "And no, I don't have any silver clothes, silver looks awful on me."
"You know, you're a prude, Lily," Sirius frowned.
Lily looked appalled. "I am not!" she cried.
"Yes, you are," Sirius said with a wide grin, enjoying the effect of his words.
"You know, you should keep your filthy mouth closed if you want to see another day," Lily warned him.
"Fine," Sirius raised his hands. "I don't want to make you angry on your last day here."
"Yes, well," she said, her hand lingering on her pocket. The two knows that she meant to draw her wand and hex Sirius to next week,
"Well, you know that she's quite adept at Transfiguration and Charms… you might wake up with something different that only she could undo," Remus smiled at Lily as if he was suggesting that she should do what he said.
Sirius turned to Remus, scowling at the lack of support from one of his best friends. "You've become mean, Moony."
"I think you're to blame for that," Lily pointed out. "He wasn't like this when we were young. You corrupted him!"
"I did not!" Sirius responded indignantly.
"Yes, you did!" Lily and Remus exclaimed in unison, then looked at each other and laughed. Sirius huffed and folded his arms around his chest in mock annoyance.
"Ignoring him," Remus said once he stopped laughing, "Will you be back for Christmas?" he asked Lily.
"Er- I think so," she mused, "I certainly want to. I don't want my parents to endure a Christmas without both their daughters, seeing as Petunia already made plans to celebrate their first Christmas alone."
"Well we certainly don't want you to be away for Christmas this year," Remus told her.
"I will really miss home," she said, "tomorrow night I'll be back in my room at the school, alone."
"Don't you have friends there?" Remus asked, "You don't have a language barrier, do you? I mean you do speak French."
"Oh, I do have friends," Lily said quickly, waving her hands in front of her. "I just miss home a lot when I'm away," then her brows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean a language barrier? And so what if I spoke French?"
"Do they speak English often?"
Lily paused, thinking his words over. Then she realized something.
"Oh, my parents didn't send me to Petunia's old school!" she said, "They agreed to let me go to one in England, I'm only going to Berkshire!"
"Berkshire?" Sirius repeated, making the other two look at him. "Yes, I'm still here!"
"I thought you went to France!" Remus said, surprised.
"That was the original plan, but I persuaded them to let me attend the one here in England because I really would rather not go back to France. I already spent seven years there," she grimaced, "besides, if Petunia was any indication of what kind of education they gave there, I'd rather not."
"Well, not everyone is like Petunia," Remus said good-naturedly. "I'm sure there are plenty of nice girls there."
"Your sister is just unpleasant by nature," Sirius commented thoughtfully. "Bella and Cissy are, too, so I know what you feel."
"Your cousins are a thousand times worse than my sister!" Lily said defensively.
"I know! This is why I can't stand going home! They always seem to be there, I mean, Bella has to go home to her husband, but no she has to go to my house and cling to my mother! As if the place is not bad enough!"
Lily had her eyebrows raised and Sirius lowered his gaze. "I know it's bad, but at least you have friends to fall back on."
"You're right," Sirius smiled fondly, "Why are you always right?"
"Because I'm Lily," she told him smugly. "You should know that by now."
"How modest," Sirius chuckled.
Lily shrugged in response, grinning.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Miss me, ladies?"
Juliet and Alessandra looked up when Lily opened the door to their suite, smiling widely.
"Lily!"
They got up from the couch and hugged her. "You bet we do!" Juliet said, helping Lily with her suitcase and following her to her bedroom.
"So, how was your sister's wedding?" asked Juliet, settling herself on Lily's bed.
"It was actually pretty good," Lily responded, placing her suitcase in a corner. "She wasn't that awful- of course, she did ignore me for most of it, but it was better than her being completely unpleasant."
"James has been coming here," Alessandra informed Lily as she rummaged through her drawers.
"He has?" Lily said absently, one hand on keeping her hair together and the other tossing the contents of her drawer aside. "Where did I place those hairclips?"
"He came the day you left. He came yesterday too," said Juliet. "I think someone's thoroughly smitten with you!" she added teasingly.
"Oh, hush!" Lily snapped half-heartedly, her cheeks reddening.
"Someone's blushing!" Juliet looked excited. "You like him, don't you?"
"I do not! Don't be ridiculous!" Lily said forcefully. "I like him as a person, but not romantically, so whatever it is you have in mind, you can forget about it!"
"Someone's denying it a little too much," said Alessandra in a sing-song voice. Lily turned to her.
"I've just arrived and you are already making fun of me!"
"But it was so sweet!" Alessandra gushed, making Lily's face go redder. "He kept asking when you will be back."
"Did you tell him?" Lily asked, placing her hands on her waist.
"Of course! I expect that he will be visiting soon," Juliet said confidently. "I wish someone would pursue me like he does you!"
"He is not pursuing me, Juliet!" Lily insisted fiercely. "He barely knows me!"
"But he's been seeing you since we ran into him when we snuck out!"
"He's not seeing me," Lily said with an expression of forced calm. "He and I just happened to be in the same place at the same time… and even then, it was only on the days we are allowed out of the school. That was a total of three times, including the time we snuck out! That doesn't mean that he's in love with me!"
"He really looks like he likes you," Juliet shrugged.
"Oh, please," Lily scoffed, "can we please talk about something else?"
"Alright, what else is there to talk about?"
"How's Jacqueline these days?"
"Really? Four days gone and all you can ask is how Jackie Hughes is doing?"
"Well, she glared at me when I came in, there has to be a reason for that!"
"Oh, she's just bitter about the fact that someone else had been the centre of attention lately," Juliet said with a satisfied smile.
"Oh, so it's business as usual then?"
"She's used to being the centre of attention. She likes the limelight, Jacqueline. Especially now that she's used to being praised by the teachers here."
"She's been bragging about the new villa her grandfather commissioned for her to stay in once she graduates from here," Juliet scowled. "That was all she could talk about for days."
"Then who was the centre of attention if it wasn't her?" asked Lily.
"Katherine," Juliet replied. "She got sent home yesterday. Her father received a marriage proposal for her from a Greek merchant's son."
"Ugh. I don't want to talk about marriage! I just came back from a wedding, after all. They were all telling me to get a move on. I don't want to talk about it!"
"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist."
"Isn't it about time for dinner?" Alessandra said, looking at the clock. Sure enough, a few moments later, the bell rang, signalling the start of dinner service.
"And there goes the bell."
"Come, let's head downstairs, I'm famished," Lily said, stretching her arms.
The three of them made their way downstairs, where they found most of the girls already settling themselves at the dining table. Lily and the girls seated themselves far from Jacqueline and her friends, hoping to be able to go through dinner without any incident.
The first course was served at exactly seven o'clock. As Lily reached for a roll of bread, Madame addressed her.
"Welcome back, Miss Evans. I hope you had a pleasant stay at home?" she said, startling Lily, who made an effort not to show it.
"Yes, I did," she replied, maintaining her poise. "It was rather enjoyable, thank you for asking."
"But I assume that you understand that you must be able to catch up with the work you have missed in your absence," Madame added sternly.
Lily nodded. "I understand," she said, remembering her promise to her parents to try to do better when she came back for school.
"Very good," Madame said approvingly. "Well, now, bon appetit, ladies."
Everyone made a move towards the food. Lily reached for a roll of bread and kept quiet, mainly listening to the other girls talking.
"I heard that we're starting culinary studies this week," Lily heard Alessandra tell Juliet.
"Great," Juliet said, dragging the 'ea' sound and rolling her eyes. "Another course I would be bad at."
Lily paled and stared wide-eyed at Alessandra. "Did you say culinary?"
"Yes, I did," Alessandra confirmed, confused at the horror on Lily's face. "Is something wrong?"
"N-no," Lily shook her head, attempting a smile and returning her gaze to her food. "Nothing at all."
Juliet didn't seem to believe her, but she didn't press it further, for which Lily was grateful for.
Dinner ended with dessert, a tempting crème brulee no one refused. Lily smirked. No one ever turns down dessert, especially since it's served only three times a week.
"By the way," Juliet whispered as she dug a spoon into the sweet, creamy dessert, "Tatiana Gordeeva was called home, too. She's leaving a few days from now."
"Why?" Lily asked through a mouthful of dessert.
"Her father got sick. From what I hear, it's getting worse and he kept asking for her. Poor dear, she was so upset. She was so close to him, after all."
"I hope he gets better. Tatiana is a nice girl, things like this shouldn't happen to her," Lily said solemnly.
"And yet it does. Why do tragic things happen to nice people? Why doesn't this happen to nasty, horrid bitches like Jacqueline?"
"Juliet!" Lily warned her sharply, casting a worried glance at Madame, who, fortunately, was deep in conversation with Miss Louise, "Be careful!"
"She didn't hear me!" Juliet said, unfazed. "Hurry up and finish that, I want to leave."
Lily swallowed her last spoonful of crème brulee into her mouth. "Okay, I'm done."
Juliet stood up. "Please excuse us, Madame," she said loudly.
"Goodnight, ladies," Madame said, nodding curtly before resuming her conversation with her sister.
"Come, let's go," Juliet said as the three of them hurried out of the hall.
"I declare a slumber party in honour of Lily's return," Juliet said loudly as soon as Lily had closed the suite door behind her.
"Is that necessary?" Lily said patiently, but her voice held hints of exasperation.
"Of course!"
"Juls, I was gone four days."
"So what? We need to catch up!"
"What's there to catch up on?" Alessandra retorted good-naturedly. "She left, we were busy with lessons, she's back! All done!"
"I don't care!" Juliet declared stubbornly. "We're having a slumber party and you're going to have fun! Yes, you too, Alessandra!"
Lily and Alessandra both shrugged, knowing that once Juliet had an idea in her head, there is no way of getting her to give it up. They all headed to their respective rooms to change into their sleepwear. Lily was brushing her hair when she heard them knock.
"Come in!" she said, returning her gaze in the mirror.
Juliet opened the door, smiling. She was wearing a flowing shapeless lavender-coloured nightgown, her brown hair flying behind her. Alessandra followed, wearing silky teal pyjamas, her hair in a French braid.
"Nice nightgown," Juliet said, nodding towards Lily's mint-green empire waist nightgown.
"Thanks," Lily smiled, "so what are we doing?"
"Well, what's a party without food?" Juliet said, taking out a wicker basket covered by a piece of muslin cloth.
"Where did you-?" Lily began, but Juliet raised a dismissing hand.
"My mother sent them. They arrived yesterday. There's chocolate inside," she added, grinning at Lily's reaction to the word 'chocolate', "and all sorts of pastries and sweets. She loved making them. I thought we'd enjoy them tonight."
"You're a genius, you know that?"
"I swear, Lily, I never cease to wonder how you keep yourself so slim while eat chocolate like there's no tomorrow!" Alessandra teased, earning a whack on the head with a pillow.
"Oh, hush, I honestly couldn't care less."
"So, Lily, we didn't get to finish our conversation about your sister's wedding. Anything interesting happened?" Juliet said, laying on her stomach and resting her chin on her hands.
"Other than Van Heusen's giant ego rearing its ugly head?" Lily chuckled, but she looked thoughtful for a while before she spoke. "Well, Lady Eleanor Potter came to talk to me."
"Lady Eleanor Potter? As in Countess Potter?" Juliet leaned forward.
"Probably. Why?" Lily furrowed her brow in confusion at Juliet's excitement.
"Nothing. Her husband is the Earl of Berkshire, you know."
"I didn't know that."
"So what did she talk to you about?"
"Nothing, really," Lily answered honestly. "She talked about her son, who went to the same school as one of my childhood friends."
"Really? He's supposed to be very elusive, James Potter. I've never seen him, because he's not one to attend parties and social functions. From what I hear, he's often overseas. Enough of what I know, tell me, what did your friend say about him?"
"Why are you so interested in him?"
"Because no one knows anything about him and he's supposed to be really attractive!" Juliet said, her eyes showing intrigue.
"Nothing much! Apparently, Remus is one of his closest friends in school, that's all."
"Oh, I'd love to see what all the fuss about him is about!" Juliet said, retreating back to her space and looking dreamily. "My cousin Stella saw him at a gala once and she swore that he was really good looking. So is his friend, what was his name? Something Black."
"You mean Sirius Black?" Lily asked. "Remus introduced him to me when I was fourteen. Him, I know."
"Really? Can you introduce me?"
"He's in London!" Lily laughed. "And his family's absolutely insane, you don't want to meet theme. His cousin Bellatrix especially."
"Damn!" Juliet cursed. "Why is it that all the good looking men are either not interested in us-"
"-or engaged," Alessandra supplied, nodding solemnly.
"-or has something wrong with them-"
"-or a fictional character!"
Lily and Juliet gave her a strange look.
"What?" she demanded as the two looked at each other. "Don't act like you haven't swooned for an Austen character!"
"I don't read that much," said Juliet nonchalantly.
"And I didn't like how they portrayed the relationships. It was like the men dominate the women. They were mostly lousy lovers, Darcy included."
Alessandra ignored their responses.
"Wait- what time is it?" Juliet asked all of a sudden. Lily cast a glance at the clock on her wall. "It's eight minutes after nine. Why?"
"Miss Louise will be checking on us at around ten-thirty, remember? We should get back to our rooms before then and come back here when she's gone."
"Alright, I'll watch the time," Lily offered.
"Wonderful, now, does anyone have any interesting topics you ladies want to talk about?" Juliet looked at them expectantly.
"You are the world's worst slumber party organizer, do you know that, Juliet? Who initiates a party without having a plan?" Lily couldn't help but giggle.
"Hey! I brought food, you can't expect me to do everything, do you?"
"Oh, I'm really looking forward to starting culinary arts! I can't wait to see what we're making first!"
Juliet noticed the less than enthusiastic expression on Lily's face at the mention of cooking.
"Alright, Lily," she said in a voice that stated clearly that she will not be taking rubbish answers. "Tell me, what is it about cooking that you dread so much?"
"It's not cooking, I mean, I'm fine with most parts of it, it's just that…" her voice trailed off to a mumble.
"What?" Juliet and Alessandra said, moving closer.
Lily opened her mouth again, but the words were hardly audible.
"Speak up, Lily!"
"I'm afraid of fire!" Lily burst out. "I have a phobia of fire! There, I said it! I have since I was five years old!"
"Really? Why didn't you just say so?" Juliet said.
"It's embarrassing! I know I'm eighteen and it's such a childish fear to begin with, but I can't help but be petrified at the sight of fire. It's like my brain stops sending messages to the rest of my body- it's the kind of fear that renders you absolutely useless."
"Oh, Lily," Juliet said soothingly, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder. "We all gave fears! Take me, for example, I'm absolutely scared of animals! Even the small, cute ones! I ran away from a bunny for crying out loud!"
"I'm afraid of heights," Alessandra admitted. "And spiders."
"We all have fears, Lily, who cares if it's childish?" Juliet told her. "But out of interest, why are you afraid of fire anyway?"
"I saw a neighbour's house catch fire when I was five years old. This was when we lived in Cokeworth. The fire was really out of control and everyone in the neighbourhood, my parents included, tried desperately to stop the flames from spreading further. I was watching from our yard… my sister was with me at the time, but I saw it all. The house went down in flames right before my eyes and the owners were screaming desperately for help. The worst part was, that in the midst of all the panic, the couple didn't get the chance to check if all of their children made it out. Their elder son and daughter were rushed out, but their youngest, who was playing hide and seek with her siblings at the time, was thought to have been with them. They realized too late that she was still in the room, hiding, waiting for her brother and sister to find her. It wasn't until they heard her crying for help that they noticed that she was still inside and by then, it was too late to save her. I'll never forget the way she looked when they brought her out… It made a deep impression on me. They thought I wasn't looking. Petunia didn't cover my eyes fast enough. I had nightmares for weeks. In my five year old mind, fire meant destruction. I suppose that memory stayed with me until now."
"So you were never able to get rid of your fear of fire?" Alessandra asked.
Lily shook her head.
"I think you can opt to not take culinary. You could try something, like painting or dancing…" Juliet mused, her finger tapping her chin.
"We can always ask Madame, I'm sure she'll understand," Alessandra said. "Or-"
"Shh! Do you hear that?" Juliet said, getting to her feet and listening intently. The girls heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps.
"I'll take the basket and let's go, I think Miss Louise is going through her rounds early!" Juliet said, rushing to open the door.
"Hurry!" Alessandra said as Lily opened the door for them. When they were out, she turned off the lights and jumped into bed, pulling the sheets around her.
:::::::::::::::
Saturday came and Lily couldn't wait to go out. She missed taking walks around the town- something the three of them made a point of doing every weekend. She stretched her arms as she walked over to open the window, yawning. She took a deep breath, savouring the fresh morning air. She then made her way to the bathroom, feeling that the day couldn't get any more beautiful.
An hour later, she was dressed in a pale beige dress that reached just above her knees and a matching wide-brimmed hat. She and Alessandra waited for her Juliet (who realized that she left her purse) at the gate, trying not to get in the way of the other girls, who were on their way out.
"Lily! Alessandra!"
Juliet finally emerged, a little breathless. She raised her purse triumphantly in the air and said, "I've got it."
"It took you long enough," complained Alessandra. "Did you lose it in all that mess?"
"No," Juliet said fiercely, although she looked a little flushed. "I was a little distracted, that's all."
"Of course you did," said Lily, smirking.
"Oh, let's just go!" Juliet said, stalking off. Lily and Alessandra shrugged at each other before following her.
"So, looking forward to anything, Lily?" Juliet teased as they crossed the street.
"What are you talking about?" Lily looked at her, eyebrows arched.
"You know, like running into a certain someone," said Juliet suggestively, wagging her eyebrows. Lily ignored her and continued walking like nothing happened.
"Why don't you go find him?" Juliet suggested.
"Why on earth would I want to find…" she paused. "Who would I want to find?"
"James, of course," Juliet replied, as if she was stating the most obvious fact in the world.
"Why would I want to find James?"
"You're hopeless, you know that?"
Lily rolled her eyes.
"The man fancies you!" Juliet said forcefully.
"How do you know that?" Lily asked, sighing.
"Because I was the one who was here when he was asking about you all week!"
"It was a few days, don't exaggerate."
"Lily?"
Lily and Juliet stopped their banter and looked up.
"Oh, hello there, James!" Juliet said pleasantly. "What a surprise!"
"I was walking and I head your voice," he explained. "Hello, Lily, I see you're back."
"As if you weren't asking us just the other day," Alessandra said sardonically.
James blushed and Lily glared at her friends. "Cut it out," she said.
"We'll leave you!" Juliet said immediately, pulling Alessandra with her.
"Wait!" Lily protested, but the two had run off. "What are those two trying to do?"
"I don't know," James answered. Lily turned to him, looking as if she had just remembered that he was there.
"So," James cleared his throat in an attempt to break the tension. "Did you have fun at your sister's wedding?"
"It could be worse," Lily answered, shrugging. "I heard you've been coming down to the school."
"Yes, well," he said nervously, "I was just…"
"It's fine," she cut across him, saving him from explaining. He looked up at her, visibly relieved. "All I meant was that I was wondering what you could possibly want from me."
"I just wanted to see if you were there," he said, "I was passing by and I remembered you."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Oh, well, would you like to take a walk with me?" she offered.
"Me?" James said, surprised. "You want to walk with me?"
"Why not?" Lily laughed, walking towards the town square. "After all, I was abandoned by my friends on your account. The least you could do is accompany me, right?"
"Alright," James said, still looking like he couldn't believe what was happening, but followed her anyway.
She looked at him impatiently and he began taking bigger steps.
"I love days like this," she said, looking back at him. "When you can just take a stroll and forget all about whatever worries you have… It feels refreshing, somehow."
He didn't reply, but simply watched her intently, as if memorizing her features.
"Is there something on my face?" she asked, becoming aware that he was staring at her.
"N-no, not at all," he answered, slightly embarrassed that he was caught.
"Then why were you looking at me like that?"
"I- I just spacing out," he said lamely. She smiled and took his hand in hers. "Let's go!"
And for once in his life, he allowed someone to take the lead and simply followed.
::::::::::::::::
"So how was your date?" Juliet asked when Lily made it back to their suite.
"It was good," she said, shrugging. "But don't do that again! It was really awkward!"
"But you seem happy," Juliet pointed out.
"Well after the first hour it wasn't so bad anymore."
"You'll thank me for this one day."
"I doubt it."
"You really don't believe me, do you?"
"I don't," Lily sat down on the couch. "I don't believe that love could come that fast to one person. It takes time."
"What if you just saw someone and realize that they're the one for you?"
"What if you're wrong? What if you realize later on that the person isn't what you thought they were?" Lily shot back.
"Oh, please, it's possible to know that you love someone even after such a short time!"
"Always the hopeless romantic, aren't you, Juliet?"
"At least I'm not a cynic."
"I prefer realistic, thank you very much."
"So what did you do?"
Lily looked thoughtful. "Well… I don't think I'll tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because you left," she smirked.
"That's not fair!" Juliet complained.
"Who says life is fair?" Lily smiled, getting up. "I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Dinner will be served soon," Alessandra reminded her, not looking up from her embroidery.
"I know, I'll be there."
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"I love these rose bushes!"
James watched Lily looking through the neighbourhood park, smiling widely at the flowers.
"My mother has lovely flowers in her garden, perhaps you would want to see them?"
"Is that alright?" Lily asked, looking up, her green eyes sparkling in excitement. "My mother loved gardening too, and she had the most beautiful flowers at home. I guess it reminds me of home when I see flowers."
"Then I'm inviting you to my house next Saturday."
"I'd love to. Thank you."
::::::::::::::::
Eavesdropping was an absolutely un-ladylike thing to do, but Lily couldn't help herself. She had arrived early and the maid said that James was in the study, speaking to one of his father's associates. She meant to knock, but the mention of her name made her fist freeze before it could make contact with the door.
"…girl? You mean Lily?" James was saying.
"The redhead? She studies at Madame de Claire's does she not?" said a deeper voice. "She's very beautiful, she is."
"She's beautiful enough," James answered, and it was evident in his tone that he wasn't taking the conversation seriously. "But you and I both know that in the end she's not anything more than a fling. She is beautiful, and clever, too, but do I fancy her? I think not. I knew from the start that I have to marry someone my family chooses for me, so I am merely enjoying the company of beautiful women while I still can."
Lily didn't bother to stifle the gasp that escaped her lips at James's words. She couldn't believe that she had been made a fool of- and it was even harder to accept that it was his intention the whole time.
Just when she thought that she had found someone who is a little more decent.
She didn't wait- she sprinted out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her. Tears of pain and humiliation flowed from her swollen emerald eyes, trying to ignore the dull ache in her chest.
:::::::::::::::::::
James didn't like what he said about Lily. Baron Finch was an arrogant man and James knew that to admit he was in love with a girl of no title would tarnish his family's reputation. Not to mention Lily's. He didn't mean for what he said to come out, the words just did. Now he felt sick to his stomach. It was wrong for him to talk about her that way, but hiding your emotions is one of the most crucial aspects of keeping your dignity among the aristocracy.
He didn't even want to admit to himself that he was in love with her. Lily was special to him, she was more than any other girl he had met in his life. But besides being beautiful and smart, what else did he know about her? Those traits aren't exactly special, in fact, it was almost commonplace for society ladies to be both of those things. He then decided that he would find out what else there was about Lily. With that thought, he left the house to find her.
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"That- that son of a-!" Juliet screamed as Lily lay on her bed, crying softly.
"Don't," Lily cut across her tirade, wiping her eyes with the quilt. "I don't even want to see him! Just- just ignore him, please."
"No!" Juliet gritted her teeth in anger, "that pathetic excuse of a man hurt you! I am going to make sure he isn't able to reproduce!"
"Lily!" Alessandra burst into Lily's room, holding the pack of chocolates Juliet told her to buy. "James is downstairs looking for you!"
"What- wait! What do you think you're doing?" Juliet demanded as Lily wiped her face and stood up.
"I'll just tell him something," Lily said, walking to the door. "Juliet, please, don't follow me."
"Juliet opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it. She simply nodded.
Lily smiled gratefully before opening the door and making her way to the front door. She found James leaning against the gate. Containing her anger, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She began to walk towards the gate when James turned, giving her a welcoming smile. She ignored him, his words replaying themselves on her mind. Her face remained void of emotion.
"I was expecting you," he said at once. "The maid said that she left you in the parlour but when I came down, you were gone."
Lily lifted her gaze. "I was waiting in the parlour. Then the other maid told me that you were in the study and directed me there. I was about to knock when I chanced upon a very interesting conversation. Do you know what I heard?" she directed the question to James, who remained silent, his eyes avoiding her piercing ones. Without waiting for a reply, she continued. "I heard a certain someone saying that I was nothing but a means to pass time! That I was nothing but a mere plaything too unimportant to be taken seriously!" She laughed, not that sweet, enticing one he heard from her many times before, but a cold, cruel one, without humour, without pity. Had he not seen her, he would never have imagined that she was capable of making such a sound. "Never…" she said in a voice of deathly silence, her eyes flashing dangerously, "Never in my whole life have I ever been made such a fool of! You made me feel like I was an insipid little girl, too naïve and stupid, and I actually thought that you were different from all those selfish, shallow, arrogant people! But you're no different, and I'm just stupid enough to believe you…" she smiled bitterly. "I don't want to see you ever again."
With that, she walked away, not even bothering to turn and look at him and slammed the door behind her. James was left dumbstruck, staring after her. His heart sank as the reality of what happened dawned on him and he was forced to leave, mentally berating himself for his stupidity.
::::::::::::::::::
Fresh tears fell from Lily's eyes as she ran back to her bedroom, only to meet Jacqueline at the foot of the stairs.
"Well, isn't this just marvellous!" she said wickedly, smirking at Lily's tear stained face. She was obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. "Finally that boy has seen sense and realized that you aren't worth the effort," she inched closer to Lily and stroked her red locks in a seemingly caring manner. "But don't worry, Lily darling, I'm sure you'll find a nicer, more inferior man next time."
Lily shoved her away and continued to walk to their suite. She could feel her heart beat against her chest and blood rushing to her face. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out until she reached their door. She avoided the sympathetic looks on her friends' faces as they watched her.
"Lily," Juliet began, but Lily had already retreated to her room, closing it with a loud slam.
She wanted nothing more than to cry to her father at the moment. It sounds rather childish, but it was one of the things that brought her comfort during difficult times- her father's soothing words assuring her that everything would be better soon. She didn't even understand why she was so upset- she doesn't love him, doesn't she? But that didn't make the pain any more bearable.
Juliet and Alessandra came in and sat on her bed. They didn't say anything, they merely wrapped an arm around Lily and tried to give her comfort.
"You can do so much better than him, Lily, believe me," Juliet whispered.
"I don't even know why I'm so upset!" Lily cried. "I thought he was different- that for once, I found someone who actually cared, but I was wrong! I could have fallen for him and all this time he was thinking of me as a plaything he could dispose of once he gets tired of it!"
"Don't waste your time on pathetic little bastards like him," Alessandra said. Lily hiccupped a little and cracked a watery smile, hearing Alessandra cuss. She never cussed. Until now.
"There'll be plenty of nice-"
Juliet was interrupted by a knock on the door. Miss Louise stepped into the room, her eyes examining the scene in front of her.
"I'm very sorry to interrupt you, but Miss Evans, your mother is on the telephone. She is asking for you and I suggest you go at once."
Lily wiped her eyes with her sleeves before following Miss Louise out. She went inside the parlour and Miss Louise nodded towards the telephone. Lily picked it up and put it to her ear.
"Hello, Mama."
"Lily! Darling, how are you?" came her mother's chirpy voice from the other line.
"Fine," she said, choking back a sob.
"Sweetheart, are you alright? You sound different."
"I'm fine, Mama, there's nothing to worry about. What is it you want to talk about?" she said, fighting to keep her voice even.
"Lily, I'm withdrawing you from there."
Lily's heart leapt. "Really?"
"Yes, pack your things, dear. I will fetch you in three days. I've already spoken to Madame about your withdrawal."
"A-alright then," Lily said, still in disbelief. "Why?"
"You'll find out when you get back here," her mother answered.
"Is that all?"
"Yes, dear, I will see you soon. I love you."
"I love you too, Mama."
Lily put the receiver back in its cradle, her emotions mixed up. She stared at it for a few seconds, allowing the information to sink in, before dragging her feet back to their suite. She walked in, looking dazed, when her friends cornered her.
"What is it?" they asked simultaneously.
Lily smiled weakly.
"My mother is taking me away. I leave in three days."
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I hope that was worth the wait!
I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. This just wasn't going right when I was writing it and it somehow looked different from what I pictured in my head. So I spent a lot of time revising the chapter and this is what I came up with. *sigh*
And thank you so much for all the reviews! I really feel bad for taking so long, I hope you forgive me.
Thanks as well to (even though they won't see this) the boyband Arashi, who provided me with lots of inspiration! I'm so obsessed… Their music kept me in a romantic mood and kept the creative juices flowing! Any of you know them? If so, what's your favourite song? :D If not, give them a try! They're really wonderful!
Review please!