Sandra and Jennifer, two city slickers, sauntered down New York’s bustling streets, their footsteps echoing amidst the urban symphony. The city’s vibrant energy seemed to invigorate their spirits as they navigated the maze of towering skyscrapers and bustling crowds. The towering skyscrapers, clad in glass and steel, seemed to pierce the sky, their reflections shimmering in the sunlight. Below, the streets were a hive of activity, with people from all walks of life hurrying about their business.
“So you found your necklace that you lost in Cate’s place years ago worn by Lou?” Jennifer asked, trudging her way amidst the busy crowd, “Are you out of your damn mind? Why would you believe Lou is not Cate? And the fuck that you hired investigators and those men found out she didn’t have any records in the country?”
Sandra nonchalantly took a bite of her crepé, “She doesn’t have the tattoo.”
Jennifer hissed at the other brunette’s answer. She could not really fathom what’s running into Sandra’s head, but all she could think at that very moment was how naive and dumb her best friend was. The brunettes stood and waited by a streetlight, waiting for it to light green as they readied to cross one of Timesquare’s highways.
“What do you mean tattoo?” Jennifer inquired, looking seriously at Sandra who was at the time, busy watching the apparition of yellow cabs and people in the city she had missed the most, “Hello? Are you even listening to me?”
“Cate tattooed my name.” The brunette started as she turned to her side, finally looking at Jennifer, “Lou and I fucked. She does not have my name on her skin. Not even a single –” Sandra cut off her own mumbling as the streetlight turned green, and amongst the crowd beside them, she walked to cross the hallway, almost leaving Jennifer with her jaw dropped.
“What?” Her best friend jested, half running to cross the highway, half chasing Sandra too, “You too fucked? Like? Really? When? Why didn’t I know about it? Why did it —”
“Really, bestie? I told you about the revelation of the tattoo and all you got was the fact that we fucked?” A scoff and an honest giggle escaped Sandra’s lips, shaking her head as she watched her best friend’s unfathomable expression, “And yes, we did. We fucked.”
“You nasty doctor…” The other brunette started to laugh, “Oh my fucking freak! You finally fucked after being celibate for years!”
“Well, it was a great night. Lou was great.” The brunette laughed, almost throwing her head back as to which Jennifer joined to laugh at the sentiment too.Â
It was great to see each other again. Both of them had immensely missed each other so much, that despite Sandra’s broken heart, their laughter still echoed amidst the city’s cacophony. Lost in their conversation, they hadn’t noticed the growing crowd gathering around a towering billboard.
Suddenly, the world seemed to hold its breath. A hush fell over the crowd as a video began to play on the colossal screen. A familiar face appeared – Jennifer saw it first as she was the one facing it and when she did, the video sent shivers down Jennifer’s spine.
“Holy shit.” Jennifer muttered, her face pale as she hung her mouth in shock.
Sandra saw the transition of her best friend’s demeanor. Curious as to the sudden hush and Jennifer’s widened eyes, she slowly turned to look at the billboard above. On the screen, the pair of blue eyes she had looked into a thousand times, peered. The world literally stopped and everyone gathered to watch. For most people, Cate Blanchett, who suddenly vanished almost seven years ago, was the one on screen, but for Sandra, the woman on screen was Lou.
“Oh my goodness! Is that Cate?”
“Fucking hell, that is Cate Blanchett!”
“She’s alive?”
“I can’t stop my tears, oh my goodness!”
The crowd started to get wild as the video started to play, capturing the blonde in a serene, almost ethereal setting. Her eyes, once filled with a playful sparkle, now held a depth that hinted at a journey endured. As the video progressed, the crowd, including Jennifer and Sandra, watched in rapt attention. Their reactions mirrored the city’s skyline: a mix of awe and bewilderment.
“Hi, it’s been a long time. It’s me, Cate Blanchett.”
Sandra’s face was a canvas of raw emotions. She couldn’t feel her feet touching the ground anymore as she watched Lou telling everyone she was Cate. Her eyes, teary and wide with disbelief, seemed to search for a familiar spark in her gaze. Was it true? Was she dreaming? Standing there, with her hands shaking and heart screaming silently, the brunette tried to compose herself. The woman she loved with all her heart was back, but in a form she couldn’t quite comprehend and believe yet.
For years, she had known Cate by the lines on her palms, she knew the blonde by the texture of her hair, by the dulcet timbre of her laugh – she knew her by all the histories etched on her very skin, but as she watched her on the big screen, she found herself contemplating if it was really her or Lou.
“I owe a lot of you an explanation, most especially to my fans, but if there is someone I would want to offer a million apologies to, it would be her – it would be the love of my life; it would be Sandra.”
The crowd, united in their shared fascination, erupted into a collective gasp as they watched. Cate, her voice filled with a haunting vulnerability, addressed the city directly. Her words were a cryptic message, a puzzle piece that seemed to fit into a larger, unknown picture.
“I know my disappearance tore a gaping hole in her heart, shattering it into a million irreparable pieces. Even now, I can’t bear to imagine the pain she must have endured. I was, and still am, the biggest jerk in the world. I hurt the woman I loved more than anything, and I regret it with every fiber of my being. To cut the long story short, I had been nothing, but a total dumbass for hurting her in worse imaginable ways. I regretted those and still am regretting, hence, I realized that a woman like her does not deserve a woman like me. Our story had long been over, yet I was like a moth to her flame. She deserves the best, someone better than I, but because I was a total jackass, I kept on crawling down to her.” This time, Cate’s tears started streaming down her face and the crowd collectively fished their phones out to capture the moment; Jennifer was trying to pull Sandra away from the video, but the brunette was stoned to her spot, all eyes on the woman above.
“Sandy, let’s go…”
“No…”
“I knew I didn’t deserve her, but my selfish self, blinded by the illusion of love, kept chasing her. I was a jerk, a woman unworthy of her gaze. My disappearance was a desperate attempt to strip off my rotten skin. Across the world, leaving my whole life here, I rebuilt my life, striving to become the woman she deserves. But in doing so, I unknowingly inflicted the greatest pain on her: my absence. The irony was cruel. I yearned for her love, yet I had chosen a path that would forever keep us apart. A lifetime away from the woman I truly loved was the price I paid for my past mistakes.”
“Sandy, come on! We need to get home.”
“No… I need to know.”
“Fate, with its cruel irony, brought us together once more in the very city where I had tried to escape my past. You saw through my disguise, recognized me instantly. But I chose deception, clinging to the hope that you would see me as someone new, someone who had changed. I loved you and still love you with a passion that burned brighter than any flame. Yet, self-doubt consumed me, a poisonous serpent gnawing at my heart. I hid my past, the pain I had inflicted upon you, terrified of your judgment. When you announced your return to New York, I knew I couldn’t let you slip away again. Sandy, the Lou you met in Denmark, was the woman who had shattered your heart in New York. But with the world watching, I confess my truth. You are the love of my life, the reason my heart beats. In this lifetime, if you’ll grant me the mercy of forgiveness, I humbly ask for another chance to prove my worthiness to you. I love you, baby, so much.”
“Oh my! Who is this Sandy girly?”
“She’s gay?”
“This is so heart-melting!”
“So please, unlock my number. I’m here at New York. Let me see you, please.”
As the video ended, the crowd remained wilding, their minds reeling from the unexpected encounter. Jennifer turned to Sandra, her eyes filled with concern. She knew that this revelation would undoubtedly shatter the fragile pieces of Sandra’s heart once more. The woman who had disappeared so abruptly had now reemerged, leaving behind a trail of questions that she had just answered in the video.
“It’s all over the news now. It’s trending on twitter. Your name too is trending. Everyone is wanting to know who is Sandy in Cate’s life.” Jennifer spoke, holding Sandra’s arm, trying to wake her from her state.
“This fucking bitch.” It was all the brunette had to say as she wiped her tears before starting to walk away from the area, leaving the crowd clueless that she was the “Sandy” Cate was referring to.
***
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