saving grace

Chapter 13: Breaking

You sat at the dining room table, unsure of what to do with yourself for the next few hours. For a moment, you didn't move but took in the stillness and silence, embracing the calm before the storm that was bound to hit tonight.

You weren't necessarily afraid of what others or the media had to say because you know your truth. If someone wanted to sell a story to make themselves a dime, so be it. The part you were afraid of is going from a seemingly normal, everyday life to living in Cate's world. And, although, you knew that the volume of your presence in the media would fade as soon as a better story came along, you were nervous that life as you know it would never be exactly be the same.

You were never a kid that idolized being the center of attention, the background role was perfectly okay with you. The only time you welcomed wandering eyes would be when you were singing or playing the piano, as you could get lost in your own bubble, unbothered by anything around you. But after tonight, you were afraid that your bubble would be popped, making you uneasy for a bit of time. You didn't want to bother Cate with these thoughts though, as she already had so much going on in that pretty head, so you promised her everything was going to be fine. You weren't sure if you were convincing her or yourself, but you needed to be her backbone through the stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. She needs you more than you could ever need her right now, and you're okay with that.

You were drawn out of your thoughts by a bark, making you get out of your seat and open a back door. Blue forced herself inside pretty quickly, seemingly happier than ever to be where she was. She found an air vent on the ground, laying her entire body on top of it as she panted.

"Hey, leave some air for the rest of us, goofball!" You joked.

She just turned her head at you before throwing it on the floor, obviously exhausted from whatever she was doing outside.

"And then there was one," you whispered to yourself with a small smile.

You decided to venture throughout Cate's chateaux, getting lost in the never ending artwork parading the walls.

You didn't realize how gigantic the home really was until you followed a marble staircase down to the lower level. It was as if there was a whole other home downstairs. You stood in the middle of the open space while doors littered the circular area. You went to door after door, admiring the different aesthetics and purposes of each room.

One space an in-home movie theatre, another an arcade-like room with games galore. A smaller room was filled to the brim with little girls things, presumably an area for her youngest. There was an entire bar area hidden behind one, composed of a couple pool tables and even a two-lane bowling alley. You didn't think it could get any better until you found a basketball court, an indoor basketball court. You played the game for a few years growing up, until you tore your ACL and didn't have a desire to step back on the court competitively.

The arrangement of Cate's home was absolutely breathtaking. The one element that surprised you the most would've had to have been when you opened a door to find a swimming pool. It wasn't just any swimming pool though, it was one that found itself both indoors and outdoors. You had genuinely never seen anything so architecturally beautiful.

You walked slowly down the tan stone that lined the pool's edge, taking note of the glass wall that could be mobilized to open up and close off the area as one pleased.

No other words escaped your mouth other than, "Damn."

You opened the partially wooden door that lead you to the exterior of the house, now alongside the outside part of the pool. You came into view of a smaller pool area, what one could consider a 'baby' pool, as well as a hot tub, lounge chairs and iron tables for seating.