Chapter 11 It'll Work

Sage's stomach churned as he and Roy sat in the Spring Fling Diner, especially because Roy kept giving him uncertain looks. Sage had told him that Celia would more than likely be coming here without giving any details as to how he could possibly know this. Now, to be fair, Roy wasn't necessarily a person who needed long elaborations, and he did jump at the chance to go to the Spring Fling without asking too many questions. But there was a limit to what even people like Roy would accept, and right now he looked a little antsy and unsure of the plan as they sat at the booth.

"You guys ready to order yet?" A waitress asked them. This had to be the fourth time this happened.

"No, just give us a few more minutes," Sage said. The waitress tried to look understanding, but Sage could see in her eyes that she was really getting fed up. It was possible that she might even kick them out the next time she came to see them. As a result, Sage looked down at his phone.

"Where are you?" he texted his sister.

"We're close; just give us five minutes," said Hailey.

Sage let out a breath and put his phone away. Okay, five minutes. That wasn't too unreasonable, right? At least now he had a decent timeframe, and he had confirmation that Hailey and Celia were getting close. He should just relax. He shouldn't worry about anything. Don't worry until there's something worth worrying about, his mother would often say to him.

"Dude," Roy eventually said, "We've been here for almost forty-five minutes and she's still not here. Do you think we should leave?"

"No," Sage said. "She'll be here Roy." He probably shouldn't reveal how he knew that so he didn't create any suspicions within Roy, so he just had to stick with the platitudes and promises. "I promise she'll be here."

Roy let out a breath. "Okay. I'm willing to trust you." Sage smiled at him and leaned back in his seat. Right as he did was when Roy addressed him again. "Say, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Sage blinked. "Like what?"

"Hmm…" Roy put his hand to his chin as he thought about that question. "Well… uh, what's your favorite color?"

Sage chuckled. "Purple. I like purple."

Roy gasped. "No way! I'm purple!" He giggled. "You must like me too!"

Sage laughed. "Yeah, I would say I do. I mean, I wouldn't go to someone's house and ask them to be friends with me if I didn't, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." Roy leaned back. "Hmm… what's your favorite food?"

"I like pizza," Sage said without a moment's hesitation.

Roy gasped again. "Holy crap! We have so much in common!"

"Yeah, we do." Sage beamed. "And you know, I bet you and this Celia chick you like have a lot in common too."

Roy smiled an uneasy smile. "I mean… I would certainly hope so." He groaned and placed his head in his hands. "I hope things go well with her."

"They will, Roy. You don't have to worry about it."

"I know, I know I don't, I just…" Roy said. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about this, which is weird for me because thinking is NOT my thing." He shook his head. "And I don't want to do it now either, because my thoughts keep telling me all the ways this is gonna blow." He grumbled and laid his chin on the table. "It's like my own brain is trying to kick me in the balls."

Sage chuckled. "Well… kick your brain in the balls before it kicks you in yours." Roy giggled, which Sage took as a good sign. "Like, instead of thinking negative thoughts, think about all the good things that could come from this. You getting to tell Celia how much you love her. You and her becoming a couple, you and her building a new life together. There's so much good that your future has in store for you. You just need to stop with the negative thought pattern and focus on that."

Roy stared at Sage in awe. "Wow. You're really wise, man."

Sage chuckled. "Now you know why my parents named me Sage." Sage took a deep breath. "But trust me on this one Roy. I know this'll work. If both you and her put the time and effort into this relationship, then it'll be better than you ever imagined."

Roy perked up. "You think so?"

"Of course! It's like my mom and dad. They had their ups and downs. They both did and said some stupid stuff, and they DEFINITELY made mistakes over the course of their marriage. But at the end of the day, they still love each other. They still look out for each other and want what's best for everyone. Including me and my siblings."

Roy grinned. "Your parents sound cool, dude."

"Hehe, you don't know the half of it," Sage said. He looked Roy straight in the eye. "My parents have sacrificed so much. They constantly work to ensure that everything works out. My mom may have come from a broken home, and my dad might not be the greatest at thinking things through, but they really do try. They work on their flaws both as individuals and as a couple. Like I said, they look out for each other. They have each other's backs through thick and thin." Sage paused and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"It's okay man. Believe me." Roy wore a hopeful expression. "But still, that's really cool. It sounds like your mom and dad really have something special." He wore a questioning look. "Do you think me and Celia can have something like that?"

"I do," Sage said with a nod. "From the very bottom of my heart, with every fiber of my being, I do."

Roy stared at Sage in awe. "Wow. You're really confident about this, aren't you Sage?"

"More than you know, Roy. More than you know." Right at that moment, the front door to the restaurant opened. Sage lifted his head and smiled, feeling both joyful and relieved. "Hey Roy, who's half human and walking up to the table right now?"

Roy gasped. He turned around, and when he saw Celia, his face lit up. "She's here!" He took a step forward before hesitating. He turned back to Sage as he started to sweat. "I don't know what to do. What words should I say? What even are words at this point?"

Sage chortled. "Just go up there, silly." He gave Roy a soft push, and Roy did what he was told. He approached Celia, who was being accompanied by Hailey by her side. When Hailey saw her brother, she gave him a proud look and pointed toward Celia. Sage simply nodded at her, not wanting to call too much attention to either of them.

"Uh…" Roy visibly sweated again, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, Celia."

"Hey, Roy." Celia's voice wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as it could've been, but it wasn't outright hostile. She looked away from Roy, looking just as uncertain as Roy looked when they sat at the table earlier. "It's nice to see you."

"You too," Roy said. He rubbed his arm. "You look… uh, nice."

Sage frowned. This didn't exactly feel like it should. The vibe was awkward and uncomfortable. Roy and Celia didn't even look each other in the eye; if anything, Celia spoke me to Roy like she was obligated to as opposed to because she wanted to. Like Roy before him, Sage started sweating. Even though he had previously told Roy not to worry and not to overthink everything, that's what he himself was doing right at this moment. He couldn't help himself. The fact that he knew exactly what was on the line in this scenario didn't help. He kept wondering what would come of this. Would Celia and Roy manage to get the ball rolling despite everything? Would Sage's advice to Roy prove to be true or completely futile? Right as he decided to wipe his brow, Hailey spoke up. And she... well, she...

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" She gently pushed the surprised Celia closer to Roy. "Kiss and become a couple already!"

"Hailey!" Sage said. Wow, the secondhand embarrassment he felt from Hailey's outburst was staggering. He cringed, already having a really good idea as to what Hailey's exact approach toward Celia had been. Right as he was about to worry himself to death was when Roy and Celia looked over at him, making him seize up. "Oh, uh…" he wondered how much he could reveal before he sighed and gestured to Hailey. "Roy, this is my little sister Hailey." He flashed Hailey a glare. "As you can plainly see, subtlety is not her strong suit." Hailey blew a raspberry at him when he said that. He just flashed her a death state that could rival the mighty Luigi's.

All the while, Celia looked ultra confused. "And, uh, who exactly are you?"

"Oh!" Roy's face lit up. "This is a new friend I made, Celia!" He backed up and put his arm on Sage's shoulders, actually looking proud and cheerful. "His name is Sage Kriptly, and he's a total bro!"

Hailey snickered. "Kriptly? Seriously Sage? That's…"

"Our last name, Hailey." The glare Sage gave his sister got even sharper. "It's our last name. No ifs, ands, or buts."

Hailey stood in place for a minute before realization appeared on her face. "Riiight." She looked back at Roy and Celia. "Yep, that's our last name. He's Sage Kriptly, and I'm Hailey Kriptly."

"I see," Celia said. She looked back at Roy, wearing a face that could easily accompany the phrase "Let's get down to business." "Well, uh, Roy, do you… want to talk?"

"Sure," Roy said with a nod. "I wouldn't mind it if you don't mind it."

Celia snuck a sideways glance at Hailey. "Well, I might not have much of a choice."

Cringing as he pictured all the things that remark could be implying, Sage went up to his sister. "Well, you two enjoy your lunch. Hailey, would you be so kind as to join me at that booth over the corner?" Sage didn't even wait for Hailey's response to that question, instead dragging her over to the aforementioned booth with a forceful tug. He plopped her down in the seat before sitting across from her and glaring at her. "Okay. How exactly did you screw this up?"

"I didn't screw anything up!" Hailey protested as she held up her hands. "I just went down to Celia's house and told her she had to get together with Roy!"

"Oh really?" Sage raised his eyebrow. "You went down to a stranger's house, barged in through the front door, and screamed at her to go out with one specific guy? A specific guy that, as far as she's aware, we know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about?"

"Wrong!" Hailey said. "Wrong, wrong, WRONG! I didn't just barge in, I didn't scream at her, and you know Celia isn't a stranger!"

"In the context of this conversation, yes, she definitely is!" Sage sighed and massaged his temple. "Whatever, at the very least you managed to get her here. Hopefully, she and Roy can talk things through and the two of them can come to conclusions that they need to."

"They will, Sage!" Hailey's eyes sparkled. "It's destiny!"

"You know that, and I know that, but THEY don't. There's so much that needs to go right and so much that could go wrong. One little slip-up and all will be lost."

Hailey snickered. "Oh, stop being such a worry wart!" She took the menu that the waitress who came to the table handed to them. "It'll work, Sage! I know it'll work; everything is going to be perfectly fine!"

Sage sighed. "Well, for our sake…" he opened the menu. "I hope you're right."