Lillian Grey had a sudden revelation. She thought if this was an autobiography about her life, then she would like to inform all the readers that these past two weeks were the most challenging time of her life. And she'd been into some of the most miserable situations. However, none of those could ever come closer to these two weeks. It may seem exaggerated, but it's not.
***
It all began when Shane plotted this whole thing and lured Jenna to execute it. Jenna ended up visiting Lillian to inform her that she had to judge a writing competition. Although Lillian had already received such invitations in the past, she turned them all down due to her lack of enthusiasm to participate in such activities. Nevertheless, Giselle returned on time to join Jenna's march. Having all these people she cared about requesting her to accept this proposal, Lillian eventually agreed to do it.
And to all those non-existing readers of her fictitious autobiography, that was just the beginning.
The first week, the first day, was probably the only day Lillian felt optimistic about this whole event, including the second day before things started going downhill for her from the third day onwards. Lillian was not aware of it even for a second. Her anticipation was already set pretty high, but in reality, she was wrong.
There, on the first day, Lillian still remembers it vividly. She received only about ten stories, for which she got ten kisses from Giselle, who promised to do the deed as per their deal. With her girlfriend cheering, Lillian felt energetic. Frankly, she looked forward to judging the aspiring fledglings and their narrations. The first day went very well. Jenna visited Lillian to drop the submissions. She also informed Lillian that they would be receiving stories via email. Lillian told her not to drop by every day. However, she ended up doing it voluntarily. Besides, Jenna must have felt guilty from watching Shane practically forcing Lillian into accepting his arrangement. Every day, Jenna got Lillian something to eat while delivering the manuscripts of the stories.
On the first day, the stories Lillian read were good. Lillian could feel the passion in some, while a few didn't manage to hook her into their fiction world. Nevertheless, Lillian wouldn't state that she hated anything. These people who failed to grab the reader's attention solely needed more training and learning. Any art is merely good on the first try. With patience, practice, and persistence, one can master any craft eventually. And Lillian was hoping to send back her thoughts on these writings. So, she immediately called Jenna and asked her opinion about it. Jenna consulted with a few people, and they all agreed to it. Little less did Lillian know that this extra step, without any consideration, was going to give her some hard time later.
***
The first day ended with Giselle and Lia constantly asking Lillian about the competition. Much to satisfy their curiosity, Lillian painted a brief picture about her thoughts on being a judge in this writing competition and how her enthusiasm was continuing to burn with spirit. Seeing her motivated, Giselle felt glad. Meanwhile, Lia was getting influenced by Lillian's world. Little sparks were beginning to sprout in her heart, and she was curious to know more. Their lively faces continued to cheer Lillian. Later that night, Lillian and Giselle herself sneaked to their paradise at Gill's chambers and storage. They fooled around for a while and shared some quality time. Lillian succeeded in putting her in the mood, and Giselle went along. They couldn't spend the night and had to return because Lia was sleeping alone, and we worried that she might get scared from not noticing our absence for too long.
On the second day, Lillian woke up, and the work was ready to welcome her already. She saw more submissions on her desk with Jenna's written note that there were a couple of stories from email as well. Jenna had dropped on time and then left quickly. Reading her little note made Lillian realize that she had woken up late. The day went just like yesterday, except Lillian felt a little more occupied. She focused too hard that it was Giselle who reminded her of their little deal and gave cheering kisses for the second day. Giselle gave her some before leaving and the rest after returning from work. Lillian felt pretty good to have this support by her side, and honestly, Giselle's kisses became the reason why she was optimistic in judging these stories.
***
The third day dawned, and Lillian encountered another bunch of documents on her table. Luckily, she was awake to meet Jenna before she left. Giselle had gone to work and Lia to school that day. There were more stories on the email, so Lillian started with that. By afternoon, before having lunch, she finished with all those that came via email and then began with a couple of documents. For every story read, Lillian made sure to write down her thoughts and some cases, suggestions. When Giselle returned home that evening, she saw Lia busily doing her homework while Lillian sat on the couch, giving the little girl company while reading the manuscripts. Giselle didn't disturb them but went upstairs and came down after having a cold shower. She went to make tea and joined her daughter to help with her school assignments. Their time was completely occupied in their world. It was then Lillian encountered a story that moved her to the point where she got emotional. Giselle witnessed it to rush her side. Lillian put her worries to rest. It was such a heartfelt tale that Lillian couldn't help but share it with Giselle. Giselle read the story, and her face became rigid at the end. Unlike Lillian, she didn't shed tears, but it did seem like she was moved as well.
A story with a classic setting, where two hearts had to separate because of their surroundings. The way the author carried the entire story to a sad ending yet packed with a touching message for the reader engraved Lillian's tiring senses. She knew this was going to be on the final list. The characters were likable, and the flow was crisp. She felt so moved by the writing that she hoped to meet the person who wrote it. All while Lillian expressed her passion, Giselle sat by her side. Her face was blank to react to Lillian ranting to her heart's content.
Lillian was so entranced by the story that she didn't catch Giselle's face, something she should have.
That night, Lillian tried to flirt with Giselle. She looked forward to sneaking away to their paradise again, but Giselle politely refused. Instead, she kissed Lillian goodnight and was about to join her daughter when Lillian panicked and stopped her from leaving. She doubtfully confronted Giselle about the reason she declined, and to Lillian's anticipation, Giselle reacted. Lillian figured out that the moving story from the competition had influenced Giselle. Lillian caught Giselle in her fears. She accepted the rejection to make love, but at the same time, she didn't want Giselle to go to sleep carrying all her anxieties. Thus, Lillian caught Giselle for a moment. She held Giselle's hand while swearing that- unlike what had happened in that story, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives.
Lillian's words reassured Giselle, and she kissed her again. Using this as an opportunity, Lillian tried her best to send signals again, but Giselle persistently refused.
Lillian may have tried her best to cheer up Giselle, but she could do only less to wipe it off completely. With a disappointed face, Lillian went to bed. It was a bitter end on the third night. However, Lillian Grey knew she had to give some space for Giselle to recollect herself. If her glum countenance appeared tomorrow as well, then Lillian might have to use the lucky charm.