Page 27 of Love Legacy

Naomi

T here’s been a shift in my relationship with Sage and not the good kind. Ever since Kappa Friendsgiving a few days ago, Sage has been… detached. We’ve been spending our Thanksgiving break together, staying at my apartment and continuing to share a bed, but she hasn’t been very present.

Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She’s been keeping her hands to herself besides a sweet kiss, a hug, or cuddling at night, which is entirely unlike her. I’ve tried talking to her to find out what’s wrong, but she just tells me everything is fine and not to worry.

It’s just been the two of us in this apartment for the last three days, and I think I might go crazy.

We’re supposed to be going to her parents’ house tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner, but she hasn’t been herself, and I don’t even know how to get her to talk to me and open up.

It’s like she’s shut down and closed herself off to me.

I roll over in bed to check the time on my phone. Sage left a while ago to grab us some breakfast, but she still hasn't been back yet. I would call her, but I was staring at her phone on the nightstand next to me. I grabbed hers by mistake and I was staring at her lock screen.

It was the photo Stephanie had taken of the two of us the day I smoked with them.

We were both high, but we looked so madly in love in that photo.

I had no idea Sage had been looking at that photo this whole time.

Maybe I had underestimated how much she really liked me?

I’ve been worried this whole time that I was just Sage’s latest flavor of the week, but if she’s been holding onto this photo for this long, maybe she’s in it for the long haul too.

Her phone lights up, buzzing on the nightstand, Gabby’s name rolling across the screen. I answer it since Sage was still at the store, putting it on speaker.

“Hey! How’s it going? Have you had the talk yet?” Gabby asks, her voice echoing. It sounded like she was in a car, a lot of background noises.

“Hey Gabs, it’s me, Naomi. Sage went out to grab us breakfast and left her phone.”

She’s silent on the other line for a little bit. “Oh my bad, just have her call me later when she gets back.”

“Wait! What do you mean ‘the talk’?”

“Naomi…” she starts and I can hear the sympathy in her voice.

My heart begins to race, my chest feeling tight. My mind starts spiraling, worried that my fears were coming true. “Gabby, I just need to know. What talk were we supposed to be having? Was she going to end things with me?”

“What? No! Why would you think that?”

“Because she’s not a relationship person! She has a reputation for casual hookups and one-night stands, and that’s not me. That’s not what I want.”

“That’s not what she wants either. At least not with you. Sage is so down bad for you, Naomi. She has been since Rush.”

My mind begins reeling at the realization that she’s had feelings for me this whole time. “Really? I had no idea.”

“Yup. I mean, your roommates definitely wanted you to join us. But once Sage made her feelings clear, your membership was never in question. You were the only definite from day one.”

“Then why has she been so distant since Friendsgiving?” I blurt out, so extremely confused.

“That’s something you’re going to have to ask her,” Gabby answers softly.

“Well, I guess we're going to have this conversation today after all.”

I turn to see Sage standing in the doorway, a tray of drinks in one hand.

“And that’s my cue,” Gabby states, ending the call.

There’s thick tension in the room as Sage remains in the doorway, not stepping into the room. I try to form words, but my mouth has gone dry. A few beats of awkward silence pass between us before she speaks up again. “I left my phone behind.”

“I saw,” I say softly, holding up her phone that was in my hand.

“Sorry I took so long. All the places by campus are already closed for the weekend because of the holiday, so I had to drive out of town for food if I wanted something made to order.”

“It’s okay.”

More moments of awkward silence pass. “The food is in the kitchen,” she states plainly before turning and walking away.

I take a few calming breaths, pausing for a moment to collect myself before throwing on a pair of sweats and following after Sage.

We sit at the counter in the kitchen, eating our food in silence.

“Is that really what you think of me?” Sage says so quietly that I almost missed it.

“What?” I ask, turning to her.

She takes a deep breath and looks up from her food to meet my gaze. Her eyes were rimmed red, shining with unshed tears. “Is that what you really think of me?” she repeats, a little louder this time. “Do you really think I’m unable to have a relationship? That I’m just using you until I get bored?”

I swallow the lump that formed in my throat. “You heard all that?”

Sage nods. “Every last word.”

I let out a sigh. “Yes. No. Maybe? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I was hoping this was different, that I was different, but there’s been a nagging voice in the back of my head telling me I was just another notch on your bedpost and I would just get hurt.”

Sage winces at my confession. “Ouch. I knew my reputation was… questionable, but I didn’t know it was that bad. Especially if that’s the impression that you have of me, and you just got here.”

“Well, what am I supposed to believe?”

“I thought my actions would speak for themselves,” she says in a small voice.

“It’s only been you, Naomi. I’ve told you how I’ve felt about you.

I’ve opened up to you. I’ve shared things about me, about my past, that I haven’t told anyone.

I haven’t hooked up with anyone else, kissed anyone else, I haven’t even looked in another woman’s direction since I met you.

But I guess this was the out you were looking for, so there you go,” she says, the frustration evident in her voice as she gets up, cleaning up her garbage.

“What are you talking about?”

She turns on her heels, looking at me. “I’ve been waiting for you, Naomi. I’ve been really damn patient, allowing you to set the pace and tone of whatever we have going on. But I can’t shake the feeling that this is just a phase for you.

That I’m the first woman you’ve been with, the first person you’ve been with, and you will just move on from me. Whether that’s moving on to a man or even another woman. I’ve given you everything I’ve had, and I’ve just been waiting for you to destroy it all.”

That felt like a punch to the gut. I didn’t realize how hurt Sage was, but having her standing in front of me, laying it all bare for me, I could see the pain in her eyes, hear it in her voice. It was all beginning to make sense now.

I get up from the counter, crossing the kitchen to stand in front of Sage. “Is this why you’ve been distant since Friendsgiving? Because I told Anthony and Cora that we were still figuring things out?”

She averts her gaze, unable to meet my eyes, but nods. “I started spiraling, second-guessing our connection. I was worried that if you were still ‘trying to figure things out’ at this point, you might not ever figure it out. That things will end between us, and it’ll just be me getting hurt.”

My heart breaks a little to hear how vulnerable she was. She had a point though. I have been the one in the driver’s seat of our relationship, and I think this has been a long enough detour.

I reach out for Sage, taking her hand in mine and intertwining our fingers.

I reach up, gripping her jaw lightly, turning her head to force her to make eye contact with me.

I’ve never seen Sage so upset. Her usual spark has just vanished completely.

“I’m so, so sorry, Sage,” I say softly, pressing my lips to hers gently.

I plant soft kisses to her left cheek, then her right.

Her forehead, then her jawline. I can feel the tension still radiating off of her.

She doesn’t say a word, as if she’s bracing herself for impact.

“Sage, I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you. This wasn’t my intention at all.

I was just so afraid, so hesitant, to fully accept what this is between us.

Not because I don’t care for you, not because I’m not falling for you, but because this is all so new to me.

Being in a relationship where feelings are actually involved. Being in a relationship with a woman.

Yes, you were right. I am exploring things with you.

But not so I can move on to someone else, but because I want to do things right with you.

I want this to work out between us, so I wanted to make sure I had no hesitations.

I needed to be a hundred percent sure about us, about how I felt, before diving in fully. ”

“So are you?” Sage asks, finally meeting my gaze.

“Am I what?”

“Are you a hundred percent sure about us and how you feel now?”

I give her a small smile, staring deep into her eyes. “Absolutely. I want you, Sage. I want to be with you. Officially.”

A smile begins to spread slowly across her face, her normal joy and playfulness returning to her eyes. “Officially?”

I match her grin. “Yep, officially. Sage, you wanna be my girl?”

She laughs, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Oh, so romantic,” she teases.

I shrug, draping my arms around her neck. “I just thought, what would Sage do?”

Sage shakes her head. “I do not talk like that.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“A yes to what?” she asks slyly.

I playfully roll my eyes, realizing Sage just wants me to repeat myself.

“Sage, will you be my girlfriend?” I ask again, one hand reaching up to cup her cheek.

She nods, pressing her lips to mine. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to ask me, Church Girl. Absolutely.”