Gently

|Chapter Six|

Astra Inclinant, Sed Non Obligant

The stars incline us, but they do not bind us; even if there is a plan, there is still choice

•••

9 Years Later

Now in their late 20s, Mae and Lillian were living their best lives.

Mae, after going through many years of medical school, graduated as a certified nurse practitioner. Through years and years of hard, dedicated work, she finally lived up to her childhood dream.

Lillian, on the other hand, completely strayed away from everything she thought she was capable of.

As it turns out, Trixie was the CEO and founder of Fashtix, and when she said "I'll mention you to higher-ups," she meant herself.

So after Lillian called and emailed the company, she got a guaranteed job.

For years, Lillian was terrified that she wouldn't be good enough.

Everyone else was already so confident and beautiful, whereas Lillian was shaky on her legs the first time she ever walked down the runway.

But all Trixie and Mae saw was potential.

And potential did she have.

By her 5th year, Lillian was being featured in magazines, and by her 7th year, she was on the cover of them.

While Lillian was quickly growing her reputation, Mae was swamped with work.

Because her job called for so much, she was constantly on the clock, and when she wasn't, she was at home exhausted.

When the two were younger, Lillian always joked that Mae would be her savior if she ever was in trouble, but now, it's quite the opposite.

Mae would come home drained and Lillian would be right behind her catering to her every need.

Because Mae was so fatigued, she didn't pay much attention to Lilly.

She didn't pay attention to her eating habits, and how little she had been eating.

She couldn't notice the way she would sit and stare at something she used to be so good at, just for her to be completely confused with it.

She was aware of the persistent headaches and the occasional nosebleed that Lillian would get, but she passed it off with the changing weather.

Lillian too did not put much thought into her symptoms, but on one cloudy day, she couldn't dismiss them anymore.

It was a normal day, both Mae and Lillian were off for once, and they were resting on their sofa watching a comedy show.

While she and Mae sat hand in hand, Lillian felt...odd.

She couldn't pinpoint the feeling, it was as though she was floating.

What could have been about two minutes, felt like two seconds to Lillian as she stared off aimlessly.

Mae quickly caught on to what was happening after Lillian was suddenly so unresponsive.

She observed Lillian, from the clouded look in her eyes, to the slight twitch in them.

Mae sat patiently as she coaxed her lover out of a seizure; an absent one at that.

Two long, painful minutes went by until Lillian was finally brought back into her consciousness.

Mae heard a quiet grumble from Lillian about her being nauseous, then she was suddenly gagging up a stomach's worth onto their floor.