Sydney Bristow 2300844
Cadet
Author's Note: Thanks soooo much to Riley for :beta: -ing this! 
Chapter V: The Date, Part II
When Sydney heard the knock on the door she was filled with mixed emotions. She was excited that Michael was here, but she was also nervous. All of these emotions were gone the moment she opened the door and saw him standing there in a black t-shirt and jeans, carrying a bouquet of pink tulips, her favorite flower.
“These are for you.” He said and she couldn’t help but smile as she took them.
“Thank you!” She said happily as she smelled them then she looked back up at him. “Come on in, I’ll just put these in water.”
Michael smiled slightly and stepped inside the small dorm room. He watched as Sydney disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a vase full of water, the tulips in it. She looks absolutely gorgeous, he thought as he watched her brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She was wearing a pink silk lace camisole with a vintage denim jacket over it. Her hair was wavy and Michael loved it even more than usual straight style she wore it in during the day. Sydney wore a pair of jeans and heels in the same shade of pink as her camisole was in. She wasn’t wearing that much make up or jewelry.
“You look really nice.” Michael stated when she walked back to him after grabbing her small purse off the counter. When he caught a glimpse of the purse, he knew that what Eric had told him before was certainly true.
Michael didn’t know much about designers or purses but he did remember something that his ex-girlfriend Alice had told him.
~Flashback~
~1 year Earlier~
“Alice, how much money was that purse?” Michael asked nervously as he and his girlfriend Alice walked through the crowded mall one Saturday.
“Oh relax!” Alice insisted. “It was only $20.” She stated and Michael relaxed. “The real stuff would’ve been around $500!”
Michael nodded. “Why does it have ‘XL’ written all over it?” He asked.
Alice giggled. “That’s ‘LV’ not ‘XL’. And it stands for Louis Vuitton silly!” She explained.
~End of Flashback~
Michael was now looking at the same purse Alice had gotten, only this time, he knew it was real.
“Ready?” Sydney asked softly. Michael nodded and walked out the door with her. He opened the door to his Pathfinder for her and shut it once she was in. They departed a few moments later.
“You can turn on the radio if you’d like.” Michael instructed from behind the wheel.
Sydney began looking through CDs, but by the time she found the one she wanted, they had arrived at UCLA’s Ice Arena. Michael got off and got out a huge duffel bag full of his hockey gear.
“Anything I can help you with?” Sydney asked when she saw how much equipment he was carrying.
“Would you mind taking one of the sticks?” Michael asked as he tossed his skates over his shoulder.
“Not at all.” She replied with a smile and they walked in together to the arena. Sydney followed Michael to the hallway outside the locker rooms and he turned around to her.
“I have to go now. I’ll see you after the game.” He said with a small smile.
“Alright. Good luck!” Sydney replied before heading up the steps and seating herself in the middle row.
The game went well, but a little bit after half way through, Michael was shoved against the glass pretty hard. Other than that everything went terrific and UCLA won a victory 5:2. Sydney gathered up her belongings, threw the empty plastic soda bottle away in the trashcan and sat on the bench in the locker room hallway. Michael walked out of the locker room after a quick shower wearing jeans and a t-shirt and smiled at Sydney. She smiled back and stood up when he reached her.
“Wow! You were really great!” She exclaimed happily.
“Thanks.” Michael replied as he led her out the door and into the near deserted parking lot.
“You’re welcome. You know, you should really consider going pro!” Sydney suggested.
“When I was a kid, I used to want to play for the Kings. I still do sorta. But they’ll never sign me on. I’m not good enough.” He stated as he threw the heavy bags into the trunk of the car and got in.
“My dad, he knows the guy that owns the Kings. Maybe I could talk to him and he can come to your next game.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Michael said.
“I want to.” Sydney said with a smile. “So, where are we going to eat at?” She asked.
Michael smiled once again. “I know this pizza place, Joey’s Pizza. They’re opened ‘til 2 AM and their pizzas are great. Best pizzas in LA.” He stated.
“Sounds great.” Sydney said happily.
A little bit later, they pulled into a small restaurant that had a neon sign on the side of the road that read ‘Joey’s Pizza’. The restaurant was right by the pier and when they were seated, their table overlooked the Pacific.
“Wow, the view it’s absolutely amazing!” Sydney exclaimed.
That’s not the only thing that’s amazing, Michael thought as he ate a slice of pepperoni pizza. I don’t even like pepperoni! He thought again. It truly was amazing how much his life had changed in the past 40 some hours.
After they finished arguing over who would be the one to pay – Michael won, Sydney promised to pay for the next dinner and then winked – they were now walking along the pier, sipping some Starbucks.
“So, how come you work at Willie’s and live in a dorm? I heard you were loaded.” Michael said and instantly regretted it.
Sydney looked up at him. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.” He apologized. Sydney shook her head.
“It’s alright.” She paused and then continued. “I work because I want to be able to make my own money.” She explained and Michael nodded. They chit chatted back and forth and occasionally, Michael would fall silent and then stare up at the sky that was now pitch black and full of stars.
“What is it?” Sydney asked. He shook his head.
“My dad and I, we used to sit outside on top of the roof at night. Just for hours and hours. Sometimes we’d fall asleep up there and my mom would freak out and call Mr. Anderson, our neighbor, to come get us down.” He chuckled at the memory.
“Oh, that’s nice.” Sydney smiled. “How’s your dad now?” It was a fair question, asked out of shear curiosity, but Sydney regretted even asking.
“He died…when I was 8.” Michael said and looked down at the wooden planks.
“I’m sorry.” Sydney replied truthfully and they continued walking.
“Have you ever lost someone you loved a lot?” He asked after a moment of silence.
Sydney nodded. “My grandma died a few months ago.”
“But you knew how she died.”
“Well, sorta.”
“To a certain extent.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I never found out how my dad died. He was in the government. We never even knew what part.”
“I’m sorry.” Sydney said and felt bad again for even bringing it up.
“It’s alright.” Michael insisted.
They turned back around and walked back to Michael’s car in silence. The drive was silent as well and when they arrived at the door of Sydney’s dorm, Sydney smiled slightly at him.
“I guess I’ll see you later then.” Michael said softly.
“Yea, for sure.” Sydney smiled and without thinking, kissed him. “Good night.” She said and shut the door behind her, leaving Michael with the biggest smile on his face ever.
Chapter V: The Date, Part II
When Sydney heard the knock on the door she was filled with mixed emotions. She was excited that Michael was here, but she was also nervous. All of these emotions were gone the moment she opened the door and saw him standing there in a black t-shirt and jeans, carrying a bouquet of pink tulips, her favorite flower.
“These are for you.” He said and she couldn’t help but smile as she took them.
“Thank you!” She said happily as she smelled them then she looked back up at him. “Come on in, I’ll just put these in water.”
Michael smiled slightly and stepped inside the small dorm room. He watched as Sydney disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a vase full of water, the tulips in it. She looks absolutely gorgeous, he thought as he watched her brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She was wearing a pink silk lace camisole with a vintage denim jacket over it. Her hair was wavy and Michael loved it even more than usual straight style she wore it in during the day. Sydney wore a pair of jeans and heels in the same shade of pink as her camisole was in. She wasn’t wearing that much make up or jewelry.
“You look really nice.” Michael stated when she walked back to him after grabbing her small purse off the counter. When he caught a glimpse of the purse, he knew that what Eric had told him before was certainly true.
Michael didn’t know much about designers or purses but he did remember something that his ex-girlfriend Alice had told him.
~Flashback~
~1 year Earlier~
“Alice, how much money was that purse?” Michael asked nervously as he and his girlfriend Alice walked through the crowded mall one Saturday.
“Oh relax!” Alice insisted. “It was only $20.” She stated and Michael relaxed. “The real stuff would’ve been around $500!”
Michael nodded. “Why does it have ‘XL’ written all over it?” He asked.
Alice giggled. “That’s ‘LV’ not ‘XL’. And it stands for Louis Vuitton silly!” She explained.
~End of Flashback~
Michael was now looking at the same purse Alice had gotten, only this time, he knew it was real.
“Ready?” Sydney asked softly. Michael nodded and walked out the door with her. He opened the door to his Pathfinder for her and shut it once she was in. They departed a few moments later.
“You can turn on the radio if you’d like.” Michael instructed from behind the wheel.
Sydney began looking through CDs, but by the time she found the one she wanted, they had arrived at UCLA’s Ice Arena. Michael got off and got out a huge duffel bag full of his hockey gear.
“Anything I can help you with?” Sydney asked when she saw how much equipment he was carrying.
“Would you mind taking one of the sticks?” Michael asked as he tossed his skates over his shoulder.
“Not at all.” She replied with a smile and they walked in together to the arena. Sydney followed Michael to the hallway outside the locker rooms and he turned around to her.
“I have to go now. I’ll see you after the game.” He said with a small smile.
“Alright. Good luck!” Sydney replied before heading up the steps and seating herself in the middle row.
The game went well, but a little bit after half way through, Michael was shoved against the glass pretty hard. Other than that everything went terrific and UCLA won a victory 5:2. Sydney gathered up her belongings, threw the empty plastic soda bottle away in the trashcan and sat on the bench in the locker room hallway. Michael walked out of the locker room after a quick shower wearing jeans and a t-shirt and smiled at Sydney. She smiled back and stood up when he reached her.
“Wow! You were really great!” She exclaimed happily.
“Thanks.” Michael replied as he led her out the door and into the near deserted parking lot.
“You’re welcome. You know, you should really consider going pro!” Sydney suggested.
“When I was a kid, I used to want to play for the Kings. I still do sorta. But they’ll never sign me on. I’m not good enough.” He stated as he threw the heavy bags into the trunk of the car and got in.
“My dad, he knows the guy that owns the Kings. Maybe I could talk to him and he can come to your next game.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Michael said.
“I want to.” Sydney said with a smile. “So, where are we going to eat at?” She asked.
Michael smiled once again. “I know this pizza place, Joey’s Pizza. They’re opened ‘til 2 AM and their pizzas are great. Best pizzas in LA.” He stated.
“Sounds great.” Sydney said happily.
A little bit later, they pulled into a small restaurant that had a neon sign on the side of the road that read ‘Joey’s Pizza’. The restaurant was right by the pier and when they were seated, their table overlooked the Pacific.
“Wow, the view it’s absolutely amazing!” Sydney exclaimed.
That’s not the only thing that’s amazing, Michael thought as he ate a slice of pepperoni pizza. I don’t even like pepperoni! He thought again. It truly was amazing how much his life had changed in the past 40 some hours.
After they finished arguing over who would be the one to pay – Michael won, Sydney promised to pay for the next dinner and then winked – they were now walking along the pier, sipping some Starbucks.
“So, how come you work at Willie’s and live in a dorm? I heard you were loaded.” Michael said and instantly regretted it.
Sydney looked up at him. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.” He apologized. Sydney shook her head.
“It’s alright.” She paused and then continued. “I work because I want to be able to make my own money.” She explained and Michael nodded. They chit chatted back and forth and occasionally, Michael would fall silent and then stare up at the sky that was now pitch black and full of stars.
“What is it?” Sydney asked. He shook his head.
“My dad and I, we used to sit outside on top of the roof at night. Just for hours and hours. Sometimes we’d fall asleep up there and my mom would freak out and call Mr. Anderson, our neighbor, to come get us down.” He chuckled at the memory.
“Oh, that’s nice.” Sydney smiled. “How’s your dad now?” It was a fair question, asked out of shear curiosity, but Sydney regretted even asking.
“He died…when I was 8.” Michael said and looked down at the wooden planks.
“I’m sorry.” Sydney replied truthfully and they continued walking.
“Have you ever lost someone you loved a lot?” He asked after a moment of silence.
Sydney nodded. “My grandma died a few months ago.”
“But you knew how she died.”
“Well, sorta.”
“To a certain extent.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I never found out how my dad died. He was in the government. We never even knew what part.”
“I’m sorry.” Sydney said and felt bad again for even bringing it up.
“It’s alright.” Michael insisted.
They turned back around and walked back to Michael’s car in silence. The drive was silent as well and when they arrived at the door of Sydney’s dorm, Sydney smiled slightly at him.
“I guess I’ll see you later then.” Michael said softly.
“Yea, for sure.” Sydney smiled and without thinking, kissed him. “Good night.” She said and shut the door behind her, leaving Michael with the biggest smile on his face ever.
:blink: