By:
Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: April 26, 2007
Summary:
Hope turns to dust, and on a day when her life will never be quite the same,
Rating: T
for language.
Pairing:
SkyOc, BridgeZ, JackAlly, SydSky
Disclaimer:
The title is that of a song by Taylor Swift, as are the lyrics for Syd’s new
song. I don’t own that. I don’t own Power Rangers either, please
don’t sue.
AN: I fell in love with this song, and for some
reason, it just reminded me of
Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so
he won't see
That I want and I'm needing
everything that we should be
I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl
he talks about
And she's got everything that I
have to live without
Drew talks to me, I laugh cause
it's so damn funny
That I can't even see anyone when
he's with me
He says he's so in love, he's
finally got it right,
I wonder if he knows he's all I
think about at night
He's the reason for the teardrops
on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me
wishing on a wishing star
He's the song in the car I keep
singing, don't know why I do
Drew walks by me, can he tell that
I can't breathe?
And there he goes, so perfectly,
The kind of flawless I wish I could
be
She'd better hold him tight, give
him all her love
Look in those beautiful eyes and
know she's lucky cause
He's the reason for the teardrops
on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me
wishing on a wishing star
He's the song in the car I keep
singing, don't know why I do
So I drive home alone, as I turn
out the light
I'll put his picture down and maybe
Get some sleep tonight
He's the reason for the teardrops
on my guitar
The only one who's got enough for
me to break my heart
He's the song in the car I keep
singing, don't know why I do
He's the time taken up, but there's
never enough
And he's all that I need to fall
into..
Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so
he won't see.
-- Taylor Swift, Teardrops On My
Guitar --
--
Sighing,
she closed her eyes and let her heart guide her fingers. Her first album, though chalk full of number
one hits, really was quite an embarrassment now that she thought about it. It had been all about her; nothing but
fifteen songs all about her. Now that
she was older, wiser, and had a little more life experience, she wanted her
second record to reflect the changes five years had made in her life and her
outlook. She’d finally discovered a true
passion for life, had reveled in the justice of the job she was doing, had made
friendships that would sustain her for the rest of her life, but most of all,
she’d fallen in love. All except for
that last part were positive, as the object of her affections didn’t share her
feelings; she knew this, which is why she’d never told him she was in love with
him. In the five years that she’d known
him, she’d never outright let on that she had feelings for him, but the others
in their group of close-knit friends had seen the signs.
Every
night before bed Z had badgered her about just going up to him, kissing him,
and outright telling him that she loved him.
Her response was the same every night – she’d rather have his friendship
than not have him at all. Jack and Ally
never said too much about it when they came to visit, but Jack did give her a
knowing look when the whole group was together, one that made her think of how
things would be if she and her love interest were actually together. And then there was Bridge and Sky. Bridge, despite is quirkiness, was her truest
confidant, because he’d been there from the beginning. He’d been the one to point it out to her, the
one to console her when something particularly harsh happened between them, and
he’d been a silent encouragement. The
Blue Ranger had long since understood that talking about the whole situation
wasn’t what Sydney wanted, but he made sure that she got plenty of chances to
show her beloved just how much she loved him.
And still, he was oblivious. For
a second, the Pink Ranger just shook her head.
Some days, for all his intelligence, his skill at his job, Sky Tate was
ignorant to the world outside of being a Ranger.
The ringing
of the doorbell brought her back to reality, forcing her to focus on what she
was supposed to be doing. If Bryant, her
co-writer and producer, found her staring off into space again, she wasn’t
going to hear the end of it. She’d come
to spend a couple months at his family home so they could get the album at
least written, if not completely recorded.
So far, they’d written five songs together in the span of a week, but
Sydney wanted to write something on her own, and had spent the last four days trying
to think of something other than Sky. So
far, it hadn’t worked.
“Sydney?” Juliana,
Bryant’s wife, called, as she walked up the hallway.
“In here!”
Syd called, smiling as the pretty red head walked in the spacious room. “What’s up?”
“Bryant’s
invited some people to dinner, he’d like you to come down and meet them if you
aren’t busy.”
Syd sighed
and sat down her guitar. “Sure.” Slowly, she stood and followed Juliana back
downstairs. When the pair walked out
onto the back patio where Bryant was entertaining their dinner guests, Syd
gasped. “GUYS!” she squeaked before she
rushed forward and threw her arms around Jack.
“Hey
Pinkie,” Z laughed from her seat.
“Surprise,”
Bridge greeted.
Jack
laughed as Syd bounced away from him to hug the others. “Gee, Syd, you’d think we hadn’t seen each
other in years, when we just went to lunch last week,” Jack teased.
“Shush!”
she chirped as she hugged Ally before turning to the final guest. He was standing near the pool, his back to
the setting sun and his beautiful blue eyes covered by sunglasses. Sydney struggled to get her composure as she
walked toward him. He was standing with
his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts.
His tight red and blue t-shirt showed off his muscular frame, and it
made Sydney’s heart rate rise; she couldn’t help it if Sky Tate was hot as
hell. “Hey stranger.”
Reaching
up, Sky tugged his sunglasses down and arched an eyebrow at her. “Stranger?
Looks who’s talking. I thought
you were going to come back to the academy for a few days, instead, I get a
call to come out here and see you, from Bryant of all people.”
Syd bit
her bottom lip and looked down at the ground as she stopped a few inches from
him. “I’ve been struggling with the
album, so I sort of locked myself in my room for a while,” she explained.
“Can’t
find a better subject than yourself?” Sky teased and then gasped audibly when
she looked up at him and had the start of tears in her eyes. “Syd, I was joking.” She let out a shaky breath and nodded before
she gasped when he reached forward and tugged her into his arms, which banded
around her, holding her tightly to his chest.
The others
watched the two stand by the pool, locked in an intense embrace. “It’s about time,” Z muttered.
“So,
that’s who she’s been moping around here talking about huh?” Bryant grinned.
“She’s had
feelings for Sky for four years,” Bridge told them, smiling when he saw Sky’s
hands rubbing up and down Syd’s back in an effort to comfort her. “And he’s had feelings for her for three. It’s about time they both realized it.”
While the
others turned back to talk about Syd’s album, the pair by the pool finally
pulled apart. “How’s it coming?” Sky
asked softly when Syd pulled back.
“We’ve got
five songs, but I wanted to write something on my own, and I just can’t seem to
find the right inspiration. I’ve only
got a few more weeks, and I don’t think I’m going to get it done in time.”
Sky
reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “You’ll finish it; I’ve never known you in
the five years we’ve known each other, not to finish everything you do.”
“Thanks,”
she smiled up at him. “Hungry? I’m sure Juliana has dinner ready.”
Smiling,
Sky nodded and let her lead him back toward the table and the others.
--
Sydney
felt wonderful being back at the academy.
Her new album wasn’t finished, it still needed two songs, but she was
sure she and Bryant would get it done.
Being home, where she belonged, had helped her write a few entries in
her diary, and she hoped they’d translate into those last two songs. It felt weird to be living in the academy and
not having to be on duty, but she was enjoying the experience. “Hey Sam!” Syd chirped when she saw the young
man strolling toward her.
“Hi Syd,”
he warmly greeted, reaching out to hug her.
“Have you
seen Sky today?” Syd asked softly, brushing hair back from her face.
“He’s in
the Common Room,” Sam told her. “I gotta
go, Kat wants to see me.”
“Thanks
Sam,” Syd smiled before heading for the Common Room. When the doors slid open, she was prepared to
bug the hell out of Sky until he agreed to go to the movies with her, or take
her for ice cream, anything for them to be together and out of the
academy. What she saw shattered all her
plans, and her heart.
Sky was
sitting on one of the couches with C Squad’s Pink Ranger Mackenzie Craft, one
arm around her shoulders and the other holding her hand. Their heads were bent close together, and
every so often Sky grinned at her before leaning over to kiss her softly. Sydney bit her lip to keep from crying out as
her chest tightened on her. She wasn’t
sure what was going on until both Sky and Mackenzie were rushing toward her as
she whimpered and slid to the ground.
“SYD!” Sky cried out, sliding to his knees next to her. “Sydney, talk to me; what’s wrong?”
She closed
her eyes, clenching them tight, even as she tried to push the image of Sky with
another girl out of her mind. ‘I’m too
late’ she cried silently before she pushed Sky’s hands away from her and
struggled to her feet.
“Sydney,
are you alright?” Mackenzie’s voice broke through, the concern tearing at Syd.
‘No I’m
not alright!’ she cried to herself.
‘You’ve got the one thing I want most and I didn’t even have time to
stop it!’
“SYDNEY!”
Sky called as she rushed from the room to her and Z’s quarters, her hand
covering her mouth to hold back her crying.
--
Z stood at
the top of the hill, her eyes on the figure at the bottom who was sitting in
the sand, staring off at the water. The
Yellow Ranger clenched the paper in her hand tightly, wanting nothing more than
to throttle the figure, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. The more dominate part of her, however, hurt
for her friend. She and Bridge hadn’t
found out about Sky’s new love until they’d returned to the academy. Not only was Sky practically engaged, but
Sydney had resigned from S.P.D., citing her desire to sing as her reason for
leaving. The letter in Z’s hand said
something entirely different; Syd had loved being a Ranger, and had been committed
to being a Range right along with being a singer. No, Syd’s real reason for leaving was she
hadn’t been able to handle seeing Sky in love with someone else. The Yellow Ranger shook her head. Bridge had told her Sky loved Sydney, was in
love with the blonde haired pink princess, but maybe even Bridge had been wrong
about that. Sky was hard to figure out,
even after all these years. The words
floating up from the beach broke Z’s heart.
“He says he's so in love, he's
finally got it right, I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night. He's the reason for the teardrops on my
guitar; the only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star. He's the song in the car I keep singing,
don't know why I do. Drew walks by me,
can he tell that I can't breathe? And
there he goes, so perfectly, the kind of flawless I wish I could be. She'd better hold him tight, give him all her
love, look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky cause…”
Z knew who
‘Drew’ really was; Sydney had finished the final song for her album, which was
slated to be released in a month or two.
The final two songs had been about the heartbreak of leaving SPD and
losing Sky, and Drew was Sky. Z saw
Syd’s profile, and the former Pink Ranger had tears rolling down her cheeks as
she played the song on her guitar. “Hey,”
Z whispered, sitting down next to her best friend.
Syd let
out a shaky breath and stopped playing.
“Hi.”
“How are
you holding up?” the Yellow Ranger asked softly as the pair stared out at the
serene water.
“Better
than I was,” Syd responded, hugging her guitar to her chest. “What brings you by?”
Z bit her
lip. She hadn’t wanted to get to this
just yet, but it was better coming from her or Bridge than for Syd to see it on
the news after it was announced. “I’ve
got something to tell you.”
Blue met
brown in silent communication. When the
tears streaked down Syd’s cheeks, Z’s face wrinkled in a frown. “When?” Syd croaked.
“He’s
supposed to be asking her this weekend,” Z told her, wrapping an arm around
Syd’s shoulders. “He told Bridge last
night that he finally got the ring.”
Her lips
quivered as she struggled to hold back what she was feeling. Closing her eyes, Sydney prayed for strength
and guidance. “I’m not going.”
“I figured
that,” Z whispered, leaning her head against Syd’s as she held her friend
close. “What are you going to tell him?”
“I’m not
going to tell him anything, I’m just going to make sure I’m not in New Tech on
the day of the wedding,” Syd sighed. “I
know it’s childish, and he’s one of my best friends and that I should be there
for his wedding, but damn it, I’m going to be selfish. I can’t watch him marry someone else, my
heart can’t take it.”
When the
harsh sobs started coming, Z took the guitar from her friend’s lap and set it
aside before pulling Sydney into her arms, holding her tight as she sobbed out
her heart ache. “I’ll let Bridge and
Jack know so they won’t badger you about it,” she murmured against Syd’s hair.
--
“It was announced today that famed
Red Ranger, Schuyler ‘Sky’ Tate, of SPD, is getting married to girlfriend and
fellow Ranger, Pink Ranger Mackenzie Craft.
The date hasn’t been set for the nuptials, but it’s sure to be a star
studded event, with fellow and former teammates of the couple sure to be in
attendance.”
Sighing,
Syd turned the television to a different station, and was surprised to find
herself watching MTV. When she saw a
picture of herself flash across the screen, she smiled.
“Rumor has it, that former Pink
Ranger and American’s musical sweetheart, Sydney Drew, got inspiration from her
teammates and her experiences of the last five years as a Power Ranger, for her
new album, My Life,” the
reporter on the screen said, looking into the camera. “The
first single, Teardrops, released just weeks ago, has continued to stay steady
at number one on all the charts, and the album, which is set to drop three
weeks from Tuesday, is already creating a buzz with critics and record execs
alike. The biggest question for fans
though, is who exactly is the man named Drew that she refers to in
Teardrops? Is it a song for a friend, or
is it from one of her very own heartbreaking experiences? When Sydney comes to MTV to release the
album, you can bet that will be one of the questions, along with countless
others, that her fans and the media ask her.
Till then, I’m Kent Carlisle.”
Syd shook
her head and wiped away the tears before they could fall. That was one question she was definitely not
going to answer, just for the simple fact that it was such a touchy subject. The phone ringing brought her out of her
silence. Reaching over, she sighed when
she saw who was on Caller ID. “Hello?”
“Hey,” the
familiar voice sounded, causing Syd to bite her lip to try and gain control
over her emotions.
“Hi
Sky. What’s up?” she asked, sinking down
on one of the chairs in her living room.
“Have you
been watching the news this morning?”
Sydney
wanted to growl out a yes, but swallowed it.
“Um, no, I just got up not that long ago, why?” she lied, hoping he
didn’t hear it in her voice.
“I just
wanted you to know, before you see it on t.v. that I proposed to Mack. She said yes.”
“C-c-congratulations,”
Syd managed to croak out as her eyes misted over. “Have you set the date?”
“Not yet,
but I wanted to personally ask you to be there.”
Shaking
her head, Sydney fought back her emotions.
“Well, if I can be, I will be.
With the album getting ready to be released, I’m not sure what my
schedule’s going to look like, and I might not have any free time until next
year.” She hated lying to him, but like
she’d told Z when she’d first been told, she couldn’t go through with it.
There was
a long pause on the other end.
“Okay. Um, Syd?”
“Yeah?”
“You think
we can go do something, just the two of us?
I haven’t seen you in a while, and I really need to talk to you. I miss you.”
“I’m
sorry, I’ve just been really busy,” she almost cried to him. “I’m not so good at balancing everything like
I was the first time. I’ll call you when
I find out my schedule, and we can go from there, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Listen,
Sky, I’ve got to go. I’m late for
rehearsal. I’ll talk to you later.”
There was
a long pause again. “Okay, sure. Good luck.”
“Bye.” Sydney punched the end button on the phone
and struggled not to curl up in a ball and cry.
Shaking her head, she scolded herself.
It was a sad fact, but Sky was going to marry Mackenzie, and there was
nothing she could do about it. Life had
to go on, even though it felt like she was dying inside. One day, she’d find someone she loved more
than her best friend, and when she did, loving Sky would be a distant
memory. Pushing up from her seat, she
went to grab her purse and head out.
--
“So where
is she?” Sky barked at Z as the four of them stood in the room where Sky and
his groomsmen were getting dressed. He
and Mackenzie had decided to get married only weeks after their engagement, so
everyone had scrambled to reschedule things.
“In New
York,” Z cringed. Syd hadn’t had to lie
about not being able to come, Sky and Mack had set their wedding during the
first leg of Syd’s tour, and unfortunately, between interviews and the tour
dates, Syd was stuck, even if she had wanted to come. “She couldn’t get out of it.”
Bridge bit
his lip while Jack shook his head at the distant look that crept onto Sky’s
face. Increasingly, Sky had been reverting
to the way he’d been when they’d first become a team. While the others hadn’t said anything, the
trio, along with Kat, Boom, Anubis, and Ally all knew why – Sydney, his every
bouncy ray of sunshine, was no longer in his life.
“She
promised.”
“As I
recall, you said she promised if she could, she’d be here. Well, she can’t be here, so deal with it,” Z
finally snapped, making Sky glare at her.
Jack shook his head at Bridge, indicating the two needed to work it out
on their own. “It’s not like she ever
wanted to be here to begin with.”
Sky’s eyes
snapped to Z’s face as the Yellow Ranger covered her mouth in horror, realizing
she’d just let a major secret slip out.
Jack winced while Bridge rubbed his forehead as the tension built. “Excuse me?”
“Never
mind,” Z muttered.
“Elizabeth,
what exactly did you mean by that statement?”
“Hey
guys! Check out the t.v.!” Sam laughed,
rushing in to turn the television set on.
“Syd’s performing live!”
“Not now
Sam,” Jack told him.
“Z!” Sky
snapped.
“Check it
out!” Sam laughed, oblivious to the argument brewing. “Syd’s going to finally reveal the
inspiration for the song Teardrops.”
Sky
stalked toward the woman in yellow and glared.
“Z?”
“Do you
think she wants to be here when the man she loves marries someone else?” Z
passionately asked him, just as Syd appeared on the t.v.
“Alright Sydney, why did you
finally decide to tell us who ‘Drew’ really is?” the interviewer asked as the group
of fived turned to look at the screen.
“Because after today, it won’t
really matter who he is,” Syd smiled through what suspiciously sounded like a crack in her
voice.
“Oh?”
“The real ‘Drew’ is my best friend,
and former teammate, Sky.”
“Why haven’t you told us that till
now? What’s the significance of spilling
the secret? Does he know it’s about
him?”
Sydney
looked down at her feet before looking back up at the camera. Everyone gasped when tears slid down her
cheeks. “He’s getting married today; he found someone else to love, because I
was too chicken to tell him I’ve been in love with him since the day I arrived
at the academy in New Tech. And no, he doesn’t know. I figured, even if my heart’s breaking, I can
encourage all my fans out there to do what I couldn’t. If you love someone, you need to tell them,
before you lose the chance to. It’s the
worst kind of heartbreak you could ever experience.” With that, they watched as Syd picked up
her guitar and she started to sing her song before the live studio audience.
Four sets
of eyes were on Sky as Sydney gave the most passionate performance of her life,
never once knowing the man she loved was watching her, his own heart breaking
at the grief he saw in her. Sam moved to
slide an arm around Z’s waist as Z leaned against Bridge’s shoulder. Jack stood apart from them, watching Sky’s
body shake slightly as the Red Ranger listened to Sydney’s song and finally
accepted he was the inspiration behind it.
--
She was
utterly exhausted as she entered her suite.
The audience had asked for three encores, and Sydney couldn’t help but
give it to them. She’d been so awed by
the love and support she’d gotten after revealing her big secret to the world,
but now, that awe was gone, and she was left with the loneliness of knowing Sky
and Mack were on their way to their honeymoon, which was a week in Germany, a
place Sky had always talked about wanting to visit. She dug her cell phone out of her purse and
saw she had several voice mails waiting for her. Her first thought was just to leave them
until the morning, when she’d be better equipped, emotionally, to deal with
them, but when she saw they were from Bridge, Z, and Jack, she figured she
should check them.
“Hey Syd, it’s Jack, just wanted to
give you a heads up that we sent you something; it should be at your hotel by
the time you get back from the concert.
We miss your smile and perkiness, Pinkie. Take care, and call back soon. Oh, and by the way, we saw the performance
this morning, you looked and sounded wonderful.”
Syd bit
her lip. She made a mental note to call
Jack back in the morning. She yawned and
settled into the couch cushions as the next message played.
“Sydie, it’s me. I don’t know if you got Jack’s message, but
your present might be a little delayed.
Hope you enjoy it, since it took us forever to think of something to
cheer you up. Oh, and Sky’s pretty
pissed at you for not showing up, just to give you a hint at what’s to come
when you talk to him later. Anyways, you
were beautiful this morning, and I wish you’d told the rest of us it was Sky,
though it wasn’t much of a surprise, considering. Anyways, love ya! Talk to you later.”
The former
Pink Ranger closed her eyes and grinned.
Leave it to Bridge to change subjects so fast they made her head
spin. As Z’s message began to play, Syd
wondered why the bellhop hadn’t told her there was a package for her
downstairs.
“It’s me. You’re probably still at the concert, and it
took me forever to ditch the boys so I could call and warn you. Your little present Jack sent, it’s Sky, so
be on the look out. When he got on the
plane, he wasn’t a happy camper. I’m
sure he’ll explain everything, but just so you know, he watched your
performance this morning, so he knows.
Look, I’ve got to go, if the boys find out I told you, they’ll kill
me. I miss you, if you need me, call
me. Love ya Princess!”
Sydney’s
eyes widened and her phone fell to her lap.
“Oh god,” she uttered, suddenly horrified about the possibilities of
what Z’s message brought. “I’m going to
kill them,” she spoke to no one in particular as she surged up and headed for
her bedroom.
--
After a
long, steamy bubble bath, it was well past three in the morning when Syd walked
out onto her balcony to look out at Central Park. The sounds of the ever bustling city drifted
up to her, making her smile. As she
leaned against the railing, she felt her body tense and suddenly go on
alert. All of her old Ranger training
kicked in, causing her to spin around, her arms swinging out as she attempted
to stop her attacker.
“JESUS! SYD!”
The former
Pink Ranger let out a startled yelp and fell back against the railing as she
stared up at Sky, who was rubbing his cheek, which is what she’d managed to hit
with her hand. “Sky? What in the hell are you doing here?” she
demanded, even though she had a good idea thanks to Z.
Once he
was sure she hadn’t broken any of his facial bones, he glared at her. “You’re really going to stand there and ask
me that after what happened this morning?”
Syd
debated her course of action, choosing to play dumb and tried to change the
subject. “Technically, I’m sitting,” she
pointed out the fact that she was now on the ground. “Second, I have no clue what you’re talking
about.”
“Don’t lie
to me, Syd,” he growled.
“I’m
serious; I have no idea what you’re talking about. Shouldn’t you be in Germany by now?” she
asked.
“I changed
my flight plans.”
One slim
eyebrow shot up. “Oh, I’m sure Mackenzie
was happy about that. What the hell were
you thinking? I doubt she wants to spend
your honeymoon here while you argue with me.”
“There
isn’t going to be a honeymoon, and she’s not here with me,” he told her as
evenly as he could, watching the realization sink in.
“What did
you do?” Sky sighed and moved to help
her up, the two of them leaning against the railing. “Sky?”
“I almost
made the biggest mistake of my life,” he spoke up.
“I don’t
get you,” Syd sighed. “I thought you
loved her?”
“I
do.” Syd felt whatever mends she’d made
to her heart crack. “I do love her, but
I’m not in love with her. It’s hard to
be in love with someone, when your heart isn’t yours to give to that person.”
The petite
blonde shook her head. “I don’t think I
follow you.”
Sky looked
up from where he’d been staring at the park and met her gaze. “It’s hard to marry someone, when your heart
belongs to someone other than that person.
Mine belongs to this girl I’ve known for a few years now.”
“Oh.”
Sydney bit her lip and turned to look back out at the bustling city below
them. She almost wanted to laugh and cry
at the same time, suddenly realizing that even though it was killing her
inside, it was getting easier to deal with him and his multiple loves. She almost didn’t hurt as much now as she had
when she thought he was marrying Mackenzie.
‘Or maybe it’s because I’m just so numb inside. I haven’t felt warm and alive since I left
the academy’ she thought, reaching her hands up to cover her face.
“Sydney?”
he asked softly, his voice close to her ear as his arms slowly trapped her in
front of him.
“What?”
she gasped softly.
“Wanna
hear about this girl I’m in love with?” he quietly asked.
She let
out a sob. “Oh sure, why not?” she told
him, spinning around to stare at him.
“Yes, Sky, I want to hear about this girl you’re talking about. I so sincerely want to hear about the girl
who’s going to have everything I want.”
Sky
smirked at her. “You’d like her, you
really would. She’s very sweet, gentle,
loves to cuddle up on the couch with me and just doze,” he started. “She’s got these beautiful blue eyes that
just look deep down into your soul. But
for all her beauty and her sweet nature, she can kick some serious ass. She’s a really good fighter, and she’s saved
my ass countless times.”
Syd had
her eyes closed, her body shaking as he spoke about this woman he so obviously
loved. “Oh really?”
“Yeah. I appreciate the fact that she’s stubborn,
just like me, and that she’s the first person who stood up against the man who
killed my father, the first person who believed there was more to me than meets
the eye. She’s kept me in check for a
long time, helping me walk the line between SPD and a real life. She’s my best friend, but lately, I haven’t
seen much of her.”
“I’m sorry
to hear that,” Syd murmured.
“This
morning, I watched her on live t.v., where she spilled her guts about the man
she loves, and about how he was the inspiration for her big number one
hit. You know, she never told me she was
in love with me, and I wondered why, until she said why this morning. Does she by chance sound like someone you
know?”
“Possibly,”
she whispered as Sky reached forward and tipped her chin up so she was looking
at him. Her eyes were still closed but
they opened as his thumbs caressed her skin, wiping away the remnants of her
tears.
“I’m so in
love; I think I finally got it right,”
he whispered her own lyrics back to her, watching her face scrunch up as she
started a full blown crying jag. “I
wonder if you know, you’re all I ever think about at night.” Sydney looked at him through her tears, her
heart bursting for joy as she realized he was telling her the truth. “When I left the church this morning, do you
know what Mackenzie told me?”
“No,
what?”
“She'd
better hold you tight, give you all her love; look in those beautiful eyes and
know she's lucky cause she’s got your love,” he whispered, watching as a
familiar Sydney smile peaked out through the tears. “She’s right, you know. I love you, Sydney Drew.”
Sydney
didn’t respond, she just cried as she threw herself against him, letting him
enfold her in his arms and hold her tight.
She cried harder, only this time it was tears of joy, as Sky’s
aftershave assaulted her senses and his arms warmed her cold body. He whispered soothingly sweet nothings in her
ear as she finally calmed down and rested against him.
Without a
word, Sky picked Sydney up princess-style and carried her to her room. Slowly, he took her robe off her, revealing
the pretty pink lace nightgown she wore.
Once she was ready for bed, he tucked her in before he quickly and
methodically got undressed, leaving only his boxers on, and climbed into bed
with her. He smiled when Syd snuggled
herself close to him and let out a sigh of contentment. “Sky?”
“What’s
wrong, Syd?”
“Nothing,”
she murmured against his chest. “I love
you.”
Sky
grinned and wrapped his arms tighter around her body. “I love you too, Syd.”