Maybe Someday(40)

room, then sits on the edge of my bed with his

laptop on his knees.

Ridge: I’m sorry.

Me: Yeah. Good. Whatever. Go away.

Ridge: Really, Sydney. I haven’t been

looking at it like that at all. The last thing

I want is for things to be weird between

us. I like you. I have fun with you. But if

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for one second I led you to believe that

something was going to happen between

us, I am so, so sorry.

I sigh and attempt to blink the tears away.

Me: I’m not upset because I thought

something was going to happen between

us, Ridge. I don’t WANT anything to hap-

pen between us. I haven’t even been

single for a whole week yet. I’m upset be-

cause I feel like there was a moment, or

maybe two, when—as much as neither of

us wants to cross that line—we almost

did. And you can deal with your actions on

your own, but the fact that I was unaware

that you had a girlfriend was really unfair

to me. I feel like—

I lean my head back against the headboard and

squeeze my eyes shut, long enough to force back

the tears once more.

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Ridge: You feel like what?

Me: I feel like you almost made me a Tori.

I absolutely would have kissed you last

night, and the fact that I didn’t know you

were involved with someone would have

made me a Tori. I don’t want to be a Tori,

Ridge. I can’t tell you how much their be-

trayal hurts me, and I will never, ever do

that to another girl. So that’s why I’m up-

set. I don’t even know Maggie, yet you

made me feel like I’ve already betrayed

her. And as innocent as you may be, I’m

blaming you for that one.

Ridge finishes reading my message, then

calmly lies back on the bed. He brings his palms

to his forehead and inhales a deep breath. We

both remain still as we think about the situation.

After several quiet minutes, he sits back up.

Ridge: I don’t even know what to say

right now other than I’m sorry. You’re

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right. Even though I thought you knew

about Maggie, I can absolutely see what

you’re saying. But I also need you to

know that I would never do something

like that to her. Granted, what happened

between us last night is not something I

would ever want Maggie to see, but that’s

mostly because Maggie doesn’t under-

stand the process of writing music. It’s a

very intimate thing, and because I can’t

hear, I do have to use my hands or my

ears to understand things that come nat-

urally to others. That’s all it was. I wasn’t

trying to cause anything to happen

between us. I was just curious. I was in-

trigued. And I was wrong.

Me: I understand. I never thought for a

second that your intentions weren’t genu-

ine when you asked me to sing for you.

Everything just happened so fast earlier,

and I was still trying to recover from the

fact that I woke up in your bed and the

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lights were flickering. Then you go and

flash the word “girlfriend” in my face. It’s

a lot to process. And I believe you when

you say you thought I knew about her.

Ridge: Thank you.

Me: Just promise me one thing. Promise

me you will never be a Hunter, and I will

never, ever be a Tori.

Ridge: I promise. And that’s impossible,

because we’re so much more talented

than they are.

He glances up and smiles his smiley smile at

me, which makes me automatically smile in

return.

Me: Now, get out of here. I’m going back

to sleep, because someone spent the

whole night drooling on my boobs and

snoring way too loud.

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Ridge laughs, but before he leaves, he mes-

sages me one last time.

Ridge: I’m excited for you to meet her. I

really think you’ll like her.

He closes his laptop, stands, and walks back to

his room.

I close my laptop and pull the covers over my

head.

I hate that my heart is wishing so bad that he

didn’t have a girlfriend.

? ? ?

“No, she already moved in,” Bridgette says. Her
cell phone is propped up on her shoulder, and

from the sound of it, she just broke the news to

her sister that I’ve taken the empty bedroom.

Bridgette completely ignores that I’m even in the

same room with her and continues talking about

me.

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I know the fact that I haven’t clarified that I’m

not deaf is a little mean, but who is she to assume

I can’t read lips?

“I don’t know; she’s a friend of Ridge’s. I