Chapter 4
Because he was bogged down with casework, it was another week before Michael was able to go and see Sydney again. When he walked in, she looked utterly shocked. “Good evening,” he grinned, sliding onto one of the counter stools.
“Hi…,” she said cautiously.
“How’ve you been?” he asked.
“Fine…,” she said slowly. “Why are you here?” she asked him.
He just shrugged and smiled. “Coffee please.”
“Seriously, why are you here?” she repeated when she handed him a cup.
“Well the service is superb,” he told her with a smile. She couldn’t hide her own smile at this. “Ah-HA! So you’re not pissed at me.”
“Pissed at you? I don’t even know you,” she told him.
“But last week…well, I just didn’t mean to offend you with something I said,” he told her.
“You didn’t,” she sighed, looking down at her feet.
“I mean… we were-”
“I know what happened,” she cut him off. “Look, I’m sorry… I’m just not used to talking to strangers who come into the diner, alright?” she asked, her tone slightly short.
“That’s fair,” he nodded. Then he lowered his voice and added, “Can’t imagine you’d have an incredibly intellectual discussion with some of this crowd.”
Sydney couldn’t help but laugh softly. “No… well, um, I’m off in a few minutes, so-”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said as he practically bounded off his stool.
“You are persistent, aren’t you?” she laughed softly at him.
“It’s my worst flaw,” he told her.
“Well, I don’t have a car… I walk,” she told him.
“Walk!?” he asked, almost in horror. She nodded. “I’ll walk you,” he said even though he wasn’t a big fan of walking at night, in areas like this.
“You’re not going to take ‘no’ for an answer, are you?” she asked with a slight laugh. He shook his head fervently. “Fine,” she sighed. “At least I have pepper spray… kidding,” she added at the look of concern on his face.
“Oh,” he laughed softly as he tossed a five on the counter.
She looked down at it and then back up at him. “You know coffee’s only seventy-five cents, right?”
“No, but it doesn’t matter,” he smiled.
“Must be nice to have money to throw away,” she muttered under her breath, but shook it off when he asked what she said. “Just let me get my things,” she sighed.
A moment later she met him by the door, smiling when he opened it up for her. Then they both stepped outside into the warm night air. “So, um, that’s an interesting purse,” Michael commented at the plastic bag clutched in her hand that held a few unrecognizable items.
“Oh, I need it for my other job; we need clear purses so…,” she shrugged.
“What other job is that?” he asked.
“Cashier at a department store… but only in the mornings,” she told him.
“How many jobs do you have?” he asked her.
“Four,” she said shortly.
“Wow,” he laughed. “That’s a lot.”
“Yeah,” she sighed, but said nothing more.
Figuring she didn’t want to talk about it, he changed the subject. “So, have you always lived around here?”
“No, not here exactly, but in this city, yes,” she told him, not wanting to reveal too much about her place of residence, for that would require revealing too much about her personal life that she wasn’t ready to share yet. She looked over and noticed by the light of the street lamps that his eyes were darting nervously from side to side with each tiny noise. A wicked grin crossing her face, she lunged at him suddenly as she screamed. He screamed, jumped a mile and slamming his hand into a street sign in the process, to which he swore loudly. “Oh god, are you ok?” she asked with concern, though she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah,” he grumbled as he shook out his injured hand. “Jesus woman, that was mean. You gave me a freakin’ heart attack.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I just… well, you seem so paranoid,” she told him.
“I am,” he told her. “I feel like I need an armed guard. How can you walk by yourself?”
She shrugged. “It’s not the highlight of my day, but I have to. So…”
“Uh huh, well it’s not safe,” he told her.
“Oh? And are you going to protect me with those girly screams of yours,” she teased him with a grin.
“GIRLY?! My screams are not girly,” he insisted.
“Yes they were,” she giggled. He muttered under his breath. “Don’t worry Michael, I don’t think any screams could be manly.”
“And yet, somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better,” he sighed.
“Alright well… that’s me across the street so… you need me to walk you back to your car for protection?” she smiled at him.
“Ha, funny,” he rolled his eyes. “Goodnight Sydney.”
“Night,” she called after him as she jogged across the street. She looked back over her shoulder once she reached the other side, only to see him running full tilt down the street back towards the dinner. She couldn’t help but laugh at that as she unlocked the door to her building and walked up to her apartment.
“So…,” Nadia said casually when her sister walked in.
“What?” Sydney asked, having no idea why her sibling was smirking so.
“You had a date and you didn’t tell me!” she squealed.
“Uh, no, I didn’t,” Sydney said firmly.
“But I saw you with that guy…,” she said with confusion.
“Oh,” Sydney rolled her eyes. “He’s just some guy from the diner who insisted on walking me home.”
“So, he likes you!” she grinned.
“Nadia, chill. I’m not going out with him.”
Nadia’s face fell. “Why?”
“Because I don’t have time for boyfriends; I’m too busy.”
“Syd, you have to have a life or you’ll die old and alone,” Nadia told her.
Sydney rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“I’m serious!”
“Then I’ll have a life after you’re in college, okay? Now go; study for your last final,” she instructed. Nadia just grumbled and walked away.
She looked over and noticed by the light of the street lamps that his eyes were darting nervously from side to side with each tiny noise. A wicked grin crossing her face, she lunged at him suddenly as she screamed. He screamed, jumped a mile and slamming his hand into a street sign in the process, to which he swore loudly. “Oh god, are you ok?” she asked with concern, though she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah,” he grumbled as he shook out his injured hand. “Jesus woman, that was mean. You gave me a freakin’ heart attack.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I just… well, you seem so paranoid,” she told him.
“I am,” he told her. “I feel like I need an armed guard. How can you walk by yourself?”
She shrugged. “It’s not the highlight of my day, but I have to. So…”
“Uh huh, well it’s not safe,” he told her.
“Oh? And are you going to protect me with those girly screams of yours,” she teased him with a grin.
I hope when he goes back that she will be nicer/walls down.
