waitress // lrh

28 // bad time

// cate //

She felt alone.

She was alone.

Calum had dragged Luke off a couple of hours ago, meaning Catelynn had to cope by herself. As much as Luke hadn't wanted to leave her alone with her current mental state, it would be suspicious that he would rather spend time with his friend's sister instead of his actual friend. So, she was sitting on the porch swing out back by herself.

Cate had hugged her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees, staring sullenly at the porch pavement a few feet in front of her. Dried tear stains coated her cheeks, trailing down from her usually bright eyes.

It was getting colder. The sun had sunk below the tree line half an hour ago, and she could barely see the outlines of the garden across the yard. The moon wasn't out yet, so it was just dark. Catelynn didn't really like the dark all that much, unless she was with Luke. However, Luke was somewhere upstairs with her brother.

Sighing, she leaned her head back to stretch her neck after sitting in that cramped position for too long.

The Hoods used to come out here a lot. They would utilize the grill sitting in the corner and the nice picnic table and the fairy lights strung from the overhang. Her dad used to try and figure out how to use the grill, get frustrated, and then ask the gardener who was always very conveniently pruning the hydrangea bushes next to the porch to help. They used to invite over Elaina and maybe some clients whose case they had been working on recently.

The last time that had happened was when Catelynn had just turned fourteen, late August of 2014.

And- understandably so- that would be the last time.

Reaching for the blanket lazily folded on the swing beside her, Cate draped it over herself, trying to relieve herself of the chill of the summer night.

Everything sucked.

She had nothing to distract herself from the thoughts running rampant through her brain. Everything Cate tried to focus on, she would end up losing interest in quickly and start staring into the distance.

Curling up into a ball on the swing, she exhaled slowly. Cate was tired. She was tired of being depressed over something that happened years ago. She was tired of sneaking around with Luke because Calum would kill him. She was tired of pretending that she was okay.

Her hand clutched the fabric of the blanket tighter, tugging it closer over her shoulder. There was a slight breeze drifting across the porch, and it was making her shiver.

Just then, the sound of the back door creaking open alerted her.

"Hey," Luke breathed, stepping out. She offered a weary smile before letting her features droop once more. The door slammed shut behind him, and he muttered curse words under his breath in surprise.

She started to move over to make space for him to sit, but he stopped her. Gently, he scooped her into his arms, before taking a seat, letting her rest in his lap.

"Sorry for leaving you alone for so long, doll," Luke murmured, trailing his hand across her hair softly.

"It's okay," Cate mumbled quietly into the blanket. She wasn't facing him, more so she was lying with her back curled against his abdomen, her head on his thigh.

"Baby," he sighed.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to go back to your room? It's cold out here,"

"Can we sleep in your room?" Catie murmured drowsily, her eyes no longer open.

"I- I guess," he replied, "I'm not really in there a lot, though."