AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Alissa lit up. “Sure, that sounds like a lot of fun.”
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Caitlin never lounged in bed like this back home, sitting in her pajamas well past breakfast time. After the exciting day at the surf competition, both she and Alissa were worn out, so they were taking it easy. So far she had gone downstairs to eat breakfast and lunch, grabbed a book from the library and read it in bed, and even took a short nap.
She sat up and looked out the window at her picturesque view. Her view wasn’t of the ocean like Alissa’s was, but it was still stunning, showing off the beautiful trees and cliffs beyond that. Something about its purity and emptiness stirred up a melancholy feeling inside of her.
Maybe it wouldn’t have felt that way if James were there with her, enjoying the view in silence. She wished they could somehow renew the romance and passion they once had. It had disappeared so slowly and subtly that she didn’t know when it started to fade—a rescheduled date night one week turned into a skipped date night for months. The little notes that they left each other became more and more infrequent. Then the worst of it, the shift in the little things, like kissing and holding hands.
Caitlin sighed and got out of bed. Being in here had a great view, but she was in her head too much.
She went downstairs and found Monica tidying up.
“Hi there,” Monica said. “I made some mulled wine not long ago. Would you like some?”
“Sure, that sounds delicious.”
Monica left to make the mulled wine and Caitlin went outside onto the porch to take in the view there. Alissa was on the porch bench wrapped in a blanket, a space heater several feet away. Her laptop was resting on a small table next to a steaming mug of mulled wine. Her fingers flew over the keyboard and she didn’t even look up at Caitlin until she was right next to her.
“Hey,” Alissa said, scooting over to make space for Caitlin on the bench.
“Hey. Hope I’m not interrupting.” Caitlin sat down. “Working on your novel?”
“Yeah. My hands need a little break anyway.” Alissa made a fist, then opened it several times. “What are you up to?”
“Waiting for some mulled wine. I wanted to check out the view down here.”
Alissa picked up her mug of mulled wine and offered it to Caitlin, who refused it.
“Monica is bringing me some, but thank you.”
“Okay, but what are you really doing here, Caitlin?’ Alissa asked, her voice soft. “Because I know you want to stop me from making rash decisions, but coming all the way here unannounced? That’s a little different. Are you okay?”
Caitlin had been mentally preparing for this conversation for a while now. She could tell that Alissa saw what was churning underneath her put together surface, but she wasn’t sure how to say it. All of the waiting around made her realize she just had to come out with the truth. Alissa wasn’t going to be mean to her.
“No, not really. James and I are growing apart and it’s making things hard, especially for Pearl.” Caitlin took a blanket off the back of the bench and wrapped it around herself. “She’s been acting out in school and I feel like such a terrible mom.”
Letting out the admission gave her some release, letting a bit of pressure off the valve.
“You should have told me before.” Alissa squeezed Caitlin’s hand before tucking it back under the warmth of her blanket.
“It’s nothing drastic. We aren’t screaming at each other or anything and Pearl still has good grades,” Caitlin said. “But there’s no passion anymore and I was hoping that coming here would allow me to clear my head. To see things from a fresh perspective.”
“This is a good place to think.”
“Yeah. I think I still need time to figure it out further, but that’s the gist of it.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, the pressure continuing to leak from inside of Caitlin. Just telling Alissa made her feel this way, and that was the first step she needed to figure herself out. She couldn’t think if her thoughts were consumed with how to say it.
Monica came outside with a mug of mulled wine for Caitlin, then disappeared inside again. The wine was just what she needed on a cold day like this—the cloves and cinnamon warmed her up better than a blanket ever could.
Now that her mood had finally shifted, Caitlin wanted to talk about Alissa for a while.
“It was nice meeting Dane yesterday,” Caitlin said, a sly grin spreading across her face.
“I’m surprised it took you this long to bring him up.” Alissa closed her laptop and picked up her mug of mulled wine.
