The In-Between

Interesting. I'm sensing a Romeo and Juliet-esque storyline here. Hopefully it won't end the same, because that's so 16th century. :smiley: But I'm loving it, as usual!
 
...probably not anyway :angelnot:
haha see typically shed be dead against you corrupting her poor characters but SEE we are corrupting you
you didnt argue or go d'oh or nothing!!!
hehe corruption is fun!

and ill remind you to double update if you want!
 
double as promised (thanks for the reminder; i would have forgotten)


Chapter 4
As soon as he walked in the house, Michael’s mother questioned the goofy grin across his face. He made up a quick lie and told her he had no idea what she was talking about; he wasn’t grinning strangely, nope, not at all. His reasoning for this little while lie was twofold. For starters, every time he even mentioned a girlfriend or potential girlfriend, or really any non-related female, his mother began questioning him endlessly on this girl’s personal qualities and attributes. In her mind, there was no one in the universe good enough for him, which made her think she could pick everyone apart. The other reason was, unlike him, his mother did not tolerate Easterners. In fact, she loathed them and, much to Michael’s disappointment (not just in Sydney’s case but over all), found them to be sub-human. Considering he had barely had a twenty minute conversation with Sydney, he felt it unfair to subject her to such torture from his mother.


Later that evening, Michael was getting ready to go out with some friends to celebrate the birthday of one of them. As he was staring into his closet, trying to find something that was clean and matched the pants he wanted to wear, he found himself thinking about Sydney. True, they’d only spoken for a short while, but he couldn’t wait to talk to her again. He wished that Saturday was only two days away, instead of six. Not once in his thoughts did the fact that she was an Easterner come into play. It didn’t matter to him. She was just a girl, a pretty one at that, and he wanted to get to know her more.

~*~

On Wednesday, when Sydney was sitting through a painfully boring literature class, she kept glancing down at her day planner. She began to doodle on the Saturday square, drawing tiny hearts in the four corners and fancy designs around them. The girl beside her, her friend Anna, leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Hot date?”

Sydney almost laughed out loud at the thought. Yes, she did have a hot date – with the library. Even if her purpose for going was mostly to see Michael, she could hardly call their meeting at the library a date. After all, they’d be doing nothing that would be considered remotely date-like. Perhaps if they went to the fast food restaurant across the street from the library, then date would be the appropriate term, but they weren’t. Still, Sydney was wishing more and more than her class would be over as soon as possible, just so she was one hour closer to Saturday.

~*~

After six endless days of waiting Saturday had finally arrived, and Michael decided he was going to leave for the library as early as possible so he could spend as much time as he could there with Sydney. He almost laughed at himself when he realized he was breaking his Saturday sleep-‘til-eleven ritual just so he could get to the library. He left his house before eleven, hoping to get to the library shortly after noon. When he arrived he was surprised to find that Sydney was already there. He’d arrived almost an hour before he had the previous Saturday when he’d beat her there too.

Sydney was seated at her usual table and she appeared to be intently focused on something so she didn’t look up when he walked in. Michael hesitated by the door for a moment before walking towards her table, instead of the one he usually sat at. When he was about three feet away from her, she looked up and smiled, “Hey.”

“Hey,” he smiled back. “Mind if I sit?”

“Not at all,” she gestured towards the seat across the table from her.

“You’re here early,” he said. He set his backpack on the table and began going through its contents, taking out what he needed.

“So are you,” she pointed out with a wink. He laughed softly before sitting down and getting to work.

Neither of them talked for over an hour. Finally, around the time Michael felt he’d go insane if he had to read one more chemistry-related thing, he glanced up to see Sydney appearing to be equally in agony. During their hour of silence, they only rarely looked up and smiled at one another like they’d been doing the previous Saturday after their walk. Missing their coy flirting, Michael said softly, “You want a break?”

“Please,” Sydney sighed in an agitated tone, throwing her pencil down so hard that it flew up and hit Michael on the shoulder. “Oops,” she blushed, “sorry.”

“’sokay,” he laughed, gently tossing her pencil back so that it landed on top of her notebook. “Wanna go for another walk?”

“Mmm no, I have an idea. Come with me,” she smiled at him as she got out of her seat. Michael needed no second invitation for he stood and followed her. Instead of walking towards the front of the library, she walked towards the back and the tiny narrow stairway that was there. The library had three stories and Sydney didn’t stop walking until she’d reached the very top. She then reached back and grabbed his hand, leading him through the stacks of dusty books.

“Stand right here,” she said. She stood behind him and placed on hand on each of his arms, guiding him into position. They were standing at the corner of the library with windows surrounding them. It was a clear day, so the visibility was for miles. “This is my favorite place,” she told him quietly. “You can see both worlds.”

Michael looked out in both directions, east then west, and saw that Sydney was indeed correct. To the west, towards his homeland, he saw behind a grove of trees the large military base he walked past on his way into the In-between. A distinct line could be seen though that was the high wall keeping the Easterners out of the West. It was a twenty foot high wall with barbed wire across the top, keeping everyone on their proper side. To the east lay a place he’d never been and would never go. Fewer trees blocked the view and he could see plainly a wall similar to the one on the west. Past both walls houses and streets could be seen. Life, it seemed, wasn’t so different after all on opposite sides of the wall.

“Sad, isn’t it?” Sydney asked after a long silence passed between them.

“What? That it’s all so close yet so far… or that everything seems to be the same yet it’s not?” he asked.

“Both,” she sighed. “I just wish it would all be over, you know? It’s so stupid… I mean, we were one country once, right? Why… why do people have to be so stupid and…,” she let her voice drift off with a sigh.

Michael was silent for a moment before saying softly, “Sounds like you’ve got some experience with that.”

“Mm,” she nodded, “my father is a lawmaker for East Lasonvia.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Michael said with a slight laugh.

“Me too,” Sydney laughed as well, looking up to him. At the same time she looked up, he looked down and their faces were closer than ever before. Seeing a moment and taking it, Michael lowered his lips down further so that they touched Sydney’s. Sydney leaned into him as they kissed, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck. By the time they broke, Sydney’s entire body was flooded with tingles.

“So…,” Michael said in a soft tone as his warm breath brushed across her cheek, giving her even more tingles.

“Yeah...,” she sighed. “What’s, um, going on here?”

“I don’t know,” he said as he moved his hands to her hips, drawing her a little closer, “but I’d like to find out.”

“Mm,” Sydney agreed before kissing him again sweetly. “Suddenly I’m feeling the urge to go to the library every day – maybe even twice,” she sighed. Michael couldn’t help but laugh, though he didn’t disagree.


Chapter 5
After their kiss, Sydney and Michael walked back downstairs hand-in-hand. They intended to continue studying, but in the end, they merely giggled back and forth. For twenty minutes, they exchanged smiles as they looked up and down from their books. Then, they began nudging each other under the table with their feet, playfully kicking each other and trying to knock each other’s shoes off, which made them both laugh a little too loudly for their library environment. Finally, Sydney announced that they needed a cease-fire on their activities or they’d never get any work done. Michael agreed and they got down to serious work once more.


“Well, I guess I should be heading home,” Sydney sighed finally. After all, she’d been at the library for nearly four hours; if she stayed any longer, her mother would probably grow very suspicious.

“Yeah me too,” Michael nodded. They both packed up their belongings and then walked out of the library together. “Is it bad that I wish it was next Saturday already?” Michael laughed softly as they walked.

“No, I’m wishing that too,” Sydney smiled at him. “You could, um, call me though, right?”

“Sure,” Michael happily agreed. He then dug into his backpack for a pen and something to write on. They exchanged numbers before walking a few more feet down the sidewalk together.

Sydney stopped in front of the only vehicle parked there and sighed, “Well this is me…”

“Oh, right,” he laughed. “I, uh, gotta walk so…”

“You walk?” Sydney asked, sounding surprised. Michael nodded. “Oh well I’ll give you a ride as far as I can,” she told him. Just as he opened his mouth to protest Sydney continued, “What? I can’t give my boyfriend a ride?”

She didn’t even realize what she’d said until a sly grin crossed Michael’s face. “Boyfriend, huh?”

“Well…I…uh,” she stammered as she began to tuck her hair behind her ears repeatedly.

Michael reached over and tucked the invisible stray strand behind her ear for her. “Boyfriend’s okay with me,” he assured her with a smile. She smiled back, stood up on her tip-toes and gave him a sweet kiss. Then, she walked over to her car, unlocked it and tossed her backpack in the back seat before climbing behind the wheel. Michael climbed into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt. As soon as Sydney turned on the car, she stomped on the gas pedal, causing the car to lurch backwards and Michael to grip the handle beside him tightly.

Sydney’s driving was jerky at best. After only a minute ride Michael was sufficiently fearing for his life as she rounded hairpin turns on what seemed like two wheels. He didn’t want to say anything regarding her driving skills or rather lack there of, though, considering their relationship was just in the early stages. She finally slowed the car once they came in visual range of the West Lasonvia border. “I don’t want to drive any further; I don’t want them to shoot me,” she told Michael honestly.

He laughed softy. “I don’t want that either. This is fine, thank you very much,” he said. Then, he leaned over and kissed her cheek before saying, “I’ll call you,” and getting out of her car. Once she saw him walk through to his country, showing his passport on the way, Sydney turned her car around in the middle of the street and drove off in the opposite direction towards her home.

~*~

On Tuesday, three long days after she’d last seen Michael, Sydney received a very welcome phone call from him. He apologized for not calling sooner, but stated how busy he was. His mother’s birthday had been on Sunday and then he’d been preoccupied with a chemistry lab project and then a test. Sydney understood why his call had been delayed and she was glad to hear from him.

“I thought about you today,” Michael told her.

“Oh?” Sydney asked, a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah… well, I mean, I think about you a lot, but this time I thought about you ‘cause this guy was complaining about this literature book he was reading and I thought, ‘boy, Sydney would love reading that’… it was some Emily Bronte felgercarb or something,” he told her.

“You know, calling it ‘felgercarb’ offends me,” she told him. She was then met with dead silence on the other end of the phone which caused her to laugh nervously, “I was kidding.”

“Oh,” Michael sighed with audible relief.

“I completely realize that eighteenth century literature isn’t for everyone,” she told him.

“Just as I realize chemistry isn’t for everyone,” Michael continued her sentiments.

“Well, at least we’re clear on that,” she laughed. “So… um… do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope, just me. You?”

“Nope, just me,” she echoed. “Other family?”

“Just me and my mom,” he told her. “My dad died when I was like… four, so I don’t remember him at all.”

“Oh,” Sydney said in a sad, sympathetic tone.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “You?”

“Well, my parents are divorced and my father and I don’t get along at all, but he pays for my university tuition and my car so…,” she let her voice drift off with a slight laugh.

“Right, so… do you play any sports?” he asked, not sure what to talk about all of a sudden. He was never good with phone conversations and hated awkward silences more than anything.

“No, I was never a sporty person; I play piano, though,” she told him.

“Ohh cool… yeah I never really played any instruments. I played the saxophone for like a day back forever ago, but that’s it. I played soccer for ten years when I was younger,” he told her.

“Cool…I wish it was Saturday,” she laughed slightly.

“Yeah I know. What time do you wanna meet? Maybe we could, uh, go grab something to eat sorta like a real date,” he suggested weakly.

“I’d like that,” she giggled. “How about we meet at noon then?”

“Noon sounds great. See you then, Syd,” Michael said.

Sydney giggled again at his use of a nickname for her. “See you then.”
 
janet you rock i love whn you do double updates they are the best
whoo so they are allready bf gf thats so cool
but jeesh already dreading the meet the parents!

janet you rock i love whn you do double updates they are the best
whoo so they are allready bf gf thats so cool
but jeesh already dreading the meet the parents!
oh and happy easter incase i miis saying it!
 
Yay! Double updates! What a treat! Thanks so much Janet. :hug:
I just love how Syd and Micheal interact with each other.
And Its so cool that there gonna date! :smiley:
 
so pretty sure they just need to create a town in the inbetween...yep that sounds good...........sooo cute! I want a michael that plays soccer! omg you should SO make a story about michael being a famous soccer player......that would be GREAT!!!! ok yeah can't wait for more! so cute!
 
so pretty sure they just need to create a town in the inbetween...yep that sounds good...........sooo cute! I want a michael that plays soccer! omg you should SO make a story about michael being a famous soccer player......that would be GREAT!!!! ok yeah can't wait for more! so cute!
that would be cool...except i dont like soccer so that wouldnt work :lol:
 
^ How can you not like soccer? It's like a crime, I don't understand, I'm crazy about soccer and months after the world cup final I'm still angry at the stupid Italian player because if it wasn't for him we would be the world champion and Zidane would have never gotten that red card for head butting him :lol: . What can I say? I'm french and here soccer or football as we call it is our national sport so you have to love it and cheer for the French team and cry because Zidane retired and he was considered as the best football player of the last 50 years.
Okay I should stop here with football and tell you how much I've enjoyed these chapters and love how Sydney and Vaughn are together :love:
 
^ How can you not like soccer? It's like a crime, I don't understand, I'm crazy about soccer and months after the world cup final I'm still angry at the stupid Italian player because if it wasn't for him we would be the world champion and Zidane would have never gotten that red card for head butting him :lol: . What can I say? I'm french and here soccer or football as we call it is our national sport so you have to love it and cheer for the French team and cry because Zidane retired and he was considered as the best football player of the last 50 years.
Okay I should stop here with football and tell you how much I've enjoyed these chapters and love how Sydney and Vaughn are together :love:
:lol: in my own defense i'm not a big fan of sports as a whole... i like and dislike all sports equally...well thats not true - golf (which i dont even consider a sport) and basketball and football i dislike above all others
i did enjoy the movie "bend it like beckham" though ^_^
 
When they finally decide to get serious, I think both should leave the country and go somewhere else- England, France, Sweden, Norway... That's the only way they can be together, safe and happy.

Chris
 
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