Hey Everybody. I took a really long time to update this again. What can I say? Finals are the spawn of the devil. So is my organic chemistry teacher. Bygones. Here's the next chapter! We've got a little plot development in this one... but not to worry... it's only a little :) Read and REVIEW! You guys are great with the reviews... and the more reviews I get, the more likely I am to update sooner. Also, if you have any comments, suggestions, etc... you can email me at adele1013@email.com. Enjoy :)
Accidental Admission
I stared at the phone for hours, feeling excited and stupid at the same time. Excited because, for once, I had the opportunity to talk to someone- Vaughn for that matter- for as long as I wanted, about anything I wanted. I also felt dumb, because I was still staring at the phone, thinking about calling Vaughn instead of actually calling him. I didn't know what to say, what could happen, or how things could change after this call.
When it came right down to it, I was a wuss.
Finally, I sucked it up and dialed the number Vaughn had left on the Post-It note. I waited, nervous for some reason, as the phone rang once, twice, three times. I was about to hang up, disappointed, when I heard a grunt at the other end of the line.
"Hello?" I asked hesitantly, after a moment of silence.
"Syd?" Vaughn mumbled on the other end of the line, his voice rough from sleep. "Hey," he said after a few seconds, sounding more alert.
I realized, suddenly, with embarrassment, that it was past midnight, and I had probably woken him up.
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling bad for having disturbed him. "I didn't realize the time." Probably because I had spent 3 hours staring at the phone before calling, I thought to myself. I laughed as I heard Vaughn yawning less than subtly on the other end of the line. "I'll call back later."
"No!" He said sharply. "No... now is fine. I wasn't sleeping." I chuckled.
"Sure you weren't, Vaughn. You know, you're not a very good liar." He laughed, and I heard covers rustling. I assumed that he had been in bed, which brought about some interesting images in my mind. I blushed, glad he wasn't here to see me, and wishing at the same time that he was.
I returned my attention to the phone. "So this line is secure?" I asked. Security concerns, sadly, was always lurking at the back of my mind.
"Yep. CIA issue, top of the line security. I convinced them that it was a legitimate and necessary business expense." He paused. "You know, spy stuff."
I grinned. "Well, I'm glad you did. This is really nice." I smiled as I thought of all the nice things he had done for me in the last few days. "You know, I'm going to have to pay you back for all this eventually." Vaughn chuckled.
"Being able to talk with you like this makes it all worth while, Syd."
God, I thought. If he didn't stop talking like that, I would be putty in his hands pretty soon. Actually, I already was.
"Still," I said. "I'll think of something." We stayed silent for a moment, both reveling in the fact that we could talk without guidelines or time constraints.
"So... what did you do today?" Vaughn asked, ending the short silence.
"Shopping," I laughed. "It's been months since Franice and I went to the mall." I paused. "I got you something," I said, making my voice sound as mysterious as possible.
"You did?" He asked, sounding shocked.
"Yep."
"What?" He asked, curious. I could sense his smile on the other end of the line.
"Can't tell you. It's a secret."
"Sydney, come on." Vaughn sighed, hiding a laugh.
"Now you know how it feels. You keep secrets from me, I'll keep secrets from you." I said teasingly.
"As long as they're only good secrets," he replied, and I could sense the seriousness behind his words.
"Just good secrets. I promise." We paused for a moment. "Besides," I said finally. "I'm holding your present hostage until we see each other again."
"Holding it hostage, huh?" He said, humor behind his words. "That sounds a lot like blackmail to me."
"Maybe." I said. "More like a bribe."
"You know, Syd," he said seriously. "It doesn't take presents, and it doesn't take a countermission or a family crisis. You say the word, and you know I'll be there for you. No matter what. Remember that, ok?"
My breath caught in my throat at his words, and I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes. I paused, my mind at a complete standstill.
"God, I love you," I whispered, before my brain could stop me.
"What?" Vaughn asked, after a very long pause. His voice was hesitant, and he was obviously shocked by my words. My eyes grew large as I realized what I had said. Not that it wasn't true. I knew that now, but it was hardly the way I had wanted to bring it up to him.
I panicked.
"Oh my God," I said softly. "God."
"Syd? Are you still there?" I heard his voice, but I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to hang up and hide, and at the same time I wanted him here, now. Instead, I froze. "Sydney?" He asked again. I may have been wrong, but I thought that I detected a hint of breathlessness, of excitement in his voice. Or was it hesitation?
"Yeah." I replied quietly. "I'm here. Listen," I said quickly, before he could say anything else. "I have to go."
"Syd, wait-" He started. I cut him off.
"I'll talk to you later, Vaughn. Bye." I hung up before he could say anything else, already feeling guilty.
"Shit," I said quietly. I set the phone down on the table, angry with myself.
Sure I had wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him so bad that it hurt. I wanted to tell him and see the sparkle in his gorgeous green eyes as the reality of my words sunk in. I wanted this arms around me when he told me he felt the same way.
I did NOT want to tell him over the phone.
And yet I had, because when it comes to Vaughn, my heart always seems to act faster than my head.
I sighed heavily, staring at the phone again. I needed to call him back. I couldn't leave our conversation hanging like I had.
In our lives, unpleasant as they sometimes were, love was something that needed to be handled with care.
I needed to call him.
I wanted to call him.
I was scared to death of what he would say. Scared that he would be evasive, make excuses about why he didn't feel the same way.
I didn't think I could handle that.
Finally, I gathered my courage and picked up the phone. Just as I began to dial, there was a knock on my door.
Yeah! How's that for a cliffhanger! Hope you all liked it. I tried to make it a little longer, since I hadn't updated in so long. Tell me what you think!
Accidental Admission
I stared at the phone for hours, feeling excited and stupid at the same time. Excited because, for once, I had the opportunity to talk to someone- Vaughn for that matter- for as long as I wanted, about anything I wanted. I also felt dumb, because I was still staring at the phone, thinking about calling Vaughn instead of actually calling him. I didn't know what to say, what could happen, or how things could change after this call.
When it came right down to it, I was a wuss.
Finally, I sucked it up and dialed the number Vaughn had left on the Post-It note. I waited, nervous for some reason, as the phone rang once, twice, three times. I was about to hang up, disappointed, when I heard a grunt at the other end of the line.
"Hello?" I asked hesitantly, after a moment of silence.
"Syd?" Vaughn mumbled on the other end of the line, his voice rough from sleep. "Hey," he said after a few seconds, sounding more alert.
I realized, suddenly, with embarrassment, that it was past midnight, and I had probably woken him up.
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling bad for having disturbed him. "I didn't realize the time." Probably because I had spent 3 hours staring at the phone before calling, I thought to myself. I laughed as I heard Vaughn yawning less than subtly on the other end of the line. "I'll call back later."
"No!" He said sharply. "No... now is fine. I wasn't sleeping." I chuckled.
"Sure you weren't, Vaughn. You know, you're not a very good liar." He laughed, and I heard covers rustling. I assumed that he had been in bed, which brought about some interesting images in my mind. I blushed, glad he wasn't here to see me, and wishing at the same time that he was.
I returned my attention to the phone. "So this line is secure?" I asked. Security concerns, sadly, was always lurking at the back of my mind.
"Yep. CIA issue, top of the line security. I convinced them that it was a legitimate and necessary business expense." He paused. "You know, spy stuff."
I grinned. "Well, I'm glad you did. This is really nice." I smiled as I thought of all the nice things he had done for me in the last few days. "You know, I'm going to have to pay you back for all this eventually." Vaughn chuckled.
"Being able to talk with you like this makes it all worth while, Syd."
God, I thought. If he didn't stop talking like that, I would be putty in his hands pretty soon. Actually, I already was.
"Still," I said. "I'll think of something." We stayed silent for a moment, both reveling in the fact that we could talk without guidelines or time constraints.
"So... what did you do today?" Vaughn asked, ending the short silence.
"Shopping," I laughed. "It's been months since Franice and I went to the mall." I paused. "I got you something," I said, making my voice sound as mysterious as possible.
"You did?" He asked, sounding shocked.
"Yep."
"What?" He asked, curious. I could sense his smile on the other end of the line.
"Can't tell you. It's a secret."
"Sydney, come on." Vaughn sighed, hiding a laugh.
"Now you know how it feels. You keep secrets from me, I'll keep secrets from you." I said teasingly.
"As long as they're only good secrets," he replied, and I could sense the seriousness behind his words.
"Just good secrets. I promise." We paused for a moment. "Besides," I said finally. "I'm holding your present hostage until we see each other again."
"Holding it hostage, huh?" He said, humor behind his words. "That sounds a lot like blackmail to me."
"Maybe." I said. "More like a bribe."
"You know, Syd," he said seriously. "It doesn't take presents, and it doesn't take a countermission or a family crisis. You say the word, and you know I'll be there for you. No matter what. Remember that, ok?"
My breath caught in my throat at his words, and I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes. I paused, my mind at a complete standstill.
"God, I love you," I whispered, before my brain could stop me.
"What?" Vaughn asked, after a very long pause. His voice was hesitant, and he was obviously shocked by my words. My eyes grew large as I realized what I had said. Not that it wasn't true. I knew that now, but it was hardly the way I had wanted to bring it up to him.
I panicked.
"Oh my God," I said softly. "God."
"Syd? Are you still there?" I heard his voice, but I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to hang up and hide, and at the same time I wanted him here, now. Instead, I froze. "Sydney?" He asked again. I may have been wrong, but I thought that I detected a hint of breathlessness, of excitement in his voice. Or was it hesitation?
"Yeah." I replied quietly. "I'm here. Listen," I said quickly, before he could say anything else. "I have to go."
"Syd, wait-" He started. I cut him off.
"I'll talk to you later, Vaughn. Bye." I hung up before he could say anything else, already feeling guilty.
"Shit," I said quietly. I set the phone down on the table, angry with myself.
Sure I had wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him so bad that it hurt. I wanted to tell him and see the sparkle in his gorgeous green eyes as the reality of my words sunk in. I wanted this arms around me when he told me he felt the same way.
I did NOT want to tell him over the phone.
And yet I had, because when it comes to Vaughn, my heart always seems to act faster than my head.
I sighed heavily, staring at the phone again. I needed to call him back. I couldn't leave our conversation hanging like I had.
In our lives, unpleasant as they sometimes were, love was something that needed to be handled with care.
I needed to call him.
I wanted to call him.
I was scared to death of what he would say. Scared that he would be evasive, make excuses about why he didn't feel the same way.
I didn't think I could handle that.
Finally, I gathered my courage and picked up the phone. Just as I began to dial, there was a knock on my door.
Yeah! How's that for a cliffhanger! Hope you all liked it. I tried to make it a little longer, since I hadn't updated in so long. Tell me what you think!