Ramsey let out a sigh as he called out for Sidney. “Hey Sid your ride is here.” Before the two could strike up a conversation, Sidney made her way down the stairs and let out a squeal when she saw all the beautiful flowers. She gave John a big hug and a kiss on his cheek. Ramsey went to get Sidney’s bags to load them in John’s car. “You know I have a car, I could take you home Sid,” Ramsey said. Sidney looked into Ramsey’s eyes, “I know Ramsey, and I want to thank you for the amazing weekend, but it's ok, I don’t want you to have to go so far out of your way.” “It's ok I don’t mind.” Ramsey said. Desperately trying to get her to reconsider, but Sidney didn’t seem to budge, “I will see you at work tomorrow Ramsey.” She went over and gave Ramsey a hug to thank him for the fantastic weekend. John and Sidney then got into his car and drove off. Sidney looked back as John drove away to see a very disappointed Ramsey fading further and further away into the distance.
CHAPTER 20
When John and Sidney got back to her house John helped Sidney get into the house before taking off. Sidney thanked John for helping her get her stuff into her house and for the great conversation on the trip back. She loved talking to him about what new changes he had made in his life and how he felt like a new person. Even though he is still working on controlling his anger, For the most part, he is almost a completely different person. She liked the new John, he was caring, attentive, and she felt like she could actually talk to him without having to repeat herself over and over again. The new John seemed to have a lot more confidence and was less arrogant than the old John was. She could actually see herself having a future with him and not just be content with dating forever. Then right before he went to leave, he left the sweetest kiss on her lips that he had ever given to her before. She was blown away by it one because she wasn’t expecting it and two because she had felt passion like since her kiss from Ramsey.
Then there is Ramsey. She cared a lot for him and there was chemistry, but was it because of her hormones and her dreams more so than reality? Sidney had been thinking about the two men so much she couldn’t think about much else. Knowing work was going to be coming early, Sidney decided to grab a quick shower before heading to bed. She turned the shower on, she heard a message coming through on her phone and she couldn’t help but smile, Who would it be? Ramsey or John? Her smile was lessened when she saw it was Payge wanting to ask how the rest of her weekend was.
The biggest smile touched Sidney’s face thinking about all the fun she had with Ramsey and how he took her back out to try fishing, and they went swimming, caught a few movies, and she controlled herself enough not to sleep with him even though the opportunity presented itself numerous times. She did of course, get a couple more sensual kisses but held on to her position of trying to make this decision with her heart and not her hormones. The problem now is that she can see herself with both men, but she knew she could only have one. How is a girl to choose? Sidney finally finished her shower and got into bed with her mind still torn between the two men. This was something she couldn’t shut her brain off long enough to sleep. After a few hours of tossing and turning Sidney finally was able to fall asleep.
The next morning, Sidney arrived to work and everything seemed quiet. She hadn’t heard from either John or Ramsey all morning, and she was a little disappointed about that. She walked by Mr. Brodie’s office, she saw Ramsey having what looked like an important talk with Mr. Brodie, she continued on to look at the service call book to see what was scheduled for the day. There was nothing on the road today, which meant it was going to be a paperwork kind of day, Sidney was ok with that knowing that she would get to spend the entire day in her office thinking about the sticky situation she has gotten herself into. Luckily, she didn’t have to rush into a decision. It wasn’t like there was a deadline for her decision, so she would give herself a few months between the two before she made any decisions. Sidney was euphoric with her decision and just as she thought her day couldn’t get any better Ramsey walked into their office, and he looked like he had just got some bad news or something bad had happened. At that moment he got a big grin on his face and began doing a little dance around the office, Sidney giggled, and Ramsey quickly whipped around not even noticing that she was there. “Oh Hey Sidney.” “Good morning to you too Ramsey.” She said back to him. “You are in an incredibly good mood, for a minute there I thought you got some bad news, I saw you talking to Mr. Brodie.” Sidney said Ramsey smiled and said, “That’s just it! He wants me to head up the office in Lewistown!” Sidney felt her heart stop, and all she could think about was what she was going to do?
The situation just got a deadline Sidney snapped out of her daze and said “Wow Congratulations! But doesn't that mean you will have to relocate then?” Ramsey looked at Sidney’s face to gage her reaction as he said “Yes, I would move since there is nothing here keeping me from being able to or wanting to stay.” Sidney knew that was a jab at her.” It was like a punch to the gut. Sidney then gathered up her thoughts enough to ask “So did you take the offer?” Ramsey looked down and for a split second she thought the answer was No, but then he looked back at her and said, “I have until the end of the month which was only 3 weeks away.” Sidney wasn’t expecting that blow she smiled and told Ramsey she was happy for him. Even though in reality she wanted to tell him to stay because she might be in love with him. How could she say that when she could also possibly be in love with John as well? This whole situation just got a lot harder, Sidney had to get some advice, so she called a dinner date with her sister and her best friend later in the week to discuss her options and how they think she should handle the situation.
CHAPTER 21
The rest of the week seem to fly by and before she knew it, she had been out to dinner with John twice and lunch once with Ramsey. It is now time to talk to Sammy and Payge about her situation. After a dinner, a few glasses of wine, both Payge and Sammy looked at Sidney.
“Well,” said Sammy, “So much for taking your time.”
Sidney, a little tipsy from her wine began to cry, “Tell me what to do guys, who should I choose? “They both have the potential to be my happily ever after, but I first have to choose. Yes, my relationship with John in the past was a little rocky, but he has changed for the better over the last few months. Then there is Ramsey, who is new but I still don’t think I know him well enough to want to start something, and I can’t tell if my mind and heart can be with him or just my hormones, we have a lot in common, but I still can’t count John out I think I still have feelings for him.”
Payge and Sammy looked at each other then back at Sidney. “Sidney, the decision is ultimately up to you,” said Payge, but honestly, I say go for John you too did have some good times.
Before she could finish her sentence, Sammy chimed in! “Whoa! John? Payge, The guy is a total douche bag! You guys dated only a few years and y’all had already fallen into the comfort zone of dating where a lot of women get stuck and never get out! It’s like the never ending friend zone the dating edition. Don’t make the same mistake twice. I say go for Ramsey he is a gentleman, and I think he would treat you a lot better than John would.” Sammy expressed to her sister.
Sammy and Payge bickered between themselves as Sidney was left with the same tough decision. She wanted to have a talk with both men to lay everything out on the table before she made any decision about whom she should give her heart to.
Sidney finally made it home by cab late that evening she didn’t feel comfortable driving home after drinking 3 glasses of wine. Sidney made it all the way to bed before she realized she hadn’t looked at her phone all night. She pulled her phone out and saw that she missed two calls from John and a text from Ramsey. She is not only tipsy but also having difficulty choosing which man to contact first. She felt she couldn’t make any rash decisions, especially in her current state, so she put the phone away and went to sleep. That night, she dreamt that she was walking down a long dirt path and then came to a split in the road, both p
aths looked beautiful and scenic, but which does she choose, she fell to her knees and began to cry not knowing what she was going to do. To her left appeared Payge telling her to go down one path and the right was Sammy telling her to go the other way, then John and Ramsey both appeared and began pulling her in different directions, and it was all too much, Sidney woke up Screaming!
The next morning, Sidney woke up even more exhausted than when she laid down the night before. A slight reminder of last night's drinking in the form of a headache was there to greet her when she woke up that morning as well. She decided to have a nice shower and a cup of coffee before work. Sidney tried to clear her head before going to work, Nothing she did worked, and her decision was starting to affect not only her sanity but also her job.
She was at work now and had to focus on doing her job. When she got out of the car, she looked at her phone while walking to the door then unknowingly bumped into someone. “Oh, excuse me,” she said as she looked up and saw someone standing there holding flowers. It was John; he was dropping the flowers to her at work. Thanking her for the fun he had hanging out during the week. He had been making cute sentiments all week. She smiled and thanked him for the beautiful flowers. John then handed her the flowers and laid one hell of a kiss on her lips.
She was a little less surprised by it since she welcomed his kisses seeing as how that was another thing that seemed toloved, What Sidney didn’t know was the entire time she was out kissing John, her co-workers were all watching her including Ramsey. Ramsey could feel his blood boil. No Sidney wasn’t his to claim but he damn sure wanted her to be and he wasn’t going to chase a woman who didn’t want him. Sidney finally entered the building and was met with a bunch of hoots and hollers. Her face immediately turned red, and she looked down at the floor and then back up when she realizes that among all her coworkers, Ramsey was the only one that had an angry look on his face. Sidney was embarrassed, her smile quickly turned into a frown as she walked back to her office to see Ramsey angrily doing work at his desk.
“Is everything all right, Ramsey?” she asked as she sat down at her desk, Ramsey had been acting funny all week after he told her about the promotion offer Mr. Brodie made him.
Ramsey looked at Sidney, relaxed his face, and said, “Yes, I am fine, how are you today?”
Sidney smiled at him and replied, “Fine.”
Ramsey quickly replied, “Yea, you looked like you were having a lot of fun out there.”
Sidney’s smile faded, this was a new side of Ramsey, and she was not sure if she liked it or what his problem was, but she was not going to stand for it. Sidney then looked at Ramsey and replied, “Yes, we were talking about John moving in with me, so I am excited.” Sidney hadn’t told anyone that bit of information yet for fear that she would get a lecture about moving him back into her house so soon. She didn’t mean to let it slip, but she could tell that Ramsey was not ok with that information. She couldn’t help it, all the feelings she had for John were coming back, and she was falling in love with him all over again. She hadn’t had a dream about Ramsey in a while, and she had to admit it was nice to get a good night's sleep. She knew deep down that she had made her decision. She just didn’t want to admit it to everyone else yet. Ramsey would never break the rules of the job he loved so much, especially with the promotion he was offered, so she felt that Ramsey was a lost cause.
Ramsey spent the last week in a funk about Sidney. He wanted to tell her how he felt. he wanted her to know that he had fallen in love with her and that seeing her with John was killing him. He should be the one putting that beautiful smile on her face, kissing her soft beautiful cherry red lips, he should be the one holding her at night, and sharing his life with. Thankfully, it was finally the weekend, and that meant it was time to hang with friends, have a few beers and get some things off his chest and hopefully some advice on what to do about this Sidney situation. He had never felt like this with anyone.
His random encounters with his occasional girlfriend, Rachel, had been just that random. He would see her when she wanted a late night bed partner and then off again into the wind like a puff of smoke. He knew she would never be a permanent fixture in his life, but occasionally, getting together to get it on was nice to break the silence his life had become so used to. Over the last few months of getting to know Sidney, he began to realize he needed someone in his life, someone to call his own, and someone to share not only his bed with but also his life. Ramsey was ready to have a steady girlfriend, and possibly get married.
James looked up at Ramsey. “Ok, Bro, you got it bad! What did this woman do to you? I have never seen you like this about a woman before. Look around, there are tons of women out there. What makes this one so special?” James said in a condescending tone.
As Ramsey looked out to the party that James insisted they attend, In Portland that night. The party was organized by one of James’s other friends, Isaac for his birthday. Isaac was a wealthy, eligible bachelor who was always throwing parties that James was always trying to drag Ramsey to. Ramsey of course not being into the big party scene usually turns down James’s invites, but tonight was different. Ramsey was hoping it would help clear his mind. James was correct that there were many beautiful women at the party, but none of them could get Sydney out of his head.
James and Ramsey found a VIP table to sit at… “Ramsey, what is it about this girl that’s driving you crazy?” James asked.
Ramsey looked down into his beer,took a swig and placed it on the table in front of him.“I don’t know man, everything. We have only known each other for a little while, maybe a little over a year. But I still feel like there could be something between us,” Ramsey told James, “The problem is, this promotion means me relocating and I would never see her again, but I think I want to be with her. I just don’t think she feels the same way. Her Ex is back in her life, and she seems happy with him,” Ramsey told James.
James looked at Ramsey, “Look man, if she is happy why mess with her happiness? You don’t know how she feels about you, and you have an excellent opportunity to better yourself. Please tell me you're thinking about not taking it because of a woman, James exclaimed. Dude, this woman has you all messed up! Look at you man! There are beautiful women all over the place! What about Rachel?” James asked.
“Man! Rachel only calls or texts when she needs a bed partner for a few hours and then she is gone like a fart in the wind, I need more… I want a stable relationship, a real relationship where I can get married and maybe even have family one day.”
With those words, James looked at Ramsey… “Does this mean you are turning in your player card?”
Ramsey looked at James and smiled… “Yes, I believe it does.”
CHAPTER 22
“Good Morning sweetheart,” Sidney’s eyes opened and focused on the figure lying next to her. She took a minute to look around and realized she wasn’t at home. Grabbing her head, the pain she was experiencing let her know that she had too much to drink the night before, and the fact that she didn’t recognize the place she was told her that she had gone home with John.
“Good Morning,” she said still a little foggy.
“I will get up and make us some coffee,” John said, getting up putting on his shorts. “What did I do?” Sidney thought to herself, mortified at the thought of a drunken mistake that she might have made.
Little glimpses of the night before starting coming back to her. She and John went out for a few drinks at the bar, then the next thing she remembers is the cab ride to John’s place, but the rest is a blur. She sat up in bed as John came back into the room with two cups of coffee.
“Thank you,” Sidney said, taking the cup that was being offered to her. She took a sip of the coffee handed to her by John. He lay down next to her with a look of contentment on his face.
Sidney smiled at him, “What’s up with you?” She asked.
“Oh nothing, just love having you back in my life.” Sidney just smiled even though she
was in John’s bed she couldn’t help but think about Ramsey.
“Sidney, are you ok?” John asked, expecting her to say something… “Anything?”
Sidney scratched her head, “Yes, sorry John my head is killing me.”
“Well, hopefully the caffeine from the coffee will help if not I have some aspirin you can take.” John said. After talking with John for a little bit as they drank their coffee, Sidney was able to get a quick shower before she left John’s place.
As soon as she got home, Sidney called her sister. “Sammy, I slept with him.” Sidney said.
Sammy had a feeling it wasn’t with Ramsey, “So, I guess you have made your decision then,” Sidney almost forgot about it.
“Maybe, I don’t know, we talked about trying to work things out, and maybe him moving in eventually.” Sidney said to her sister trying to convince her of this possibly being a good idea.
“It sounds like you are trying to convince yourself, this could be a good idea Sidney.” Sammy said to her.
“Stop that, you know that drives me crazy,” Sidney whipped back at her knowing that her twin connection was being used by Sammy to read her thoughts.
“It sounds like you are scared to get hurt or rejected, so you are taking the easy way out and sticking to your comfort zone, Sidney,” Sammy said to her sister.
“Well, maybe I am, so what!” Sidney said to Sammy.
“Ramsey had all this time while John and I were split up to make a move and he didn’t so why should I sit around waiting forever for something that could possibly not happen,” Sidney said to her sister in an aggravated tone.
Sammy quickly tried to defuse the situation, “Well Sidney, it’s your life and no one has to live it but you. Just remember, There are reasons things are put in our past… They are not made to make it to our futures.”
In my Dreams Page 10