Page 71 of Her Sloth

“Yeah,” I say and point my head to the door.

She nods.

And I take the lead.

My father won’t notice me leaving anyway. I am sure he secretly hopes I do get lost one day.

I walk Lilian all the way to the house that was built solely to showcase the car collection.

“Wow,” Lilian says, staring at the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO.

“300hp, 3.0l dry-sumped engine,” I say. “He bought it last year for 70 million. Reaches a top speed of 170mph.”

“You love cars, huh?” Lilian asks.

“Yeah,” I say. “I’m always in here whenever things get rough in the house.”

I press a button, and a ceiling hatch opens with stairs unfolding.

“Let’s get up here,” I say and climb up first.

The stairs lead into an unused attic that serves only to keep some of the sun and heat out. The roof has a section replaced by a saddle window that offers a perfect view of the stars.

She lies down on the floor underneath the roof window.

I do the same at some distance.

We don’t talk.

And I surely won’t say a word.

“Don’t be me,” she says at some point.

“What do you mean?”

“Get away while you can, and don’t look back,” she says, her head falling to the side so she can look at me.

“I don’t think I can,” I say.

“You must,” she says. “Otherwise you’ll be me.”

“Why don’t you get away? You’re an adult, aren't you?”

She scoffs. A scoff that turns into a laugh of disbelief.

“It sucks being an adult,” she says. “You’re just as caged as before, only you have responsibilities now. They do that on purpose, so you don’t get away.”

“Audrey,” she says behind me, and I turn around.

The young woman I admired back then, in my memory, has grown into this present version of badass woman, visible solely from the way she walks into the room.

“Lilian,” I say and turn. She still has these ice blue eyes. Before I can do anything, she hugs me.

Wild.

Her scent washes over me.

I kinda hug her back with one arm, leaning back slightly.