Brown Eyes | Loubbie

Chapter Eighteen

Sandra stirred slowly as the rays of the scorching sun were finally escaping the borders of the windows' curtain. The dews on her glass windows were bigger, she noticed. The city was awake, and she was awake too, barely. She fluttered her eyes open to an empty side of the bed, but Cate's photo was on her bedside table. She remembered what happened and that caused her to get up right away. But she stopped. The sight of Cate curled down on the sofa without a blanket greeted her. She was sleeping and Sandra could tell that she was cold. Tapping her head with the heel of her palm, she cursed herself silently.

Stupid, nightmare.

She sighed, relieved to see her lover whom she had a fight with last night. The fight was real; she remembered Cate sobbing silently, trying her best to explain that she did not remember kissing Sarah. Sandra remembered how Cate pacified her, tried to hug and kiss her, tried to talk and melt things down, but she was too mad. Too mad that she even pushed her literally. She remembered cursing her and most of all, she remembered telling her to leave. The fragments of their last night's fight were slowly climbing into her senses. Goddamnit, how could she tell Cate to leave and to end their relationship?

Yet, Cate stayed. Amidst all the painful things she told her. Cate stayed and that burned her heart. A good and a sweet kind of burn where it felt like your heart wasn't living inside your body anymore for it lived somewhere else's and no matter what, you wouldn't want to take it because it felt great and enchanting and almost magical. Sighing, she got up from bed, took a blanket and walked silently to Cate who was still sleeping peacefully amidst the cold. Her natural red  lips were lightly parted and her cheeks were pink; she was beautiful, achingly beautiful. But despite that glow, Sandra could tell that she cried herself to sleep. Reddish puffy bags were linking under her closed eyes, and she then remembered how Cate cried and sobbed hardly last night. Her heart ached for her lover who cried herself to sleep, who slept shivering in the cold and who she accused of cheating on her. Cate was drunk that night; so hard that she fell asleep by the poolside. Obviously, it was not Cate who kissed Sarah, it was Sarah who took advantage of her, or maybe Sarah was drunk too and it was the alcohol moving. Sandra did not know which was which, but she certaintly knew Cate was innocent.

Sandra knelt down on the floor as she sat in front of the blonde. She lovingly touched her cheeks and Cate shivered - she must be really cold. So Sandra got the blanket and wrapped it around Cate, and that made the blonde open her eyes, fluttering it before she stared at her girlfriend. The look on Cate's face implied a big wonder - something blue in her eyes, an unfathomable gaze, a silent one, a maddening one and something pitiful.

"Hey..." Sandra spoke, barely audible, "I'm sorry I woke you up. Sleep." She continued with her soft voice, smiling at her sweetly.

Cate gave her a half-smile as she pulled the blanket up to her chin, "You're not mad at me anymore?"

It warmed Sandra's heart hearing Cate's voice - just last night, that voice was quivering, scared and somewhat mad, but the way her voice sounded when she asked that question, it almost made her heart leap for it sounded like I'm here, always with you, Cate sat up on the couch when she noticed the tears swelling out of the brunette.

"Hey hey..." She startled, hugging Sandra who sat silently crying on the floor. "Are you okay? Whatever I did, I am sorry. Are you okay, honey?"

"I thought I lost you already..." And with that, the brunette sobbed, burying her face on Cate's chest, "I saw you with a luggage and you were walking away from me. I saw you. It was happening. I wanted to stop you, to hold you, but I was too scared."

Cate hugged her lover tightly as she brushed her locks with her fingers. When she felt Sandra relaxed, she broke the hug and backed a bit, instantly cupping Sandra's face with her hands.

"Hey, sweetheart, you were dreaming. That was just a dream." Cate consoled, brushing her hair away from her face, "I'm staying, okay? You do not have to be afraid, because I can't leave you and I won't." She continued, wiping Sandra's tear-stained cheeks with her  delicate thumbs, "Sweetheart, stop crying. Listen to me. No matter how many fights we may be having, no matter how irritating we may be, no matter how dark and bad this relationship will be, I won't leave you. You have me, sweetheart, you hear me?" She stopped and stared at Sandra's brown eyes, "You have me always and we're on this together. We'll color this relationship together. Understand?"

Cate took her time to look at Sandra who suddenly looked so vulnerable. Her fragility had its colossal rise and Cate just wanted to tuck her in, sing her a song to hush her down, wrap her in a blanket and protect her like a baby. She remembered their fight last night: the yelling, the slamming of doors, and the painful words thrown at each other. They almost end it last night and they almost lost each other.

"I do not want to lose you, baby." Sandra stammered as she looked at Cate.

"I don't too. And hey, you won't lose me."

And with that being said, Sandra turned her lips in a straight line, urging herself to smile at that remark. Cate did not bother herself to wait for a reply, she pulled her into a hug while she placed kisses on her lover's head. And in that very moment, as Sandra was trapped between Cate's loving embrace - that very moment when she heard the beatings of Cate's heart, she knew she's safe and whatever fight they would be having, she knew they would be able to defy the odds. Come what may, but she would not be letting go of Cate, whatever happens.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I am really sorry for last night." Sandra spoke as they broke the hug, hands tangling against each other as they sat on the couch.

"I am sorry too." Cate countered, bringing Sandra's hands to her lips as she kissed her knuckles.

"I do not know how to repay you for being..." Sandra stopped and think for a moment, "...for being just what you are. I'm blessed and I do not know how to compensate that."

"Oh, you do."

"Oh?"

Cate smiled cheekily as she leaned her back on the couch, delicately spreading her arms on the board. Sandra looked at her as she crossed her legs, smiling seductively at her.

"Now, what is that all about?" The brunette asked.

"I just wanna taste heaven. I wanna have you for breakfast."

And finally, Sandra laughed, "Baby, we have all the time to do that, but for now," She leaned on Cate, tracing her jaw with her lips, "...let's keep our shits moving because we still have to tape Ocean's Eight today. Long weekend's over, baby." She whispered which earned a groan from the blonde. "Now, get up there! I'm gonna make a real breakfast."

"Can't I just eat you for five minutes, can I?"

Sandra stopped by the door, "No." She winked, "I love you, Catie!" And with that, she closed the door, but sure she heard an I hate you from Cate.

And that was what love felt like. Despite the dark and bad fights that they would be having under the moonlight, they know that when the morning comes, a perpetual sunrise would appear and along with that, their love would bloom again. Endless. Timeless. Always.

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