Life Starts Now

Lexi knocked on her sister’s door at 8 in the morning. She brought two coffees and some crescent rolls. She had just finished her final exams last night and came to celebrate with Skye. The last month hasn’t been an easy thing for them. Distance is a relationship killer. For Lexi, it was easier since she felt like she had always been with Neil. He was her best friend and he was a little bit more now. She was used to that kind of long distance relationship. She knew that it was harder for her older sister. Skye wasn’t the kind of girl to whine about her life, she kept everything to herself; but Lexi could see through her sister. She was aware that her sister spent most of her time by herself, which meant that she was going through a hard time.

Skye opened the door, still sleepy. Lexi lifted a coffee to her face with a smile.

«Warmth in a bag and little sis’ shoulder ready for you! » she said as Skye fainted a smile.
«Come in delivery girl. »

Skye walked to her room to get dress as Lexi reached the kitchen and prepared two plates. Skye came back shaking her hair with her hand, yawning.

«Did you sleep much? » the youngster asked.
«I finished my shift at midnight and I went to Tucker’s place for a little chat. »
«Wow! Are you going after two guys at the same time? »
«Lex, you are so stupid! Tuck is my co-worker. I need to talk to someone about my worries and he is always there to listen to me. » Skye said, reaching for her coffee.
«I am here Skye! Why won’t you talk to me? » she inquired.
«Because you are happy Lexi! You are the happiest person I know. Why would I ruin everything by telling you how bad I feel about my whole relationship with Adam and how my work is affecting my personal life. I know you care about me Lex, but I need someone who is not so close to the band. I know that if I talk to you about Adam, you will tell Neil who might talk to him and then he would get nervous… »

Skye was right. Lexi knew Adam was already going crazy being away from her. But she also knew that Skye wasn’t aware of that fact; he never talked to her about the anxiety attack. Perhaps, she knew Adam good enough to have caught a few hints of nervousness: he blinked way too much, kept biting his lower lips, gave way too much compliments, and held his breath more than 5 seconds after she gave him a new information to process. Skye took a sip of her coffee and exhaled loudly. It was way too early to talk about important things like that. She reached for a crescent roll and ate a bite out of it. But Lexi had some things to add.

«What’s going on with Adam? »

Skye swallowed and looked at her sister, wondering if she should tell her the truth or simply go for an inoffensive lie. Lexi was scanning her, like she was trying to find if she would lie. She knew she couldn’t pass this test, so she decided to go with the truth.

«He asked me to go to his place in Toronto. » Skye exhaled.
«That’s cool! I heard his place is amazing. »
«That’s not cool Lex… » Skye specified. She then explained everything to her sister.
«I think you need to have a little talk with him. He is so into you, I don’t think he even considered the fact that you might have something against his idea. »

She was well aware that her sister was right. But Skye did not know how to bring it up to him. He wasn’t much like himself since rehab.

«And don’t ever keep something else from me! I’m your sister, I deserve to know everything! »
«I’m older than you, so I should know everything from you! »
«Nope! You are weak. I’m the guardian angel here! » she added with a smirk.

Later that day, when Lexi finally left, Skye decided to call Adam. She had made up her mind and chose to tell him straight what she was thinking about going to his place. She sat on her couch and took a few minutes to select the words to use. She kept playing with the sleeves of her purple hoodie. She knew it would hurt him but this had to be said out loud. She dialed his phone number instead of using Facetime. He answered shortly after the first ringtone.

«Hey baby! » He was cheerful; she changed her mind in a second.
«Hey Adam! How is the tour so far? » she asked, biting her lower lip in guilt.
«It’s great, really. But I miss you so bad. »
«I miss you too. When are you off again? » she questioned, trying to figure out where she wanted to go with this conversation.
«Well, next week, we do have a three days break… » and she laughed.
«Three Days Grace has a three days break! » It wasn’t that funny but she was so nervous that this sounded hilarious.
«Gosh, you’re tired! That isn’t funny. »
«It is so funny! » she said, trying to catch her breath. Then, something clicked in her mind. «I might have plans for you during your little vacations. »

Adam listened carefully at her idea. She wanted him to meet this boy she already talked to him about. He was a Three Days Grace fan and he loved the lyrics he wrote. Her plan was to sneak Adam into the department and let him spend an afternoon with Dylan. She would not have to go through paperwork from the Children’s Dream Foundation since he would be there as a guest.

«Could you do this? Do you think you could come to the hospital and talk to him? I’m sure it would mean the world to him! » she begged him as he remained silent for a moment.
«Do you think I can bring my acoustic guitar? Sounds like he would love to have a private show, don’t you think? » She literally jumped from the couch and screamed with joy.
«Oh my God! Thank you so much baby! You don’t even know how much it’s important for me! Plus, we get to see each other for a few days! » she said almost crying with happiness.
«I will have you all for myself for three days? » he asked, full of expectations.
«I’ll take my days off just for you! »

They were both ecstatic about this special time they would have together. The last month has been hard. Phone calls are nothing like being close to someone. They both needed to feel like the other still cared, that they did not hold onto something that would not last.

Shortly after they hung up, Skye was already calling Tucker to plan everything. He was happy that she finally found something that makes her happy. He offered to go to her place with something to eat to get everything straight. She agreed. She took her shower and sang her lungs out.

Tucker came in at 6. She was already making some kind of schedule for the ultimate afternoon. He brought some Chinese food and sat with her. Her hair were still a little wet, which made them wave lightly around her shoulders. He sat next to her and they talked for hours, eating their food. She laughed at his stupid jokes and he kept saying shit just to hear her laugh. But then, he had to ask some questions.

«So, Adam is staying here for three days? » She nodded. «Is it some kind of make it or break it thing? » She looked at him, trying to find the words to explain how she felt about it.
«Well… There are definitely some things that need to be talked about. But I think that we need to be together, to feel like we are something. »
«I’ve got this feeling that this idea of him staying with you is going to go wrong. »
«How could it go wrong Tuck? I mean, yeah, we have to talk about us, but we do need to spend time together to see if it is worth to keep trying. »
«Skye, listen to you. I did not hear you talk about you relationship with Adam in terms of happiness. You always talk about it both ways; maybe it’s going to work, maybe it won’t. I don’t feel like it is a healthy way to talk about that. I think you might end up being hurt. » he admitted.

It was the first time Skye saw it this way. In a month, she never thought about Adam as a boyfriend. He was more like someone you are seeing; not a serious relationship. Perhaps, she knew it was different for him; he was in love with her and already saw her as her girlfriend. She was shaken by this reality only because Tucker made her face the truth.