Kalliope 》Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter 6

After introducing Catalina and Natasha, or Cat and Nat as Cecelia calls them, all four of them finished watching the movie. Before Natasha left for the night, the three women agreed to meet up the next day so Cat could get to know her more. (And so Natasha had some time to think about what she had told Cecelia. 

In the morning, because the aviators had the day off from flying to study the mission parameters, Cecelia and Catalina went out for breakfast. This way, they could catch up without distracting Bradley. And what a distraction they would have been. 

Laughing so hard they could barely see while walking to a dinner, anyone outside could see how much love they had for each other. Cecelia filled her in on as much as she could about the mission, not that she knew much herself. And Cat just insisted on seeing the ring every few minutes just to make sure it was real. 

Sitting down at a local dinner, chomping away at some breakfast potatoes, Cecelia looks directly into Cat's eyes. "So, how are you dealing with everything? I know how you get when you're stressed." 

Putting down her fork, Cat sighs. "Trying my best not to really think about it. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I also put my heart and soul into that performance. So, basically I am NOT dealing with anything and just putting it off." Looking at Cecelia, she says, "You know I procrastinate as much as possible when I'm off." 

Laughing knowing exactly what she means, Cecelia grabs her hand from across the table. "Well you know I am here for you, and so is the rest of the family. Not to mention most of us were there to see you work your ass off on this movie." 

Letting the topic drop after that, the two finished up their breakfast and headed out to the beach. Stopping at the spot they agreed to meet Natasha at, they sit in the sun, enjoying the warm rays that are practically nonexistent in New York at this time. 

Natasha silently creeps up behind them, counting down in her head. When she reaches one, she jumps between the two yelling "boo!". Screaming, they both fall off of their seats, hands on their chests. Cackling, Natasha takes her seat while waiting for Cecelia and Catalina to breathe normally again. 

"That was not nice," Cat gasped out, standing from the sand. Brushing herself off, she grabs Cecelia's hand to pull her up as well. "And to think, I brought you a donut," Cecelia huffs out, gesturing to the bag sitting on the table. Without giving her any time to react, Natasha grabs the bag and shoves the donut into her mouth.

Smiling with a mouth full of donut, Natasha just looks at Cecelia. Swallowing, she takes a deep breath. Looking at Catalina, she begins to explain what she and Cecelia had talked about the night before. "So I don't know how to really deal with this." 

Taking everything in, Cat sighs, but quickly grasps Natasha's hand. "Your's isn't the first story I've heard and it won't be the last. I can promise you, you are not alone." 

Tearing up a little, Natasha quickly wipes at her eyes. Yes, she had told Cecelia last night, but as Cecelia said herself, she has a different experience. Hearing that she wasn't alone from someone who went through similar thoughts and experiences, at least in this aspect, was such a huge relief. 

Continuing her reassurance, Cat explains her own experience. "I had a feeling when I was 16 but I didn't come out until I was 18. At that point, I had a full ride to college, so depending on how my parents took it, I could run there. And it's a good thing I did because my mom essentially called me a monster and my father still can't talk to me." Now it was Natasha grasping Cat's hand in sympathy. "But the universe knew me better than they did. Because not even a week after my parents basically disowned me, I met Cece and she became my family." 

Cecelia just hugged her from the side, not letting go and just cuddling closer. 

(If you haven't figured it out, Cecelia is a very touchy person, her love language is physical touch after all.)