Page 41 of Buried Treasure
Chapter 14
Andy got off the elevator on Ryan's floor and took a deep breath before walking down the hallway. Amelia had invited him over for one final dinner before she left town, and he couldn't turn her down. Plus, he wanted to see Sydney.
He was hoping she would be at the game the other night, but Ryan only brought his mom. At least that's what Andy assumed. The trainers' room was always busy with players needing to be patched up or tended to after a hard-fought game. It was possible she was there and left before he was done, but he figured she would've at least ducked in and said hi, especially after that morning together.
He stopped and closed his eyes for a second, remembering her soft skin laid out underneath him, the way she moaned his name. What he would give to have her like that again. He had to force himself to keep moving if he didn't want the thought of it to render him useless right in that hallway. Luckily, a noise down the hall broke him out of his thoughts, and he opened his eyes to see Sydney turn and look at him. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.
"Hi," she said quietly.
"Hey," he said, falling in line next to her as the two of them began to walk together to Ryan's apartment. "So I uh, I didn't see you at the game."
Her eyes closed briefly and looked down at her feet. "Yeah, I just couldn't make it."
Andy nodded in understanding. She was hiding herself away from the world rather than having to face it. She didn't have to say she was too busy to get to the game or something like that. She wasn't, and he knew that. But he knew she was preoccupied with things that had nothing to do with him. He wasn't about to call her out for her answer.
When they got to Ryan's door, Amelia welcomed them in with open arms.
"I'm so glad you're both here!" she said as she pulled them into the apartment. "Andy, you'll be happy to know that I made Ryan get some exercise before you got here."
Ryan scowled from his spot on the couch. "She made me clean."
"He even vacuumed! Great workout for his abs, eh?"
Andy smiled, knowing full well that Amelia was more into teasing her son than getting his trainer to approve of her exercise regimen.
"That was a great idea, Amelia," he replied in an exaggerated tone. "I'll make sure he keeps that up when you're gone."
"Don't encourage her!"
"Why don't you two get yourselves something to drink," Amelia told them.
She wandered back into the living room, and Andy gave Sydney an awkward smile before heading into Ryan's kitchen with Sydney behind him.
"Looks like your choices are Vernor's and water," Andy said as he stared into the fridge.
"Vernor's."
Andy smiled and handed her a can of pop.
"I want one too!"
Ryan's yelling from the living room made Andy roll his eyes, but he grabbed another can anyway. The four of them then sat down around the kitchen table getting their fill of Amelia's home cooking. Tonight was some sort of casserole with meat and potatoes and it was heavenly. It was obvious that they had been fed well while Amelia in town. Ryan wasn't going to be the only one who missed her home-cooked meals.
"It makes me feel better that Ryan has the two of you watching out for him."
Amelia made sure to put an emphasis on "the two of you" as she glanced between Andy and Sydney. It's like she thought one look from her would make them start dating and get married and have babies while managing her son next door. But Andy took his cue from Sydney and kept his mouth shut. Besides, there wasn't anything to tell. Andy couldn't really explain what was going on between them, or what to label it, or if there even was a label for it. Better to just not think about that.
"Don't worry," Andy said. "We'll take good care of him."
"Yeah, I'm going to need someone to start packing for me again," Ryan said.
"What does that mean?" Sydney asked.
"Andy cleared me to go on the road with the team this week."
"Yep," Andy said. "Our patient has made a great recovery so it's time to get him back out there."
Andy turned to see Sydney's reaction to the news. He was expecting her to be happy, but that wasn't really the case. She had a smile on her face, sure, but there was something else going on.
