If Someday Never Comes

Chapter 39

Brooks's POV

I feel my resolve slipping.  

And the feel of her skin against mine as I latched onto her wrist the other night was enough for the walls to really begin crumbling. 

As we stood there under the outside lights of The Tavern, her scent filled my nose, the feel of her skin made my heart beat faster, and I itched to hold her there longer. This had been bubbling for months and I was afraid if I didn't put some distance between us it was going to turn into a rolling boil, one I wouldn't be able to stop myself from acting on. I could tell she had been avoiding me all week and I let her, because I needed to avoid her too. It was easier to do if I thought it was for her and maybe that's just my ego playing the victim, regardless, it's what we both needed.

  I'm just trying to be your friend...the words I had whispered to her that night rang in my ears...bullshit. I told myself. 

I knew this had gone way beyond that, the minute she walked back into this damn town and I knew I had reached my limit. I was committed to Courtney. Hell, I was supposed to go taste cake with her at the end of the week and as much as my head is more in that relationship than my heart, it was my choice. When she returned from New York with a list of wedding gowns she was contemplating ordering she apologized for answering my phone and promised it wouldn't happen again. She seemed genuine or at least as genuine as Courtney can be but when she tried to strip me of my clothes that night I feigned a headache and rolled over and tried to sleep. How fucking cliche is that? 

I pushed the door open to the coffee shop first thing Saturday morning and it stuck, I'll have to take a look at that, well, I'll have one of the guys look at it I tell myself. My time here needed to be limited and that was what I was going to tell Sydney as soon as I left here. I wanted to stop in and check on the painting that was finished along with the faux brick wall the guys had gotten done, Jay and Phil were meeting me here soon to go over the plan for next week. 

I flipped on the lights to the main room and my chest filled with warmth. It looked great, welcoming, cozy, all the ways Sydney had described it to me many times over the last few weeks, it felt like her, and that made an ache pass through my chest. She deserved this, I thought...and that's when I heard it. A soft sound coming from the back 

I didn't see any other cards parked outside but Sydney's car was parked outside of her place across the street so she could have walked over, I thought, "Sydney..." I waited for a response. I walked toward the bathroom but the light was off and the room was empty, "Sydney...It's me..." Where the hell was she, I thought to myself...and that's when I heard it more clearly, soft sobs coming from her office, I turned down the short hallway and into the small room when my chest tightened at the sight in front of me. Sydney sat there in a folding chair her hair fell wildly around her face, and her small curves were swallowed by an oversized zip-up hoodie and sweatpants as she buried her face with her hands and her shoulders wracked with gentle cries. She looked like a mess, but a beautiful one, and I swear I could hear my heart crack at the sight.

I walked into the small room slowly, "Hey," I said softly as I reached over to the speaker that she had music flowing from and turned it off. Startled at my presence Sydney jolted her eyes up and began quickly wiping the tears from her face. "Brooks, shit, you scared me," she whispered. 

"What's wrong?" I asked as I gently fell to my knees in front of her, unable to stop myself from reaching out to touch her, my hand landed on her shoulder and I felt her shudder underneath me. It sent flames through my skin but I held it there as her eyes met mine and everything in the room felt smothered by the energy exchanging between us. A tear slipped from her eye and without thinking about what I was doing I gently brushed it away. She sucked in a breath and the tears fell further, faster until she was once again in full sobs. My mind told me to stop but my heart moved faster than my brain, I pulled her into my chest and wrapped my arms around her, she collapsed into me and brought her arms around my neck clinging to me as she fell apart.