Chapter 36

Chapter 36
A week passed and Lauren didn’t hear from Sidney at all. She had picked up the phone at least a hundred times to call him, but she’d always click ‘end’ before it started ringing, not knowing what she’d say to him.
She’d spoken to Nathalie a few times, and she had told Lauren that Sidney had been keeping to himself, not really spending any time with the family and not really going out at all either. Lauren knew he was going back to Enfield for the rest of the summer in a few days.
Finally, Liz managed to convince Lauren to go out for coffee. She needed to get out of the house. They were sitting in the corner of Starbuck’s when Lauren saw someone come in through the door. She nearly spilled her drink when she saw that it was Jack. She stood up and he enveloped her in a strong hug. “Jack? What are you doing here?” She said with confusion.
“Well, I came to see you, actually. Sidney told me he ended things, but other than that, he refuses to talk about it. To anyone. Are you okay?”
“No.” She answered truthfully. “I hate this. I miss him and he won’t talk to me. I just wish he could see how much I love him.” She said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Jack pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest, allowing a few tears to fall. Jack looked over at Liz and she shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what to do or say.
“I’m sorry he’s doing this. I don’t understand what’s going on. Lauren, you’re the best thing that ever happened to him. I’ve never seen him so happy as when he’s with you.”
“I guess that’s not enough. He didn’t look happy when he pushed me out of his life.” She said hoarsely.
“Hang in there. I can’t make any promises, but I’m going to try and talk some sense into him. He’s being an ass right now. It’s a gender flaw.” He said, gaining a small smile from Lauren in return.
“Thanks Jack. You’re a good friend.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Anything for the girl of my best friend’s dreams. Even if he doesn’t deserve you right now.” He squeezed her tight and then walked away. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay? Hang in there.” She nodded and he left the coffee shop.
“Who was that?” Liz asked, assuming he was one of Sidney’s friends, but not knowing much else.
“That’s Jack Johnson. He and Sid met in Minnesota. He hung out with us a lot when we went to Sidney’s house in Nova Scotia.”
“Well, this is kind of irrelevant, but he’s cute. And he seems like a great guy.”
Lauren cracked a smile. “He is cute. And he is a great guy. It was fun to watch him and Sidney together. Guess I won’t see that anymore.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Sidney’s being a douche bag right now. He’ll come around.” Liz tried to reassure her. Lauren, on the other hand, knew Sidney’s stubbornness, and wasn’t sure he would come back for her.
Sidney flew back to Halifax a few days after Mario’s Celebrity Invitational, hoping that being at home would help him clear his head and move on with his life. However, everything he did just reminded him of her. Walking into his house, he was flooded with memories of the time they had spent there together. When he crawled in bed at night, he was overcome with her scent, which was still lingering on the sheets from when she had laid there in his arms. When he went jogging through the park, his heart sank when he saw the bench where he had kissed her in front of a crowd of people. And the look in Taylor’s eyes when she saw him was sometimes more than he could bear. Taylor and Lauren had a very special friendship, and he had taken that away from his baby sister. But most of all, he missed her.
Jack arrived in Enfield a few days after Sidney had been home. He hadn’t told Sidney he was coming, so when he let himself into Sidney’s house, he startled him. “Geez, Jack, what the hell are you doing here?” Sidney grumbled.
“Well, I came to see you. We need to talk. But first, you need to clean up this pig sty of a house and take a freaking shower. You look like hell.” Jack replied bluntly.
“Things haven’t been going very well lately. I could do without your criticism.” Sidney said.
“Don’t give me that shit. You brought this on yourself. I’m going to clean up your trash and you’re going to get a shower and come back down here looking a little more respectable. Then we are going to have a long, serious discussion. And I’ve already pulled your keys off the rack so don’t even think about trying to sneak out. Now move it.” Sidney let out a heavy, annoyed sigh but headed upstairs towards his bathroom.
Sidney came back downstairs about 15 minutes later, clean-shaven and freshly showered. He had also put on clean clothes, and admittedly, did feel a little bit better. Not that his heart wasn’t aching beyond measure, but at least he didn’t smell anymore. Jack had cleaned up all the trash and takeout boxes that Sidney had strewn around his living room. He had opened the back doors and there was a gentle breeze coming in off the lake.
Jack was sitting on the couch waiting for him, and nodded for him to sit down. Sidney slumped down in an easy chair and stared at the floor.
“Talk.” Jack ordered.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t want her to get hurt. I love her, but being around me isn’t safe for her.” Sidney said very matter-of-factly.
“Sidney, do you know how much that sounds like complete bullshit? You love her, so you break her heart? That’s messed up. And how is it not safe for her to be around you? You’re like the most protective person I know.” Jack exclaimed, exasperated that his good friend was being so foolish.
Sidney explained what happened with the press, and Jack nodded his head.
“Okay, so I understand that you want her to be safe, but she’s right, that was a freak accident. Just because one asshole won’t let you out of the parking lot without prying into your social life doesn’t mean you should break up with your girlfriend. Whom, you are clearly in love with, I might add.”
“I’ll always love her, but I don’t see how we can be together. I could never live with myself if anything ever happened to her.”
“Sidney, can’t you see that what you’re doing right now is worse? She is over the moon for you. A love like hers doesn’t come around very often. Don’t you see how lucky you are to have her, and how much she needs you?”
“She probably hates me. I would hate me. I wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to me again.”
“She still loves you. Go after her. Tell her you’ve been a moron and beg her to take you back.” Jack said.
“I don’t know man. Maybe her life would be better if she had never met me. Then she could just find a normal guy and live happily ever after.” Sidney couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of his mouth. The thought of Lauren being with anyone but him made his stomach churn with jealousy and sadness.
“Trust me, there’s nothing ‘normal’ about her. She’s extraordinary, even more so for putting up with all of your shit. If you let her go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Jack put his hand on Sidney’s shoulder, and then left him alone in his thoughts.
Another few weeks passed, and Sidney couldn’t find the courage to call Lauren. He was desperate to hear her voice, but he thought she probably didn’t want to talk to him, and he didn’t want to cause her any more pain. He had asked Nathalie about her, and Nathalie never told him too much, other than that he should call her and make things right. He knew Nathalie had spoken to her more, but she wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear.
Lauren tried to move on with her life, but she had grown so accustomed to having Sidney there, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Her friends tried to help her. They were always calling and asking her to hang out.
Leanna called her and for a second, Lauren thought about not answering. She didn’t feel like getting another pep talk from her big sister, or from anyone else for that matter. “Pack your bags. We’re going away.” Leanna stated.
“Le, I don’t want to go anywhere…”
Before she could continue, Leanna cut her off. “I didn’t ask what you wanted; I said we’re going away. We have dinner reservations tonight…in Hilton Head. We’re going away for a few days. You need to get out of Pittsburgh.”
“Leanna, I’m not really up to a vacation right now. Just take Amanda or something instead.”
“Nope, I’m taking you. So get packed. Because I don’t think you’d like what I’d pick out for you if I have to pack your stuff.” Leanna said mischievously.
After she hung up with Leanna, Lauren sighed and started to gather some things into a suitcase. She appreciated what everyone was doing for her, but she really didn’t want to hang out with anyone. Except for Sidney, and that wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon.