Sorry for the delay guys. Kind of a busy week... :( It's kinda short, but I did what I could :)
Worrying
Three days. Three very long days and Vaughn hadn't called. I was going crazy. I didn't know what to do with myself.
Luckily, Francie and Will had been around most of that time, and I was able to relax with them during the day. But at night, everything came flooding back to me. Why hadn't he called? Had it been too much for him? Did he really just want to be friends? To only hang out once and awhile?
I knew I shouldn't worry. There was surely a good reason why he hadn't called. Work, of course, being number one on the list. But I was a worrier by nature. In fact, I had stayed up half the night worrying- had he been hurt? Had SD-6 somehow learned that we had spent the day together? Even now, as I walked through the crowds at the mall with Francie, I was still worrying about it.
Francie glanced over at me as we strolled past endless clothing stores. "What's up with you, Syd?" She asked finally.
"What?" I jerked my head towards her, pulled away from my thoughts.
"You're like a thousand miles away. And don't tell me it's nothing," she said anticipating my usual answer, her expression stern.
"Well," I hesitated. "It's complicated."
"Is it about work?" She asked, too quickly. Yelling at me about my job was one of Francie's favorite pastimes, it seemed.
"I guess you could say that," I said slowly.
"Listen. I've told you time and time again- you should just quit-"
"No..." I cut her off. "It's not that. It's something else." Francie looked at me, confused. "There's this guy..." I said after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh..." Francie said, a smile slowly forming on her face. "I know what this is about."
"You do?" I asked.
"Michael." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Michael." I replied. She guessed right off, and somehow I wasn't too surprised.
"So what's the problem?" Francie asked. "You're in love with him," she said, knowingly.
"Wha-" I asked, shocked that she knew.
"Come on, Syd. It was written all over your face when he was here the other day. Sometimes you're really mysterious, but other times, you're plain transparent." She smiled. "Spill it."
"Well," I said slowly, measuring my words carefully. "There are issues with work, first of all." I sighed. It felt good to get some of this out in the open, even though I couldn't tell Francie the whole truth. "We can't see each other- company protocol. And there are other- issues with our jobs that would make a relationship hard on both of us."
Francie looked at me blankly. "But you love him?" She asked. I nodded. "Then none of that matters," she replied. "You'll make it work, no matter what."
"But what if he doesn't feel the same way? We've never really talked about our feelings or anything. Not these feelings, anyways. He could just think of me as a good friend." I cast my eyes downward, expressing my biggest fear in words for the first time.
"How could he not love you, Syd?" Francie laughed. I smiled slightly. "Besides, he's just as transparent as you are." She grinned.
I paused for a moment before realizing what she meant.
"Really?" I asked.
"Really." Francie said. "Come on. Let's head home. I've got to get to the restaurant, and I'm out of money anyways." We laughed and headed to the car.
We drove home in silence, I again lost in my thoughts. As we pulled up in front of our house, I noticed a package sitting by the front door.
I opened it as we walked inside, Francie looking curiously over my shoulder.
I frowned as I saw the contents of the package- a small cell phone, with a Post-It note attached to it.
I recognized Vaughn's handwriting on the note and smiled as I read what he had written.
'For when you need to talk. Speed-dial 86.'
The note was signed "M."
I tried in vain to suppress a goofy grin. Francie laughed at my expression.
"Looks like you don't have anything to worry about," she said. "I'm headed to work. See ya later."
"See you," I said distantly, staring at the cell phone in my hand.
Worrying
Three days. Three very long days and Vaughn hadn't called. I was going crazy. I didn't know what to do with myself.
Luckily, Francie and Will had been around most of that time, and I was able to relax with them during the day. But at night, everything came flooding back to me. Why hadn't he called? Had it been too much for him? Did he really just want to be friends? To only hang out once and awhile?
I knew I shouldn't worry. There was surely a good reason why he hadn't called. Work, of course, being number one on the list. But I was a worrier by nature. In fact, I had stayed up half the night worrying- had he been hurt? Had SD-6 somehow learned that we had spent the day together? Even now, as I walked through the crowds at the mall with Francie, I was still worrying about it.
Francie glanced over at me as we strolled past endless clothing stores. "What's up with you, Syd?" She asked finally.
"What?" I jerked my head towards her, pulled away from my thoughts.
"You're like a thousand miles away. And don't tell me it's nothing," she said anticipating my usual answer, her expression stern.
"Well," I hesitated. "It's complicated."
"Is it about work?" She asked, too quickly. Yelling at me about my job was one of Francie's favorite pastimes, it seemed.
"I guess you could say that," I said slowly.
"Listen. I've told you time and time again- you should just quit-"
"No..." I cut her off. "It's not that. It's something else." Francie looked at me, confused. "There's this guy..." I said after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh..." Francie said, a smile slowly forming on her face. "I know what this is about."
"You do?" I asked.
"Michael." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Michael." I replied. She guessed right off, and somehow I wasn't too surprised.
"So what's the problem?" Francie asked. "You're in love with him," she said, knowingly.
"Wha-" I asked, shocked that she knew.
"Come on, Syd. It was written all over your face when he was here the other day. Sometimes you're really mysterious, but other times, you're plain transparent." She smiled. "Spill it."
"Well," I said slowly, measuring my words carefully. "There are issues with work, first of all." I sighed. It felt good to get some of this out in the open, even though I couldn't tell Francie the whole truth. "We can't see each other- company protocol. And there are other- issues with our jobs that would make a relationship hard on both of us."
Francie looked at me blankly. "But you love him?" She asked. I nodded. "Then none of that matters," she replied. "You'll make it work, no matter what."
"But what if he doesn't feel the same way? We've never really talked about our feelings or anything. Not these feelings, anyways. He could just think of me as a good friend." I cast my eyes downward, expressing my biggest fear in words for the first time.
"How could he not love you, Syd?" Francie laughed. I smiled slightly. "Besides, he's just as transparent as you are." She grinned.
I paused for a moment before realizing what she meant.
"Really?" I asked.
"Really." Francie said. "Come on. Let's head home. I've got to get to the restaurant, and I'm out of money anyways." We laughed and headed to the car.
We drove home in silence, I again lost in my thoughts. As we pulled up in front of our house, I noticed a package sitting by the front door.
I opened it as we walked inside, Francie looking curiously over my shoulder.
I frowned as I saw the contents of the package- a small cell phone, with a Post-It note attached to it.
I recognized Vaughn's handwriting on the note and smiled as I read what he had written.
'For when you need to talk. Speed-dial 86.'
The note was signed "M."
I tried in vain to suppress a goofy grin. Francie laughed at my expression.
"Looks like you don't have anything to worry about," she said. "I'm headed to work. See ya later."
"See you," I said distantly, staring at the cell phone in my hand.