Swans Crossing: Coming Home
By J.K.
© 2000
Chapter 3
* This story contains some profanity and some adult content *
"Hello?"
"Mother, it's me."
"Sydney! How are you? How are things over there?"
"Fine. I have something to tell you."
"Well? What is it, darling?" Sydney smiled widely at her mother's
curiosity.
"We're getting married."
"Sydney, that's wonderful! When did he ask you?"
"Last night."
"Congratulations sweetheart! I couldn't be happier. How's Dylan?"
"He's fine. He's spending the day with Garrett today."
"Well, I'd love to finish this conversation, but I have to run out
now. I'll call you tomorrow, Sydney. Tell Garrett I said 'welcome to the
family' and send Dylan my love."
"Okay, Mother. Bye." Sydney hung up the phone and turned to
Garrett.
"What'd she say," he asked nervously. Sydney smiled.
"She said 'Welcome to the Family.' Why do you look so worried? My
mother stopped hating you years ago!" He laughed and pulled her into his
lap.
"I guess I was just nervous." She draped her arms lightly around
his neck.
"Well, don't be. Nothing is going to keep me from marrying you."
He kissed her gently. "I'd better get going. I have to meet Callie and
Mila. Oh my gosh, I can't believe we're getting married!" She kissed him
again, excitedly. "I love you!" He smiled after her as she left.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm so happy for you Syd. You're going to be the most beautiful
bride." Sydney smiled.
"You know, there was a time when I thought I'd never let anyone that
close to me…but…I can't imagine my life without him."
"It's a match made in heaven, Syd," Mila said. Sydney smiled at
her friends.
"So Cal, I want details…spill it," Sydney said, tilting her head to
look at Callie. Callie smiled.
"We talked…a lot. We worked a lot of stuff out. I never realized
that he felt like he wasn't good enough for me."
* Flashback *
"Hey Callie, it's me. I haven't heard from you in a while. I
guess you're pretty busy with school and stuff. But…I miss you…so…call
me, okay?" Callie reached down and erased the message from Jimmy. She
reached for the phone to call him back but then her eyes landed on the
research materials that sat on her desk. She remembered the editorial
she had to get done and quickly sat down, flipping through all her notes.
Two hours later, she remembered Jimmy's message. But as she looked at the
clock on her nightstand, she realized it was too late in the evening to
call him. Tomorrow, she told herself.
* End Flashback *
She had told herself 'tomorrow' a lot when it had come to Jimmy.
Now that she looked back on it, she realized she had just too readily
assumed that Jimmy would understand, that she wouldn't need to make an
effort to make him feel like he mattered, that he would just know. But
love doesn't always work that way, she thought to herself. It was easy for
her because Jimmy was the one calling her. She just didn't realize that it
wasn't so easy for him.
"But I think we're going to be fine," she said, turning to Sydney.
"I really love him." Sydney gave her a hug.
"I'm so happy for you." They passed the bridal shop window. There
was a wedding dress on display on a rotating stand. It had a silk
strapless bodice and a skirt that cascaded down to the floor. Sydney
admired it as it turned around. The back of the dress had three silk roses
lined at the base of the bodice. Callie and Mila saw Sydney admiring the
dress.
"Sydney, that dress is beautiful." Callie stood next to her as
Sydney stared at the gown, her eyes sparking with a childlike quality.
"Do you think it's too soon to be trying dresses on?" She smiled
distantly.
"No way. Go try it on." The girls entered the store and Sydney
disappeared into the changing room. She stepped out onto the platform,
surveying herself from all angles.
"Sydney, you look amazing," Mila marveled.
"This is exactly what I wanted my wedding dress to look like when I
was a little girl. Simple, elegant, and the skirt isn't all crazy-big,"
she said. Callie laughed at the last part. Sydney turned around again,
admiring the long skirt.
"So go tell them that you want it!" Sydney rushed back into the
changing room and came out carrying the dress. She approached the sales
lady and talked with her. She handed her the dress and came over to Callie
and Mila, smiling.
"It's mine!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney pulled into her driveway with Callie after dropping Mila
off. As she slowed, Callie saw Jimmy's bike parked out front. The girls
went inside and found Garrett and Jimmy playing Nerf baseball with Dylan in
the backyard. Sydney smiled as Dylan ran away from Garrett as he tried to
get to the base. Garrett laughed.
"Hey, you can't do that," he yelled. Dylan giggled. Jimmy was
playing catcher and chuckled as Dylan ran under Garrett's legs. Sydney
opened the patio door and Callie followed her outside.
"Hey baseball fans!" Sydney greeted them. Garrett caught Dylan
and scooped him up in his arms, looking up at Sydney.
"Hey baby!" He said, smiling. Dylan waved frantically to Sydney.
"Hi Mom!" Garrett put his son down and he ran to hug Sydney.
Jimmy followed Garrett up to the patio, giving Callie a kiss. Dylan ran
inside to watch television. The four of them sat down at the table on the
patio.
"How was lunch," Garrett asked, giving Sydney a kiss.
"Good. I found a wedding dress, actually," she said with a smile.
Garrett put his arm around her chair and kissed her temple.
"Is your mom coming out here," Jimmy asked.
"Yeah. She's flying in next week and staying here until the
wedding." Callie laughed.
"She must be planning the wedding out already," she quipped.
Sydney laughed.
"She's been waiting for this day longer than I have."
"I bet she never thought you'd end up marrying Grant Booth's son,
though," Jimmy replied. Garrett laughed and Sydney squeezed his hand,
smiling.
"Sandy called me today," Callie said. "She moved in with Owen."
"That's so great," Sydney replied. "They look so cute together.
What'd she say about my wedding?"
"As soon as you set a date, they're booking a flight. She was so
excited," Callie said laughing. Sydney smiled.
"They might be next with the way their relationship is going."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Nancy came back to the Rutledge estate after a day of job
searching. She hadn't had any luck finding a suitable job. All the retail
stores were filled with obnoxiously snobby women and the idea of being a
waitress again didn't exactly thrill her. She went into the guest room and
mulled through all the job applications she had picked up. Sydney had
offered her an interview for a secretarial job, but Nancy didn't want to
feel like she was sponging off of her friend. Suddenly she heard a knock
on her door.
"Nancy?" It was Sydney.
"Hey…I'm here." Sydney opened the door and walked in.
"How'd it go?" Nancy tossed the applications on the bed.
"Zip," she said. "Everything's so typically part-time…I can't
handle it." Sydney chuckled sympathetically.
"My offer still-" Nancy held up her hand.
"I appreciate it, Sydney-o, but I'm not letting everyone gossip and
think that you handed me a job. I'll do it on my own. But thank you," she
added, smiling. Sydney sat down on the bed.
"Don't let it get you down, Nance…things will pick up."
"What are you doing home anyway?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing. Dylan's taking a nap and
Garrett went back to the office…so I thought I'd pop in, see how everything
was." Nancy sighed.
"To tell you the truth, it's not even about trying to find a job."
She stared off into space for a moment and then met Sydney's stare. "How
messed up were you…when you were in school?" Sydney kicked her shoes off
and curled her feet up on the bed.
"You mean about Garrett?" Nancy nodded. Sydney thought about it
and let out a laugh. "Do you remember how depressed and un-fun I was when
Garrett left for France our senior year?" Nancy nodded again. "That…
times ten." Nancy chuckled.
"That bad, huh?"
"I was pretty lifeless…I mean, I went out with my friends sometimes
if I could find a sitter…but I just didn't care about anything." She
studied Nancy's expression. "Brent?" Nancy nodded slowly, tears gathering
behind her eyes.
"I was so horrible to him, Sydney. He'd try to talk to me and I
would yell at him all the time. I wouldn't go out with him and I wouldn't
return his phone calls for days. Could I have been a bigger bitch to him?
He's never going to want to speak to me again!" Nancy slumped down on the
bed next to Sydney. Sydney petted her head as Nancy's tears fell.
"Do you know where he is? Can you get a hold of him?"
"He moved out to Seattle after we split up. He didn't leave an
address or a phone number. I don't really blame him." Nancy wiped her
eyes.
"I know…it's a horrible feeling."
"At least you didn't scream at Garrett for trying to be comforting.
What the hell is wrong with me?" Sydney gave her a tight hug.
"Things will get better, Nancy. If you're meant to be, it'll
happen. Look at me. I never thought Garrett would ever want to speak to
me again…and now we're engaged. I know everything's going to be okay."
Nancy hugged Sydney back gratefully.
"I hope you're right."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* New York City *
"That was great Sandy. We'll finish up tomorrow." Sandy took her
headphones off and walked out of the recording studio.
"Thanks, Ryan…I'll see you tomorrow." Ryan gave Sandy a fatherly
hug and she waved to everyone as she walked out of the building. She was
about to hail a cab, when she heard a whistle.
"Hey gorgeous. Care to take a ride in the subway with a hot young
jazz player tonight?" Sandy looked up and grinned.
"I don't know…where is he," she asked, smiling teasingly. Owen
covered his heart and pretended to stumble.
"Ouch. You wound me!" Sandy laughed at his dramatic acting and
wrapped her arms around his neck. "How'd it go today?" He asked her,
kissing her neck.
"Great. We're almost finished. The first single should be out in
a few months. I'm getting so nervous." Owen leaned down and kissed her
softly.
"Why? You're amazing. Don't even worry about it." Sandy smiled.
"I love you," she murmured, gazing into his eyes. "What time's
your gig tonight?"
"10:00…are you going to be too tired?" Sandy shook her head.
"I'll take a little nap before I go. I wouldn't miss it for
anything." They started walking toward the subway station. "Sydney called
me yesterday."
"Ah, wedding bells…finally." Sandy laughed.
"Everyone's been joking about that with them. She wants us to
perform at her wedding."
"Definitely. Hey, you might even be topping the charts by then…
that'll be exciting." Sandy giggled as they walked down the steps into the
subway station.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming tonight to celebrate my
beautiful daughters engagement. Lord knows, none of us would have seen
this coming ten years ago," Margaret said. Everyone laughed. As Margaret
continued to speak, Garrett stood next to Sydney, holding her tightly. A
memory flashed in his mind:
* Flashback *
"What?"
"I said…I don't think we should see each other anymore," Garrett
repeated. He saw her shocked expression, as if someone had just taken the
air from her lungs. He sighed deeply. "Look, Alyson…it's just not working.
It's been over three months since we started dating…and nothing's really
changed. We really don't know each other any better and I just don't see
either one of us making the effort." Alyson stared at Garrett for what
seemed like forever.
"I thought things were going great, actually," she finally said.
"But, apparently, not for you." She stood up and started to leave.
"Alyson, wait. Don't be angry, please. I…I just…" Garrett didn't
know what else to say.
"You just don't see a future with me," she finished for him. "I
should've known. You're still carrying around this perfect image of her.
That's it, isn't it?" Garrett looked down, not able to respond. Alyson
nodded. "Yeah…" Garrett started to speak, his face filled with guilt.
"No," she stopped him. "Don't, Garrett, please. I'm not angry," she said
as her eyes started to fill with tears. "I'm jealous, you know. I've
never even met her and I'm jealous…that she holds this part of you no one
else can touch. But I think it's so beautiful…the way that you love her,
I really do. I'm sorry… that you're still in so much pain. I thought I
could change that for you, but I can't…I accept that. You need her…and
I'm not her." Garrett stared at her for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Alyson," he murmured. Alyson nodded.
"I know you are…it's okay." She looked up at him again. "I really
hope you get her back, Garrett. I don't think you'd ever be truly happy
until you did. If she loves you even half as much as you love her…she'll
come back. She's probably thinking about you right now, even." Garrett
shifted his eyes as he stood in front of her.
"Thank you," he said softly. Alyson gave him a brave smile.
"Good-bye Garrett." She walked out and closed the door.
* End Flashback *
Garrett felt his eyes water as he remembered Alyson's words to him.
He looked down at Sydney who was smiling happily, listening to her mother
speak. He pulled Sydney closer to him and kissed her neck softly. Sydney
leaned back against him, her body fitting perfectly in his arms. Garrett
pressed his face against her hair, taking in her sweet smell.
"I love you," he whispered softly. Sydney squeezed him tightly
and rested her head on his chest.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At their table, Jimmy and Callie were sitting together cozily.
"So, I've been thinking…about this early Christmas gift I was
thinking of giving you." Callie raised her eyebrow, curiously.
"Really?" She said with a smile. "And what would that be?"
"Well, it's more of a proposition." He saw Callie's eyes widen
nervously and he laughed. "It's not what you're thinking. I've been
thinking a lot about us lately. I made a big mistake in our relationship
when I didn't take the chance to be with you when you laid it out for me.
So I'd really like to remedy that now." He looked into her eyes. "I want
us to move in together." Callie looked at him for a moment, speechless.
"Jimmy," she said in awe, before her lips curved into a small
smile. He brought his hand to her cheek.
"Say yes," he said softly. Callie kissed his hand.
"Yes," she answered, closing her eyes. Jimmy grinned and leaned
over, planting a deep kiss on her lips. He stood up and held his hand out
to her.
"Dance with me?" Callie smiled and took his outstretched hand,
rising to her feet. Jimmy pulled her out onto the dance floor and brought
her close to him, staring into her eyes. "I love you, Walker Woman," he
whispered.
"I love you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Garrett sat next to Sydney with his arm around her chair and they
watched Callie and Jimmy dance. Garrett leaned over and whispered into
Sydney's ear.
"I can't wait to dance with you at our wedding." She smiled and
kissed him softly, brushing her nose against his. Just then, Sydney's
mother walked over to them. Garrett saw her and stood up.
"Mayor," Garrett started to say. "I mean, Mrs. Rutledge." They
laughed. "Sorry. It's habit, I guess." She smiled.
"That's alright. And besides, we're going to be family. Call me
Margaret." Sydney stood up and hugged her mother.
"Thank you so much for throwing this party." Margaret smiled and
hugged Sydney tightly. She turned back to Garrett.
"I hear you're doing very well, Garrett. Your sister tells me
you've done wonders for your father's company." He smiled modestly.
"Thank you. It just needed a push in the right direction."
"For a while, it looked like you would have been an athlete for a
living." Garrett looked away for just a second, long enough for Sydney to
notice it, and quickly pasted on a smile. Sydney studied his expression
for a moment, but kept silent.
"Yeah. They tried to recruit me," he said distantly. "But, I
hurt my shoulder." Margaret looked down at Dylan who was quietly sitting
in his chair.
"Well, Dylan…you don't have a hug for your grandmother?" Dylan
smiled mischievously and shook his head. Everyone chuckled and Dylan
giggled. Then he jumped off his chair and ran to Margaret, hugging her
tightly. Sydney turned to her mother with a thoughtful smile.
"Mother, I think it's time you made nice with your future in-laws,
don't you?"
"What?" Sydney motioned to Garrett's father, who was standing by
the orchestra.
"Now, I know it's hard to let this grudge go, but all good things
must come to an end. You've outgrown it, Mother." Margaret looked at her
daughter with a defeated half-grin.
"Alright," she sighed in resignation. She walked toward the
orchestra and started talking to Mr. Booth. Garrett hugged Sydney around
the shoulders as they watched their parents.
"It's almost sad," he said humorously. Sydney turned to him with
a curious smile. "I mean, it's the end of an era. You have to admit,
there was something romantic about our whole star-crossed, forbidden-love
thing." He grinned. Sydney wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed
him on the lips.
"Are you saying that it's less romantic now?" Their faces were
inches apart. He smiled sexily.
"Well, I like the kissing-in-public part of it." She grinned and
kissed him again.
"Me too. How about a dance, handsome?" She pulled him onto the
dance floor. He held her close to him and let himself drown in her soft
green eyes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mila sat at her table, watching everyone dance. She saw Garrett
and Sydney snuggled close together, laughing and smiled.
"Your brother is a completely different person when Sydney's
around," she commented to Grant. "I don't think I've ever seen him like
that." Grant laughed.
"No kidding. These past four years were really hard for him…I
think even more than any of us will ever know. He's a lot happier now."
"It's still weird sometimes…I remember when they used to fight ALL
the time." Grant smiled.
"Yeah…Garrett was talking to me about that the other day. I think
they fought more out of frustration…you know…when they couldn't be
together. When that changed…I guess they changed. They hardly ever argue
anymore," he said. Mila smiled.
"Sounds like you and Garrett are arguing a lot less too," she said
to him, raising her eyebrows. Grant chuckled and smiled sheepishly.
"It happens with age, I guess." Grant looked up and caught sight
of the countess standing with Captain Walker. He turned to Mila and worked
up his courage. "Baby, don't you think this would be a good time to let
your mom apologize?" He had to be careful about the words he chose. Mila
was very defensive when it came to her relationship with her mother. Mila
looked at him for a moment.
"No," she said simply. "Grant, after what she did, I think it's
incredibly gracious of you to even care how she feels. But she crossed the
line and I'm not making the first move."
"Mila, c'mon. Look at Sydney. Her mom tried to keep Garrett away
from her for over two years before they could be together. She's not angry
about it anymore."
"It's completely different, Grant and you know it. Sydney's mother
never treated her like a baby, and Sydney, unlike me, always did what she
wanted anyway." She looked away for a moment. "Sydney's a lot stronger
than I am." Grant looked down guiltily.
"I think it's more like Garrett's a lot stronger than I am. He
never would've let Sydney's mom push him around." Mila's eyes softened and
she took his hand.
"No. You had no choice, baby. Don't feel guilty. You thought you
were doing it for me." Grant gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.
"And I'm saying this for you too. Don't stay angry forever. It'll
eat you up."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* New York City *
Owen sat on his stool warming up his band. He looked out into the
crowd at the bar, searching for Sandy. He glanced at his watch.
"Where the hell is she?"
"Relax, man…Sandy wouldn't stand you up unless she had a reason,"
his friend said to him. Owen looked around again.
"I'm going to check my messages again…I'll be back."
"Owen, man…we're about to go on."
"Just a second, I promise." Owen walked to the payphone at the end
of the bar and dialed his cell phone answering service.
'Hi, baby…it's me. I'm so sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to
make it tonight. I just woke up, and I'm still so tired and I have a 6:00
AM call in the morning. Sam wants me to run through some of the mixes that
Ryan and I worked on, so I don't think I can go out tonight. I love you
and I'll see you when you get home. Bye.' Owen put the phone back on the
receiver with a disappointed sigh. Sandy had missed his last three gigs
that month. He felt so selfish getting angry, but it seemed like
everything else was coming first…or rather, Sam was coming first. Sam was
her manager, a real hard-nosed guy with a genuinely fake personality. But
he was good at his job and he was getting Sandy into all the right doors.
"Snap out of it, Fowler. It's not her fault," he muttered to
himself.
"Did she leave a message?" Owen looked up at his band mates.
"Yeah…she did. Let's get the show started," he said abruptly.
His friends looked at each other, sensing Owen's frustration.
"Sure, man. Give us a count." Owen turned to the microphone,
shaking off his annoyance and spoke to the crowd.
"Hey everyone…thanks for coming out to see us again. We're
Melancholy Pleasure." The crowd cheered wildly for them. "One, two,
three, four…"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mother, are you sure you don't mind staying in the guest room?
It feels a little awkward," Sydney said.
"Absolutely not. This is your house now, darling. Besides, it
doesn't make sense for me to have that huge room to myself."
"Alright. Well, if you need anything, just let me know."
"I will. Goodnight, sweetheart." Sydney kissed her mother on the
cheek and closed the door. She walked into Dylan's room.
"Hey little man. Did you say good night to Dad?" Dylan nodded as
he crawled under his blanket. "Night, 'D'," she said as she leaned down
and kissed her son good night
"Night," he said, closing his eyes. Sydney turned out the lights
as she closed the door. She headed down the hall and opened the door to
her bedroom.
"Garrett?"
"I'm in the bathroom, baby," he answered. He came out with his
shirt off, wearing his boxer shorts. Sydney smiled when she saw him.
"What does that smile mean?" He asked with a grin. She wrapped her arms
around him and squeezed him tightly.
"I was just admiring how sexy you look without your clothes on."
He chuckled.
"Well, I'm nothing compared to you." He bent down and kissed her.
"Is there anything you want to talk about?" She asked suddenly.
Garrett raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I saw a look in your eyes tonight when Mother was
talking to you." Garrett stared down at the floor for a moment and let out
an embarrassed laugh.
"You know, sometimes I hate it that you know me so well," he joked.
Sydney laughed with him.
"I'm serious…are you okay?" Garrett stared into her eyes, feeling
comforted by her look of concern.
"Don't worry, I'm fine… I promise," he added pointedly as she
raised her eyebrow. "I have you…I'm better than fine." He leaned down for
another long kiss. "Do you think it's okay to ravage you right now, with
your mom just down the hall," he asked kissing her neck. Sydney giggled
in delight.
"I'm a big girl, Booth. Besides, " she added with a smile, "these
walls are pretty thick." She unzipped her dress and pulled him onto the
bed for a long passionate kiss.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* New York City *
Owen threw his keys on the table in the hallway as he walked into
his apartment. He put his guitar case down and went into the kitchen. He
grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat down on the couch. Sandy pulled
herself into the living room.
"Hey," she said softly. She lay down next to him and rested her
head on his lap.
"Hey," he answered, stroking her hair.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it tonight. I missed you. How did it
go?" Owen smiled.
"It's never quite spectacular when you're not in the audience…but
it was decent." Sandy giggled.
"Next time…I'll definitely be there." Owen nodded and looked away.
"Yeah…"
"You know that riff you played me earlier? I wrote down some
lyrics for it. I don't know if you want to use them, but it inspired me."
She handed him the notepad that sat on the table. He looked at it and
grinned.
"This is beautiful." Sandy wrapped her arms around his waist.
"It's about you." Owen turned his head and met her lips in a long
kiss. Sandy smiled as she pulled away and stood up, taking his hand.
"Where are we going?" Owen asked with a sly smile. Sandy winked
at him.
"You know where we're going." Owen pulled her in for a long kiss
and led them over to the bedroom. He untied her robe and let it fall to
the ground as Sandy pulled his shirt over his head. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and smiled up at him. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you." He laid her down on the bed and kissed her deeply.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Garrett woke the next morning to find Sydney's beautiful face just
centimeters from his own. He stared at her in amazement, admiring her
lovely sleeping form. He lightly brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
They fluttered open and she smiled dreamily when she saw Garrett.
"Hello," she said softly. She placed her hand gently on his cheek.
"Hi," he whispered, kissing her on the lips.
"I think I could get used to waking up like this every day. I
should've said yes to you the first time," she thought out loud, running
her finger down his chest. Garrett stroked her hair gently and smiled.
"It doesn't matter. None of that matters…we're here now. Besides,
a Rutledge woman isn't supposed to have regrets, remember," he said
teasingly.
"Oh yeah," said Sydney, smiling. She looked down at her engagement
ring. "I guess you were worth the wait." She leaned over and kissed him
again. He rolled himself on top of her, and returned her kiss. Just then,
the intercom buzzed.
"Damn," Garrett groaned. Sydney laughed and sat up. She pushed
the button on the intercom next to her bed.
"Yes, Ralph," she spoke into it as Garrett kissed her neck, making
her smile.
"Miss Sydney, Miss Nancy told me to tell you she went out job-
hunting. And there's someone here to see you. He's waiting out on the
porch." Sydney and Garrett shared a curious glance. She threw on her
jeans and a white tank top and headed downstairs. She opened the door and
her mouth dropped at the sight of the tall man on her porch. He was a
good-looking man with light-brown hair and dark eyes.
"Hi Sydney." He smiled widely. Sydney stood there completely
stunned, trying to form words.
"Hi," she said slowly. "What…what are you doing here?" He paused
studying her shocked expression.
"Can I come in?" Sydney shook away her surprise and regained her
composure.
"Oh, yeah. Right." She let him in and closed the door. He stood
in the entryway and turned to look at her.
"You look as beautiful as ever, Sydney." He stared at her with a
smile. Sydney was still recovering from her shock.
* Flashback *
"Hi, I'm Drew…well, Andrew, but everyone calls me Drew." Sydney
shook his hand tentatively. She was sitting in the park, one of the rare
moments when she had a sitter for Dylan and she could leave to study.
"Sydney," she said to the man who had just struck up a conversation
with her. "You go to school around here?"
"Yeah, I go to BC…you?"
"Same…what are you studying?"
"I'm a business major," Drew answered, smiling warmly. Business…
just like Garrett. The thought flashed through Sydney's mind so fast, she
didn't even realize she had thought it. "What about you?"
"I'm in communications…well, PR, I guess. I have a marketing exam
next week…can't wait." Drew laughed at Sydney sarcasm.
"Well, now that we've officially met…would you like to have dinner
with me sometime?" Sydney hesitated. "Hey, I'm not expecting anything,"
Drew said calmly. "Just dinner…maybe a nice conversation, which hopefully
might lead to a second date…but that's all." Sydney managed a laugh.
"Oh, that's all. You must feel pretty confident in yourself, huh?"
Drew scoffed at the question jokingly.
"Are you kidding, I am the king of self-praise. I love myself."
Sydney felt her heart tighten at his last words. 'I love myself'…Garrett.
She hesitated again.
"I don't know. You seem like a nice guy and everything…but…I'm not
really in a state of mind that's open to dating right now." Drew nodded
his head.
"Bad breakup?" Sydney looked down briefly.
"Something like that," she said quietly.
"How long ago?"
"Two years." Sydney looked up again, seeing his surprised
expression. "He…he was my first love…my first everything," she added
distantly.
"So what happened?" Sydney paused. Drew spoke up again. "I'm
sorry…it's none of my business. You don't have to say anything. Look, I
don't have any expectations…I just want one dinner…that's it. If you
can't stand me by the end of the meal, you'll never have to see me again.
I think after two years, you could at least use a good meal…free meal, on
me?" Sydney couldn't help but laugh at his invitation. He was so
charming and charismatic…just like-
"Okay…one dinner," she said finally.
"Great," he replied with a grin.
* Flashback *
"Thanks. Look, Drew, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you
in two years, since we…" She looked down.
"Since you broke it off, I know. I just came to see you. You
know, catch up, talk, whatever." Sydney looked at him suspiciously.
"You could've called to do that, Drew. What gives?" He smiled
down at the floor and looked back up into her eyes.
"I never could hide things from you, could I?" He took a deep
breath. "I came to win you back, Syd. I want us to be together again.
I've never loved anyone the way that I loved you and I want you to tell me
why you ended it, when things were so great. Why did you leave me?"…
To be continued . . .
If you have any feedback for J.K., send it to ChunLi24@aol.com Text file Source (historic): geocities.com/hollywood/hills/2262/fanfic
geocities.com/hollywood/hills/2262geocities.com/hollywood/hills
geocities.com/hollywood
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