Twenty-Three

Celeste rested her head against the cool window and sighed. She stared out at the fluffy white clouds, marveling in the feeling of being above them. In a matter of a few hours, her plane would touch down in Minneapolis, and Celeste would finally be home. She should be happy, but she couldn't focus. Leaving Texas, Mark and Zeus had been a lot harder than she had thought. To her credit, she hadn't cried, though she wanted to.

With Brock on the road, Celeste decided she was going to get her things out of their home on Tuesday, while he was doing SmackDown. Elise and Jacob were worried he was going to be home early, so they were arranging to have a few off-duty police officers accompany her.

Both her mother and Jacob were having the hardest time with their split. Jacob had really liked Brock, and he was upset that he never figured Brock as the type to use, abuse and control. Celeste didn't blame Jacob for anything. The only people she really blamed were Brock and herself, mostly because she put up with it for as long as she did. People always said hindsight is twenty-twenty, and Celeste had to agree. She was doing her damnedest to treat this entire debacle as a learning experience.

Mark had begged her not to leave. He wanted her to re-think her stance and stay with him, but she knew she couldn't. She wouldn't give in. Unshed tears had shone in her eyes as she had said her goodbyes. The entire time his eyes pleaded with her to stay. But she had, with the full promise that if he still wanted her after a month, he could come and get her. She had caressed his cheek and spoken soothingly to him. "If you want me then, come get me."

"You look sad, dear."

Celeste looked at the elderly woman beside her. When the flight had started, she had informed Celeste that she was on her way to St. Paul, Minnesota, to meet her granddaughter for the first time. Celeste had felt a small pang of envy at the way the woman's eyes lit up, while Celeste was on her way home to cut the last ties with her college sweetheart and think about the next phase of her life.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking." The woman had introduced herself as Adele Banks at the beginning of the flight.

"May I ask what about?"

She sighed. "I guess...I'm stuck between two relationships right now," Celeste confessed after a few moments. She wasn't sure she should be talking about it with a complete stranger. A hot wave of embarrassment crashed into her as she recalled flying out to Texas with a face that was bruised and battered. She looked back out the window, at the clouds.

"Love is one of life's most confusing concepts, isn't it?" she asked. Celeste nodded.

"I guess it's a matter of what's familiar and what's unknown at this point," she confided with a sigh.

"How is the familiar?"

"Not good. Not good at all," Celeste admitted. She didn't elaborate. She didn't have to.

"There's nothing wrong with fearing the unknown," she informed Celeste. "Sometimes life doesn't let you take that moment to look before you leap. Sometimes you just have to dive in head-first and hope for the best. That's the beauty of being in love sometimes."

"The uncertainty sucks."

"Yeah, it most certainly does suck," she agreed with a sweet little chuckle. "But the heart wants what it wants. In the end, you will make the right decision for yourself. I did, and it worked out for me. Next week is my sixtieth wedding anniversary."

"Wow." Celeste always thought this was how she was going to be at Adele's age, with Brock. She supposed she forgot that life is full of surprises.

Mark sat back on his couch and opened another bottle of beer. She was officially gone. There wasn't a trace of her in the house. He exhaled; the depression was thick in the air. It even affected Zeus, who hadn't moved an inch from Mark's lap since she left. He wheezed and whined every half-hour or so, expressing his disapproval. Mark petted his head and sighed. The house just wasn't the same without her.

He was worried about her. She was going to get her things out of Brock's house, and he was worried Brock was going to be there. He was worried she was going to get hurt, and Brock was going to end up getting arrested. He hoped she was smart enough to get her things while he was on the road. Mark leaned his head back against the couch and sighed as Zeus wheezed. Mark had a month to wait, and he knew the wait was going to kill him. He understood her fear and her hesitation and her desire to take it slow, but he hated it at the same time. She never should have left. But he knew there was nothing he could have done to make her stay.

Elise and Jacob were waiting for Celeste when she got off the plane. They rushed to her when their eyes fell on her. "Jesus, Celeste, you're looking good!" Elise squealed, hugging her tightly. Jacob followed up with a hug that almost cracked a few of Celeste's ribs.

"It's good to see you, Celeste. We've been scared to death about you. Where have you been?"

"Texas. Houston, more specifically."

"Oh." The trio began to walk through the airport. "When did you want to go and get your things?" Jacob asked.

"I was thinking Tuesday. Brock will be on the road with SmackDown, so the house should be empty."

"That's a good idea." Jacob picked up Celeste's bag from the baggage claim and they made their way to Elise's truck. It was a cold afternoon in late October, the kind of cold that made Elise zip her jacket up to the chin. Celeste climbed into the backseat of Elise's truck, while Jacob got into the passenger's side. "So how was Texas?" her brother asked.

"A lot hotter than Minnesota," Celeste said with a laugh, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Where were you staying?" Elise asked, climbing into the truck.

"With a friend. Brock hates him." Celeste wasn't sure why she added the last part in.

"Then he's a friend of ours," Elise replied. Jacob nodded in agreement. "I talked to Madge at the agency, and she said if you want to come back, she's willing to take you on."

"She never wanted me to quit in the first place," Celeste recalled with a sigh. "I can't even believe I let Brock talk me into dropping everything to follow him around the world."

"Love makes people do stupid things. You're not the first person," Elise told her. Jacob was remaining silent on the subject. "Jacob and I talked, and we both agreed that it would be better if you stayed with him. Just in case Brock catches wind that you're back and comes for you. Jacob is definitely more prepared to deal with this sort of thing than I am." Celeste nodded. She was okay with staying with Jacob for the next month.

Jacob's spare room was barren, very basic in its decoration. It beat Elise's couch. Celeste dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and sat down on the edge. Everything had moved so quickly, and she wasn't sure she had time to process any of it. Celeste looked down at her hands and fidgeted. One month, she had said. All because her feelings had become too complicated to process. She wasn't sure if she wanted Mark to come get her. She kind of hoped he'd find someone who would make him happy. Celeste couldn't make heads or tails of her feelings, but she knew she missed Mark and Zeus.

There was a knock on the door. She looked up to see her brother in the doorway. "Hey, Celeste. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess. At least, I think I'm okay."

"I'm glad to hear that. You always were tougher than you gave yourself credit for." He walked into the room and sat down beside her. They were quiet for a while. "It's true that he really hurt you, isn't it? Was it as bad as they said it was?" She looked away from her brother. He sighed. "How come you didn't tell me, Celeste?"

"I was ashamed. Do you think I like throwing it out there?"

"I'm proud of you for knowing when to get out, Celeste. Even if it means that you're going to be in danger for a while." He draped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're going to be all right, Celeste?"

"I am. I'm just so very confused right now."

"You fell for your friend, didn't you?"

"You know me too well, Jake."

"Is it one of Brock's wrestling co-workers?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Can I ask who?"

She hung her head. "Mark...I mean, the Undertaker."

"What? Get the hell out of here? Isn't he like, ninety or something?" Celeste covered her face with her hands and groaned as Jacob laughed. "Seriously, Celeste? You were with the Undertaker? Jesus."

"Don't do this?"

"Are you two dating now or something?"

"No. I think that's what he wants, though."

"Is that what you want?"

"Kind of, yeah. I'm just not sure if I'm feeling hero's worship or something because he pulled me out of that situation. I just...I want to make sure this is something we both want, and that this is something healthy, and it's not just me being obsessive because he helped me when I needed it. He deserves better than that. He deserves a normal, happy relationship."

"So things are definitely over with Brock?"

"Yes. They are."