Second Heartbeat

The next three days were hard. There was so much tension in the house and no one dared speak of what happened between Sydney and Brian. They guys would be leaving in two days, but Matt and Brian seemed to be avoiding each other at all costs.

Syd had tried to talk to Matt, but he wouldn’t have it. He couldn’t stand being anywhere near her right now. She even reminded him that he cheated on her, and she took him back, but he was too stubborn to hear it.

He had been courteous enough to let her have the bedroom while he slept in the guest room in their wing of the house. Today was a different story, no more being courteous.

Sydney was sitting on the edge of the bed when Matt walked into the bedroom. He stood there in the center of the room and crossed his arms.

His voice was low and steady as he spoke. “I want a divorce and I want you out of my bedroom. You can stay in the guest suite until you find something else, but I want you out of my house before I get back from the tour” and with that, he left the room leaving her there in tears.

She got up and filled a bag with clothes and other items that she would need for the next two days until he left. When she was done she walked down the hall to the guest suite. When she was inside she threw herself on the bed and cried.

--
Neither Brian nor Stormy had spoken to each other since the night she told him that she knew about him and Syd. Brian was devastated and so was Stormy, only now she didn’t have to hide it anymore. She refused to be in the same room with Brian and continued to go to the Ballet Studio every night. During the day she would find things to do just so she wouldn’t have to see Brian. When she would come home from Ballet it would be late and she would sleep on the couch in their living room. There was no way she would sleep in the same bed with him.

He tried to get her attention with flowers and kind words, but nothing was working, nothing he did would make her forgive him.

--

When the day morning finally came for them to leave, Brian found Stormy sleeping on the couch. He knelt down beside her and ran his finger across her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Neither one said a word and when the tears started to fall down her cheeks, she tried turning onto her side so that her back was to him, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead he pulled her up in his arms and held her there. “I do love you” he whispered in her ear as she cried, but she didn’t say anything. “I have to go” he said and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll call you, ok?” she simply nodded and he got up and headed upstairs.

When Brian walked through the door to the living room he and Matt finally took sight of each other. Still neither one spoke. Matt hadn’t bothered to say goodbye to Sydney either.

--
“Hey you” Jimmy lay down on the bed beside her and stroked her hair while she sobbed.

“He hates me, Jimmy” she cried.

“No, sweetheart, he doesn’t hate you, it’s just a lot for him to deal with.”

“He asked me for a divorce.” She said sitting up in the bed.

“I know, he told me.”

“What am I going to do?” she asked

He took her hand in his. “You are going to hold your head up and get through this.”

“I cant, Jimmy it’s my fault”

He nodded “That it is, but you have to deal with the choice you made and crying isn’t going to change what happened, so why do it? Get up and hold your head up high.”

“I’m pregnant, Jimmy”
He wasn’t expecting her to say that. “Is it Matt’s or…”

“Yes, of course it’s Matt’s” she said looking at him like he had 10 heads.

“What did he say about it?” he asked.

“He doesn’t know”

“Syd!”

“Jimmy, you cant tell him.”

“Well, you better, I’m not good at keeping secrets. I have to go. Hug me now!”

She hugged him tightly and he kissed her goodbye. When he left, Sydney got up off the bed and went over to the window. Matt was standing outside in front of the bus waiting for Jimmy. He noticed her in the window and turned away when he saw her. As Jimmy stepped onto the bus, Matt followed. Minutes later, the bus pulled away and they were gone.

--

The night before

“I can’t take it when you cry” he said

“What do you expect, it’s bad enough we have to sneak around to see each other and now I can’t see you for two months.”

He held her in his arms and rubbed her back. “I promise this will get easier”

“It better, because I can’t stand not being near you. I hate that we can’t sit on the couch together or go out in public. This is only going to get worse, for both of us”

He got up off the bed and put on his robe. “I have to go, I’m not going to spend my last night home arguing with you because you are being selfish”

He walked out of the room leaving her there in tears. It would be the last time that he would see her for the next two months.