The Madness Of Love | The Secret History

VIII

I changed the name of the story x

Both Francis and Lilith have asked me to go to the doctor with them numerous times. More times I went with Francis, because Lilith refused to go to the doctor until someone would drag her there.

About two weeks before they all left for winter vacation she needed to go to a clinic for a checkup. Actually, the Hampden college administration made her go and she was furious about it. ("They are going to make me wear glasses" Lilith said when Charles asked her why is she so nervous. "It can't be that bad" I said. "Oh yes it can. I have a horrible eyesight.")

Since she was a terrible hypochondriac I went with her. 'For moral support' as she said.

Lilith tried to make Francis go, but he kept refusing and the morning of the appointment he hid from her in their kitchen and locked the door. After ten minutes of her knocking and me reminding her that we're going to be late, she finally left him alone.

We came into the clinic about five minutes late, but still had to wait for the nurse. Lilith nervously sat on the bench and I, feeling the need to comfort her, took her hand. The nurse came. Lilith jumped up immediately and followed her.

"So, do you need glasses?" I asked her when she came back. She laughed. "No. Thank God." "How was it?" "Wasn't so bad" she shrugged. "Want to get a drink?"

We went to a liquor store and got a bottle of whiskey. Really cheap, bad whiskey.
"C'mon" she said after we came out. "I know a really good place we can go to." I didn't say anything, just followed her.

We walked for about an hour and finally we reached a forest on a small hill. We walked up the hill and sat down on the ground. Lilith opened the bottle, took a swig out of it and offered it to me. I drank a little but the whiskey was so gross I wanted to spit it out. Lilith noticed my reaction and chuckled. "Yeah. It's bad." She took the bottle from me and took another swig.

As a girl she drank surprisingly a lot, I noticed. Well, to be fair we all did. Everytime I'd come to Francis's or Henry's apartment I'd see a glass of cognac or gin or something else laying around.

The bottle was quite small and we finished it in about a half an hour. During that half an hour we sat in silence. There were many questions I wanted to ask her but I couldn't pick one.

She lit a cigarette. "Ask me" she said after taking a long drag out of it. "What?" "The question you've been meaning to ask me ever since we met." "Are you British?" I asked her. It was the first question that came to my mind. Lilith laughed. "No. But I do come from Europe." Her tone indicated that I shouldn't ask further.

She smoked in silence. "Tell me something." She finally said. "Tell you what?" "Anything. Tell me a story, something about you." I never liked telling people about my childhood and my life in Plano, but with Lilith it was different. I felt so comfortable with her that I didn't even notice how I started telling her about my previous life.

She listened quietly nodding from time to time. After I finished talking we fell into a comfortable silence. Lilith finished her cigarette.
"I dropped out of school when I was in 10th grade. Actually they kind of expelled me because I refused to take SAT's - " I interrupted her: "Like Henry did?" Lilith looked at me coldly. "Yes. Henry did that to." She stopped talking for a moment.

"Anyway," she continued. "I dropped out of school and my father was so mad, he didn't talk to me for two weeks. And when he started talking, he started yelling. So, I moved to America. To New England." "Did you rent an apartment?" I asked curiously. "No, I moved in with Francis." she lit another cigarette. "We were pen-pals since I was 15, and when I told him about how I can't stay in my country anymore, he suggested that I move in with him. He lived with his aunt in the country house then." I was a bit confused. "And you didn't think that moving so far with a guy you've never met could be dangerous?" She looked at me. "I did. But... I don't know. I didn't really have a choice."

Lilith took a drag out of her cigarette. "I always felt comfortable with Francis. Of course, when we first moved in together it was a bit awkward. But the country house is huge and sometimes we wouldn't see each other for a couple of days."

She stopped talking. I wanted to ask her many more things but something stopped me. "If you want to know something, just ask." Lilith interrupted my thoughts. "What is your relationship with Francis?" I asked a bit unsurely. For the first time ever she couldn't find words. "We became very close during all these years, so used to each other." "Do you sleep with him?"
She looked at me, somewhat amused.
"Sometimes" she paused. "We're not a couple though."

I didn't know what to say to that. After a couple of minutes I finally asked the question that's been in my mind ever since the library scene. "What about you and Henry?"
At first it seemed like she didn't hear my question or pretended not to. But then suddenly Lilith jumped up, looked into the distance and murmured: "We should get back." Then walked away not waiting for me.

I got up slowly and followed Lilith. The question about Henry must have offended her in some way. I caught up with her in the bottom of the hill. "Sorry." "No, it's fine" she said. "But we really have to get back."

We were walking at the side of the road when a car pulled up. "Need a ride, darling?" It was Francis. Lilith smiled. "Sure."

I don't know if this was any good and there may be some mistakes because I was kind of in a rush when I wrote it.