The Maine Attraction

19. Patience

"Shit!" I heard Sawyer curse from downstairs just as I heard what sounded like a bunch of pans falling. I quickly finished applying mascara before rushing down the steps to the kitchen. I found him kneeling down, picking up a couple sheet pans. 

"Are you okay?" I asked, quickly kneeling down next to him. He'd been stressed all day, but refused to tell me what was going on in his head. I had no idea if it was because of his parents or if it was because of me. 

Sawyer stood up with the pans, placing them on the island with a small huff. "I'm fine." 

I quickly grabbed his hands, forcing him to take a minute and look at me. "You're not fine. What's got you so stressed out? Do you not want me to have dinner with you? I can leave." I offered. If that's what was bugging him, then I'd rather him just have dinner with his parents and I could figure something else to do. If he let me borrow his car, I could go have dinner myself so that he could enjoy the night with his parents. 

Sawyer quickly shook his head, taking in a deep breath. He held onto my hands, his grip a little tighter than normal. "No, don't leave. I want you here." He started. "I don't know, I always get anxious when I see them because it feels as though every time I see my mom she's worse than she was before. And what if she starts asking me questions about you? What am I supposed to tell her?" 

I felt bad that he was anxious to see his own mom because she was sick. But I'm sure if I had to see either one of my parents like that, I would feel the same way. 

However, another part of me was beginning to feel frustrated with his inability to just sit down and figure out whatever we were. I felt like we would both feel better about so many things if there was a label, at this point literally any sort of label would do. But he couldn't make up his mind or figure out what he wanted that to be, so we were both just walking around confused and a little frustrated by it. 

"Hey, I know that it's hard to see your mom when she isn't doing well but it's important that you spend time with her. She loves you and she just wants to spend time with you. And if she asks you a question about this, we'll figure it out. Tell her we're taking it slow, laugh it off and remind her that I'm Callum's sister, I don't care. Whatever you need to tell her to help ease that anxiety off of you, I will go along with it." I was trying to help ease any of the anxiety that he was currently feeling.

As frustrating as this situation was becoming, I wasn't going to make things worse by telling him that he needed to figure everything out in the next 20 minutes before his parents showed up.

Sawyer pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around me and holding me to his body. I could feel the anxiety radiating off of him and I wanted nothing more than to fix it in any way that I could. "Why don't you go upstairs and get changed. I can finish dinner." I offered. 

He pulled away just slightly so that he could look down on me. The look in his eyes filled me with something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. My heart swelled and I knew that I wanted him to look at me like that all of the time. He leaned down and pressed his lips gently against mine before muttering a thank you. 

I smiled up at him when he pulled away from me. Sawyer pecked my lips again before walking out of the kitchen and upstairs to get himself changed. Once he was out of the kitchen, I reached into the freezer to pull out the garlic bread that we'd bought to go along with the pasta. I placed a couple pieces on the baking sheet before sliding it into the oven and setting a timer. I looked at the pasta that was sitting on the stove, it was almost done, everything just needed to mix together and warm back up. All of the food smelt delicious, it was making my already hungry stomach that much more hungry. 

I stirred up the pasta before leaning back against the island and closing my eyes. I took in a deep breath trying to mentally prepare myself for the night ahead of me. It did feel a little weird, having dinner with Sawyer and his parents. This felt like something we would do if we were a couple, but I knew the only reason this was actually happening was because I was still staying at his house. I was more than positive that if Callum and Dani were in their own house and I was staying with them, I would not have been invited to eat with them.