Welcome new readers!
Here is Friday's chapter. I'm posting early b/c I won't be around later on. Enjoy.
Recap:
“I had a really great time today, Michael. I’m glad you decided to stare at me at the pool yesterday. I should get go…”
Michael cut me off with a finger to my lips. “Why don’t you stay?” I gave him a suspicious glance. “JUST to sleep…I promise.” He grinned. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet. You’re so…special.”
Chapter 3:
I smiled shyly and looked into his eyes. His words pushed me over the edge. “All right. I don’t have to be at work until eleven tomorrow anyway.” Taking his hand, I followed him into the room. He threw me a pair of lacrosse shorts and t-shirt.
“Here…you can use these tonight. Clean, I promise.” I smiled and went into the bathroom to change and rinse off my face. When I emerged, I found him in his boxers and t-shirt sitting on the bed flipping through TV channels.
He looked at me and grinned. I had rolled the waist on the shorts a few times and his shirt hung loosely on my thin frame. “You look cute,” he said, casually.
I returned the grin and slid into the bed next to him. We watched some television before exhaustion set in.
“Well, Syd. You really opened my eyes about fun in Las Vegas when you are under 21.”
“Just doing my job as a local. I’m glad you had fun. What time do you have to meet your parents tomorrow?”
“Ten. My mom said I owe them some family time since I disappeared today.”
“Oh, Michael…I’m sorry for cutting into your family trip.”
“Are you kidding? Today was better than anything on this trip would have been.” He yawned. “Thanks again, Sydney.” He slid down and lay back against his pillow.
“Anytime…” I whispered, lightly kissed his forehead and curled into him. “
Don’t get attached, Sydney. Rule number one as a local…do not fall in love with tourists…” I thought to myself before drifting off. Chris had drilled that rule into my head a month ago and I was dangerously close to breaking that rule.
~~~
Morning came and I woke up around eight. I glanced over and saw that Michael was still in a deep sleep. I considered slipping out before he woke up to spare myself the chore of saying goodbye to someone I felt I really clicked with, yet had no chance with since he was only in town a few days. However, ignoring Chris’ warning, I went with my heart and knew I had to say goodbye.
“Michael,” I whispered, lightly shaking his arm. “Michael, wake up.”
He groaned. “What time is it?”
“It’s 8:15.”
“Go back to sleep till nine.” I giggled softly.
“I should really get back home. I’m not the one on vacation this week…” He rolled over to look in my eyes and sighed.
“I wish you could hang out more,” he said, bringing his hand up to stroke my cheek.
I felt her heart melting and knew I was past the point of attachment. “Me too. How much longer are you here?”
“All day today and tomorrow. We leave Friday morning.”
I sighed. “I work both of those days, but I usually take my breaks at the pool or hang around there until I have to be at work. Call me sometime and maybe we can meet up before you leave.”
“I will. I promise.” I smiled down at him and lightly kissed him before slipping out of the bed and retreating to the bathroom to put my clothes on from the day before. Upon exiting the bathroom, I put the clothes I borrowed from Michael on the bed and smiled at him again.
“Bye, Michael.” I slid out the door before he could say anything else and once in the hallway, leaned against the wall. “
What am I doing? How could I have let myself get so attached?”
Back in the room, Michael was still sitting in bed, thinking about Sydney. Never in his life since he started dating girls did he feel such a strong attachment to one particular person, especially after only one day. But he knew he had to see her again.
>o<
As it turned out, I happened to have the dinner shift on Thursday, meaning I didn’t have to report to the restaurant until 4:00 p.m. I called Michael during my break on Wednesday and left him a message saying I’d be at the pool from around ten in the morning until at least three in the afternoon.
At ten the next morning, I made my way to the MGM pool and looked around before settling in a chair to make sure Michael was not there. Feeling a bit disappointed, I sat down and spread my stuff on the chair next to me to ensure it stayed empty in case he came.
Half an hour later, I was getting restless. I was SURE he’d want to see me again. “
How could I have misread someone that much?” I thought grumpily and tried to concentrate on a magazine I had open on my lap. Giving up, I shut my eyes and tried to enjoy my free time before work.
“I think I like the black one better…” a voice penetrated my thoughts about 15 minutes later. Slowly, I opened one eye to see a grinning Michael Vaughn staring down at me. A smile spread across my face.
“What’s wrong with the red bikini?”
“I just think black is more your color,” he replied in a teasing tone and leaned down to give me a kiss. “Sorry I am late. I had to eat breakfast with the whole family and don’t be surprised if some of them show up here later. I’m assuming this chair is for me, by the way,” he said, pointing to her stuff on the empty chair.
“Yep,” I said, hastily removing my belongings. “I’m just glad you made it.”
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you again for anything in the world.”
We spent the rest of the morning relaxing on the chairs and grabbed some burgers at the poolside bar for lunch. Afterwards we played in the water, taking turns splashing each other and trying to dunk the other person under the water, all the while stealing an occasional kiss. 3:00 p.m. came way to quickly for both of us and before we knew it, Michael was watching me gather my things to go get ready for work.
“Why don’t you come use the shower in my room instead of the clubhouse here? It will be cleaner, and more private. Plus I’d get that much more time with you.” He gave me puppy dog eyes.
I laughed. “Okay, sure. But I really do have to get ready for work.”
“I know. Let’s go,” he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the pool. Laughing, we ran through the hotel and up to his room where I took an incredibly fast shower and put on my work attire. When I was ready, Michael embraced me and pulled me into his lap as he sat on the bed.
“Thank you for making my vacation so much more tolerable. I only wish I didn’t have to leave you. Can I call you?”
“Of course. That is, if you have time for me in between your classes and hockey and girls that will be throwing themselves at you back in Washington State.”
“Girls, right.”
“I’m serious. You’ll probably forget all about little ol’ me quickly.”
“Sydney, I could never forget you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
I saw a flash of pain go through Michael’s eyes. Why was I being so weird? “Sydney…I’m not going to forget you. I can keep that promise,” he said.
As I stared into his eyes, I knew I went too far with my comments. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to forget you either. Please call me whenever you want.” I leaned forward and hugged him tightly.
“Sydney…you’re one of the greatest people I ever met. Don’t forget that,” he whispered into my ear. “Work hard…go to school. And I promise one day I’ll come back.” He hugged me a little more tightly.
I pulled back a moment later. “I’m sorry, Michael. I really have to get going.” I placed a kiss on his forehead. “Goodbye…” I whispered and ran out of the room before he saw the tears in my eyes. “
Great…I got attached. I’m an idiot. He’s never coming back…”
>o<
“You did WHAT? Sydney Bristow…did I teach you NOTHING about living in Vegas?” Chris was screaming at me over the phone a few days later.
“I know. I know…I just…there was such a connection. I’ve never felt it with anyone. He was so great…”
“Oh, Sydney. You’ve fallen hard. It’s okay…we’ll fix this.”
>o<
Approximately 4 months later – December
Michael had kept his promise and called me at least twice a week to remind me that he hadn’t forgotten me. At first his phone calls made it hard for me to move on from the incredible few days we had together but then I grew to look forward to his calls. He became a great phone friend and he always supported me.
I had worked very hard over the past few months and realized I had enough money to start classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the spring. I talked to Dave and he worked out a schedule with me so I could keep my job and attend classes.
Dave was proud of me and I knew it. I was his best waitress and he didn’t want to lose me so he was more than happy to do anything to make it possible for me to go to school and stay at Emeril’s.
The one thing that kept bothering me throughout December was the impending holidays. Not that I had any memorable Christmas’ with my father, but it made me sad that he still hadn’t bothered to look for me. Chris and his family insisted that I spend Christmas with them, which made me feel slightly better.
After packaging the small gift I’d bought for Michael – a book about hockey – I decided to write a card to my father.
Dear Dad,
It’s obvious you don’t care what so ever that I left six months ago, and that’s a fact I’ve accepted by now. I just wanted to write and say Happy Holiday’s and that I am doing just fine on my own. I have a nice apartment, a respectable job, and I’ve saved up enough money to start college classes for the spring semester. I have nice friends and they’ve been there for me ever since I got here. I hope this letter finds you well.
Your daughter,
Sydney
That was it. I couldn’t even bring myself to say that I loved him but went to mail the card quickly so I didn’t lose my nerve.
Unbeknownst to me, my father had spent the past six months receiving updates on me through a private detective he’d hired after I left. He’d known where I was and how I was doing this whole time and left me alone because he knew I was safe and at first, it was what I wanted. After getting over his anger when I left, he realized how proud he was of me for starting from scratch on my own, finding work quickly and even going to school. When the card came for him, my words hit his heart and he decided to try a visit to Las Vegas to see if I’d talk to him.
~~~
“Seriously, Syd. What would you want more than anything for Christmas, if miracles existed?”
“Michael, this is such a stupid question!” I giggled over the phone.
“Just answer it.”
“Mmm…okay. Besides having you come visit? I guess I wish things had been different with my dad and I. Right now I’d be coming back from my first semester at Berkeley to our big house and curling up in my room that overlooked the ocean. He probably wouldn’t be home, but there’d always be tons of meaningless presents under the tree on Christmas morning. Even if he were home, he’d be in his office working and would come out to kiss my cheek quickly before retreating again. But that was home. If he hadn’t missed my graduation, I probably would have stayed. And I wish he came after me, yelling his head off for me to get my ass back to Los Angeles. But he didn’t. And that is what makes me the most sad.”
I’m sure Michael heard the sadness in my voice but before he could respond, I continued. “If I ever have a family, I’m going to make sure both my husband and I are present for the children all the time. No excuses. I can’t imagine putting children through what I went through.”
“Oh…Sydney.” Michael decided right then and there he was going to do all he could to try and make Sydney incredibly happy one day. Over the past few months, he’d fallen helplessly in love with her through their phone calls and he’d even bought a ticket to surprise her on December 30th, so he could spend New Years with her. He already knew she’d been granted the night off due to Chris endlessly begging his cousin to conveniently schedule Sydney’s day off for that night for her to come to his party. All he could hope for is that she would love him as much as he loved her.
After chatting a few more minutes, Michael reminded me that I needed to be in my apartment at noon on the 30th for my surprise from him.
“I know, I know! You text message me like, every day. I promise I’ll be here. Can’t you give me any hints?”
“Nope. Patience, my dear. It’s only a few more days. Have a Merry Christmas tomorrow, Sweetie. I hope you get some large tips for having to work. And have fun at Chris’ in the morning.”
“Thanks, you too Michael. I miss you.”
“Miss you too. Good night…”
“Bye.”
>o<
After Christmas morning with Chris and his family, I headed to work and was actually having a decent night. The restaurant was packed with families celebrating Christmas in Vegas and everyone was being overly generous with tips. Around seven, I began to walk over to where a new patron was seated alone at a table for two. Halfway to the table, I recognized the man sitting there, gasped and turned as pale as a ghost. Dave, noticing my face turning white, rushed over.
“Are you okay? Sydney? Are you sick?”
“That man...” I said, shakily pointing a finger toward the table.
“What? Has he been stalking you? Do we need to escort him out of the restaurant?”
“No…no. It’s my…dad.” Dave looked at me curiously. “I haven’t seen him since I left home in June.”
“Do you want us to get rid of him?”
“No…he obviously came here for a reason. This is not a coincidence. Can I have a few minutes to sit down and talk to him?”
“Sure. I’ll have Stacey cover your tables for a few minutes.”
“Thank you.” Taking a deep breath, I walked over to my father. “I assume you asked to be seated in my section. How long have you had these reservations?”
At the sound of my voice, dad looked up and into my eyes. “A few weeks.”
“So you’ve known where I was…”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Pretty much since you’ve left.” I gaped at him in shock at this news and dared to sit in the other chair at the table.
“And you never came after me?” I hissed. “Were you just…GLAD I was gone?”
“Sydney, let me explain…”
“I don’t know if I want to hear your excuses.”
“Sydney…I’m not a perfect father. I know this. But I did come here for you, for Christmas. After your card…I owe you a lot. I just want to talk.” I glared at my dad for a few minutes before sighing.
“How long are you here for?”
“Two more days.”
“Fine. I’m off tomorrow until four in the afternoon. Here is my address, come over around ten.” I wrote my information on paper from my order pad and slid it to him. “Although, something tells me you already had this address.” He looked guilty. “Whatever. Are you actually eating here tonight, or did you just come to find me?”
“I’m going to stay…”
“Fine. But I’m not serving you. I’m going to have one of the other girls cover my table. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, I stood up and stalked away from the table over to where Dave was standing with Stacey.
“I can take my tables back, but I am not serving my father. Stacey, is there any way you can just take care of him?”
“Of course, Syd. Not a problem.”
“And Stacey…treat him well. He may have disappointed me my whole life, but well, it’s Christmas.” Stacey knew deep down I loved my father very much and simply nodded and told me not to worry. She walked over to him and began to speak.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Bristow. My name is Stacey, and I will be your waitress tonight. Our specials include…”
Dad ended up being an incredibly gracious patron and left Stacey with a large tip and a small red envelope that bore the name “Sydney” on it. As she passed the envelope along to me, she told me to give him a chance in the morning and hugged me.
I stared at the envelope and put it in my pocket for the time being, afraid it would be full of disappointing words as all of Dad’s cards were in the past, and I simply didn’t feel like crying during my shift at work.
>o<
When I returned home around two in the morning, I fingered the envelope and broke down in tears. “Why now?” I thought, wondering what tomorrow would bring. Forgetting what time it was, I picked up the phone and dialed a number that had become like a security blanket for me.
“Hello?” A sleepy voice said into the receiver.
“Michael?” I replied, in a small voice.
He immediately recognized my voice and probably knew something was wrong. “Syd? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine…it’s just…he showed up tonight. At the restaurant.”
“Who?”
“My dad.”
“Are you…what did he want?”
“To talk. He’s coming over at ten in the morning.”
“Isn’t this what you wanted, Syd? For things to be better?”
“Yes… but… I guess I’m just scared of being disappointed again. He left me a card when he left the restaurant. I haven’t opened it yet because anything he ever gave me written was usually another excuse that let me down somehow. Maybe he was going to tell me he isn’t showing up tomorrow morning after all…”
“Sydney. Now I don’t know your father but something tells me he wouldn’t have come all that way just to hand you a card to tell you he wasn’t going to show up to talk to you.” I responded with silence and a few muffled sniffles. “Do you want to open the card with me on the phone?”
“Okay… are you sure? I really feel bad for waking you up. I forgot how late it was.”
“Sydney, I’m always here for you. It’s okay. Go ahead and open it. I’ll wait.”
“Thank you, Michael. You are so great. I wish I could just be with you right now in person.” I sighed and ripped open the envelope.
“So what does the card say?” He asked after a few more moments of silence.
“That he is sorry for the way he’s treated me and he hopes one day we can have some sort of relationship again.”
Michael chuckled softly. “See, Sydney. Miracles can happen.”
“We’ll see…tomorrow will be interesting.”
“Be positive. And get some sleep, Syd-o. If you need me tomorrow…you know how to reach me.”
“Thanks, Michael. I…” I paused briefly. “I love you,” I whispered into the phone.
He didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Like I said, I’m always here for you, Sweetie. Have a good night, okay?”
“Okay. Bye, Michael.” I hung up the phone feeling conflicted. I finally took the chance to admit my feelings to him, and I had been pretty sure he’d felt the same feelings over the past few months but he didn’t reciprocate them. But that was another worry for another day. Right now I had to find a way to deal with my dad in the morning.
Sighing, I crawled into bed and stared at the picture of Michael and I at the Venetian before falling asleep. Little did I know that he was lying in his own bed, staring at the same picture and wishing it was December 30th.
TBC - tomorrow!
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