Here's chapter 7!
Meeting Francie
We pulled up in front of my apartment building, and I fidgeted nervously as Vaughn parked.
"So," he said, turning off the car.
"So," I replied, growing more nervous because I didn't know what to say. So many things I wanted to say could never be said.
"I had a good time tonight, Sydney."
"Me too." I paused. "Do you want to come up for some coffee or something?" I asked, my eyes shifting up to his for a few seconds before glancing away again.
"I don't know, Syd," he sighed. "That may be pushing it too far for one night."
"Hmm," I said, humor in my voice. "A trip to the movies AND a ride to my front doorstep. We're really living on the edge tonight." Vaughn chuckled as I grinned at him.
"I like that about you, Sydney." I paused, confused at his words.
"What?"
"You make the best out of everything. You've been through so much the past months, and yet you can still get up every morning with a smile on your face." I glanced away at his words, pleasantly embarrassed.
"Almost every morning, Michael. Even I have my bad days," I said seriously. I paused before continuing. "Besides, look at you... you don't lead the easiest life in the world either, but you always manage to cheer me up." He grinned at me, obviously pleased at my words. "OK," I continued. "You changed the subject. Coffee. Yes or no?"
He hesitated. "It's dangerous, Syd."
"So?" I replied. "Danger's my middle name." He laughed at that.
"Well, THAT'S certainly true." I rolled my eyes at his comment.
"Come on. Twenty minutes, tops." I stopped, smiling broadly at him. "Please?"
"Aww, not fair," he replied with a grin, his decision already made. "You know I can't resist that smile."
"Good," I replied, opening the car door.
"Twenty minutes," he said as he locked the car doors.
* * * *
"Francie?" I called as I opened my front door, Vaughn a few steps behind me. "Come on in," I told him, gesturing to the couch. "Make yourself comfortable." I watched him head to the couch, amazed at how natural it felt to have him in my home.
"Francie? You here?" I called again.
"Hey, Sweetie!" Francie walked in from her bedroom, greeting me with a hug. "Where have you been all day?" She asked, before noticing Vaughn on the couch. I smiled slightly as she looked back at me, her eyes suddenly very curious.
"Francie, this is Michael. He's..." I paused, looking from Francie to Vaughn and back. "He's a friend from work."
"Oh," Francie nodded, looking at me suspiciously for a moment. "Well it's nice to meet you, Michael." She walked over and shook his hand.
"My pleasure, Francie. I've heard a lot about you." He smiled widely, and Francie smiled back. I laughed to myself. Vaughn's charm at work again. He'd won my best friend over in less than two minutes with that smile.
"So," Francie said, seating herself in a chair across from Vaughn. "Do you travel as much as Syd does?" Vaughn chuckled.
"I'm afraid so," he said. Francie shook her head.
"I tell Sydney every day that she should SO quit." She looked over at me. "They're just jerking you around over there, because they know you'll do whatever they ask you to do." She returned to Vaughn. "Every time I tell her that, she just brushes me off."
Vaughn nodded. "Yeah, she's kind of stubborn like that, isn't she?" Francie laughed, and I shot Vaughn a glance as he grinned back at me.
"Crazy," Francie continued. "It's just crazy. It's a bank. There can't be THAT much travel involved." She looked at Vaughn seriously, and Vaughn struggled to keep a straight face. "I'm telling you, I would have been outta there months ago."
"I know what you're saying, Francie," Vaughn said softly. "Who knows. Maybe someday soon we'll both be able to leave." I locked eyes with Vaughn, smiling slightly as I recognized the understanding I saw there. Francie looked from me to Vaughn, then back again.
"Well..." she said, slowly, her eyes narrowing as I broke away from Vaughn to look at her. "I've got to go, Syd. I need to finish up some stuff at the restaurant." She looked at Vaughn. "You should come sometime."
He nodded. "I'd like that very much." He flashed another smile. "It was great meeting you, Francie."
"You too Michael." She returned his smile, grabbed her purse, and turned towards me. Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes even more curious than before. "I'll talk to you later," she said, reaching out to give me a hug. As she did, she whispered in my ear. "We are SO taling about this when I get home."
I laughed despite myself, catching a curious look from Vaughn across the room. "Later," I whispered back, giggling. "See you, Francie."
"See ya Syd." She waved at Vaughn before making a hasty exit.
I turned from the door to Vaughn, who had a knowing smile on his face.
"Girl talk?" He asked. I nodded.
"You have no idea. I'm going to be explaining this for weeks." He chuckled, and the room fell into comfortable silence.
"Oh," I said after a moment. "Coffee." Vaughn began to stand up as I headed to the kitchen.
"Need any help?" He asked.
"No, thanks. I'll just be a minute, then I'll give you the grand tour." He nodded, standing up and moving to look at my music collection. He skimmed over the titles before returning to the couch. He was nervous.
After working with him as long as I had, I could read his expressions, his movements. And he was definitely nervous. About being here with me? About being here at all? Who knew?
I returned, touching his shoulder lightly as I walked around the couch to face him.
"Time for a tour," I said, reaching my hand out to pull him up, as he had for me earlier in the day. He grasped my hand and I tugged. He rose, hanging on to my hand for a few moments longer before releasing it. I smiled softly before starting the tour.
Meeting Francie
We pulled up in front of my apartment building, and I fidgeted nervously as Vaughn parked.
"So," he said, turning off the car.
"So," I replied, growing more nervous because I didn't know what to say. So many things I wanted to say could never be said.
"I had a good time tonight, Sydney."
"Me too." I paused. "Do you want to come up for some coffee or something?" I asked, my eyes shifting up to his for a few seconds before glancing away again.
"I don't know, Syd," he sighed. "That may be pushing it too far for one night."
"Hmm," I said, humor in my voice. "A trip to the movies AND a ride to my front doorstep. We're really living on the edge tonight." Vaughn chuckled as I grinned at him.
"I like that about you, Sydney." I paused, confused at his words.
"What?"
"You make the best out of everything. You've been through so much the past months, and yet you can still get up every morning with a smile on your face." I glanced away at his words, pleasantly embarrassed.
"Almost every morning, Michael. Even I have my bad days," I said seriously. I paused before continuing. "Besides, look at you... you don't lead the easiest life in the world either, but you always manage to cheer me up." He grinned at me, obviously pleased at my words. "OK," I continued. "You changed the subject. Coffee. Yes or no?"
He hesitated. "It's dangerous, Syd."
"So?" I replied. "Danger's my middle name." He laughed at that.
"Well, THAT'S certainly true." I rolled my eyes at his comment.
"Come on. Twenty minutes, tops." I stopped, smiling broadly at him. "Please?"
"Aww, not fair," he replied with a grin, his decision already made. "You know I can't resist that smile."
"Good," I replied, opening the car door.
"Twenty minutes," he said as he locked the car doors.
* * * *
"Francie?" I called as I opened my front door, Vaughn a few steps behind me. "Come on in," I told him, gesturing to the couch. "Make yourself comfortable." I watched him head to the couch, amazed at how natural it felt to have him in my home.
"Francie? You here?" I called again.
"Hey, Sweetie!" Francie walked in from her bedroom, greeting me with a hug. "Where have you been all day?" She asked, before noticing Vaughn on the couch. I smiled slightly as she looked back at me, her eyes suddenly very curious.
"Francie, this is Michael. He's..." I paused, looking from Francie to Vaughn and back. "He's a friend from work."
"Oh," Francie nodded, looking at me suspiciously for a moment. "Well it's nice to meet you, Michael." She walked over and shook his hand.
"My pleasure, Francie. I've heard a lot about you." He smiled widely, and Francie smiled back. I laughed to myself. Vaughn's charm at work again. He'd won my best friend over in less than two minutes with that smile.
"So," Francie said, seating herself in a chair across from Vaughn. "Do you travel as much as Syd does?" Vaughn chuckled.
"I'm afraid so," he said. Francie shook her head.
"I tell Sydney every day that she should SO quit." She looked over at me. "They're just jerking you around over there, because they know you'll do whatever they ask you to do." She returned to Vaughn. "Every time I tell her that, she just brushes me off."
Vaughn nodded. "Yeah, she's kind of stubborn like that, isn't she?" Francie laughed, and I shot Vaughn a glance as he grinned back at me.
"Crazy," Francie continued. "It's just crazy. It's a bank. There can't be THAT much travel involved." She looked at Vaughn seriously, and Vaughn struggled to keep a straight face. "I'm telling you, I would have been outta there months ago."
"I know what you're saying, Francie," Vaughn said softly. "Who knows. Maybe someday soon we'll both be able to leave." I locked eyes with Vaughn, smiling slightly as I recognized the understanding I saw there. Francie looked from me to Vaughn, then back again.
"Well..." she said, slowly, her eyes narrowing as I broke away from Vaughn to look at her. "I've got to go, Syd. I need to finish up some stuff at the restaurant." She looked at Vaughn. "You should come sometime."
He nodded. "I'd like that very much." He flashed another smile. "It was great meeting you, Francie."
"You too Michael." She returned his smile, grabbed her purse, and turned towards me. Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes even more curious than before. "I'll talk to you later," she said, reaching out to give me a hug. As she did, she whispered in my ear. "We are SO taling about this when I get home."
I laughed despite myself, catching a curious look from Vaughn across the room. "Later," I whispered back, giggling. "See you, Francie."
"See ya Syd." She waved at Vaughn before making a hasty exit.
I turned from the door to Vaughn, who had a knowing smile on his face.
"Girl talk?" He asked. I nodded.
"You have no idea. I'm going to be explaining this for weeks." He chuckled, and the room fell into comfortable silence.
"Oh," I said after a moment. "Coffee." Vaughn began to stand up as I headed to the kitchen.
"Need any help?" He asked.
"No, thanks. I'll just be a minute, then I'll give you the grand tour." He nodded, standing up and moving to look at my music collection. He skimmed over the titles before returning to the couch. He was nervous.
After working with him as long as I had, I could read his expressions, his movements. And he was definitely nervous. About being here with me? About being here at all? Who knew?
I returned, touching his shoulder lightly as I walked around the couch to face him.
"Time for a tour," I said, reaching my hand out to pull him up, as he had for me earlier in the day. He grasped my hand and I tugged. He rose, hanging on to my hand for a few moments longer before releasing it. I smiled softly before starting the tour.