to the moon & to saturn | cate blanchett

chapter 21

Cate didn't say anything at first. A long stretch of silence fell upon them. She stared at the brunette, mouth agape, completely stunned. Sandy stared back, unblinking. Her face was expressionless, yet calculated.

It was a face-off fit for a boxing ring, with the tension and the hot overhead lighting. Cate certainly looked like she could rip Sandy's head off at any given moment. Like a puma waiting to pounce, Cate was waiting for the signal to start the match.

Blanchett vs. Bullock.

Sounds of the city trickled into the store: traffic, alarms, and sirens. Or maybe Elle was the only one who heard the sirens because they were in her head, alerting her of the dangerous presence before her. A presence that was only here because Elle granted access. She invited a vampire across the threshold of her and Cate's relationship and she didn't think to bring any garlic to ward her off.

Elle tried to shake the overly imaginative visions from her head and focus on the undeniable circumstances of the scene in front of her. Sandy was here, whether she liked it or not. It wasn't something she could change at this point.

The invitation had been sent.

Sandy had arrived.

The match was about to begin.

Cate finally did manage to speak, and her first words weren't to Sandy. They were directed at Elle.

"Why is she here?"

Her words were gruff and tense. Elle hated it. She hated that she made Cate angry. Hated that she was the one to get them into this situation in the first place.

"I invited her," admitted Elle softly.

Cate closed her eyes and sighed, like she was trying to breathe any toxins out of her body.

Sandy spoke up next. "You invited me? Who are you?"

"I'm Cate's girlfriend," Elle said smugly. "And yes, I'm the one who invited you. Clearly a bit of a mistake on my part."

Sandy laughed devilishly. "You invited me, Cate's ex fiancée?"

At Elle's wide eyes, Sandy added, "My sincerest apologies, child. I guess you didn't know that Cate and I were engaged."

Cate let out a half-laugh and held out a protective arm in front of Elle as Sandy appeared to be advancing on her.

"We weren't engaged," said Cate, sounding exasperated and tired.

"We almost were," said Sandy.  "Technicalities."

Cate scoffed. She advanced upon Sandy, pointing a finger in the brunette's face. "Technicalities? That's funny, I didn't know that cutting me and Sarah out of your life was a simple technicality for you."

"Is Paulson here? I'd love to see her. I'm sure she has a new rap she'd like to show off," said Sandy casually.

"You won't be seeing Sarah. You won't be seeing anyone. You need to leave. Now," ordered Cate.

"I think your new girlfriend needs to leave," Sandy sneered. Her crude smile mutated into a curled upper lip as her eyes narrowed at Elle. In a condescending tone, she said, "Sweetheart, it's time for the adults to have a conversation. Why don't you go watch cartoons or something?"

A loud tap resounded in the store as Elle stomped her foot on the hard marble. She squared up with Sandy, her hands curled into fists at her sides. Her face flared red as she stared into Sandy's smug expression.

"No. I'm not a child and I'm not leaving."

Sandy placed a hand on Elle's shoulder, which Elle shook off immediately with an uncharacteristic growl. Her entire body shook from frustration.