Page 45 of Buried Treasure
Chapter 15
Andy's alarm went off on his phone, making him thankful he even remembered to set it in the first place. After the night he had with Sydney, he was surprised he didn't just fall asleep as soon as his head hit her pillow. But he hadn't done that. Instead, he stroked her bare shoulder and laid soft kisses on the back of her neck until she fell asleep next to him. Then he quietly programmed his phone to wake him up at 6 a.m. and closed his eyes next to her.
The alarm wasn't by choice, of course. Because if he had a choice, he would be staying in this bed with her for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, the real world was sneaking into this quiet space and he had to go.
Andy slid out of bed, careful to not wake Sydney up. He went into her bathroom to throw some water on his face and brush his teeth. The pink toothbrush that Sydney had given him had somehow found its way into this bathroom. He had to smile a bit since he wasn't sure if she did it just because or if she had let her hopes get up after their first encounter in this bedroom.
That first time with her was amazing, but there was something special about last night, about the way she let him take his time with her. By her reaction, he wondered when the last time was that she had a man paying that kind of undivided attention to her. Perhaps he could save that conversation for another time.
He tiptoed back to her bedroom, quietly finding different articles of his clothing strewn all over her floor. It was a bit difficult to get dressed with the low winter sun filtering through the blinds, but he refused to turn on a light and potentially wake Sydney up. She looked so quiet and peaceful, especially after everything that had happened to her. Sydney had mentioned in passing at dinner last night that she was having trouble sleeping, but she looked like she was more than enjoying it right now. Andy hoped part of the reason she had finally found some peace was because of him.
He walked over to her side of the bed and quietly sat down next to her. He brushed some hair out of her face, tucking it gently behind her ear, and let the back of his hand gently brush over her cheek. She was beautiful, even if she was snoring just a bit as he sat next to her. He pulled the blankets up around her to keep her warm and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he used all the will power he had to get himself up and out of her bedroom.
The living room was a little brighter as the sun started to come through the windows, making it easy for him to find his coat. But then what? He realized it was a bit crazy after what they had shared, but he still didn't have her phone number. How was he supposed to stay in contact with her and encourage her while he was gone on this road trip? He reached for his wallet and grabbed a business card out of it. He never understood why he needed business cards, but the team insisted. Thankfully, he was going to finally find a good use for them.
But just putting the card down on the counter next to her cell phone felt a little weird, like he was completing a business transaction or something. He didn't want to give that kind of impression at all. Plus, the card only had his cell phone number for his job on it. The last thing he needed was Sydney calling that number while he was working on some winger's groin injury. That just couldn't happen for so many reasons.
He looked around and found a pen on her kitchen counter, deciding it would be best to leave his personal cell number with her. He rarely got any calls on that number, but it was the best way to have her reach him. Then he stood there, looking at the numbers on the card. Should he add a "Call me," or "In case you need anything," to the number? Would writing "I miss you," be too much? That was a definite. So instead, he just wrote "Andy" above it. To be fair, there was no one else who would put a phone number on the back of Andy's business card and it seemed a bit pedestrian, but there it was.
He left the card on the counter next to her phone, figuring she would see it when she woke up. If and when she actually used it would be up to her. He wouldn't be the one to push her. She needed to call him when she was ready, whenever that would be. Then he opened the door to her apartment and quietly slipped out.
The streets of Detroit were starting to wake up to another Monday morning, but most of the traffic was coming into the city, not out towards his apartment in Royal Oak, so it didn't take him long to get home. The drive also gave him some extra time to think about the stuff he had to pack in his suitcase — something he had planned to do last night before he ended up sleeping at Sydney's place.
Not that he would complain about spending the night with Sydney instead of packing for a west coast road trip. He would never complain about that.
Sydney stretched out in her bed, trying to shake the stiffness from her limbs. Then she remembered why she was stiff and smiled. Andy had done some amazing things to her the night before, had taken his time worshiping her, had made her feel wanted again. She would definitely be happy to get more of that.
She rolled over to see if Andy was awake and ready for another round. But instead, she found her bed empty.
"Andy?" she called out.
No response. She sat up and took a look around her bedroom. She was naked and cold and would feel much better with his shirt on her to keep her warm. But there was no shirt. No pants. His clothes were gone, which probably meant he was gone too.
Sydney sighed and let her head fall limp. All that talk about trusting him, all those things about making sure he took care of her, and he didn't say goodbye before he left.
She pulled herself out of bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around her as she headed for her dresser. She grabbed a shirt and sweatpants from the drawers, and threw them on as she let the sheet drop to the floor in a pile she would deal with later. Then she walked into the bathroom to put some water on her face before reaching for her toothbrush. She noticed the pink toothbrush she had given Andy a few nights ago was sitting on her counter and it was wet from being used. He had enough time to brush his teeth with the toothbrush she gave him — albeit a free one from her dentist — but he didn't have enough time to tell her he was leaving.
Maybe there was an explanation. He had mentioned that everyone was headed out for a road trip this week. Perhaps he had to leave and catch a plane for wherever they were going. It would at least explain the fact that he had already left by whatever time this was. Sydney checked her clock. 9 a.m. She shrugged. Being out of a woman's apartment by that time in the morning seemed reasonable. Of course, she still didn't know when exactly he left.
It was all a bit too much to think about this early — well, this relatively early. So instead, Sydney dragged herself into the kitchen and started brewing a pot of coffee. It was a bit boring and mundane to watch the machine drip drip drip into the pot, but she was over thinking other things this morning so at least she had found something that didn't take much brain work.
She was pouring her first cup when she heard a knock on the door. She took a sip from her mug and quickly put it down next to her phone on the counter before checking to see who was bothering her this early. There was a lovely Canadian woman dressed in a huge parka on the other side of the door.
"Sydney!" Amelia said as soon as she opened it.
She threw her arms around Sydney, who took a few seconds to process that Ryan's mom was hugging her, and it was a good mom hug. One that Sydney had desperately needed lately.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
"Just saying goodbye," the woman replied as she pulled away from Sydney. "We're on our way to the airport to get both of us out of here."
Sydney was trying really hard to hide the emotion that was once again threatening to creep up into her throat. She wasn't about to tell Ryan and Amelia just how much the time she had spent with them had meant and how hard it was for her to say goodbye.
"So you're both leaving now?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ryan said. "And we're going to be late if mom keeps lamenting the fact that she's leaving me in someone else's care."
"I know that Andy knows what he's doing, but Ryan is still my baby."
