Don't Call Me Cat!

Chapter 52: Fix You

Hi! Hope you're all good and ready for the weekend. I don't normally post videos with my chapters, but I felt the words here were appropriate. The lyrics are quoted within this chapter:

Fix You: Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Will Champion

WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I hope you enjoy this latest development. Feel free to love me or hate me. As long as your feelings are strong either way, I'm happy. Apart from that, have a great weekend. I'm on annual leave next week and can't wait to escape my desk, my microphone and headphones. But don't worry because there's another chapter already in the can waiting to detonate while I'm away. Love to you all xxxx

There was nowhere to run even if she'd wanted to. 

She was locked emotionally to Shannon and now, with the click of a lock, physically to Jared.

With that crushing knowledge came the tears. They came hard and fast and Cat was powerless to stop them. 

"I love him." Cat struggled to speak. "But I don't know if I can cope anymore with the pain."

Jared was just a blur through the veil of tears that spilled down her cheeks as she thought about Shannon. 

"Sshhh." Jared's voice soothed and calmed her. He knew exactly how she was feeling. There had been times when he'd felt equally defeated watching his brother crash and burn. 

There were times when he'd sit alone at home crying just like Cat. His tears were borne more from frustration, but the love he felt for Shannon was no less.

Watching Cat like this was hurting and he felt helpless.

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep

"Cat," he whispered, stroking her hair and holding her as best he could. She tried fighting him off but he refused to let her go this time. 

"You're going nowhere. You're staying with me. Stop fighting." His grip on her tightened and he looked down at her, wondering how she'd been so strong up until this point.

She'd been a rock for Shannon. He'd watched her look after him, put him first, put her career on hold. And for what? For this?

"Cat, I need you to listen to me." He talked slowly and cupped her chin so he could have eye contact. 

"I have calls to make, meetings to cancel. But you're not leaving." 

He caught a tear as it rolled off the tip of her nose.

"You're in danger of drowning both of us in a sea of those," he said, touching her cheek.

He guided her to the sofa and pulled her down so she was sitting between his legs while he keyed in a number on his phone. 

Cat listened to him talk, the words meaning nothing as she turned and buried her face in his chest. Thoughts of Shannon were drifting through her mind like wisps of smoke; the smell of him; memories of their first meeting; the way he'd hold her and make love to her.

And then there were his demons: the drugs, the alcohol, the anxiety. Combined, they had dragged her down and into the arms of his brother.

Jared carried on his conversation, all the time holding Cat close to his chest.

When the tears come streaming down your face
'Cause you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste