Catherine's POV
I swore the ground would open up and swallow me if I ever had to see Julian after what happened yesterday. Him finding me half-naked yesterday was bad enough, I couldn't even look at my own reflection without cringing.
So yeah— I wasn't emotionally ready to be in the same room with him. I walked down the staircase slowly, peeking around like a spy making sure the coast was clear.
The dining room was empty except for Mara, who was humming and slicing sandwiches like she was auditioning for "Domestic Goddess of the Year."
Good. No Julian in sight. My goal was to sit down, eat, and leave before he would appear but as usual, the universe decided to run me over.
Heavy footsteps came above and I turned to see Julian descending the stairs. No. No, no, no.
He was glued to his phone and I couldn't help but notice how his hair was slightly messy in that effortless "I don't try but still look perfect" way. My stomach dropped and my brain short-circuited. Panic mode was now activated.
Without even thinking, I dove under the dining table like my life depended on it.
One second I was standing there; the next, I was crouched beside Mara's perfectly polished shoes, holding my breath as she gasped softly.
"Mistress Catherine?!" she whisper-yelled.
"Shh!" I hissed, crawling farther under. "Just pretend I'm not here!"
"But—"
"Mara, do as I say please!"
Before she could ask questions, Julian entered the dining room. His deep voice echoed off the walls. "Good morning."
Mara straightened up immediately. "Good morning, sir Julian!" Her tone was suddenly formal, and I could practically feel her pretending to be normal.
I peeked through the tablecloth like a criminal hiding from the cops. His footsteps stopped just beside the table. My heart hammered so hard it could've doubled as background music.
"Where are the others?" he asked, casually, like he was used to a perfectly normal breakfast.
Mara replied, "Master Gabriel hasn't come down yet. Miss Catherine finished a few minutes ago, but I'm not sure where she went."
I bit my tongue to stop myself from groaning. Right here, Mara.
Julian hummed. "Hm. Guess it's just me then." Chairs scraped and he sat. My soul left my body.
He began to eat slowly like he had all the time in the world.
"Delicious as always," he complimented smoothly. "Glad you still have it in you, Mara."
"Oh, thank you, sir." She sounded flustered, probably because she knew I was right beneath his damn seat.
Meanwhile, I sat in silence, my knees were hurting while I inhaled bread crumbs and humiliation.
Seconds dragged into minutes and the minutes turned into a full-on eternity but Julian wasn't done with his breakfast yet.
I tried not to think about how ridiculous I looked. Hiding under a dining table because of Julian. I was so done with life.
The only silver lining was that Gabriel hadn't shown up yet. Maybe he was still upstairs glaring at the mirror or whatever he did every morning. He couldn't come out now, else he would drive to school without me, leaving me stranded.
And once more, the universe showed how much it hated me because just after I thought of Gabriel, he appeared.
"Morning," Gabriel muttered from the doorway.
Julian responded easily, "Morning, Gab."
"Where's Catherine?" Gabriel asked.
I froze.
Mara's hand twitched nervously beside a napkin tray. "I think she, um, left earlier, sir."
Not that, Mara. She should have come up with something else, maybe say I was using the restroom. Gosh!
Gabriel sighed. "Wow, she found a new ride? Fascinating. There's an impromptu quiz this morning, so I have to leave now."
I watched his boots move toward the exit and I cursed under my breath. Great. He was going without me.
Maybe I should just get out of this damn spot but how was I supposed to magically appear beside him without explaining why I'd been playing hide-and-seek under the table?
I pressed my face into my knees, debating life choices.
Julian kept eating, totally relaxed. He took another bite and said, "These sandwiches are something else."
Kill me now. "Just fucking eat up and get out of here," I screamed in my head, breathing as quietly as possible, while counting the seconds until I could make a run for it. The moment his chair scraped again, I stilled. He stood up, thanked Mara, and finally left.
Final-fucking-ly!
I waited for about three minutes after he left through the door before crawling out like a mole escaping daylight.
"Goodness gracious," Mara whispered, clutching her chest. "Miss Catherine, what on earth were you doing under there?"
"Hiding," I said, brushing crumbs off my skirt. "Anyway, thanks for the cover story. In case of next time, I expect a better lie."
Mara opened her mouth, but I was already halfway to the door. "I don't have time for a question-and-answer session!" I called, grabbing my bag. "I have to figure out how to get to school!"
I dashed out before she could say anything else, hair flying. The morning air hit my face like a slap of freedom. I had survived the great table incident of the century.
Or so I thought!
"Hey, sis," a voice drawled behind me. "Took you forever to get out of the hole."
I froze mid-step. No. Freaking. Way.
Slowly, I turned and there he was. Julian, leaning against his car like a scene straight out of a slow-motion commercial, his arms were folded and he wore that infuriatingly amused smirk.
"How—how are you still here?" I stammered. "And what do you mean by.… hole?"
He shrugged. "Quit the pretense, I saw you hiding under the table." He let out a light chuckle. "Waited to see how long you planned to stay there."
I crossed my arms, trying to act unfazed even though my face was burning. "You have it all wrong. I wasn't hiding. I was… stretching."
"Under the table?" His brow arched.
"Yes," I said firmly. "It's a new yoga routine for building character."
Julian chuckled again, low and lazy now. "If that's the case, you'll be the most 'built' person in this house by next week."
"Ha-ha. So funny." I rolled my eyes and stepped past him, but he moved, blocking my path.
"Gabriel left already," he said, voice dipping into that teasing tone that made me want to punch him and maybe cry at the same time, "so you can ride with me."
"Oh, really?" I snapped. "I thought I wasn't allowed to get into your expensive CAR."
His grin widened. "I've been a pussy, thanks for the reminder but now, all I wanna do is make it up to you."
I paused for a while, trying to think. "I don't get it. Why are you suddenly nice to me?"
"'Cause people change?" He replied with a shrug.
"I think I prefer the douche bag side of you, at least it was predictable and I knew where I stood."
He leaned closer. "No, you don't. I'm really sorry for how things have been between us. I was unhappy about dad's remarriage and did a lot of stupid things but thanks to you, I now realize all my mistakes."
I huffed, trying to compose myself. "This is too good to be true, I am not buying it."
"Thank you," he said with mock sincerity. "I take that as a compliment."
"Don't." I pushed past him again, walking toward the main road, hoping the earth would do me a solid and swallow him whole.
He laughed behind me. "Catherine, you can't get a cab here. Just hop in or we will be really late to school."
I turned and stared hard at him, trying to convince myself not to get into his damn car.