tw: manipulation, slight sexual content
He was so sure this lie was going to catch up to him eventually.
But it hadn't yet. And he'd relish in the time that it didn't.
It had been beyond stupid, Coriolanus knew, to make such an obvious lie. To suggest Sejanus, out of all people, had some secret girlfriend that he'd been sneaking off with since Liville arrived. It was bullshit, and the most unbelievable lie he'd ever come up with.
But she believed it.
And when Sejanus got home from work that day, he could tell that she wasn't looking at him the same.
He saw it in Liville's eyes that night as the three of them ate dinner. The moment Sejanus stepped into the house, her eyes would dart over him. She asked not one question that night. She was acting like she hardly knew him. She probably felt like she didn't.
Sejanus meeting with a woman? The idea sounded so ridiculous. Not just because it was Sejanus, and thinking of another woman showing genuine interest in him was near impossible, but because obviously Sejanus didn't want another woman. He had Liville. He loved Liville, he'd said it to Coriolanus before. He loved Liville, and already bought a ring to propose to her with, of course he wasn't meeting with another woman.
Coriolanus just could not figure out why Liville believed it so easily.
Until finally, it dawned on him.
Liville believed that Sejanus was seeing another woman...because it had been on her mind already. Because she had already been questioning it, deep down.
Because Sejanus's nervous looks and quick answers and secret meetings had taken a toll on Liville's trust.
Because Liville used to have nervous looks. Livillle used to have quick answers. Liville used to have secret meetings.
Liville had been the one who lied to Sejanus over and over, so that she could run off with another boy. And now Sejanus was acting exactly as she used to back when she'd sneak away to be with Coriolanus.
It was bittersweet, Coriolanus realized. She had set herself up. Her own disloyalty was causing her unbearable trust issues of others.
And it was a shame that Coriolanus was not a good enough man to set the record straight.
After finishing his dinner, Sejanus stood up and gave his usual, "Your cooking seems to be getting better every day, Liville. It's absolutely amazing."
He walked around the table, giving her a pat on the shoulder, then leaning and kissing the top of her head like he always did. Coriolanus averted his eyes.
Sejanus told her, "I'll just change and we can be on our way to The Hob."
"Okay," she barely whispered, her eyes still on her plate.
When Sejanus entered his bedroom, Coriolanus quickly excused himself from the table as well, and followed him in there.
Coriolanus shut the bedroom door quickly behind him, so that Liville would not hear the conversation.
Sejanus was pulling on a clean shirt as he asked Coriolanus, "Will you be joining us again?"
"Yes, I think I will," Coriolanus said.
"Good." Sejanus smiled at him. "Were you able to talk to Lucy Gray?"
"...Yes," he said again.
Laughing to himself, Sejanus said, "I pulled Liville away as soon as I could. Figured you wanted a chance to speak to Lucy Gray alone without Liv chatting her ear off."
