Celeste awoke with a throbbing headache, her heavy eyelids opening and she found herself in an unfamiliar bedroom. Sitting up, she gazed around, scratching her head. The room was empty but the spot next to her on the bed looked freshly vacated. She climbed out of bed and only when she wasn't covered by the blanket did she realize that she was only half dressed. She quickly put her clothes back on, which were thrown all over the floor. She felt exhausted and nauseous, lifting her phone off of the nightstand and checking it to see a bunch of missed calls from Lysander. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she mumbled to herself in a panic.

It was the bartender. The apartment was vacant, but it had to have been the bartender; she recalled flirting with him but couldn't remember much after her second drink. Her palms began to sweat and her heart began to race. There was no way she'd cheat on Lysander... right? She took a few deep breaths in a failed attempt to calm herself before rushing out of the apartment building. This wasn't far from the hotel, so she walked slowly, coming up with excuses in her head. She could tell him it had been a girl who took her home because she was too drunk and didn't want something bad to happen, but he'd be just as offended, considering Celeste's bisexuality. She could say she wandered around all night drawing things, but then he'd wonder where her sketchpad was.

Celeste still felt nauseous and her headache was becoming an overwhelming migraine, similar to the headache from a concussion. She could feel her head throbbing and her heart was racing, her palms still sweaty. When she finally arrived at the hotel room, she took a deep breath and scanned her room key, entering slowly to find a pacing Lysander who looked like he hadn't slept all night.

Lysander rushed over, gathering her in his arms. "Where have you been?" he breathed, almost as if he couldn't believe she'd returned, "I was worried sick. I heard your voicemail and came back from my walk but you were gone."

Celeste couldn't bring herself to return the hug. She felt filthy, knowing she spent the night with another guy behind his back. How would Lysander react to that? "Lysander, I have to tell you something." He released her, a reluctant but definitely curious look on his face. She felt a lump in her throat and tears welled in her eyes. "After what happened with my parents, I've been having this bout of depression. Everyone has them, I know, and I know it will go away eventually. Despite our recent irritation with each other, I love you. I think I'll always love you as long as you return the favor. Even if you stopped loving me and you decided to break up with me and never speak to me again, I think it'd take me a lot of time and pain to get over you. I've never felt like that about any other guy before." She took a deep breath. "Yesterday, when I went out... I was confused and hurt and I went to a bar. I had a few too many and started flirting with the bartender." She could visibly see him tense up; he probably knew where it was headed but she continued anyway. "I woke up in someone's bed and I don't really remember anything between being at the bar and waking up. I was alone but I was only in my undergarments and the spot next to me looked like someone slept in it."

There was a long, heavy silence and she slowly lifted her gaze to his face. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open, reacting like she'd told him she murdered someone. But that would be different; knowing him, he would probably scold her then help her hide the body. This wasn't like she killed just anyone; she felt as if she'd killed Lysander, himself. "You... cheated on me?" he finally managed to say and his words made her heart clench. "After everything I've done for you... After I tried so hard to keep you happy and healthy after what your parents said to you, even when you acted like a kid about it. I feel like I've been going to every corner of the planet just to please you and this is how you repay me?"

The tears that had been building up in her eyes finally began spilling out. She'd never cried over something a boy said to her before, not until now. "I'm so sorry," she murmured, "I was being a brat yesterday and I didn't like that you were telling me what to do. I shouldn't even have gone to that stupid bar. I should have just stayed here and waited."

"No." He shook his head before continuing, "You didn't do anything. I was the wrong one here." She furrowed her brow, gazing up at him. "I should've known a girl like you could never stay faithful. I shouldn't have come on this trip with you in the first place."

She watched him turn away from her, retreating to the bedroom and she fell into a crouch, crossing her arms over her knees and burying her face into them. "Are you gonna go?" she managed to say, her voice high pitched and quiet. The only response she received was the sound of the door closing. After crying on to her arms for who knows how long, Celeste withdrew her phone from her pocket and dialed Maya's number. She felt relief at the sound of her voice answering the phone. "Maya, I need your help with something."

"Celeste, are you crying?" Maya's voice was serious and she seemed genuinely concerned.

Celeste used her free hand to wipe the tears off of her cheeks. "I did the worst thing ever and I'm a terrible person."

"What did you do?"

Celeste changed to a sitting position, leaning against the door of the hotel room. "I... I cheated on him."

Maya gasped. "Does he know? Give me the details!"

"I told him as soon as I came home. It's not entirely clear what happened. See, we've been... kind of annoyed with each other lately because I've been acting like a brat and he's been trying to get me into better habits, in a bad way. We got into a fight yesterday and I was stupid and went and got really drunk at some bar and I flirted with the bartender and woke up in his bed with half my clothes on. I just got back from his place. He wasn't there when I woke up but I'm pretty sure it was him."

"Oh, my god," Maya gasped, "Celeste! Is he mad?"

Celeste sighed. "Of course he is, Maya. And he has every right to be mad. I'd be just as mad if the roles were reversed. Actually, I'd probably track down whoever he cheated with and bury them alive." She used her free hand to wipe her eyes, ignoring the stinging of her wet eye makeup leaking into her eyes. "I don't know what to do. He's probably going to go back to Sweet Amoris and I don't know how I should make it up to him. I want to see you."

There was a pause before Maya suggested, "Hey, why don't you go with him? Maybe you two just need a break from each other. Castiel and I only get to speak on the weekends but we've never been closer!"

Celeste sniffled. "Do you think he'll agree to it? He was really mad."

"I don't know. I've never seen Lysander mad before. I think he will, though. Wait for him to cool off and then when he's calmer, bring it up. Do it casually. Say it's because you want to see me."

Celeste nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

"I can't wait to see you! My belly has gotten really big since you've been gone. We went to check the baby's gender and they said it's a girl!"

Celeste smiled. In her sadness, she'd forgotten about Maya's happiness. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

"No," Maya giggled, "I was thinking hard about it. I've been looking all over the internet but nothing feels right."

Celeste chuckled. "Just name it something nice. You'll forget about the significance of the name after a while anyway."

"I know that, I'm not trying to make it something sentimental. I just want a name that feels right, you know?"

"I mean I guess I understand but at the same time I'm not going to be a mom any time soon so maybe not."

Maya laughed. "Hey, listen, I got a ton of stuff to do so I'm gonna have to let you go. Let me know when you plan to get here."

"Okay. Bye, Maya."

"Bye!"

Celeste hung up her phone and gazed at it for a long while before picking up her computer off the couch, setting it on her lap. She opened it up and found an international airline's website, booking a flight for two in two weeks. That way, she could have time to finish her theme, although she wouldn't get to open for the gallery but that probably wasn't a big deal. However, her easel was in the bedroom and she didn't think it'd be appropriate to go in there while he was in there, at least not right now. She sighed before surfing the internet for a while. It didn't take her long to get bored and she wiped off her makeup in the bathroom, showering quickly. She threw her hair up into a ponytail before leaving the hotel room again.

After much wandering, Celeste came across a flower shop and she brought the brightest, most lively bouquet she could find to the counter. The cashier scanned them, giving her a smile. "Is it someone's birthday?" she asked cheerfully.

Celeste giggled. "I wish. These are 'I'm sorry' flowers."

The cashier handed her the bouquet. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Celeste answered. She walked home slowly, clenching the flowers protectively. She knew they wouldn't provide valid repentance for what she'd done but she was hoping they would be somewhat of a catalyst. When she arrived back at the hotel, she opened up the emailed receipt that the airline had sent her as confirmation of her order and she set the flowers on the keyboard, opening her computer wide and turning it away from the couch so he could see it when he left the room. She lied down on the couch and gazed at the wall, listening to the silence until she fell asleep.

When Celeste awoke, it wasn't very late although she had slept a few hours. She sat up, rubbing her eyes until her vision was clear and she saw that the door to the bedroom was cracked open now. He must have left the room at some point. She realized the flowers had moved from the keyboard to the table beside the laptop; he probably moved it to get it out of the way from the screen. She sighed, wishing she could go back in time to stop herself from going to the bar. All it had done was bring her pain in the end and make her problems greater.

She got to her feet and quietly peered into the bedroom to see Lysander lying down in the bed and gazing up at the ceiling. Quietly and slowly, she pushed open the door and she knew he noticed but he didn't dare look at her as she entered and went to her bag, withdrawing pajamas. She sat on her ankles, gazing at the clothes in her lap. "Lysander," she murmured, "are we... broken up?"

There was a long silence before he answered, "I don't know."

She clenched her clothes tightly. "Let's go to Sweet Amoris together. Maybe some time apart will be good for us. You haven't seen your brother or visited your parents in a long time and I miss Maya. We could take a break."

He stayed silent so she took it as an agreement, getting to her feet and changing into her pajamas. She approached the door to sleep on the couch when he spoke up. "You can sleep next to me."

She turned her gaze to him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "You said we could take a break once we get to Sweet Amoris, not now. Besides, that couch can't be comfortable."

Two weeks passed and Celeste was trying her best to please Lysander but he seemed to be retreating more and more into his shell. It was similar to the way he was before they'd begun flirting with each other; quiet and closed off. He stopped inviting her out with him and he wasn't very concerned with her much at all. She completed her theme and sold it to the gallery owner for a big check before their flight home.

The flight was long, quiet, and almost excruciating. She hated feeling uncomfortable around Lysander after she'd worked so hard to be someone important to him. She'd finally gotten where she wanted to be with him and then she threw it away just like that.

However, when the plane landed, Celeste could hardly stop smiling with excitement to see Maya. It felt good to have a breather, although she regretted her mistake. She nearly missed Maya and Castiel waiting for them in the lobby, with Castiel's hair returned to it's natural color and Maya's body being double it's normal size. She grinned, rushing over and pulling Maya into a firm embrace.

"Maya," she breathed, squeezing her, "I'm so happy to see you!"

"I'm happy to see you too, Celeste," Maya answered, "But I think my baby and I would both love it if you weren't squeezing the life out of us."

Celeste giggled, standing up straight before giving Castiel a tight hug as well, which seemed to surprise him. She then took a step back, taking them both in. "I feel like I've been away for two years, not two months."

Maya took her hands. "We have so much to tell each other! How was Paris? How was London? Is it as pretty as it seems or is everyone just pretending?"

Celeste couldn't shake her smile. "They're both gorgeous! I only wish I could've taken you with me but there's no way I'll have a screaming child on vacation with me."

Maya laughed. "I get where you're coming from. Hey, let's go home. We can get ready and then go out for dinner together, all four of us!"

"Actually," Lysander spoke up, "I asked my brother to pick me up. I'll be leaving with him."

"Oh," Maya answered, "That's okay. I'll be stealing Celeste then; see you later!"

He nodded and waved as Maya pulled Celeste by her wrist outside and to their car, Castiel trailing behind. Maya and Celeste climbed into the back seats together, Castiel in the driver's seat. "You got a new car," Celeste pointed out, "Perfect for a baby."

"What's going on between you and Lysander?" Castiel suddenly interrupted.

Celeste furrowed her brow. "How do you know about that?"

He chuckled. "I don't, that's why I asked." Celeste continued gazing at him with her furrowed brow in the rearview mirror. "All I'm saying is that before you left, he went on and on about 'Celeste this, Celeste that' and now he's in a rush to get away from you."

Celeste sighed. "It's so obvious that even you noticed something wrong?"

"Are you insulting me?"

"He's been so quiet lately," Celeste continued, ignoring Castiel, "I can't tell what he's thinking anymore. At first, I thought maybe he'll forgive me but he doesn't seem like he's going to."

Maya touched her hand. "Don't worry, Celeste. I'm sure things will come together soon."

Celeste sighed. "I really hope so."