Live In Reality

“Hey, man,” Max called to his captain as they all clambered off the plane that was bringing them back from a road trip to New York.

Sidney nodded to Max and Pascal wordlessly.

“Nervous?” Pascal asked.

“What if she says ‘no’?” Sidney asked.

“You and Lenore are perfect for each other,” Max assured his friend. “She’s going to say ‘yes’.”

Sidney nodded slowly as he reached into his dress pants pocket. There was a small, blue box nestled there containing a diamond ring that he had picked out just the day before.

As Max walked away, Pascal put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

“You two love each other,” he said. “Sure, you’ve had your ups and downs and maybe you’re both a little young. But you know what? None of that will matter once you’re asking her. Trust me, everything will work out.”

Sidney smiled. “Thanks, Dupper. I see Lenore now. I’ll text you later, eh?”

“Do what you need to do,” Pascal waved him off. “We’ll talk before you leave for Vancouver.”

****

“I missed you,” Sidney said embracing Lenore a few minutes later as they stood outside her car.

She buried her face into his shoulder, inhaling his scent. “I missed you too. I picked up Chinese. It’s waiting at home.”

“Home,” Sidney nodded. “I love hearing you say that.”

Lenore smiled. “Come on. Let’s go, you’ve got to be tired.”

“I’m just glad to be back for a few days before we head up North,” Sidney said getting in the passenger side.

“You and me both,” Lenore agreed. She was relishing this moment. There was nothing to argue about, nothing to fret over. There hadn’t been enough of these times in recent weeks. “Chantal says ‘hi’.”

“I’ll take it you were at the studio today,” he said nodding towards her casual clothing.

“I was,” Lenore said as she pulled onto the highway. “Sidney, you should see it. It’s incredible.”

“It’s all the work you’ve put into it,” he said. “The credit goes to you entirely.”

Lenore shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t have been able to do a thing without Chantal and the rest of the staff. And my senior students really stuck by me through it all.”

“We’ll have to go tomorrow so I can see the progress,” Sidney said taking her hand.

Lenore nodded but took her hand away from his. “I’ve got to drive. I don’t drive one-handed.”

Sidney put his hands up in defeat and settled for fiddling with the radio. He was too nervous to say much of anything else. He hoped that his silence would come off as exhaustion and not something else. Lenore had been on edge recently and their spats had been more frequent.

****

Lenore didn’t take his silence as exhaustion. Maybe it was paranoia, or maybe it was her own lack of sleep, but she felt like he was hiding something from her.

Of course, he was, but she just didn’t know what.

****

It wasn’t until much later that night when Lenore woke up from a very vivid dream that she realized Sidney wasn’t in bed next to her.

Stumbling down the hall, she heard his voice.

“…I just don’t know how to go about it,” he whispered. “She’s asleep now, so I’ve kind of missed my chance.”

“Missed your chance for what?” Lenore spoke up.

He turned around and his eyes went wide. “I’ll call you back, man.” Sidney hung up.

“What’s going on, Sid?” she asked as he pulled her into a hug.

“Nothing,” he said shaking his head. “Nothing.”

“Then what haven’t you told me?” Lenore stepped back from his embrace. “What are you hiding?”

“It’s nothing,” Sidney assured her. That was a lie. It was something.

“Then why can’t you tell me?” she asked.

He didn’t know how to respond.

“You know what?” Lenore shook her head. “Forget it. I just can’t do this right now.”

“Lenore,” Sidney said following her out of the room and back into the master bedroom. “Lenore, let me explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” she asked from the walk-in closet. “You said it was nothing.”

“What are you doing?” he asked as she came out in yoga pants, a hoodie, and boots with her bag on her shoulder.

“I’m leaving to give you a chance to figure out what’s important in your life,” Lenore said quietly as she picked up her cell phone and keys. “Let me know when you do.”

“Does this mean you’re not going to Vancouver?”

“That depends on whether or not you get your shit together,” she shrugged. “I hate fighting with you, Sidney. I hate that we’ll argue over something silly. I know this is just a bump in the road, I just think that we need to both take a step back.”

“Lenore,” Sidney called out as he watched her figure move towards the front door. He couldn’t stand the sight of her walking out of his life again. “Don’t do this.”

She turned around and looked at him. “I’m doing what I need to do. Hopefully, I’ll see you in a few days.”

****

Watching her drive away, Sidney picked up the ring he was so close to slipping on her finger.

“Marry me?” he asked her retreating car.