[U] Chapter 20 [/U]
Sydney sat at the table in the restaurant, at promptly seven o'clock. Dixon had called her and told her that he would be a little late. His daughter was sick, but he had said no when Sydney offered to make a rain- check. He claimed that the discussion with Sydney was important.
What am I going to tell him? She thought grimly. I can't lie to him anymore, but I can't tell him the truth.
Sydney dug out her cell phone and dialed the familiar numbers.
--
Vaughn groaned as he sat in traffic. Erin was going to be pissed.he thought. But she knows I'm a fairly punctual person.I hope. Maybe she's stuck in traffic too.
The ringing of his cell phone startled him from his thoughts. Maybe it's Erin.already at the restaurant, waiting.
"Hello?"
"Hi. It's me."
"Hi," Vaughn replied, surprised. No names in the conversation. No names."What's wrong?"
"How do you know?" she sighed.
"Well, you sound kinda -"
"Yeah, well, it's.my partner."
"What about him?"
"He's been questioning.and he knows I'm lying. I can't lie anymore. Not just because I don't want to, but because I can't. I can't think of any more excuses, and he'll definitely see through them."
"Can you put him off for a while?"
"I can't.we have a dinner date - to discuss this."
"Dinner date? When?"
"Yes, a dinner date. He was about to talk about it in the office.so I suggested we talk over dinner. Uh.we're kinda on it now. Well, [I]I'm[/I] on it.he's coming late."
"Oh, um.you have two options I guess. You probably know them. Tell him the truth, and risk getting found out by S.your boss, or make up another excuse," Vaughn offered.
"I can't make up another excuse." she trailed off, just as Vaughn entered the restaurant parking lot.
"Then I guess you're going to have to tell him," Vaughn began, stepping out of his car. There was Erin's new car. The one she rented just a few days ago. The black Nissan. Black, always black, he thought, looking back at this own black car.
"But you know what could happen. He's not the kind of man to forget something. From what I know about him, he's the kind to act out on his feelings. So if he thinks you're lying." Vaughn said slowly.
--
"I know.I'm sorry, am I bothering you? Are you busy?" Sydney asked, finally realizing that this conversation was taking a while.
"No. You're not bothering me. You never do. And no, I'm not busy. I'm just meeting someone for dinner too," Vaughn said.
"OK. Good. So I'm not sure. I'm leaning towards telling him. I mean, I want to tell him, but what if S - our boss finds out?" Sydney replied, her forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Well, we'll deal with things one step at a time," Vaughn replied, sounding a great deal louder than he did at the beginning of the conversation.
"Are you sure? I don't want -"
"No. Listen to me. Do what you think is right. Don't think of anything else. And if he doesn't believe you, tell him to call me."
"Ahem," a cough hovered above her.
"Dixon!" Sydney exclaimed, forgetting to cover the mouthpiece of the cell phone.
"What? Why are you -"
"I'm sorry. My dinner date's here, Fran. I'll call you back!" Sydney said, groaning. Why did I call him "Fran?" Another lie.
"Sydney," Dixon greeted, sitting down across from her in the booth.
"How's Lisa?"
"She's going to be fine. Just the flu."
"That's good," Sydney smiled.
"Sydney, I know -"
So much for small talk, Sydney sighed. "Dixon.the reason I suggested us to come out for dinner, is because I plan on telling you exactly what's happening."
Dixon nodded.
"Another reason why, was because we are not, and I repeat: [I]not[/I] allowed to speak of this at SD-6," Sydney said.
"Why?" Dixon asked. "Just tell me from the beginning."
"Don't you want to eat first?"
"Not really, but if you're hungry," Dixon replied, turning to the menu.
--
"Mike! Where the hell were you?" Erin demanded, putting her glass of water down.
"Erin, I'm only ten minutes late. What's the big deal? I hit some traffic," Vaughn replied, taking a seat in front of her.
"The big deal is that when I set up a dinner date with someone, I expect them to be there on time! I sat here looking like I was stood up or something."
"Well, you'll never look like that if you're waiting for me," Vaughn said. "We're not dating, so you being stood up by me, is out of the question."
"Thanks for putting that like that," Erin said sarcastically.
"Erin, what's up with you? You're acting so.strange. Sarcastic. Not like you."
"How do you know? Maybe this is the real me."
"I really hope it isn't."
"Even Weiss was saying -"
"Can you tell him to stay away from me? He's stalking me, and I don't like it."
"Stalking you? Erin, he's only followed you to the coffee room. And maybe he's been behind you a bit, but he's always on his way back to his room. That's not stalking."
"Whatever. Just tell him that OK? I don't like him."
"Tell him that yourself," Vaughn retorted, not willing to break that news to his friend.
"Is that what men these days do? They're all not willing to help a woman in need?"
"You're not in need Erin. But since you said it, is this what women these days do? Try to con the man into doing their dirty work?" Vaughn replied angrily. These past few days had been stressful, and he just wasn't liking Erin's attitude. Where the hell did she get it from? Is this what happens when someone new to LA lives here for a week? Corruption?
Sydney sat at the table in the restaurant, at promptly seven o'clock. Dixon had called her and told her that he would be a little late. His daughter was sick, but he had said no when Sydney offered to make a rain- check. He claimed that the discussion with Sydney was important.
What am I going to tell him? She thought grimly. I can't lie to him anymore, but I can't tell him the truth.
Sydney dug out her cell phone and dialed the familiar numbers.
--
Vaughn groaned as he sat in traffic. Erin was going to be pissed.he thought. But she knows I'm a fairly punctual person.I hope. Maybe she's stuck in traffic too.
The ringing of his cell phone startled him from his thoughts. Maybe it's Erin.already at the restaurant, waiting.
"Hello?"
"Hi. It's me."
"Hi," Vaughn replied, surprised. No names in the conversation. No names."What's wrong?"
"How do you know?" she sighed.
"Well, you sound kinda -"
"Yeah, well, it's.my partner."
"What about him?"
"He's been questioning.and he knows I'm lying. I can't lie anymore. Not just because I don't want to, but because I can't. I can't think of any more excuses, and he'll definitely see through them."
"Can you put him off for a while?"
"I can't.we have a dinner date - to discuss this."
"Dinner date? When?"
"Yes, a dinner date. He was about to talk about it in the office.so I suggested we talk over dinner. Uh.we're kinda on it now. Well, [I]I'm[/I] on it.he's coming late."
"Oh, um.you have two options I guess. You probably know them. Tell him the truth, and risk getting found out by S.your boss, or make up another excuse," Vaughn offered.
"I can't make up another excuse." she trailed off, just as Vaughn entered the restaurant parking lot.
"Then I guess you're going to have to tell him," Vaughn began, stepping out of his car. There was Erin's new car. The one she rented just a few days ago. The black Nissan. Black, always black, he thought, looking back at this own black car.
"But you know what could happen. He's not the kind of man to forget something. From what I know about him, he's the kind to act out on his feelings. So if he thinks you're lying." Vaughn said slowly.
--
"I know.I'm sorry, am I bothering you? Are you busy?" Sydney asked, finally realizing that this conversation was taking a while.
"No. You're not bothering me. You never do. And no, I'm not busy. I'm just meeting someone for dinner too," Vaughn said.
"OK. Good. So I'm not sure. I'm leaning towards telling him. I mean, I want to tell him, but what if S - our boss finds out?" Sydney replied, her forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Well, we'll deal with things one step at a time," Vaughn replied, sounding a great deal louder than he did at the beginning of the conversation.
"Are you sure? I don't want -"
"No. Listen to me. Do what you think is right. Don't think of anything else. And if he doesn't believe you, tell him to call me."
"Ahem," a cough hovered above her.
"Dixon!" Sydney exclaimed, forgetting to cover the mouthpiece of the cell phone.
"What? Why are you -"
"I'm sorry. My dinner date's here, Fran. I'll call you back!" Sydney said, groaning. Why did I call him "Fran?" Another lie.
"Sydney," Dixon greeted, sitting down across from her in the booth.
"How's Lisa?"
"She's going to be fine. Just the flu."
"That's good," Sydney smiled.
"Sydney, I know -"
So much for small talk, Sydney sighed. "Dixon.the reason I suggested us to come out for dinner, is because I plan on telling you exactly what's happening."
Dixon nodded.
"Another reason why, was because we are not, and I repeat: [I]not[/I] allowed to speak of this at SD-6," Sydney said.
"Why?" Dixon asked. "Just tell me from the beginning."
"Don't you want to eat first?"
"Not really, but if you're hungry," Dixon replied, turning to the menu.
--
"Mike! Where the hell were you?" Erin demanded, putting her glass of water down.
"Erin, I'm only ten minutes late. What's the big deal? I hit some traffic," Vaughn replied, taking a seat in front of her.
"The big deal is that when I set up a dinner date with someone, I expect them to be there on time! I sat here looking like I was stood up or something."
"Well, you'll never look like that if you're waiting for me," Vaughn said. "We're not dating, so you being stood up by me, is out of the question."
"Thanks for putting that like that," Erin said sarcastically.
"Erin, what's up with you? You're acting so.strange. Sarcastic. Not like you."
"How do you know? Maybe this is the real me."
"I really hope it isn't."
"Even Weiss was saying -"
"Can you tell him to stay away from me? He's stalking me, and I don't like it."
"Stalking you? Erin, he's only followed you to the coffee room. And maybe he's been behind you a bit, but he's always on his way back to his room. That's not stalking."
"Whatever. Just tell him that OK? I don't like him."
"Tell him that yourself," Vaughn retorted, not willing to break that news to his friend.
"Is that what men these days do? They're all not willing to help a woman in need?"
"You're not in need Erin. But since you said it, is this what women these days do? Try to con the man into doing their dirty work?" Vaughn replied angrily. These past few days had been stressful, and he just wasn't liking Erin's attitude. Where the hell did she get it from? Is this what happens when someone new to LA lives here for a week? Corruption?