15. Sage
15
SAGE
O kay, so it was really annoying having Leo around, but it was also…somewhat convenient. She’d probably put on a few pounds since he moved in which was probably good considering she had been sporting a gaunt appearance since George died.
But goodness gracious he was also annoying. He constantly hounded her about what her schedule was going to be like for the day and made no effort to hide how annoyed he was with her “go with the flow” mentality.
She was putting in some serious private gameplay time for Welkin Wall. She wanted to give herself the best shot of wowing everyone. Other times, when she was not buried in a game, Leo would drag her to that god-awful, fancy golf course and make her look like a fool by encouraging her to hit some balls. He was much less zealous when she pointed the club thing at his own balls and said, “Those are my next target. ”
And okay, fine. It was nice watching him come in after one of his long runs. He was usually shirtless by then, wiping sweat from his brow and his muscles wereon full display and he was flushed and?—
He was just nice to look at, okay?
She could appreciate pretty things. So it wasn’t weird that she’d track his location and peek out the window when she saw him heading down the road back to home so she could catch a glimpse of his final sprint.
They took nightly walks together to end their day. Crazy how a little bit of time outside moving can really melt the tension away. But she’d never admit he had been on to something. He was already too puffed up. He didn't need an ego boost. If she said, “Yeah, you’re right” his head would explode and she didn’t want to be an accessory to manslaughter.
It was on one of those nightly walks that she asked him about his running.
“Why do you do it? It seems miserable.”
He scoffed. “I signed up for the Portland Marathon so I need to train for it.”
She kicked a stone across the sidewalk. “Yes but why did you sign up for it? Why was it a goal? A thing you wanted to do?”
“It seemed like a good idea. A challenge.”
She tried not to show frustration but failed. “Okay but why? Do you like checking off boxes of personal challenges? What next? A mountain to climb?”
He seemed to pick up on her frustration. “Why does everything have to have meaning? Sometimes we just do things. And I like to conquer challenges so yeah, maybe this is one of those things. Fun fact: only one percent of the human population has ever run a marathon. I want to be in that one percent.”
“You seriously need a hobby.”
“I have running as a hobby.”
This time, Sage scoffed. “No. You decided it was a challenge to be conquered. Hobbies are for fun. They're relaxing. It’s giving yourself permission to be bad and do the thing for the sake of doing the thing.”
It had been a point of contention. During their forced proximity Sage had commented how Leo needed more to do in life than working out, physical therapy exercises, and reading self-help books and articles.
He took a turn kicking the rock across the ground. “My hobby is not letting my brain turn to rot.”
Then an argument ensued about the freedom of being bad at something and hobbies and how society tried to monetize them—and Leo pointing out Sage had done just that—and Sage pointing out that she started watercolor painting with Roz for fun and then it devolved into an argument about whether or not her latest watercolor was a scene of a gruesome murder or a lovely red rose. It was a red rose, obviously, but now she couldn’t unsee the murder scene, the jerk.
But other times, in the rare moments they weren’t arguing, things were quiet. Things were…nice? No, not nice, but there was a strange level of comfort. Like the other night, for example. It was late. She couldn’t sleep—not out of the ordinary these days—so she went down to the den, cozy blanket in one hand, Squash in the other, an d turned on a movie. A classic. Ever After (again). George used to love that movie.
Then Leo walked in wearing sweatpants and a baggy shirt. He looked equal parts exhausted and wired.
“Can’t sleep either?” he asked.
Sage nodded.
Then Leo left and Sage turned the volume down a smidge, wondering if she had woken him up, but five minutes later he came back to the den with a sleeve of Oreos and a mug of tea for her (vanilla chamomile—her evening favorite) and a protein shake for him. He just handed her the mug and set the cookies between them when he sat down. They watched the entire movie like that, sipping their drinks and dodging each other’s fingers as they reached for the Oreos. And when the movie was over, Leo simply got up, said, “Night” and left her alone.
And how dare he look so good in those sweatpants? It was a cliché.
She went to bed and dreamed of libraries, English accents, Quiche, and sweatpants. Wait, how had he known what tea to make her?
“ H i, hello?” Sage asked the unknown number that had called her not once, not twice, but three times.
“Hi, George?”
A lump formed in Sage’s throat. “Sorry, I think you have the wrong number.”
“No,” said the male voice. “This is a number George left me. I know he passed on?— ”
“So why are you calling?” Sage couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice. She was lying on the couch in the den, flipping through Netflix and trying to decide what to watch. (She would eventually pick 50 First Dates again so why was she even bothering to look?)
“I found out through the grapevine that you inherited George’s estate. I believe we met. You were his nurse? I am Ralph Emmerson. I own a gallery in Portland and was in contact with George about a piece. We had discussed my purchasing of a painting?—”
“Sorry, the estate is still in the works of having everything transitioned into proper names and all that legal stuff,” Sage lied. “And I am not planning on liquidating any assets until July at the very earliest.” It sounded so posh and formal. It was a script Tavy gave Sage after she began receiving calls from people wondering why George had suddenly ghosted them all and left several business deals unfinished.
“Well, George and I were very close to an agreement. Only missing a bill of sale at this point really?—”
“Did he give you the painting? Or did you give him any money?” Sage rubbed her temples. She hated this whole business thing. Tavy said she’d help over the summer and get it all squared away. She was put together and smart like that. Roz would bring the snacks.
“Well, No,” Ralph said. “But for all intents and purposes–”
“I’m really sorry,” Sage said. “But we’ll chat in July.”
She hung up, adding a new contact of “DO NOT ANSWER UNTIL JULY” and flung her phone across the couch.
“Who was that?” Leo’s voice said from the doorway behind Sage. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Goodness, he was like a creepy shadow.
“Just a guy interested in some things.”
“A guy?” Leo looked a mix of confusion and curiosity. “Some things?”
She decided to play with that. “Yes, I do have the attention of males from time to time.” Even if it is just for old paintings. But why had she phrased it like that? To get a rise out of him? “Now go away. I have work to do.”
“50 First Dates is work?” he asked.
“It’s refilling my creative well.”
“Good grief,” Leo murmured, walking away. “Get a hobby.”
She rolled her eyes at the echo of their earlier argument. She yelled “You get a hobby!” because that was a very grown-up response, apparently, just like making snide comments hoping to get a rise out of him. Plus it was nice to stare at his backside as he walked away.
D ays later they were forced into his car on a two-hour journey. Sage would be testing out some gear she’d be using for the competition, to get photos with Jared, and other mundane stuff at LilyTech headquarters.
It was her turn to pick the music, because yes, they had to take fifteen-minute turns because their music taste was so wildly different that they had to come to that compromise like they were four years old.
It didn’t help that he was already more annoyed with her than usual. He had told her to be ready to leave at eight sharp. She was not ready, though she had tried to be. And they were out the door ten minutes later than they were supposed to be, which wasn’t that big of a deal until they were half a mile away and she made him turn around because she forgot her bag with all the clothes Jared requested she bring for outfit changes.
And then when they were on the road again (now thirty minutes behind schedule) she had begged him to stop at the only coffee drive-through in town. She bribed with paying for his order which had enough caffeine to send a moose into cardiac arrest. She told him as much.
“Please. Maybe my coffee will kill me and put me out of my misery.”
So, he wasn’t a Celine Dion fan. Naturally Sage put Celine Dion’s greatest hits on shuffle for her turn of picking music.
“If you play one more song of hers I swear you will never make it to your precious meeting because I will be turning this car around and calling Lily to explain that you had a medical emergency.”
Sage sighed. “And you call me dramatic. What emergency would I be having?”
“Busted eardrum because I will turn her winging up so loud that it will blast both our eardrums. I won't have to listen to her scream anymore and you will never get the pleasure of hearing Drake again.”
“Seems like a perfect solution all around.” Instead, she played Billy Idol and they both seemed satisfied for the time being.
“You come down here much?” he asked once he had enough caffeine in him to be human again .
“Maybe once or twice a month. I don’t really mind it. Sometimes I go down on the coast for a prettier drive even though it’s longer.”
“A lot of my friends went to school out here but I never made it over this way much,” Leo said.
Sage looked out the window, watching the passing trees. The green would never get old. “Did you go to college?” she asked.
Leo shrugged. “Dad was a military man. I scored high on my ASVAB so I got into the Marines at a decent level. Got my bachelor’s in biology before my leg got blown up.”
Sage turned to look at him. He looked fine for having gone through such an…ordeal. Leo patted his right leg. “It acts up sometimes, but they thought they were going to have to amputate and a physical therapist with God complex said he could fix me and he was right. I was discharged, medically, but was hired on at Sentinel Security before the rehab was even done. Been studying for the MCAT and will just have to go to med school a different route instead of through the military.”
Sage paused for a long moment. “Did you ever?—”
“Kill a guy?”
“No!” She held up her hands. “I seriously do not want to know the answer to that. I was just gonna ask if you ever went to therapy, like real therapy, for what happened?”
Leo shook his head. “Not needed.”
“Everyone needs therapy.”
“Do you?”
Sage was quiet for a long moment. “I did. Maybe I still do.” She cleared her throat. “But not for your hand in my life. We all have crap going on.” She went to therapy to deal with the abandonment of her mother, for having a chaotic life and learning how to handle it. George was the one who forced her to every appointment. They’d go together and meet up after and he always, always, treated her to tea at his favorite sushi place, though he forbade her from eating the oysters there, but gave everything else a thumbs up. Green tea hasn't tasted the same since George left this earth but she kept trying anyway.
She must have been silent too long because Leo asked, “Did you ever go to college?”
“I never even graduated high school. But don’t worry, I know how to use the Pythagorean theorem and the difference between there and their.”
Leo scoffed and licked his lips. Was he uncomfortable? Did he think less of her for not having that piece of paper that basically said, “Congrats! You jumped through the ridiculous hoops of the American education system.”
“Well good. I guess the University of Oregon has gone downhill since leaving the Pac-12. A fun spot to hang out though.” Sage was impressed with his change of subject. It actually felt like he was trying to be nice.
“It’s just another big city. You didn’t have to drive,” Sage said. It was kind of nice not having to deal with the freeways and she could live her passenger princess life. She’d never been one of those. She drove George everywhere. She practically knew every location of every flea market, secondhand store, and antique shop because of it. Those were always his favorite places. If he had been here now, he’d have gone with her down to the big city. They’d make a day of it. He’d smile while he sat on his little chair at LilyTech and try to give Jared some fashion tips, and when they were finished he’d insist he found the best sushi place and they’d go and he’d critique everything and mutter to himself when the chef couldn’t speak Japanese. Then critique the green tea. After that, they would find a shop or two and spend time looking at bad art and he’d buy the worst painting because “It will haunt my dreams, anyway, may as well have it close enough to berate when I need to.”
She was not going to cry thinking about green tea and bad art.
Leo scoffed. “It’s my job to drive you around. And I want to see this LilyTech office in person. Should be an interesting change of pace.”
He wasn’t wrong. When they pulled into LilyTech, Sage was whisked away to the “content area” and Leo and Lily chatted for a bit. He was probably giving her an update about safety and protocol. Maybe getting more information about the competitions and all that junk.
Several photos and outfit changes later, Jared gave a small sigh and said, “This should work for a month or two. Don’t give me that look. You wouldn’t have to come and do this so often if you actually took some content and filmed stuff like you said you would.”
He had a point, but did he have to be so smug about it?
Then she got to the fun stuff. Getting fitted for new gear. Headset, controllers, and even a new chair that would be the big unveiling for LilyTech. It had a wide seat that you could, get this, sit cross-legged. Sage squealed with delight when Lily showed her .
Leo looked confused. Probably still working out the difference between there and their.
Then a strange thought crossed her mind. Could he even bend his legs like that? How had she not known that he had been through…that? An explosion? Where did that happen?Sure, she noticed the occasional limp and him icing it but she chalked it up to a running injury or something. Why did her chest get tight thinking about that?
The day at LilyTech came and went and Lily waved to Leo and Sage as they walked out the doors, yelling, “Keep my girl safe, Camaro!”
Leo waved back. “She’s in excellent hands.”
She was in the hands of an annoying know-it-all.
“So,” Leo said when they got into his truck, rubbing his hands together. “I am starving. I looked up a local spot here. Supposed to have the best sushi in town, and get this, they even boast to have the best green tea in the city.”
“No!” Sage yelled.