Testing the Water

Recap: Nicole headed to Pittsburgh towards the end of June to help Brittany get ready for her wedding. Upon arrival back at Sidney's and her house, she found that Sidney had come to Pittsburgh as well to provide some company.

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Sidney and I stayed up late that night. Probably until 3 in the morning. We just chatted and caught up; talked about all the little things that we never got to share over text or Skype. The next morning, I groggily woke up due to the sound of my phone vibrating on the nightstand beside me. I tried to shake the sleep form my eyes as I picked up the phone and saw that I had received a text from Brittany.

‘Can you come over in a bit? I need some wedding help...’

It was so typical of her to leave everything to the last minute. Even her wedding plans. I’m pretty sure Kris was driven up the wall from this unorganized mess. Thus why I was in town to help.

I quickly replied to the text, asking what time I should be over and what we’d be doing. Then, I headed downstairs where I could hear some noise, although unlike last night I wasn’t completely freaked out.

Sidney was in the kitchen, busying himself over the stovetop. I hurried into the room and practically let out a squeal as I saw what was cooking.

“Omelets?! Sidney, you’re a doll.” He let out a laugh, “I’ve been craving one but knowing me I would’ve burnt the house down.”

The food was finished cooking within minutes, so we sat down at the kitchen table and ate (well more so inhaled) or food. During the meal, I received a text back from Britt that she needed me over as soon as possible and that we’d be helping fix up some decorations. With how much money Kris alone made a year, I had no idea why those two insisted on doing everything by themselves.

After Sidney and I both cleared off our plates, I got ready to head over to Brittany’s, while Sid sided on going to the gym. I swear, that boy needed to take a day off once in a while.

As soon as Britt opened the door once I reached her house I could sense havoc.

When I asked what was going on, she simply replied, “Let’s just say some of the centerpieces didn’t turn out as planned.”

That was an understatement.

As I walked into the basement, where all things wedding (planning) were happening, I was greeted by the havoc I felt off the bat. Some of the flowers were blue and pink, when I knew Britt only ordered in the red ones. As well, some vases were scattered along the floor, smashed.

“What the hell happened here?” I asked.
“Well…” Britt began, “First off, someone messed up the flower orders and I ended up knocking one of the tables down that was holding the vast majority of the vases…”
I pulled my hand through my hair. “Oh God.” I took a breath before continuing, “Well I say the first order of business is to clean up this mess, then we should head to Michael’s Craft Store for plan B.”
“What’s plan B?”
I shrugged, “Right now, I have no idea.”

That night, all of us that were in town (which was few and scarce) got together for a movie night. Sid and I decided to have it at our place. At about 9, Brittany and Kris came over, followed by Brooks Orpik and even Max who just got into town, surprising us all.

Kris chose the first movie of the night which was some action flick that I had no interest in. I think I spent the majority of the movie in the kitchen, preparing more snacks for everyone. Snacks were something I could handle, unlike omelets. The second movie was one Max had found. It was The Hangover, which I had no idea Sidney even had stashed in the movie collection. I think all of us ended up burned off 10 pounds from laughing, no matter how many times we had watched the movie previously.

That night I laid, staring up at my ceiling. I let out a huff of air before switching to lying on my side. I was completely restless and hadn’t been able to get a minute of sleep since I crawled into bed at 2 when everyone left. It was nearing 4:30 now. A few minutes later, I had given up on the idea of sleeping and just sat up in my bed, thinking of nothing but everything at the same time. I rubbed my hand over my face, just trying to completely clear my mind. I was broken out of my self-pity for a moment as I heard footsteps approaching my room. I glanced towards my doorway to see Sidney making his way towards my bed.

“Shit, I didn’t wake you up did I?” I asked.
He shook his head, something I could barely see through the darkness. “I couldn’t really sleep and then I heard you tossing and turning for so long so I decided to come and make sure you’re alright.”
I bit my lip. “I’m alright.” I spoke, trying to sound confident, but I could even tell my voice waivered. Sid gave me a look, letting me know that he could tell too. He sat on the edge of my bed, waiting for me to continue, “It sounds dumb but I feel homesick. Like even during the season, I had at least one of my brothers nearby at all times, but now I’m out here…kinda alone. I don’t know. It just feels weird and lonely, even though I know you’re here and Brittany and some of the boys are all nearby. My household is always so busy and loud and now it just seems empty here. The past few months at home make me feel like I never really left to come here and now all I really want is to be back on the farm.” I took a breath, and quickly wiped a tear from my eye, realizing how dumb this all must have sounded.
There was a moment of silence before Sidney spoke. It was almost a whisper and it took me a second to make sure I heard him properly. “Come here.”

He opened his arms up wide and I eagerly made my way into them. He wrapped me in a tight hug and I wrapped my arms around his back as well. For a minute, no words needed to be spoken. I could feel myself breaking down, just a little bit, as my eyes started to water again.

“You know,” He started, whispering, “When I moved to Quebec to play in the QMJHL, I felt the same way. I honestly wanted to quit at some point, but I got through it. Coming to Pittsburgh? That was worse. Being so much further away from home killed me. I think Mario was honestly ready to send me back home for a while. It was so hard being away from my family in general, but especially from my sister. I couldn’t help but think about everything I’d be missing out on in her life while I was away.” He took in a deep breath and started rubbing circles on my back. “Just think, your whole family is going to be down in a few weeks and just remember Britt, the boys and I are always here whenever you need us, okay?” I nodded slightly, my head still pressed against his chest.

Sidney’s POV

It killed me to see Nicki so torn up and knowing there wasn’t that much I could do about it. I set my head onto her shoulder, as I continued to rub my hand in circles around her back.

“You’re my best friend.” I whispered into her hair. “I just want you to be happy, okay?” There was no response besides a slight nod.

We sat there in complete silence for a while. I had no idea how long it really was. Eventually I heard her breathing start to settle into a slow deep pattern. I slowly got up from my spot and gently set her down, so she was lying comfortably on her bed. I put a cover over her and quickly kissed her forehead before I left the room.

“Good night, Nicki.”