“Calm down? Your water just broke in the middle of the kitchen, and you sent your soon-to- be fiancé out of town for the weekend.”
Oh god, he’s right.
I clasp a hand over my mouth.
The next few minutes happen quickly. I change my clothes, and then we grab my hospital bag and load back into my car. I text Mark and call him over and over, but I still haven’t reached him as they check me into labor and delivery.
Mark
My mind is still reeling at Sydney’s eagerness when she told me to get out of town. Does she really want to get away from me that much? Am I that bad to be around? I know I haven’t been myself, but I thought I was still polite, and I’ve never once done anything wrong. Although, I thought that was the case before, too, so maybe I don’t actually know what it means to treat her right.
“Okay, we have got to get your mind focused on something else,” Tripp says from behind the wheel.
“I agree,” Winston adds from the back seat. “I can’t see his face, but I sure can feel the vibe he’s giving, and it’s not a fun one.”
“I’m just confused, and I feel like I’ve been confused for two weeks straight. I don’t like it.”
“So, you two haven’t talked at all?” Tripp asks.
“Not about that. Not since I got home that night. Besides, there isn’t anything else to say. We both had very different versions of what was happening between us.”
“I think . . . never mind.”
“No, tell me,” I say and spin in my seat to look my best friend in the eye. “Tell me anything, even if it hurts me.”
“I think you’re overreacting. Did she say sorry?”
“Yeah.”
“Did she say she wants to be with you?”
“Not exactly. I mean, I cut her off a lot. She just kept saying sorry and crying, and it was breaking me. So, I cut her off and said we’d talk about it in the morning, but then morning came around and no one brought it up.”
“So, you didn’t even give her a chance to explain?” Tripp asks.
I look between my friends and shake my head. “No.”
“Then you can’t be this upset. You should know better than all of us how important communication is, Mark. You should talk to her.”
I can’t believe I never thought of that. What if I let her explain and she really does love me? All the pain of the last two weeks could have been avoided.
“I will. I’ll talk to her as soon as we get back.”
“No. Do it now. I’m not going to spend the weekend watching you mope around.”
“Good point,” I agree and reach into my pocket for my phone.
Shoot, I must have put it in my bag.
“Will you hand me my bag?’’ I ask Winston. He reaches into the back of the SUV and then hands it to me.
I search every pocket three times.
“I can’t find my phone. Will one of you call it?”
“Yeah,” Winston says.
“Are you calling it?” I snap. I don’t hear it ring.
