Collapsed In Love

4

It was half past six when Sidney left her hotel room to meet up with the rest of her friends. She felt butterflies in her stomach, nervous about seeing Damon again after their encounter the night before. They arrived at the restaurant at the agreed-upon time, finding their new friends sitting at a table. Damon was there as well, and when Sidney looked at him, her heart started to race in her chest. He had a smile on his face, one that reached his eyes. He stood up, greeting her with a hug. Sidney held on a bit longer than usual, and she could feel Damon's warmth surrounding her. The spark was still there, as strong as it had been when they were together all those years ago. She let go of the hug and took her seat next to Damon, her leg brushing against his under the table.

"I'm happy you decided to come," he whispered, leaning in a little closer. She just nodded in response. Sidney looked away from him, avoiding eye contact. She was trying to remain as calm as possible, but her heart was pounding against her chest and she felt like she was going to melt under the heat of Damon's gaze. She felt like a fool for not being able to control her emotions. They ordered their food and talked about how their day had been, how excited they were for their tour to begin. Sidney tried to stay as quiet as possible, hoping that Damon wouldn't pay her any attention. However, when he would glance her way, she would feel her body go weak, her heart race a little faster, her mind going blank. It was as if the universe wanted to show her how much she loved the man who sat beside her, and how much she loved being in his presence.

Sidney didn't really feel like talking. She mostly listened to the stories that her friends told, feeling like an outsider looking in. She could hear the happiness in their voices, and it made her smile, but she also felt a sense of loneliness and emptiness, as if she were missing out on something. Sidney's gaze wandered, looking at everyone around the table. They looked so happy, so content with themselves. Damon looked at her with such affection, as if she were his entire world. She remembered those days, how he looked at her as if she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Sidney smiled softly to herself, feeling her cheeks start to heat up.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked as he rested a hand on Sidney's knee.

"Hm?"

"You haven't said anything since you got here..."

Sidney blinked a few times and smiled, looking away from him again. "Yeah, I'm fine... Just enjoying the food, that's all."

Damon just nodded and smiled, returning his attention back to the conversation going on around the table. He didn't press the subject further. Sidney could feel his eyes on her, but she couldn't look back. She wanted to. She wanted to look into his beautiful blue eyes and get lost in them forever, but she knew that wasn't something she could do. She took a few bites of her food and took a few drinks of her wine, trying to get her mind to focus on something else. It didn't work. Every time Damon spoke, or smiled, or laughed, her thoughts were pulled back to him. She kept telling herself that she was being silly, but she couldn't help it. She felt like she was under some sort of spell, one that she couldn't break out of.

"Sid, can you pass me the salt?" Victoria asked, bringing Sidney back to reality.

"Oh, sorry... um, yeah..." She grabbed the salt and handed it to her friend.

"By the way, Damon, how's Justine? She couldn't make it this time either?" Alex asked before taking a sip of his wine.

"Oh, about that... um... Justine and I broke up..."

"What?!" Keith exclaimed, looking straight at Sidney.

"What do you mean, you broke up with her?" Graham asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "What happened?"

"Well, it turns out we weren't right for each other. It wasn't a mutual breakup, but... it was best for both of us, so it was fine," Damon explained.

Sidney felt her heart sink in her chest. She looked at Damon, seeing him smile at her with a hint of sadness. Sidney could feel her throat close up. She couldn't believe he had actually done it. He had actually ended it with Justine, just because of her.