Chapter Twenty #2
His eyes rounded as he threw his hands up like a man caught in a hold-up and then quickly backed out of the room.
Tessa flicked her gaze at the doorway, and when it remained empty, she continued.
“Right before the end of the school year, we were supposed to go on a trip Chloe’s parents had planned for her.
Kind of an adieu. But Morgan got into a spot of trouble and subsequently got detention, and for the first time ever, her mom decided to actually parent and she grounded her.
She never came along on the trip… and Chloe never made it back to school the next year.
I don’t think Morgan ever forgave herself for that.
She had loved Chloe. Like she really loved her and when she didn’t get to say goodbye to her, well, it kind of broke her. ”
Liv touched her hand to her mouth, shoulders hanging low.
Sydney, who had cried ugly tears when she watched Finding Nemo for the first time this year, felt the prickling of tears behind her eyes.
All she wanted to do was to pull Morgan into her arms, hold her close, kiss her on the temple while she promised her that everything would be okay.
Well, not entirely okay. A promise like that would be empty.
Life was a tangled mess of uncertainties.
“I didn’t know,” Sydney said. “I wish she would have just told me. I’ve tried calling her. Texting her, but she’s not answering. I think she might be angry at me.”
“She’s not,” Tessa said, rising to full height.
She smoothed her palms over the dress, though the fabric was thick and apparently resistant to creases, and sauntered back to the table.
“She’s angry at herself. It happens from time to time.
She withdraws. Can’t blame her, really. It’s not like her mother is the poster child for expressing emotions. ”
“So, she doesn’t have a good relationship with her parents?” Sydney asked.
“That’s something you can ask her,” Tessa said, half smiling.
“How?” Sydney said, not smiling. “How can I ask her anything if she doesn’t let me in?” The question was far deeper than what it came across, but Sydney had an inkling Tessa knew exactly what she had meant.
“You care for her, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” From the moment she had seen Morgan standing in that gallery, to that second she glimpsed her in the gym, to when she had bumped into her outside of the coffee shop.
Individual moments of feelings that had burgeoned into something greater, something past just the physical attraction to the point where Sydney could close her eyes, imagine her life in ten years’ time, and see Morgan in it.
She could see waking up beside her, kissing her goodnight…
The thought was both electrifying and alarming.
“Well, then go tell her that,” said both Liv and Tessa at the exact same time.
~~
It was dark by the time Sydney got off work and made her way to Morgan’s place.
She had parked a few houses down, just in case Morgan saw her coming, and bolted out the back door.
Her stomach was in a series of somersaults.
She felt sick, not just because she hadn’t eaten anything more than a blueberry muffin all day, but because she had no idea what to say to a woman who was clearly going through something difficult.
I’m here for you. Whatever you need, say the word and I’ll do my best to help.
None of those reassurances was good enough.
But would anything she said ever truly be good enough to help Morgan overcome what she was facing? The answer was as clear as murky swamp water.
When Sydney reached the top step, she rang the bell and waited. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a moving silhouette behind the curtains of the living room window.
Sydney hoped whoever it was—hopefully Morgan—was heading toward the front door to open it. But nothing happened. No click of a lock. No door swinging open.
Sydney pressed her ear against the door and listened.
No footsteps growing louder.
She rang the bell again and when there was still no response; she called out, louder this time. “I know you’re in there, Morgan. I saw you through the curtains. Please, just open the door.”
Still nothing.
“I just want to talk. Five minutes, Morgan. It’s all I’m asking.”
When no one came, Sydney leaned her head against the wooden door and muttered, “Tessa told me about Emily Parker. She also told me about your friend Chloe. I wish you had told me, Morgan. If I’d known you lost a patient and were dealing with something so heavy, I never would’ve forced you to help yesterday. Never.”
If Morgan happened to open the door unexpectedly, there was no doubt she’d take a tumble into the foyer. But right now, Sydney would take a head-first dive into the house over this horrible silence any day.
Yet the door remained closed.
Resignedly, Sydney turned toward the street and slowly descended the steps. Just as she was about to hit the narrow concrete path, a sound came from the other side of the door. It was a heavy, sad sigh that slipped through the thin gap between door and floor.
It made her stomach somersault even faster.
“I’m not giving up on you, Morgan,” she muttered under her breath as she stepped down and walked away.