The Melody Of Us

Extras (part 2): Post breakup intimacy

The moment I step out of my car, the media explodes right in front of my poor makeup-free face. If it hadn't been for my ship of experiences, I would've aimed for the hills a long time ago. And maybe screamed my two lungs out.

I lose count of camera flashes and make a beeline for the main gate. The swarm of cameramen and reporters follow me as if I'm the nectar to their pollinating agents. I think I will collapse one of these days...

I let all my sanity go out of the window and literally bang on the main door like an escaped imbecile. When a very familiar face emerges from the little crook between the door frames, I scream with happiness.
"And I almost believed that Your Highness wouldn't be able to show up tonight." Her voice makes me cry with nostalgia and I jump on her with the hugest hug possible.

"Cath!!!" I scream and let Billy have a glimpse of my perfect meltdown. Billy is my bodyguard, by the way. A very sweet and caring bodyguard.

"Yeah yeah. I know you missed me and etcetera. But that simply doesn't stand as an excuse for you not informing me about your attendance. I could've planned a better welcome." She whines and shuts the door on the frowning faces of the media. "Suck you, bitches! You're not invited in here!"

I snigger at her bitchiness and wonder, where the sweet old Cath vanished to?

"How do they get to know about your every single move? Don't tell me they even know about your heart rate." She fake-gasps and I chuckle.

"What I have learnt, is that success comes with a price. In this case, it is the media and all the haters. They can make your life miserable, if they want to." I reply and settle down on a very comfortable couch. I must say, Cath's new apartment is majestic.

"I'll take your word for it. I'm happy being the head of my department." She winks.

"Oh yeah. How's the magazine going?"

"Pretty good, I must say. After all, they're working under the plans of the legitimate Cathleen Stone. What else can you expect?"

"The legitimate Cathleen Stone? Why, do you have a duplicate now?"

"You never know. People are hungry for stealing someone's wind and drinking from their inner pool of powers."

"That's a messed up reiteration of Friends."

"Do you think I care?"

"Not at all. So, how's everybody?"

"Yikes. I wonder why you used the plural form, instead of a very certain someone." I know she's trying to keep it light. I know that.

"Because I mean it." I look away and focus my attention on a strolling ant by the corner of the rug.

"Suck it up, Hall. You can't lie to me. Not even after years of living separately. I can still read you like a John Green book."

"Yeah, I almost forgot that." I mutter under my breath.

"I heard that."

"Right. Sorry."

"Look, Liana. He's in there."

I stop breathing. She just dropped a major bomb on me and I literally can't breathe.

"What do you mean 'he's in there'? Who's here?" I ask, lowering my voice to a whisper.

"Gabriel. He crashed in two days ago, and hasn't stepped out since. Did it go down that bad with the two of you?"

"Cath, it's been weeks. Why is he acting like the only victim in this whole situation?! It was a mutual decision. We knew it wasn't working. We had to go our separate ways because of our work! We didn't have time for each other and it sucked."