Nothing like a few good reviews to get you motivated to put up another chappie! (Cai, I love you! And of course you can be an addict and on the PM list!) I should have Chapter Three spoilers up tomorrow! ^_^
Enfin
Chapter Two
Vaughn’s POV
The group dispersed a few minutes after Sydney left for the bathroom. Not that I actually believed that she really had to go to the bathroom. That silence had been killing us all.
The next hour of the party was fairly uneventful. I swear she avoided me for the rest of the party. Which is probably for the best. I mean. There’s Alice. And that jerk Nick. Nate. Noah. Whatever.
She could do better.
Wait. What am I thinking. I don’t even know them. It’s none of my business who she dates.
I could make it my business.
No!
I was lounging by the stairs, having finally separated myself from both Alice and Weiss by ducking into the kitchen for a few minutes, when I saw her again, heading towards the front hall. Despite my better judgment, I headed towards her, losing sight of her as I pushed my way through the sea of people. When I finally got out of the crowd, she was gone.
Where on earth did she go? She was here a minute ago, she can’t have gotten far.
A cold burst of air, however, betrayed her location.
I opened the door.
Syds POV
I forced myself to stay at the party for as long as I could. It was getting harder and harder to avoid Vaughn, especially in my bright red dress. I knew it had been a mistake to go as Scarlett O’Hara.
Not that I have a reason to avoid him or anything. I totally don’t.
Francie was clearly having a good time, as were Noah and Will. What can I say. They’re party people. Clearly I am not. After hanging out with them for a while, the guys had decided to go watch the football game, leaving Francie and I to our own devices.
I spent most of the next hour in the kitchen, where there were less men trying to get my number, and more people just quietly chatting. However, when I saw Vaughn enter from the other side of the room, I quickly disappeared into the front hall.
I checked my watch. I’d been at the party for a little more than an hour. I’d had enough. It was time for me to go. But first I had to tell someone I was heading home. I found Francie first, talking to a few guys I didn’t know.
“Fran.” I said, coming up behind her.
“Hey Syd. Meet Devon, Craig, and Charlie. Guys, this is my roommate, Sydney.”
I said hello to Devon, Craig, and Charlie, then asked if I could talk to Francie for a minute.
“Sure,” she said, following me to a quieter part of the room. “What’s up? I’ve hardly seen you all night. You feeling okay?”
“I’ve got a headache. In fact, I think I’m going to take off. I’ve got work tomorrow, and I just want to get some rest.”I said quickly.
Hey, it’s not a complete lie. I do have work tomorrow. Never mind that tomorrow happens to be Saturday. I still have to go in to ‘talk about my future in the Agency and my progress so far’ to quote my boss. Which is probably referring to the routine field test I had to take last week. What the point of that was, I have no clue, considering that am an analyst and not a field agent.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll go see if I can find Noah and Will.” She replied, smiling sympathetically.
“No, you guys should stay.” I protested. “I saw the guys a while ago, and they look like they’re having a good time. Can you just tell them I headed home when you get the chance?”
“Are you sure you don‘t want me to come?” Francie asked. I nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you at home.” Francie said, giving me a quick hug. And with that, I headed towards the front door. I thought I was home free.
Unfortunately, I had barely stepped off the porch when the door opened again behind me.
“Sydney?”
You’d think that a CIA employee would be able to get out of situations like these.
Vaughn’s POV
“Syd.” I said, turning on the porch light and shutting the door behind me as I stepped out into the chilly October air. “Hey.” I said, walking down the stairs to join her on the small brick pathway. “Leaving already?”
“Uh, yeah.” She said, obviously wondering the same thing I was. What the hell was I doing out there. “I’ve got work tomorrow…”
Who goes to work on a Saturday? Wait. I have to go in tomorrow too. I’m just as bad.
“What do you do?” I asked. Curiosity killed the cat. But I had to know. I could see her doing so many things. One thing was for sure. She was no waitress. Her eyes held too much intelligence and spirit to do anything without a challenge.
“I’m a banker.” She replied. Okay, definitely not expecting that one. “What about you?”
“I work at the state department.” I lied. It was part of the job. A silence ensued. “Hey, um, can I walk you to your car?”
I can walk a guest to their car after a party. There’s no rule against that. Although I should probably keep this from Alice anyways. Yeah. Probably the safest option.
“Actually, I’m walking home.” She said matter-of-factly. I stared at her in disbelief.
“You’re walking home?” Is she crazy? It must be forty degrees out! And lets just say that that dress is not going to keep her warm. And Los Angeles at night isn’t the safest place on the planet for a young, pretty female walking alone. “Alone? In this weather? You’ll freeze. Not to mention that you can barely see two feet in front of your face. Let me give you a ride. Please.” She looked like she was about to give in, but then…
“How are you going to get your car out?” She asked, gesturing to my driveway.
I looked over at the jam-packed strip of cement. There was no way I could get my car out of the garage. Figures. A silence followed. I was about to say goodnight and go in, when she looks down, and when she looks back up, she smiles a little.
“I could use some company though. If you wanted to walk with me, that is.” I smile back.
We walk in silence, Sydney leading the way, even though we’re walking side by side. After about a minute, I notice her shiver. Silently, I remove my Zorro cape and drape it over her shoulders.
This earns me a smile. Note to self; It is definitely worth being a little chilly for the smile of a woman you…
A woman you what, Vaughn? A woman you just met? A woman you can’t date because she has a boyfriend? Not to mention that YOU have a girlfriend. A very nice girlfriend who cares about you and is probably wondering where the hell you are right now. So stop thinking about Sydney. After tonight, you’ll probably never see her again. So forget it.
Soon Sydney stopped in front of a small but warm looking house.
“Well, this is it. Thanks for walking me home. You didn’t have to do that. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. It was nice meeting you, Sydney.”
“You too.”
We stood there for a minute.
“Well I’d better…” She started.
“Yeah I’m gonna…” I began.
We both smiled, and with that she turned up her walkway and disappeared into the house. I remained on the sidewalk for a moment longer. A different place, a different time… I sighed, and headed back to the party. I hoped it was going to end soon. I had to get up early for work. Oh joy. Another boring day at the office.
Syds POV
I leaned up against the door after closing the door behind me. After a minute I sighed and headed up to bed. I groaned. Another day of work tomorrow. It just never ends.
