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Sydney's Resolution
by Pirate Turner
The Texas Ranger's intent eyes carefully scanned the crowd that filled the Town Square, his head moving slowly from side to side until he found his target. She held a drink in one hand as her other hand occasionally made a few motions through the air to emphasize whatever she was telling the blonde woman who stood in front of her. His heart skipped a beat at the smile on her face and the way the lights played over her long, brown hair when she tossed her head, soft laughter bubbling forth from her lips. Grinning, he began to walk toward her, but as he neared her, he stopped as her words carried to him.
"You're the only one I could tell this to, Alex, but I promised myself that from this moment on, I won't be so damned afraid and I'll be completely, even brutally, honest with those who mean the most to me."
"Like Gage?" Alex asked knowingly.
"Yeah." Sydney paused for a brief moment before chuckling bitterly. "I swear I don't know why we bother with resolutions, though; we never manage to keep them."
Sensing eyes on her, the Texas Ranger looked up to scan the crowd, but Gage swiftly turned around and vanished into the nearest group of people before she could spot him. Sydney was finally going to be honest with him! In just a few minutes, he would at last be able to get the complete truth of her feelings for him out of her -- given, of course, that she kept her resolution. He knew from experience that the older the new year became, the harder resolutions became to keep, and he would thereby have to pop the question to her as swiftly after the stroke of midnight as he could.
Seconds ticked away, but the minutes seemed to take forever to pass as Gage waited impatiently and Sydney wondered where her partner was. Finally, the countdown began, and as the eager people around him began to chant down the numbers, Gage swiftly made his way to Sydney's side. They had just announced "8" when he reached her, and he felt the familiar catch of breath and skip of his heart that he always felt when he looked at her.
"Gage!" she exclaimed, beaming up at him. "Where have you been? Midnight's almost here!"
Before he could answer her, the next announcement came: "9!"
He stood there, frozen in place, as he stared down at her, frantically racking his mind for the hundredth time in the last few minutes of how to broach the tender subject this time. By the time Sydney spoke again -- "Gage?" --, calling his name in concern, he was completely lost in the deep richness of her brown eyes. His every fiber ached for him to reach out to her, and his lips nearly begged to taste her sweetness.
"10!" the crowd chorused, and as the ball dropped down and the celebration exploded into full swing all around them as every one welcomed the new year, Gage reached out to gently pull Sydney to him. She tensed in his arms but did not have time to pull away from him before his lips touched down upon hers. Although his tongue pleaded to dive into her ocean, her previous words to Alex ran through his head, and Gage forced himself to keep the kiss entirely gentle and soft as he quietly pledged his love to her.
When their lips parted, Gage reached one hand up to softly stroke Sydney's cheek as he continued to gaze adoringly down into her eyes. "Sydney, I know you have feelings for me. Something as strong as what is between us can not be one-sided. I don't know why you're so determined to fight against them, but please believe me when I tell you . . . when I swear to you on everything that I ever held dear that I would never, ever harm you. I'd rather cut out my own heart than ever risk hurting you!"
His words shocked her, but as she silently searched his eyes, her own heart thundering so madly against her ribs that she feared it would burst from her body at any second, Sydney found the truth of his words in his enchanting eyes. Still, though, she dared not speak at first. How could she tell him that she loved him and had for so long now when it might one day mean losing him? Although her resolution for this year was to be honest with him, keeping a pathetic resolution could never be worth risking their friendship.
"It's a new year, Syd," Gage pleaded softly. "Please, let's start it off right; let's start it off together, like we've always been meant to be."
Her heart ached as she gazed up into his handsome, pleading face and begging eyes. "Gage . . . I . . . I . . ." She tried desperately to piece together the right words to tell him as much as she could without endangering their friendship even more than it already was. "I care for you . . . more than I've ever cared for any one . . . more than I ever thought I could care for any one. If there was ever a man that could win my heart, it'd be you, but . . . Please try to understand . . . If we took this step, we'd be risking so much!"
Sudden realization dawned in Gage as he listened to her words, giving her a chance to say as much as she dared. "Oh, Syd," he whispered softly, his emotions written clearly on his face and in his eyes. "That's what you've been so afraid of all this time? That's why you've been beating me off so long? You're afraid that if we get together, something'll happen to break us apart, and then we'll lose one another. That could never happen!"
His hand softly caressed her cheek as his other released her waist to reach up and lovingly stroke her silky hair. Never once did his eyes move from hers. "As long as there is breath in my body, I will love you! Nothing can ever change that! Can't you see, Syd?" he pleaded gently with her. "We're soul mates. We're meant to be together; you don't have to be afraid. I love you -- always have, always will!"
As much as his words warmed her heart, she was shocked at the tears of emotion she saw shining in his eyes. As one escaped to run down his cheek, she reached up to gently wipe it away with her thumb. As her skin touched his tear and she continued to gaze up into his emotion-filled face and eyes, something finally clicked, and she realized that she no longer had to be afraid. "You're right," she breathed, barely able to keep her voice from shaking with the flood of emotions that cascaded through her.
Gage saw the emotions and sensed them in her voice; his heart sang for endless joy when she spoke those simple words. Neither had ever before been happier than when Syd whispered softly, "I love you, Gage!" This time, it was her lips that pressed against his in an outpouring of love that caused the beautiful fireworks that exploded into the Texan sky to be nothing compared to the explosives that the couple enjoyed.
Sydney's lips parted under his; Gage's tongue slipped into her mouth as hers dived into his. Their tongues entwined together in a fiery duel of passion as one of his hands left her hair to again cup the small of her back, bringing her even closer to him. One of her hands continued to caress his handsome face as her other hand slid over his muscular shoulder to gently caress the back of his neck, her fingers running up into his hair. Their bodies melted into a perfect fit as their kiss deepened, all fireworks except their own, the joyous celebration going on all around them, and everything else in the rest of the world completely forgotten as their heated mouths continued to make scorching love to each other only parting when their lungs demanded that they must just to recapture each other's mouths with new angles and deeper pleasures. They were the last to leave the Town Square, and when they left at sunrise, they left together.
The End