Hidden Passion
Chapter 23

Lillian got off work on a Wednesday evening and decided to visit Dorcas who had been absent for some days without permission. She had even called her to inform her about her mother's sickness and she had promised to get back to her but hadn't for a few days now. She could not help but feel that something was going on with her best friend. She was not even sure if she could call her that anymore. She had been avoiding her and it had been really obvious. She wanted to talk things out. She parked her car in front of Dorcas's house. She made attempts to open the door, but it was locked.

She knocked a few times before the door opened and revealed her best friend who immediately looked shocked to see her. Lillian smiled before greeting her. "Hey, babe. How are you doing? It's been a long time." Dorcas gave a fake smile and could not stop looking back inside her house as if she had something that did not want anyone to catch sight of. "Uh... Yeah, Lillian. It's truly been a while," she replied.

A head appeared over Dorcas' head and smiled at Lillian. "Hi, I am Alex, her boyfriend," the owner of the head introduced.

Now, it was her turn to be shocked. What was happening? "Boyfriend?" She exclaimed as she looked from her friend to the young man who had just talked. She remembered the man quite well. If she was not mistaken, he was the waiter who had attended to them when she saw Nath for the first time.

Alex nodded in confirmation. "Anyway, I am going to take my leave now. Bye, baby," he said and kissed Dorcas on the lips.

And Lillian could swear on anything that the kiss lasted for a few seconds and Dorcas allowed it. She actually kissed him back. Right in her presence. She could not take her eyes off her friend as the man took his leave. "Dorcas, enlighten me, please. Did I hear that man say he's your boyfriend? Or was he talking about boy...friend?"

"Yes, Lillian. He is the man I am going out with. My lover," Dorcas enlightened as her friend had asked.

"What? Wait, how could I still be doubting after he kissed you like that?" She asked herself and then sighed. "How long have you been together?" Lillian asked after calming herself down a little. She had started burning in ire. "Six months," came Dorcas' reply.

"O-M-G, Dorcas! Are you kidding me? How can you be going out with him if you have a boyfriend? What about Nathaniel? Or are you being a two timer?"

"Calm down, Lillian. Sit down and let's talk."

"What do you mean sit down? I won't, so just answer me."

"The truth is... Actually, I am not in any relationship with Nathaniel," Dorcas confessed.

Lillian had her jaw hit the ground really hard that it almost hurt her physically and finally took the seat she refused earlier, knowing that if she did not, she could collapse from where her legs had started shaking in her stilettos. She slowly looked up at her friend, tears forming in her eyes.

"What did you say?" You're in no relationship with Nath? Then, you've been lying to me all this time?" Her voice was calm, but there were embers of burning coals within her. She was really angry now.

Dorcas crossed her arms, fighting the urge to stay calm. Perhaps, they will just sort everything out at that moment. "I am sorry," she apologized, but not that she meant it. She was only going to give her a little more time, maybe she would say what she wanted to her. Then, that would be her turn to flare up. She could never be at fault, Lillian should.

"What do you mean you are sorry? What will that amend, tell me? You fooled me into believing you two were together," she rose to her feet and allowed tears to freely make their way down her cheeks. "I decided to hate the man I love because you told me you were in love with him and that you were together as a couple. I started being rude to him because that's the only way I could hate him.

"Why did I do that, Dorcas? Because I wanted you to be happy. I did not want you to be hurt anymore just like your exes did-"

"Shut up, Lillian," Dorcas shouted, looking at her friend in the eyes. "Just shut the fuck up, you liar. I met Nathaniel first and we were doing well before you came into the picture and distracted from me. You fell in love with the man I was in love with. Aren't you ashamed? And who gave you the stupid right to pity me, huh? I just hate you all the more for that. You don't want to hurt me just like my exes did? Are you crazy? You have no right to pity me when I'm not someone seeking charity."

Lillian was more than shocked. That person could not have been her best friend.

"Dorcas, you "

"Shut up, I'm not done talking," Dorcas snapped. "Why must you be the one with the good heart? You fucking have everything. You live luxuriously, so why must you have a good fucking heart too? Do you want to know when I started hating you?"

Lillian stood upright. So, she had been hating her for a while now.

"It was when you told your mom to get me a job after we graduated," she said. "Wh...What!"

"You made me feel so pathetic and helpless. Like I was not fucking good enough to get a job for myself. You should have told me the truth sooner that you were in love with Nathaniel, and I could have been the good one to give him up because my rich friend never had a single boyfriend all her life. I would have had something to brag about if only you weren't perfect," Dorcas said in annoyance.

Lillian's brain started pondering immediately and she stopped talking. She never knew her best friend held such huge grudges against her. How could she assume that she was perfect? No one was ever perfect, neither would she. She could not have been more wrong.

Minutes later, she decided to talk since Dorcas had taken her seat before her. "Do you want to know the reason why you are like this?" She asked but didn't wait for her response before she continued. "You think very little of yourself. You think I am perfect while you think you're of no good. You think I have a good heart while it seems to you that you don't. That just makes you more pathetic," she said and gave an unnerving smile. "What!"

Lillian nodded. "I would have loved to explain everything to you right now, but I owe you no explanation. You aren't worth it." She rose to her feet. "Just a piece of advice, darling. If you don't stop all this crazy jealousy of yours, you will never be happy since you took all of my kindness the wrong way," her voice was even more calm than earlier. And she gave a broad smile before heading out.

That began to unnerve Dorcas. How could she have been so calm? If she had gotten angry, she could have figured out if she was hurt and what she was thinking. But with her calmed replies, she could only feel guilty and more guilty. She could not even guess the hint of what she was thinking.

But one thing was certain. That was the death of their friendship.