to the moon & to saturn | cate blanchett

chapter 4

Elle did text Cate back. Multiple times over the next week, in fact. However, she didn't flirt with her outright, due to fear of scaring the woman away.

It started off with very basic topics. Elle finally told Cate her name. She even told the older woman how her mom addressed her (with both her first and middle name)—Ellen Marie.

Cate thought that name was "simply darling", and Elle didn't bother expressing to Cate the hatred she held for it. That would be a lot of unpacking for the first week of a new friendship.

When Elle questioned Cate in a more polite manner about her decision to leave her number in the booth, Cate responded, "I don't have many friends in the States."

That didn't exactly answer the question in the way Elle wanted, but it did spark an interesting conversation about Cate's birthplace: Australia.

Elle learned that Cate was born in Australia and lived there for most of her life. She was a fashion designer and the owner of a clothing store named Blanchett Boutique.

That's why Cate texted Elle at 3 am. Cate worked around the clock on her brand, which meant she needed to be awake during Australian business hours as well. With the time difference at 15 hours ahead, Cate worked through the early hours of the morning.

Her brand was a sensation in Australia, and Cate was expanding her store into its first American location. That's why she was in America this summer, to work on the grand opening of Blanchett Boutique's brand new store.

The topic Cate never brought up, and Elle didn't dare to, was Andrew. It was like he didn't exist.

Elle felt comfortable and relaxed texting with Cate, like she and her had been friends for years. It was easy and natural, but Elle couldn't help but still question why she was in this situation to begin with.

She would love to allow herself to accept the fantasy that Cate might be romantically interested in her, leave her husband, start a new life, and live happily ever after...but that wasn't realistic.

For that reason, she tried to distance herself from her phone. Elle was already off the deep end with Cate—she fell hard the moment she laid eyes on her. But she wasn't a lost cause yet. Elle would officially pass the point of no return if Cate gave a reason to believe any of her fantasies had the potential to come true.

"You should ask her on a date," suggested Dylan.

It was Sunday afternoon and Elle was getting ready for her 6th and final shift of her first week.

She sighed. Dylan had suggested this almost every single day since her and Cate started texting.

"She's married. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Elle stepped into the living room to face Dylan, who was lounging on the couch with her laptop in her lap.

"She's been texting you non-stop," said Dylan. "She's clearly interested."

"Even if she is interested, it's not my place to make a move on a married woman. If she wants to pursue something, I'll wait for her to make the first move."

Elle grabbed her purse and headed to the door.

"Elle, she did make the first move. She left her number for you."

Damn, Dylan was right.

"Well, I'll just wait for her to make the second move too, then!" called Elle as she left the apartment.

"Coward!" yelled Dylan after her.

"I'm not a coward because I'm hesitant to jump into an affair," thought Elle as she strolled into the restaurant.