‹ Prequel: Love Will Keep You Up All Night
Sequel: Accidentally In Love ›
Status: Complete and edited
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
13
I woke up the next morning smelling nothing but alcohol, Sidney was home. With a sigh I got up and made my way to the shower. After my shower I began packing my suitcase, no matter what happened today I was going home. Once my bag was packed I made breakfast for myself and waited for Sidney to wake up. I called Anna and told her my plan and she tried to talk me out of it but in the end she knew this is what we needed. So she offered for her and Geno to give me a ride to the airport.
Two hours later I heard Sidney groaning and shuffling his way down the hall to where I was sitting. He didn’t take a seat, he just stood there in nothing but his boxers. I bit my lip and looked away. Why was he making this so hard on me? Stop, you need to get through this. You need to do this! I scolded myself.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting out slowly. “Sidney.” I said quietly. He didn’t say anything, he just took a seat next to me and took my hand. He tried to pull me into his lap, but I jerked my hand from his grip. “Sidney, I need you to listen to me.”
“I’m listening.” He said quietly.
“I think we need to take a break.”I said, trying to hold back my tears.
Sidney had been rubbing small circles on my arm with his thumb, but stopped when I said we needed to take a break. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that we need some time apart right now, things just aren’t working out like we thought they would. I’m going home today, I don’t know how long for though.” I took a shaky breath. The look of disbelief on his face was heart breaking. “I love you Sidney, I really do. But I don’t think I can deal with this much more right now. I just need a break from the hockey world and all that surrounds it.” A single tear slid down my face and I saw Sidney’s eyes water.
“Taylor, please don’t so this.” He begged. “I can change.”
“Sidney, it’s not just you. These past few days have been a test for us and we haven’t exactly passed. We have fought more than anything I think. I don’t think I’m ready to be thrown into the world of an NHL star.” I stood up and made my way to the door. Anna and Geno were waiting for me downstairs. I gathered my things and turned to look at Sidney one last time. His hand was balled into a fist and by the way his jaw muscles were jumping I could tell he had his teeth clenched. My tears were now a steady stream running down my cheeks. “I’m sorry Sid. I promise I’ll call you soon. This isn’t the end.” With that I opened the door and walked out.
****
Taylor was gone. Sidney sat on the couch looking at the door she had just walked out of. He had this entire speech planned out to apologize to her for everything that had happened, but he never got a word in during that whole conversation. Sidney ran his hands through his hair and down his face in frustration. He wasn’t shocked to find that his cheeks were wet, the only other girl other than his mom and sister, that he loved had just walked out of his life for who knows how long.
*****
It has been a week since I walked out of the apartment in Pittsburgh and everyday of the week I asked myself if it was the right thing to do because I was a mess. The first few days I was home I couldn’t stop crying. Mom and dad were worried I was going to make myself sick because I was worse than I was when I had that funk when we weren’t dating, which is to be expected. By the end of the week I was done with crying because I needed to get back to reality. School had started up again and I need to focus on that, not on what happened between Sidney and I.
I started hanging out with my friends like I did before and I tried to do everything that I use to do before. Kelsey was worried because she could tell that I wasn't really okay, that I was a mess on the inside. It didn’t help that I cried myself to sleep night when I thought she was asleep. Even though Sidney and I weren't talking, I never lost contact with my friends from Pittsburgh. I still talked to Jordan and some of the other guys and Vero too. Everytime I would call one of them, someone would fill me in on Sidney and how he was doing. The news was never good, he was just as miserable as I was. The hardest thing I was told was that a couple of the guys caught Sidney tearing up at his stall when he didn't get his normal 'good luck' text from me.
As one week turned into two, the phone calls started. I was surprised they started when they did because I expected them to start the second I walked out the door. I never answered the calls because I knew that if I did then I would cave and end up going back. I needed to be strong for myself so I let them all go to voicemail. Sometimes he would leave a message and sometimes he wouldn’t.
Halfway through the second week, I was studying for my Early Childhood Education final when my phone started ringing. I groaned and threw my pen at it because I was sick of seeing his name, I knew that if I saw it again I was going to have to answer it. I looked at the screen anyway just to make sure that it wasn’t someone else. When I saw that it wasn’t Sidney, but Vero, my mood lifted.
“Hey, V.” I smiled
“Hi Taylor.” A very familiar voice said. It was Sidney. My smiled faded and the ache was back in my chest.
“Sidney…what are you doing?” I asked cooly
“You wouldn’t answer when I called, so I figured if it was Vero calling you would answer.” He took a deep breath and released it loudly. “Tay, I miss you like crazy. Please come back?”
“No Sidney. I think I’m going to stay down here until I finish school.”
“What? What happened to transferring to Pitt?”
I sighed and got up and started pacing the room. “I withdrew my application. I don’t think I’m ready for everything up there yet. Sidney, you have to remember that I’m only eighteen. My biggest decision should be what my major is going to be. Not, should I move to another state to live with my boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong though, I do want to live with you, but I think I just need some more time to adjust to everything.”
“Taylor, I was eighteen when I moved to another country to live. Don’t you think that was hard on me too?”
“Sidney! Do you hear yourself again you are comparing something to hockey. You might not have realized it but you did. Yes I understand that you moved to a new country at a young age.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and thought about what he just said. “Sidney, you’re right I’m sorry. You moving to another country at eighteen must have been hard on you. So I guess you do kinda understand what I’m going through here.”
“I do Taylor, that’s why I’m going to give you some more time alone to think things over. I really do love you and I want to be with you. Please just think everything over.” He begged.
“Okay, I will. I love you too Sidney and hopefully I’ll get over this and come back to Pittsburgh because I miss you and everyone else.”
“We all miss you too. Bye Tay.”
“Bye Sid.”
Two hours later I heard Sidney groaning and shuffling his way down the hall to where I was sitting. He didn’t take a seat, he just stood there in nothing but his boxers. I bit my lip and looked away. Why was he making this so hard on me? Stop, you need to get through this. You need to do this! I scolded myself.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting out slowly. “Sidney.” I said quietly. He didn’t say anything, he just took a seat next to me and took my hand. He tried to pull me into his lap, but I jerked my hand from his grip. “Sidney, I need you to listen to me.”
“I’m listening.” He said quietly.
“I think we need to take a break.”I said, trying to hold back my tears.
Sidney had been rubbing small circles on my arm with his thumb, but stopped when I said we needed to take a break. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that we need some time apart right now, things just aren’t working out like we thought they would. I’m going home today, I don’t know how long for though.” I took a shaky breath. The look of disbelief on his face was heart breaking. “I love you Sidney, I really do. But I don’t think I can deal with this much more right now. I just need a break from the hockey world and all that surrounds it.” A single tear slid down my face and I saw Sidney’s eyes water.
“Taylor, please don’t so this.” He begged. “I can change.”
“Sidney, it’s not just you. These past few days have been a test for us and we haven’t exactly passed. We have fought more than anything I think. I don’t think I’m ready to be thrown into the world of an NHL star.” I stood up and made my way to the door. Anna and Geno were waiting for me downstairs. I gathered my things and turned to look at Sidney one last time. His hand was balled into a fist and by the way his jaw muscles were jumping I could tell he had his teeth clenched. My tears were now a steady stream running down my cheeks. “I’m sorry Sid. I promise I’ll call you soon. This isn’t the end.” With that I opened the door and walked out.
****
Taylor was gone. Sidney sat on the couch looking at the door she had just walked out of. He had this entire speech planned out to apologize to her for everything that had happened, but he never got a word in during that whole conversation. Sidney ran his hands through his hair and down his face in frustration. He wasn’t shocked to find that his cheeks were wet, the only other girl other than his mom and sister, that he loved had just walked out of his life for who knows how long.
*****
It has been a week since I walked out of the apartment in Pittsburgh and everyday of the week I asked myself if it was the right thing to do because I was a mess. The first few days I was home I couldn’t stop crying. Mom and dad were worried I was going to make myself sick because I was worse than I was when I had that funk when we weren’t dating, which is to be expected. By the end of the week I was done with crying because I needed to get back to reality. School had started up again and I need to focus on that, not on what happened between Sidney and I.
I started hanging out with my friends like I did before and I tried to do everything that I use to do before. Kelsey was worried because she could tell that I wasn't really okay, that I was a mess on the inside. It didn’t help that I cried myself to sleep night when I thought she was asleep. Even though Sidney and I weren't talking, I never lost contact with my friends from Pittsburgh. I still talked to Jordan and some of the other guys and Vero too. Everytime I would call one of them, someone would fill me in on Sidney and how he was doing. The news was never good, he was just as miserable as I was. The hardest thing I was told was that a couple of the guys caught Sidney tearing up at his stall when he didn't get his normal 'good luck' text from me.
As one week turned into two, the phone calls started. I was surprised they started when they did because I expected them to start the second I walked out the door. I never answered the calls because I knew that if I did then I would cave and end up going back. I needed to be strong for myself so I let them all go to voicemail. Sometimes he would leave a message and sometimes he wouldn’t.
Halfway through the second week, I was studying for my Early Childhood Education final when my phone started ringing. I groaned and threw my pen at it because I was sick of seeing his name, I knew that if I saw it again I was going to have to answer it. I looked at the screen anyway just to make sure that it wasn’t someone else. When I saw that it wasn’t Sidney, but Vero, my mood lifted.
“Hey, V.” I smiled
“Hi Taylor.” A very familiar voice said. It was Sidney. My smiled faded and the ache was back in my chest.
“Sidney…what are you doing?” I asked cooly
“You wouldn’t answer when I called, so I figured if it was Vero calling you would answer.” He took a deep breath and released it loudly. “Tay, I miss you like crazy. Please come back?”
“No Sidney. I think I’m going to stay down here until I finish school.”
“What? What happened to transferring to Pitt?”
I sighed and got up and started pacing the room. “I withdrew my application. I don’t think I’m ready for everything up there yet. Sidney, you have to remember that I’m only eighteen. My biggest decision should be what my major is going to be. Not, should I move to another state to live with my boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong though, I do want to live with you, but I think I just need some more time to adjust to everything.”
“Taylor, I was eighteen when I moved to another country to live. Don’t you think that was hard on me too?”
“Sidney! Do you hear yourself again you are comparing something to hockey. You might not have realized it but you did. Yes I understand that you moved to a new country at a young age.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and thought about what he just said. “Sidney, you’re right I’m sorry. You moving to another country at eighteen must have been hard on you. So I guess you do kinda understand what I’m going through here.”
“I do Taylor, that’s why I’m going to give you some more time alone to think things over. I really do love you and I want to be with you. Please just think everything over.” He begged.
“Okay, I will. I love you too Sidney and hopefully I’ll get over this and come back to Pittsburgh because I miss you and everyone else.”
“We all miss you too. Bye Tay.”
“Bye Sid.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Edited