It was the eve of Cate's birthday and even though some people had left that day, most of the cast had stayed to celebrate both the end of filming and Cate's birthday. They had agreed to go out for dinner and even though Rooney had been incredibly happy that Cate would stay for her birthday, she was getting increasingly anxious about every single thing. She had put two dresses on her bed and was trying to decide for the past twenty minutes which one to wear.
"So, what do you think? The blue one or the white one?" she said lifting them both up so that Sarah could see them again.
"Huh?" Sarah said without looking up.
The woman had been sitting in an armchair in Rooney's room for the past hour or so, waiting for her to get ready.
"Sarah! Can you let go of your phone for two seconds to tell me which do you think looks best?" Rooney said, a little annoyed.
"What?" Sarah said, obviously not having heard a word of what Rooney had said.
"You've been texting for the past hour and I need your help over here, it'll only take a minute."
"Okay. What do you need my expert advice on?"
"Which dress do you think I should wear? This one or this one?" Rooney said lifting up the dresses again.
"Does it matter? You'll take it off when you get back anyway," she said with a sly smile.
"Yes, it matters. I want to look beautiful tonight."
"Rooney, you can show up with a towel wrapped around you and Cate will still think you look stunning. But if you really want me to choose, I think the white one is better."
"Yeah, I thought so too."
Rooney threw the blue dress on the bed and started taking her clothes off just as Sarah's phone rang. The woman looked at the screen and froze for a few seconds. She glanced at Rooney who wasn't really paying attention to her and picked it up.
"Hello?" she said in an emotionless tone.
Rooney noticed as she was putting her dress and make-up on that Sarah was giving one-word answers to whoever she was speaking on the phone with, glancing at Rooney nervously every few seconds.
"Say hi to Holland from me," she said with a smile.
As soon as she said that, Sarah's cheeks went bright red and she stared at Rooney for a few seconds.
"It's not-it's for a job," she stammered.
"Oh, is that what we're calling it now?" Rooney said with a laugh.
Rooney knew that she was making Sarah slightly uncomfortable but she couldn't help it; it was way too funny for her to resist. She could understand now why Sarah kept messing with her and Cate like that and besides, it was her turn now.
"Hey, can I call you back later?" Sarah said and hung up her phone.
"You can talk as long as you like, Sarah. I'm going to use the bathroom anyway."
"Are you going to be like that everytime I'm on the phone?"
"Probably. And hey, if you ever need any advice, I'm here."
"Yes, you're the first person I'll come to," Sarah said, laughing.
"I'll ignore your irony. How is it going?"
"It's going great. I mean, she's so much fun to be around, so clever and witty... she's amazing," Sarah said with a smile on her face.
"I'm really happy for you. But you should have told me sooner."
Sarah was looking at her with a guilty look. She had recently confessed to Rooney that she had been in a relationship with Holland for some time.
"I know. I just thought you'd say it's not... normal, or something," she said, not looking Rooney in the eyes.
"Why would I say that?"
"You know, she's a bit old."
"So? If you like her, you'll be with her. Besides, I'm not exactly dating a woman my age. And there's nothing more normal than love."
"I guess you're right. I've taught you well," Sarah said with a smile and Rooney scoffed.
"Do you think I should wear a scarf? What about this one?" Rooney said picking up a scarf from her bed, where she had basically laid out all the contents of her suitcase.
"It's pretty."
"Anyway, how do I look?" Rooney said, putting the scarf around her neck and standing in front of Sarah.
"You look beautiful and definitely worthy of being the birthday girl's girl."
Rooney smiled shyly. It had taken some time for her to realise for good that she and Cate were a couple, but hearing someone else say it as well always shocked her, as if she had just woken up from an amazing dream and realised that it had all been true.
"Speaking of the birthday girl, what did you get her?"
"I didn't get her anything."
Sarah stared at her for a few seconds before she spoke.
"Are you joking?"
"No. She told me not to get her anything because she hadn't gotten me anything for my birthday either."
"But you had fought then! And Rooney, you're a woman, you know how it works. We always say we don't want anything and the other person's job is to do the exact opposite of what we're saying."
"That's not always true. I mean, if I wanted something, I'd say it."
"So you got her nothing?"
"Well... I was thinking of doing something simple. Put on some music when we come back, drink some wine, make her breakfast tomorrow, simple things. She said that these are the things that she's missed all these years, these are the things that she's wanted. Besides, what could I get a woman who already has everything?"
"That's kind of true."
"However, I was thinking of something but it's not exactly a gift," Rooney said reluctantly.
"What do you mean?"
"It's more of a gesture... like a step forward. But I thought that maybe it's too soon for that kind of thing."
Sarah stared at Rooney for a few seconds and then got up from the armchair slowly, her eyes wide.
"Is this what I think it is?"
"Probably."
"Okay, if I'm not going to be the maid of honor, I'm leaving this room right now and never speaking to you again."
"The what?" Rooney asked, confused.
"Are you proposing?"
"No! Of course not!"
No matter her reaction, the moment that Sarah asked that question, the image of her and Cate getting married somewhere flashed through her mind and she had to make an effort not to smile.
"Then what?"
"I was thinking of giving her a key to my apartment in New York," Rooney said, looking down at her feet.
She eventually looked at Sarah, who seemed to be thinking about it for a while.
"That's not a bad idea."
"You don't seem too sure. Think it's too soon?"
"No, no, no one can say that except the ones invovlved... it's just that you're either going to have to be very careful or you'll have to be ready for the whole thing to get very real."
"What do you mean?"
"Are you prepared for the whole world to know?"
"I-"
Before Rooney was able to answer that question, there was a soft knock on the door. She was kind of relieved because, to be honest, she hadn't really had the time to think of what would happen after they were done with filming. She went to the door and opened it.
"Wow," she whispered.
Cate's face lit up when she saw her but Rooney just stood there, looking at the woman from head to toe. She was nothing short of stunning. She was wearing a beautiful strapless black dress and had her hair up except for a couple strands of hair which were falling on her face. But the thing that made her stunning in a way that no one else would ever be able to achieve was her posture; no matter what the occasion was or what she was wearing, Cate always looked like a member of some royal family, like a queen, and that day was not an exception.
"Right back at you," Cate said with a smile.
"You look absolutely incredible," Rooney said taking her hand and pulling her inside.
"Hey, Cate," Sarah shouted from where she was sitting.
"Hello."
"And even though it's really early, just in case I don't get to say it later when we're all together..." Rooney whispered, putting her hands around Cate's waist.
"Yes?" Cate said with a smile.
"Happy birthday," she said and stood on her toes to give Cate a kiss.
"I love you."
Rooney smiled broadly. She thought how much people talked all the time, how they always felt the need to cover any silence with the sound of their voices. And even though she had thought of it before, she only then fully realised how just three little words coming from the right person, even in a whisper, could bring all the happiness in the world to someone.
"Since you're here, I'll wish you an early happy birthday as well but unfortunately for you, I won't kiss you," Sarah said getting up and walking to hug Cate.
Rooney faked her best angry glare and Sarah laughed.
"I'm only doing it for you, you know. If I kiss her, she'll desperately want to be with me instead."
Rooney couldn't help but laugh.
"Anyway, happy birthday, Cate. I'd make some age-related joke but I genuinely feel bad about how old you are."
"That's sweet. But isn't Holland older than I am?" Cate said, furrowing her eyebrows.
Sarah stared at her for a few seconds before answering.
"Okay, is this how it's going to be now? You're both going to be making fun of me?"
"Yes," Cate and Rooney said at the same time.
"You know what, let's go before I get pissed off with both of you."
...-...-...-
After a couple of hours, they were all eating at a restaurant. No one had stayed in the chair that they had sat in when they had first got there; everyone was moving around the table so that they could talk with everyone, especially with Cate. At that point, Rooney was sitting opposite Cate. Even though many people had come to try and start a conversation with her, Rooney's eyes would always go to Cate and after that, she would forget what she'd been saying and would lose any will to talk about anything. Why spend her time making small talk when she could just sit and look at such beauty, at the person that she loved?
It wasn't just that Cate looked incredibly beautiful; it was also the fact that everyone wanted to get her attention, everyone around the table wanted to talk to her and even though Rooney tried not to think of it that way, she took pride in the fact that Cate was hers. Many people wanted her, that was a fact, she could have anyone she wanted but for reasons that only Cate knew, she had chosen her. It wasn't like Rooney to boast about things, she was always pretty modest, but she kept fighting the urge to stand on the table right there and then and tell everyone that she and Cate were together.
"Roons, you're so subtle," she suddenly heard a voice in her ear and choked on her drink.
She turned around and saw Sarah standing above her with a smile on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been eye-fucking Cate since we got here," Sarah whispered.
"I have not!" Rooney said a lot louder than she intended to.
However, she felt her face grow hot because she knew that Sarah was right. They had agreed with Cate to be as discreet as possible, but the truth was that neither of them did their best. Every so often Rooney would lose track of time while looking at Cate and Cate would let a smile linger longer than it should.
Rooney suddenly heard voices behind her and turned to see what was going on. Todd and Phyllis were carrying a birthday cake which they set on the table when they reached it.
"It's past midnight!" Todd shouted, laughing.
"Everybody gather round here so we can take a picture!" Phyllis said.
Cate stood in front of the cake, laughing and thanking Todd and Phyllis for the surprise. Rooney felt a hand pulling her and before she could realise what was happening, she was standing next to Cate.
"Okay, make a wish before you blow out the candles!" Kyle said.
"I feel like a teenager," Cate said with a laugh.
"Make a wish!"
Cate closed her eyes for a few seconds and then leaned in to blow out the candles. Everyone started cheering and Cate went around the table to hug everyone, leaving Rooney for last. When everybody else was busy with the cake, Cate made her way to Rooney's side again and pulled her into a hug.
"Happy birthday, darling," Rooney whispered in her ear and Cate gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"I hope you haven't eaten too much because I have some plans for dessert for when we get back."
"There's always room for dessert," Rooney whispered with a sly smile.
"Cate, did you get a piece?" Phyllis said, passing her a plate.
About an hour later, they were still at the restaurant and Cate was getting impatient. She was keeping her eyes fixed on Rooney at all times in a way that Rooney was familiar with by that time. She knew that it wasn't that Cate was getting distracted looking at her or that she was just looking at her because she loved her. The woman had a determined look in her eyes and she was looking at Rooney with pure lust, not even bothering to look away for some time so that someone else wouldn't notice. After a while, most people had left and Cate got up from where she was sitting and sat on the chair next to Rooney's.
"Can we find an excuse and get out of here?" Rooney whispered as soon as Cate had sat down.
"Whatever do you mean Miss Mara?" Cate answered, feigning surprise.
"I mean that I want to fuck you and I've been controlling myself for too much time."
"That's quite an inappropriate suggestion and you should be ashamed of yourself," Cate whispered but Rooney could see a small smile forming on the woman's lips.
Rooney was ready to answer her but she knew that if Cate kept this up, she wouldn't be able to control herself. She turned away from the woman and breathed out loudly. Todd was watching them again with an anxious look from the opposite side of the table.
"Poor Todd must think we're fighting all the time. If he only knew what we're talking about," Rooney whispered to Cate, suppressing a laugh.
"What were we talking about?" Cate said, furrowing her eyebrows.
Rooney rolled her eyes and picked up her drink from the table. They'd get back to the hotel eventually and she'd be able to answer Cate in the way that she wanted to. Suddenly, she felt a hand graze her inner thigh and going all the way up to her underwear.
"Oh, I remembered," Cate whispered in a voice that was so low it sounded like a growl and with a swift movement, she slipped her hand inside Rooney's underwear.
Rooney felt like electricity was going through her body and all of a sudden it was like the room was spinning.
"You wanted to get me out of here so that you could fuck me," Cate whispered.
As Rooney felt Cate's lips graze her ear, she realised she had difficulty breathing and her heart was beating like crazy. She wanted to tell Cate to stop, it was no time and place for games like that and they could get into terrible trouble. But she was pretty sure that the only word her lips could form at that moment was Cate's name and not in a tone of warning or of denial, but in a tone of lust and plead. She avoided Cate's eyes and tried to steady her breathing.
"Look at me, darling," Cate whispered and pressed Rooney's clit hard.
The effect was instant and Rooney wasn't able to control it. She felt her whole body become paralyzed and before she could realise what had happened, she heard a loud noise from somewhere near. Was it really near her or wasn't it? It had sounded like it had been miles away. The only thing she could hear was Cate's voice and everything else sounded so distant and seemed so trivial. She saw everyone's head turning towards her and their lips forming words that were probably for her, so she unwillingly pulled herself back to reality.
"Rooney, are you okay?" Todd asked, looking at her worried.
She realised that her hands were empty and looking at the floor, she saw that her glass had fallen down and had broken, spilling wine on the floor.
"Um... yeah. I probably just got a bit dizzy from the wine."
The only one who seemed completely calm about what had happened was Cate. She had removed her hand from Rooney's cunt and was sipping her drink looking around with a smug look on her face.
"Okay, I guess we're all a bit tired tonight. Do you guys want to get going?" Todd said, looking around at everybody.
As people looked away from Rooney, Cate turned to her and gave her a smirk.
"Had your fun?" Rooney whispered.
"Oh, I still am."
"That's cute. We'll see just who's laughing in the end."
Notes: Hey, guys! Thanks for your reviews on the last one, they really warmed my heart! I hope you like this one :) The next one will take some time because I'll be travelling for a while and will have very little time to write, but I'll continue as soon as I can. Thanks for reading, drop a review if you feel like it! Have a great day! :))