Chapter 54

So this chapter is a little different than others I've written. I kind of go back and forth between points of view a couple of times. It's also mostly dialogue with some time lapses. The best way I can describe it is if you've ever seen the episode of Gilmore Girls when it's Lorelai and Rory vs. Richard and Emily right after Rory moves out of her grandparents' house. It jumps between good moments and all out war without explaining how each scene got started. (Obviously you can tell where the inspiration came from) It's not something I plan on doing again, it just felt like it fit with the roller coaster confrontation Sidney and Tanner seemed to have coming. My apologies if it's too random for any of you!










I took a long gulp of the Captain and Diet I had in my hand. It was only 2 in the afternoon, but it was a necessary drink. I glared across the living room at Sidney who was holding a Crown and Coke. We knew that there were still things that had to be said before we’d be completely fine, and we had already started. Happy Thanksgiving, Tanner. Or not.

“You mean to tell me that you didn’t think having Tamara over here that night would piss me off as much as it did?” I questioned. Sidney returned my glare.

“I knew it would piss you off. I wanted it to piss you off. I just didn’t foresee the rest of the shit that happened that night,” he replied evenly.

“Are you referring to cooking for her when you’ve never cooked for me, or for drinking my bottle of wine?”

“I sent her down to grab a bottle. What were the odds that she would grab that one? I never even looked to see what she’d brought up. I just let her open it and pour a couple of glasses. I had no idea which bottle it was until you yelled at me about it.”

“You couldn’t even be bothered to check?!”

“To be honest, I forgot it was out there with the rest. It never occurred to me that there was a chance she would have chosen that one.”

“Oh, I see. Anything that represents my winning fight over cancer isn’t meaningful.”

“You’re putting words in my mouth!”

“Then use different words!”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Does it look like I’m kidding?”

“It looks like you’re looking for someone else to blame this fight on, instead of placing any of it on yourself.”

“You can fuck off with that statement!”

“Prove me wrong.”










Sidney looked over at Tanner, curled up in his arms. She lifted her head to look into his eyes. He couldn’t help but smile down at her. She was back home and was his again. He’d never complain about that. She stretched her neck up so that her lips met his and he kissed her back. She tasted like Captain, but he couldn’t complain about that either. He probably tasted like Crown.

“I missed you this past month,” she told him. His smile grew.

“I missed you this past month, too.”

“I felt like my life was over without you in it.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Did you see how long my hair has gotten?” He couldn’t stifle the laugh.

“I did notice, actually.”

“I still have to wear a wig, but it’s coming back.”

“I don’t mind the wigs.”

“It’s still too short to be sure, but I don’t think it’s going to come back curly. I don’t want it to come back curly. I’ve never had curly hair and I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

“I think you’d look beautiful no matter what your hair looked like.”

“See, this is why I love you.”

“Because I’m attracted to you?”

“No. Because you always know the right things to say.”

He grinned down at her before placing a kiss on her forehead. He placed little kisses from her forehead down to the tip of her nose, and then to her lips. She let out a soft moan when he kissed her, and it prompted him to kiss her harder. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he rolled back on top of her. He’d never complain about going round two with her so quickly, either.










I chugged the last of my third Captain and Diet and stormed out of the living room. Sometimes Sidney could be a jackass. No, an asshole. I filled up my glass half and half. I realized they were getting stronger as I drank more. They were supposed to be making this easier, but now I wasn’t so sure that they were.

“I wasn’t done talking to you!” Sidney exclaimed, walking into the kitchen. He slammed his glass down on the counter, before filling his up as well.

“I don’t give a shit. I needed another drink.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want you sober when we discuss you treating me like a piece of shit for the past year.”

“I’ve already told you! I had health concerns that put forgiving you on the backburner!”

“It’s not even just that. I did so much for you, and you never appreciated any of it!”

“I hated that you did all of it!”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“I told you from the start that I was independent and I didn’t like having people do things for me that I could do for myself.”

“You couldn’t do them for yourself!”

“Oh, I could have done them without you just fine. I didn’t need you or anyone else treating me like an invalid, which is what you did!”

“I never treated you like that! All I tried to do was make a difficult time in your life just a little bit easier!”

“Well you made it harder!”

“For fucks sake, Tanner, you weren’t even going to have the surgery and get the chemo if it wasn’t for me!”

“Look at you, Mr. Big Head. Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Hey, you’re the one that told me you were going through with it because of me. I didn’t force you to say that.”

“You are completely insufferable!”

“Are you British now?”










Sidney started to laugh. He couldn’t help it. Anyone who looked at what the two of them looked like currently would have laughed too. Sidney wrapped his arms around Tanner’s waist and rested his chin on the top of her head as they gazed into the mirror at each other. They both smiled and Sidney placed a kiss on the top of her head, right on the scar from her surgery, before spinning her around to face him.

“You never cease to amaze me,” he told her. She smiled up at him.

“And you never cease to amaze me,” she returned.

They were done now. There wasn’t going to be any more fighting. He couldn’t explain how he knew that. He just knew. He had nothing left to bring up and he was sure she didn’t either. Even the air felt lighter, cleaner.

Things were normal for the first time in a year. Nothing was hanging over their heads anymore. There were no lies, no untold secrets. Tanner was healthy and gaining back her strength every day. In just a few weeks she’d be a college graduate and beginning to live her dream of working with animals. It was an incredible feeling.

“We’re good now, right?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re better than good,” he replied.

She tipped her head up to him and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. She didn’t pull away, and he didn’t want to let her go. They had way too much time to make up for. Not just the three weeks they were apart this month, but for the past year when their relationship had to take a backseat. He was going to enjoy making up for all of that.