It was a modern apartment with an open planned living and kitchen area. Rich hardwood floors ran across the length of the room and down the hallway.
In the kitchen everything was white, from the floor tiles to the cabinets and the counter.
“It’s small but I love it,” Cat said as she carried Emma’s smaller inside.
“How long have you lived here?”
“Just a little over a year. I had roommates before that when I was still gigging and trying to save money to buy recording equipment.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“So, it’s a two bedroom,” Cat said as she carried Emma’s bag down the hall.
Emma followed with her suitcase and wondered if she was finally going to get the answer to her question about their living arrangements.
“I know we never talked about it,” Cat said as she stopped at the end of the hallway, one door on either side of her. “And things are kind of new with us. Well… As new as they can be… Anyway… My room is on the right,” Cat said as she glanced in at the master bedroom. “This is the guest room,” she said as she opened the door.
Emma followed Cat’s eyes and took a look in at the double bed that was covered in white sheets and a mixture of gray pillows.
Emma met Cat’s eyes, trying to figure out what she was supposed to say. “So…”
“So, I don’t want to pressure you or assume anything,” Cat said as she entered the guest bedroom. “I’ll let you make any decisions, but I figured you could stay here until you see what you want to do… Unless you already know?”
Emma smiled when she heard the hesitancy in Cat’s voice.
She’s just as nervous about this as I am.
“I had no idea what was going to happen when I got here,” Emma said with a slight smile. “And it was driving me crazy. I didn’t want to just move in and cramp your style, but we’ve lived together before… So, I didn’t really know.”
“Okay,” Cat said, returning her smile. “That’s a relief. I’m not the only one who doesn’t know how to deal with this… I’m just terrified of screwing things up again.”
Emma wrapped her arms around Cat, closing the gap between them. She let her hands gently run up and down Cat’s back.
“Hey,” Emma said softly. “I’m just as scared as you are but please don’t think it was ever your fault that we ended things. I should have gone with you. We could have been doing this ten years ago.”
“Maybe we weren’t ready for this then.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling myself ever since you showed up at my hotel,” Emma said with a weak smile as she pulled away, lightly kissing Cat’s cheek, before she moved to lift her suitcase onto the bed. “We obviously have a lot to work out, so I think I should stay in here for the time being… Until we see where we’re at. I mean, I know we’re together… And I want that more than anything…”
“I know what you mean,” Cat said, her warm smile reaching her blue eyes. “We don’t want to rush things and living together, properly, might screw things up.”
“I could get my own place.”
“It’s completely up to you… I’ll let you unpack. There’s towels in the bathroom in the hallway. That one’s all yours.”
“Thanks,” Emma said as she watched Cat go.
She unzipped her suitcase and started lifting out her clothes, finding a place for them in the small closet on the far side of the room and in the chest of drawers beside the bed.
Should we really be living together?
And would sleeping in separate bedrooms somehow make things easier?
Every night I’m just going to want to sneak into Cat’s room.
Maybe I should just get my own place for the first few months until we’re in a good place and our relationship is solid.
I’ll just stay here until I can find somewhere that’s reasonable and that’s close to Caitlin’s apartment.
Chapter 29
Cat wanted to give Emma some time to settle in, so she spent the rest of the evening in the little third bedroom that she’d turned into a music room.
There was just enough room for a piano and love seat couch where she could sit and play the guitar.
Her guitars were hung up on the wall above the couch. They were mostly there for sentimental value. There was only one acoustic guitar she really used when she was playing gigs, but the others had been gifts over the years, two from her parents and one from Emma.
She went back to work on a song that had been giving her a bit of trouble. Usually the creative process came easily to her with melodies floating into her head on a daily basis.
She was always writing down random things that popped into her head and journaling was the way she’d dealt with her problems since she could remember so she was never short on material.
The two normally came together easily for her, especially when she’d first left Emma. Songs were coming to her faster than she could get them down on paper. That was the only way she knew how to deal with her heartache.
Now things were going well for her and she wasn’t sure what that meant for her music. It had always been moody, dark even. Now she had to figure out how to write more upbeat melodies that fit these new lyrics that were filling up her head.
Cat closed her eyes as she rested her forehead on the top of the piano while she played the start of the melody again with one hand.
She heard a gentle knock on her half open door and glanced up to see Emma standing in the doorway.
“Hey… I can leave you alone if…”
“No, not all,” Cat said as she sat up straight and turned to face Emma.
“So, I unpacked… And I’ve been thinking about what you said. I’m going to look for a place and if things are going well here and we’re both happy I’ll stay but at least I’ll be looking if this situation ends of being weird.”
Cat stood up and crossed the small room to stand opposite her. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me,” she said as she reached for Emma’s hand, running her thumb across Emma’s palm.
Emma’s eyes flickered down to Cat’s lips before she leaned in. Cat’s free hand cupped Emma’s cheek, pulling her in to meet her soft lips.
Cat had wanted to kiss her like this in the airport, but they’d been interrupted and then when they got back to her apartment she’d been too nervous trying to figure out the right way to approach their living situation.
Now, Cat forgot about all the fears that were still lingering and kissed Emma passionately, her body melting into Emma’s as they stood in the doorway of Cat’s makeshift studio.
Cat’s finger’s softly traced Emma’s jaw as she pulled away, both slightly out of breath.
“I forgot to show you my room,” Cat said with a smirk.
Emma returned her mischievous smile. “You think I’m that easy?”
“Yeah,” she said as she laughed softly. “And for me anyway, the last three days I’ve been really lonely…”
“Lonely?” Emma asked as she squeezed Cat’s hand and led her down the hall without saying another word.
Cat happily followed her into the master bedroom. “Yes, I was lonely,” she said as Emma closed the door behind them. “So, you didn’t miss me?”
“I didn’t say that,” Emma said as she backed Cat up against the door, pinning her hands above her head as she leaned in to kiss her.
Cat eyes fluttered shut as Emma’s lips met her own, her body pressed against Cat’s. She could feel the heat building up inside of her as Emma’s lips parted against hers.
Cat moaned softly as Emma’s tongue met hers. She wanted to run her hands across Emma’s body and feel the soft skin hiding underneath her clothes, but her hands were still being held above her head.
Emma’s head dipped to kiss Cat’s neck and back up to her ear lobe before finding her lips again. Cat didn’t know how Emma could have this effect on her. Her senses were heightened, and every touch seemed to send a shot of electricity through her body.
“So how much did you really miss me?” Emma asked as her hand found her way down Cat’s body to the heat that was building between her legs.
“You tell me,” Cat said with a smirk as she leaned in to find Emma’s lips.
Emma groaned into her mouth as her fingers explored Cat's folds. She could hear how wet she was as Emma's fingers moved from her entrance up to her clit, circling it once before repeating the motion again.
Cat's hips lifted off the bed, searching for Emma's hand. She needed more. Fingers. Circles. Her tongue.
"Babe, please," Cat begged, her hands running up her side and across her back, lightly raking her nails across her skin.
Emma's lips were on her breasts now while her fingers still hovered at her entrance, gliding through her wetness and driving Cat crazy. She took each nipple into her mouth, swirling her tongue around her nipples until they were rock hard.
Cat grabbed onto Emma's wrist, guiding her fingers back to where she needed them, and Emma met her eyes.
"So, you did miss me," Emma said with a smirk.
"Yes. Yes. Please, Em," Cat pleaded, throwing her head back into the pillow as Emma finally gave her what she needed, easily pushing two fingers inside of her. "Faster."
Emma was done teasing her, and Cat wrapped her arms around her as she thrust her fingers in and out, faster and faster, her palm grazing Cat's clit with every motion. It didn't take long for her to lose control, her eyes closed and her breathing ragged.
"I'm coming," Cat moaned, clinging onto Emma as her hips rocked against her hand, grinding out her orgasm until she was completely spent, her body covered in a light layer of sweat.
Cat closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. Emma was kissing her way down Cat's body, moving from her breasts to her flat stomach, but Cat stopped her before she reached the heat between her legs, swapping their positions so that Emma was underneath her.
"Later," Cat said with a smirk. "I have a feeling you missed me too," she said as she got comfortable in between Emma's legs, her tongue flattened as she licked her, paying extra attention to Emma's sensitive clit.
"Maybe," Emma gasped as Cat took her clit in her mouth and alternated between sucking and flicking her tongue over her bundle of nerves.
It didn't take long for Emma's body to start jerking underneath her. Her hands clutched the sheets as Cat's tongue moved faster, teasing her as she slid two fingers inside of her.
"Oh, yeah," Emma moaned, her hand tangled in Cat's blond hair, willing her to stay right where she was. "Just like that."
Cat's fingers kept a steady rhythm, knowing that it was going to be her tongue that sent Emma over the edge. She circled Emma's clit one last time, and Emma's hips lifted, pushing back against her as her body shook, and she came hard. Emma's moans were enough to almost make Cat come again. She knew it wouldn't take much.
Cat slowly withdrew her fingers, bringing them to her lips to lick clean, taking her time, enjoying the way Emma's eyes widened as she did. Cat could see Emma's breath quicken again.
"I'm glad you're here," Emma whispered. "Now come here," she said, pulling Cat down on top of her and capturing her lips in a searing kiss. "You're not going anywhere for the next few hours."
Cat smiled against her lips. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.
Chapter 30
January 7th, 2016
Cat woke with a start and reached for her phone that was making way too much noise.
“Hello?” she asked in a groggy voice as she pushed her blond hair away from her face.
“Cat, I’ve been knocking on your door for the last ten minutes. Are you home?”
Cat cursed under her breath. She’d completely forgotten that Jeff, her manager and best friend, said that he’d stop by this morning.
“Sorry, I slept in,” Cat said softly as she pushed back the covers and got out of bed, trying not to disturb Emma. “Give me two minutes.”
Cat got dressed in the dark and slipped out of her room, gently closing the door behind her.
She padded over to the door and opened it to see Jeff standing there, dressed casually, with his briefcase slung over his shoulder.
“Good morning,” Jeff said with a smile. “Sorry I woke you up.”
“No, it’s okay. I completely forgot you were coming over. I’m sorry I left you out there for the last fifteen minutes. So, what’s up?” Cat asked as they went over to the couch and sat down.
“Okay, so I’ve been watching everything online. Stalking blogs and news sites for anything about you, checking your social media stats, you name it.”
“And?” Cat asked.
“You’re getting a lot of hate in the comments section of your videos and posts, but your followers are way up. You’ve even been trending a few times since you came out,” Jeff said as he turned to face her.
“Really?”
Jeff nodded. “So, I think you just need to make a slight shift… You’re back to being a struggling artist but you do have a finished album that has nothing to do with the contract you had. It was entirely funded by fans and you have complete control over it.”
Cat watched him, waiting for the bad news that she felt surely had to come. He unzipped his briefcase and took out his laptop. He opened it up, turned it on and left it on the coffee table.
“The thing is, you can’t really afford me anymore,” Jeff said quietly. “Which is fine,” he added quickly. “I’m going back to the bar full time.”
“Jeff-”
“Let me finish,” he said. “The fans that you do have are loyal and it looks like a large portion of them are from the LGBTQ community.”
“I figured that.”
“Your appeal to wider audiences has wavered but I think if you focus on the fans that are sticking with you, you can build that audience back up again. But looking at all of this…,” Jeff said as he opened up a spreadsheet on his laptop. “We need a different approach.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“If I’m no longer on your team, I think you should take a portion of that money and hire a social media expert. You could exponentially grow your following if you were working with someone who knew what they were doing.”
“Okay…”
“I’ll still be around,” Jeff said as he met her eyes. “You know, if you still want me to.”
“Of course, I do. But I don’t want to bother you with all of this when you have a full-time job.”
“I’ve really enjoyed the last few months, being on the road with you, promoting your music… I’ll just be doing it as your friend now and not your manager,” he said with a warm smile.
“Okay, just don’t work too hard,” Cat said returning his smile.
“I’ll put up an ad on a few of those freelancing sites and see if we can arrange some interviews.”
“That sounds great.”
“Everything is going to have to be done through social media now. New music, photos… You’re probably going to have to be a little more open minded.”
“What do you mean?” Cat asked.
“Well, I know you like your privacy, but I think you’re probably going to have to take more photos of your everyday life and be willing to put them online.”
Cat nodded. “It’s not how I wanted to do things, but I know that it’s important, so I’ll just have to get used to putting my life on show.”
“And be yourself,” Jeff said as he stood up.
Cat met his eyes. “I will do my best… It’s strange being out after so many years of worrying.”
“It’ll be good for you… And Emma.”
“I know.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Jeff said as they walked over to the door and Cat showed him out.
She said goodbye and flopped down onto the couch. A social media expert. S
he tried not to cringe. That was exactly the kind of thing that she wanted to avoid.
But if she wanted to make it on her own and hopefully get signed by someone else eventually, she needed to use all the tools available to her.
“Hey,” Emma said as her bare feet crossed the wooden floors. “Sorry I slept so late.”
“It’s okay. Jeff was here for a few minutes. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“How is he?”
Endless Love Page 10