Hello everyone who has taken the time to stop and give this story a read. Thank you for choosing to do so. I would like to state that I am not a professional writer or editor. I write these stories from my own imagination and time. Right now it's just a hobby.
I have no problem with comments and feedback, however, please do not be rude. Other than that, please enjoy this short story between Sage and Jameson.
Sage, utterly drained from her night shift as a hospital nurse, was in dire need of rest. However, the responsibilities of adulthood beckoned, forcing her to embark on a grocery shopping expedition before she could find solace in sleep. Straight from work, she mustered the energy to grab a shopping cart and a weekly ad before stepping into the grocery store.
Food shopping had never bothered Sage. Hell, she was named after a spice. People would joke with her that she should have been a chef or that she became a nurse to 'sage off the evil spirits.' Both jokes made her cringe. Pulling out her paper list, she jotted down in between checking on patients. She quickly scanned the ad's front page to see if any of them matched with one another. Pleasantly, the berries were finally coming into season, which meant Sage could buy them without feeling too bad about the price.
As Sage strolled down each aisle, ticking off items from her list, she couldn't help but add a few things to her cart that she didn't necessarily need. In her exhausted state, these impulsive purchases seemed to make perfect sense. Before she reached the frozen section, her final stop, she found herself turning into the wine and alcohol aisle. There was no particular need for more at home, but the thought of having an extra bottle or two of wine was a comforting one.
Stepping into the corner block that housed the store's wine selection, Sage's curiosity was piqued. A wine drinker, yes, but did she understand the intricacies of a wine's body or legs? Not really. For her, the enjoyment of the flavors was what truly mattered. And she had a knack for picking the right ones. Sure, there were a few misses, but they were never undrinkable.
She was scanning the top shelf first as her eyes moved from shelf to shelf, checking off bottles that she had already sampled or had at home. As her footsteps progressed out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that another was looking at the bottles. Getting recommendations from people, just out of curiosity was a favorite pass time of hers.
While still having her head straight Sage spoke. "Nothing like picking out wine at 11 am?"
A deep voice filled her ear. "Well, you could peruse the store until noon to make it a bit more morally right."
At that moment, Sage was happy that she was not holding a wine bottle in her hand. There was no doubt that she would of dropped it, liquid going everywhere. That voice belonged to the man she was still healing a heartbreak from. Jameson. They had met over a year ago at one of the local bars. She had happened to be there that night with a group of friends; this was a regular haunt for him.
Jameson was unlike any man she had ever been with. Well not in the fairytale sense, at least at first. He was married, in fact he told her so the night they met. Jameson then explained that it was an open marriage between himself and his wife. That his wife was actually currently with her then boyfriend. Sage couldn't believe what she was hearing. These relationships didn't happen, and if they did was, she the woman that said yes?
After many text messages, phone calls, and a meeting with all three of them, Sage set onto the path of Jameson's girlfriend. It was mostly like every other relationship she had had in the past. He would be at her place on the days she had off, and on the days she worked, he would be at his place with his wife. Sage never wanted the details of the marriage, though, unless necessary. Things like what laundry detergent they used or if he had slept with his wife that same morning, he would be sleeping at Sage's place were not something that was needed.
Even though the relationship was not categorized as expected in what she was brought up. All she knew was she was happy. A feeling she wasn't willing to give up. Jameson made her laugh and knew how she took her coffee; if she was having a stressful day, he was there with ice cream and a comfort show of hers. How he knew which one to put on every time, it didn't matter. What mattered was he was there, which meant she could breathe.
Jameson got her outside of her box in the best way. She started painting again after she hadn't touched it for years. He even got her to set up at a craft show to sell her paintings, which did decently. This was a high she rode for a good week. Sage also began dressing more femininely when around Jameson. This got her out of her scrubs and sweats, though there were plenty of days that were spent without clothes between them.
As always, when you ask for something, the reaper always comes to collect. Eight months is what she got with him before Hell came looking for them. It happened about a month after his wife had ended things with her boyfriend. Jameson showed up at her door with no bag in hand. Sage didn't think much of it at the time, he had some things here, maybe he didn't need anything this time. When they entered the living room with his jacket and shoes still on, the back hairs on her neck peaked. He always took those things off when he came over.
"Would you mind if we sat? There is something I need to say. It would be better if we sat," Jameson said without looking at her.
Was he nervous, Sage thought.
Both sitting, he ran his fingers through his black hair, letting out the breath he was holding. Still not able to look at me. "Shannon decided to close our marriage. I tried to change her mind. Let her know how much I need you in my life. There was no changing her mind."
I sat there speechless, waiting for this to be a cruel joke he never meant to play on me. Tears welling up in my eyes, all I could say was, "What?"
"We have to end things. I love you, Sage, but Shannon is my wife," he says, defeated.
Pulling his keys from his pocket, he removed my house key from the ring, which is his life. The sound of the key hitting the coffee table digs deep into my mind. "Look at me," she asks him.
"No, I can't, if I do,.....no." Those were the last words she heard from him until today in the middle of the wine corner at the grocery store.
For months, she cried herself to sleep or drank it away. Now, after finally coming out on the other side, healing the wounds, Jameson is standing right here in front of her. Why couldn't he have shown up in her life when she was happy again, had her life together? Heck, she would have settled for being showered and in non-work clothes. Instead, her hair was in a messy bun, with no makeup, and she had Crocs on her feet.
Jameson, on the other hand, looked just as handsome as she remembered him. He was wearing his signature black, which oddly brought out his green eyes. His black jeans always pointed out his long, beautiful legs. The only change would be his black hair. He changed it, cutting it shorter now. It didn't look bad, just different. If she had to choose, though, she would have had him keep it longer.
Jameson couldn't believe who he was seeing today. Of all people, Sage. He hated himself for leaving her. He couldn't even be a man and look at her the day he ended things. The truth was, if he did, he wouldn't have left. Kept the relationship going. Since things have ended with Sage his marriage with Shannon has not gotten better. They have been going to couples counseling, but neither of them wants to admit it's over. Seeing Sage, was that a sign they could start over fresh? His luck couldn't be that good.
Sage was the first to break the silence. "Hi."
"Hi."
They were both struck with the shock of seeing each other. Jameson spoke this time. "You look good."
Sage couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, but you don't have to say that. I just got off of work, hence the outfit and no make-up."
"I always enjoyed it when you wore no makeup. You're a natural beauty." He couldn't help but compliment her. It was true, though, that when her face was freshly washed, the light always seemed to frame it just right. He missed seeing it in person instead of going through his mental photo album.
"Well, thank you." she mustered.
Neither of them wanted to go back to their own worlds. There was nothing there either wanted to do now that they were so close to one another. Sage thought her eyes were playing tricks on her as the lights in the store flickered, but she noticed that Jameson had taken notice as well.
The lights briefly returned to normal, but they soon went out completely. Shocked by the darkness, Sage jumped into Jameson's arms. It was pure instinct to be in his arms when something scary was happening. She melted into his chest, which Jameson was in no hurry to pull her away from. His arms wrapped around her back, giving it light caresses to calm her. "I'm sure the lights will be back on any second." He whispered into her ear.
Her head popped up, and she finally realized what she had done. As much as as her head was screaming at her to move away, her heart had won this round, and she stayed in his touch. Looking up at him she said "You cut your hair."
"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. 'It had too many memories of you attached to it, how you used to play with it in bed." He answered honestly in the dark.
"Are you still married?" she whispered.
"Yes." His head went down to her shoulder and whispered into her ear, "But I don't want to be, I still want to be with you."
Sage slowly pulled back to look into his eyes. Just then, the lights came back on. Tears looked like they were lining Jameson's eyes. He blinked them away, "Dam allergies. Dust must of shaken from the light fixtures as the power went on and off."
"Yeah, allergies," Sage said softly with a smile. Then the lights went out for a second time. This made them both jump, but not enough for either to let go of the other. "Do you think they're out for good this time?" Sage asked.
Just then, the generator popped on, which only gave minimal light, and the radio was back on. In the distance, they heard an employee say that "they needed to call the power company to get this fixed fast."
