HEART OF GOLD | CORIOLANUS SNOW

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 111

When Lilith's tear bank had run dry, Athena attempted to coax the story out of her.

"What exactly happened between you and Coriolanus? Why did he leave?"

"I don't know..."

Wretchedly, in fits and bursts, and definitely not in chronological order, Lilith apprised them of everything: the kiss in 2, their pact to keep it under wraps, the strange conversation that had transpired in the hospital, the sweetness prior to that, his nearness all through the journey from Capitol Arena, their excursion to Frostbite, how he'd shown up after her run earlier that night and held her as she cried, their second trolley ride, their first trolley ride.

And all the other tiny things: their dinner on Valentine's Day, the incident with the media at Andromeda's funeral, saving him from them at the Price-Cardew wedding and touring the botanical gardens after. At Athena's prompt, Lilith also touched on the time she'd gone after him after the victor had been announced, why they hadn't come back together. Athena furrowed her brows at the explanation given.

"What about during the banquet? Did he dance with you in the end?"

Recalling suddenly how Athena had ducked out early that night, claiming all the champagne had gotten to her even though she looked perfectly perfect as always, Lilith wondered if she spent it with Jason.

Lilith nodded. "He found me with Iggy."

"Did he say anything weird? Coriolanus, I mean."

How was it that Athena could be so at ease being on first name terms and Lilith, who was so affected by his disappearance from her life, still thought of him as Snow?

All this remembering was painful, especially with the prospect that there might be no new memories, but Lilith knew Athena wasn't torturing her on purpose—she was just trying to figure out this mystery.

"He...he said everything was going to change after tomorrow..."

At first, Lilith had been afraid he would say something about them. When he had requested for what happened in District 2 to be a secret and mentioned stepping out of line, she decided there and then that it was because he was keen to maintain a professional relationship while there was one. What else could he have meant when "tomorrow" would have been the last day she would officially be his subordinate?

Ultimately, he turned it into a joke about her finally being able to leave the division since she had never really been a fan of their enterprise, and it was only now that Lilith realized the reverse was also true: that he would be rid of her, at last.

At last, he would not be blamed for any of her mishaps. At last, he would not be assumed singlehandedly responsible for her broken bones or dirty dress or collapsing events. Had he only been interested in her well-being so as not to get on the wrong side of her father? His reluctance to let her wander off on her own and be the last person to see her alive, his insistence about getting her home in one piece. Was it just because he didn't want to offend his biggest sponsor?

"Don't be silly, Lil," said Athena, after Lilith had shared her musings aloud. "I've seen the way he looks at you. There's something..."

Assuredly, she was more invested in justifying Snow's behaviour, more enthusiastic in affirming whatever Lilith felt was mutual and not just a product of her imagination. No, he wouldn't have been so callous with his familiarity. No, he wouldn't have strolled hand-in-hand with her—Lilith—wouldn't have left pecks in her hair and on her forehead if she didn't mean something to him.

Perhaps that so-called quarrel had something to do with Professor Gaul, who had been like a mother to him and also died of cancer? Perhaps. Perhaps he just needed time to digest the shock of the whole thing? Perhaps. Lilith was willing to believe every hypothesis Athena had because it was everything she wanted to hear. But what about the things she should hear?