Home to Stay

Chapter 10

-April, 2006-

For the remainder of Saturday afternoon, Sydney and Michael continued their trip down high school memory lane, then, at dinner they parted so Michael could go home to his parent’s house and eat with them. Sydney had been slightly shocked that he hadn’t been to see them first, but he said it wasn’t that pressing since he had been home for Christmas and a few months earlier, they visited him in Vancouver where he was filming a movie.

At this, Sydney was slightly offended, but she didn’t let it show. How could he have come home and not at least given her a courtesy call since, presumably, that wasn’t the first Christmas he had been home to visit his parents since college. She tried not to dwell on it too much, but still, it bothered her.

On Sunday morning at eleven, Sydney went to her parent’s house for their weekly brunch. Since Nadia was away for the semester, Sydney made it a point to visit them at least weekly, if not more, to ease her mother’s worry and suffering with both of her daughters gone.

“So… Michael’s back,” she told them with a sigh, pushing her eggs around her plate with a fork.

“Ah, I thought he’d be showing up after sending you those flowers,” Irina smiled.

“Flowers? What flowers?” her father chimed in.

“He sent me two bouquets of tulips for my birthday last week,” Sydney explained. “Then Friday night he showed up at my apartment thanks to Mom giving him the address behind my back.”

“Sweetheart, I thought you’d be glad to see him,” her mother said, sounding slightly worried.

“I am… I guess,” she sighed. “It’s just… you know that thing they say about first loves?”

“What thing?”

“That thing, the thing… how you never forget them or something?” she asked. Her mother nodded, encouraging her to continue. “Well… do you believe it?”

“I suppose, after all, I did marry mine,” her mother said before exchanging a loving look with her husband.

“Oh,” Sydney laughed softly. “It just… I guess I never really contemplated in detail what it would be like to see him again… I just never thought it’d be this…,” she let her voice drift off.

“Hard?” her mother offered.

Sydney shook her head slightly at this. “The exact opposite, in fact. Easy - really, really easy. So easy that it feels like we were only apart for a week, not four years. God, I mean four years. It should be awkward, shouldn’t it? I mean, maybe not awkward, but not entirely normal. He’s not even entirely normal, not anymore, but it’s so easy. I just opened the door and we were right back to cracking jokes, taking shots at each other… making bets,” she commented with a slight dreamy sigh. Then, she quickly straightened her expression at her father’s cautious glance and her mother’s satisfied smile.

“Is there something wrong with that?” her mother asked after a moment of silence.

“No, not really,” Sydney mumbled, still pushing the eggs around on her plate. “It’s just… I see now how easy it would be to go back to that place we were, but I can’t do that, because he’s just going to go away again… back to Hollywood… living that life.”

“Is he starting another movie soon?” her father asked. She shook her head and explained that he had two months before filming started on his next endeavor.

“Then maybe he’ll stick around,” her mother said hopefully.

“Mom, please. No one in their right mind chooses Warrington over Hollywood.”

“Oh Sydney, come now. Michael hardly seemed like he was consumed by that lifestyle. I mean, he didn’t seem that way on the phone. Does he in person?” her mother asked, thinking the answer had to be no.

Sydney shook her head. “No, he hasn’t changed a bit,” she said in a tone that made it obvious she was glad for this.

“There you go,” her mother pointed out. Sydney shrugged her shoulders; she still wasn’t sure and she didn’t want to set herself up to be hurt… again.


After brunch with her parents, Sydney stopped at the grocery store to pick up food to restock her empty refrigerator. Then, she returned two movies she had rented and did a few other errands before returning to her apartment. Her task for that afternoon was one she had planned to do the day before, but put it off when Michael showed up. It, however, couldn’t wait any longer. The unpleasant task at hand: cleaning her bathroom.

Though she nearly gagged twice, she managed to get it livable once more before starting her dinner and curling up on the couch with a book and Ophelia. She had just finished cleaning up her food and putting the leftovers in a container for her lunch the following day when there was a knock at her door. Not surprisingly, it was Michael. She only opened the door wide enough to stick her head out and ask, “Can I help you?”

“That depends… can I come inside?” he asked.

“What’s the password?” she inquired, her face very serious. He laughed for a moment at her craziness before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “Eh, that’ll work,” she sighed, opening the door wider. “What’s up?”

“Well, I checked out of the hotel and moved my stuff to my parent’s house… but as it turns out, Sunday night has become their ‘date night,’” he said with air quotes. “And, for my own sanity, I cannot be around that.”

“I understand that would be traumatic,” Sydney grimaced slightly. “Why’d you move out of the hotel? Please, don’t tell me it’s because you’re that cheap, Mr. ‘I make fifteen million dollars for working two weeks.’”

“Okay, first, it takes a few months to make a movie,” he pointed out; she shrugged. “Second, I don’t make fifteen million dollars a movie.”

“Fourteen? Twelve? Ten?” she asked. She knew she had guessed right on the last number when tried to look evasive. “HA! Ten million dollars! That’s an obscene amount of money, Michael. You could like… buy a house to live in for the weekend.”

“That would be wasteful though,” he told her. She rolled her eyes and walked towards her couch, where she sat down. “Besides, my mom twisted my arm into staying at home. Not to mention the fact that every time I walked through the hotel lobby I-”

“Was swarmed with groupies?” she offered. He didn’t respond (which meant yes) and sat down beside her. “I guess it doesn’t really matter, though. You won’t be here much longer anyway,” she sighed.

“O ye of little faith,” he shook his head.

She gave a soft ‘mmm’ as she sat back on the couch, wondering what to say next. “So, Mr. Hollywood, tell me about your next film, Or is it top secret?”

“It’s not top secret. In fact, I’ll bring you the script next time I come. I have it in my bag because, theoretically, I should start memorizing it soon,” he said. Sydney laughed, for she knew all too well he was ‘the panic at the last second because I chose not to learn my lines a head of time like I should have’ type, which mean she had spent many sleepless nights running lines with him in their dorm rooms.

He went on to explain the basic premise of the movie. His character, Simon Patterson, was a writer. He wrote mostly murder mysteries under a pen name, so no one knew what he really did and he was a rather lonely sort of person. Then, towards the beginning of the movie, he meets Amy, a mysterious girl who he immediately falls for. Neither of them were ever very good at romance, but somehow, for the two of them together, it worked well. For a getaway, they go up to Amy’s cabin in the woods, which is where the second half of the movie takes place. After a few romantic days, things start to turn sour as Amy begins to act out some scenes from one of Simons books, which disturbs him entirely. By the end of the movie, Amy’s taken several unsuccessful attempts at Simon’s life and one of her murder plans backfires and she kills herself accidentally. Then, Simon goes back home and pretends the whole thing never happened, but uses it in a plot for his next book.

“Creepy,” Sydney commented when he was finished explaining.

“I know, isn’t it?” Michael laughed. “I like the director though, he’s really cool and I’ve never done a suspense thriller type movie… so it could be fun, you never know.”

“Well, as long as you like it, that’s all that matters,” she smiled at him. They discussed the movie plot for a few more minutes before Sydney yawned and looked at the clock. “Oh… it’s getting kinda late.”

Michael looked at the clock and then back at her, dumbfounded. “It’s nine thirty.”

“Well, I’m not exactly used to partying ‘til dawn like you, hotshot,” she said. “Besides, I have to get up at six a.m. tomorrow for a meeting an hour away.”

“Yikes. That’s like,” he paused to count in his head, “THREE a.m. west coast time.”

“Uh huh, I know. So…,” she paused, taking a deep breath. Her next suggestion was either going to be a good one, or the stupidest one she had made in her life. “You wanna stay to risk any visual scarring due to your parents?”

“You’d let me stay?” he asked, grinning. She shrugged casually. “Okay, I’ll stay… it’s a good thing I already told my parents I wouldn’t be back until tomorrow,” he smirked.

She elbowed him and muttered, “Cocky,” before going into her bedroom to change.

Fifteen minutes later, they were settling down in Sydney’s bed with Ophelia at their feet, when Sydney began rethinking her brilliant idea. Sharing the same sleeping space as Michael would only make it a thousand times more difficult to keep him at arms length until he left. “You know what I’m happy about?” she asked softly.

“Hmm?”

“That you’re still you and not cocky asshole actor, Michael,” she told him.

He laughed softly. “Thanks Syd.”

“I’m serious. Tell me something.”

“Hmm?”

“Where do you like it better? There or here?”

He sighed and rolled over to face the middle of the bed, where thier noses became so close they were nearly touching. “I dunno… I think they’re too different to compare. But I know one thing - I can’t spend the rest of my life living out in Hollywood. It’s just too… I don’t think there are words for it.”

“Mmm,” she sighed, shutting her eyes lightly. That was the answer she had wanted to hear, but she wasn’t sure if she was glad she had heard it. “I’m glad you’re here, Michael.”

“I’m glad I’m here too,” he said softly. He lay there for a moment, studying her face in the dimly lit room. She looked just as she had four years earlier, the last time they had shared a bed. Just as beautiful; just as angelic. Unable to restrain himself any longer, Michael leaned his face in toward hers.

Sydney felt him do this and, just as she had for their first kiss, she didn’t let herself pull back, but instead, leaned in and kissed him gently. “Goodnight,” he sighed.

“Goodnight,” she repeated softly, tucking her head against his shoulder. Lying there, she didn’t consider that kiss to be their second-first kiss, even though it really was. He hoped for it; she was a bit oblivious of it, but that kiss was the beginning of something; something big.
 
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Michael leaned his face in toward hers.

Sydney felt him do this and, just as she had for their first kiss, she didn’t let herself pull back, but instead, leaned in and kissed him gently. “Goodnight,” he sighed.

“Goodnight,” she repeated softly, tucking her head against his shoulder. Lying there, she didn’t consider that kiss to be their second-first kiss, even though it really was. He hoped for it; she was a bit oblivious of it, but that kiss was the beginning of something; something big.
Aww how sweet :lol: Loved the chapter. Can't wait for more.
 
".. that kiss was the beginning of something, something big." That´s really great!! They are so cute together. I hope he´ll stay in Warrington forever.
 
“Goodnight,” she repeated softly, tucking her head against his shoulder. Lying there, she didn’t consider that kiss to be their second-first kiss, even though it really was. He hoped for it; she was a bit oblivious of it, but that kiss was the beginning of something; something big.


totally melting with happiness, this is so cute. love this ending too... :smiley: yay fluff.

please please please don't tell me there will be some huge angsty middle... but i feel there will be due to the way you model most of your stories...
 
“No, not really,” Sydney mumbled, still pushing the eggs around on her plate. “It’s just… I see now how easy it would be to go back to that place we were, but I can’t do that, because he’s just going to go away again… back to Hollywood… living that life.”
Maybe not, you might be able to convince him to stay... :smiley:

Sharing the same sleeping space as Michael would only make it a thousand times more difficult to keep him at arms length until he left.
I think it is already to late for that...

“Where do you like it better? There or here?”

He sighed and rolled over to face the middle of the bed, where thier noses became so close they were nearly touching. “I dunno… I think they’re too different to compare. But I know one thing - I can’t spend the rest of my life living out in Hollywood. It’s just too… I don’t think there are words for it.”
See one problem solved already... :cool:

Awesome update, things are moving along nicely!!! (y)
 
We now know Michael wants to start their relationship again- that's pretty obvious. Like Sydney, I'd like to know why he'd visit his parents and not bother to let her know he was in town? And if he does let her know will it be another lame excuse?

Chris
 
I wonder how many times he had come home and only saw his parents.
I hope his excuse for not calling her or seeing her was not just that he didn't
know what to say, but also he wasn't there long enough to see or call anyone else.

I wonder if he wants to stay there the majority of time instead of Hollywood.
 
oh my goshness.
i lovelovelove this story!!!
one of your best, Janet!
i was thinking back to one of your fics the other day, and i cant remember the name of it. Sydney and Vaughn were high school sweethearts and then Syd has his kid but doesnt tell him and he winds up the kid's french teacher?
Could you PM me the link? Cos its been annoying me that i couldnt remember the name to describe it!
tata!
 
Awww so sweet! I know that the angst is coming, I just don't know when it will happen. Hopefully the sweetness lasts for a bit longer, before we get to the angst.
Great update
 
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