[b]Chapter 2[/b]
Later the same night
Central Park 9:00
Sydney and Michael found themselves drawn to the skating rink at Central Park, nothing quite said Christmas like skating there.
"Ok, Michael, favorite movie?" Sydney asked.
"The correct answer is 'Cool Hand Luke'." Michael shot back.
"Hmm, I've never heard of it."
"You've never heard of 'Cool Hand Luke'? It's a cinematic masterpiece. Paul Newman!" Michael exclaimed.
"Ok, then, favorite New York moment?" Sydney questioned.
"This one's climbing the charts."
Sydney smiled, "I'm flattered." She skated backwards, looking at him, and suddenly, she tripped over herself and fell flat on the ice.
Michael looked over at her lying there on the ice, and simply commented, "Graceful."
Sydney laughed and Michael lead her to a bench overlooking the rink. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, shivering because she had removed her jacket.
"What is that?!?" Michael exclaimed.
"What? My freckles? It's a curse, I hate them."
"No, no I love your freckles, but these ones right here, they form Cassiopeia."
"Cassiopeia? The constallation?"
"Yeah, you've never heard the story of Cassiopeia? Ok, so she's this African queen who's unbelievibly beautiful, and one day she upsets the gods and Posiedon sentences her to sit in the heavens on her throne upside down. So she's forced to spend the rest of eternity with her skirt around her shoulders and all the blood rushing to her head. One mistake and..." Michael trailed off.
"...she paid for eternity." Sydney finished for him.
Sidewalk near the Waldorf-Astoria 9:20
"I cannot believe I am doing this." Sydney said as she wrote her name and number down on a tiny scrap of paper.
"Slowly, I'd like to have it legible." Michael warned.
Sydney laughed, and handed the piece of paper to Michael when a garbage truck came zooming by, blowing the scrap out of both of their hands and onto the street with numerous other scraps of garbage. Sydney rolled her eyes and began to walk away.
"Wait! That was just an accident! Please don't read into this one!" Michael called after her.
"It's a sign!" Sydney exclaimed.
She considered their situation and decided what they would do, "Here's what I'll do, take this 5 dollar bill and write your name and number on it."
"Okay..." Michael agreed, took the pink pen and 5 dollar bill, and wrote his name and number down.
(make this pink!) Michael Vaughn
555-7894
He handed it back to her and she ran across the street to a vendor, paid the man the same 5 dollar bill, and turned around and waved goodbye to Michael.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"When that 5 dollar bill comes back to me, I'll be able to call you. Then you'll believe in fate, won't you?"
"I don't think its fair that you're the one with all the control, what if you get the bill back and your life is just so perfect that calling me would ruin everything. I think there should be something out there with your name on it." Michael explained.
"You are absolutely right. Lemme see, what have I got?" Sydney dug through her purse and produced a copy of [i]Alice in Wonderland[/i]. "Ok, tomorrow morning, I'll write my name and number in the front of this book and then sell it to a used book store. And every time you pass a book store, you'll have to go inside and see if it's there."
"This is cruel and highly unusual, you know that don't you?" Michael commented.
"Ok, one last idea," Sydney said as she spotted the Waldorf coming into view. She grabbed his hand and rushed inside the hotel.
"What? Are we getting a room?"
"Ha! Very funny!" Sydney smirked, she lead him to the elevators and said,"Ok, you go over there and get in. When the door closes, pick any floor. If we pick the same floor, we're meant to be together now!"
Michael shook his head and said, "You're crazy."
They both entered their elevators, and Sydney tossed her Bloomingdale's bag at Michael.
"My name's Sydney." She called out to him as the doors closed. She instinctively chose floor 23, because 23 was her favorite number.
In his elevator, Michael opened the Bloomingdale's bag, it contained one glove. He looked at the buttons, and reluctantly decided on floor number 23. He smiled at his one glove and he closed his eyes to wait for the elevator to stop at floor 23. When the elevator stopped, he looked at the indicator knowing it was too soon, he was on floor 14. A man and his son, appropriately dressed in a devil costume stepped in. Concerned, Michael said, "This elevator's going up."
"Oh it doesn't matter, he likes to ride either way." The man said to Michael. The child hissed as he pressed every button between floor 14 and 23.
Meanwhile, on the 23rd floor, Sydney's elevator came to a stop. She ran out, sure she would find Michael waiting for her. She found no one. Still, she decided to wait, but only for five minutes. She sat down on the floor and waited.
On the 17th floor, a large group emerged with Michael, shouting, "Is she here? Is she here?"
Sydney was disgusted, she stood up and pushed the elevator button. It arrived quickly and she got on and closed the doors. Michael's elevator arrived, and he found no one on the floor. Discouraged, he got back on his elevator and went downstairs.
As Michael left the building, he found himself checking every brunette on the street to make sure it wasn't Sydney. He finally headed home, thinking only of the glimmer of hope that her [i]Alice in Wonderland[/i] book would bring.
Later the same night
Central Park 9:00
Sydney and Michael found themselves drawn to the skating rink at Central Park, nothing quite said Christmas like skating there.
"Ok, Michael, favorite movie?" Sydney asked.
"The correct answer is 'Cool Hand Luke'." Michael shot back.
"Hmm, I've never heard of it."
"You've never heard of 'Cool Hand Luke'? It's a cinematic masterpiece. Paul Newman!" Michael exclaimed.
"Ok, then, favorite New York moment?" Sydney questioned.
"This one's climbing the charts."
Sydney smiled, "I'm flattered." She skated backwards, looking at him, and suddenly, she tripped over herself and fell flat on the ice.
Michael looked over at her lying there on the ice, and simply commented, "Graceful."
Sydney laughed and Michael lead her to a bench overlooking the rink. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, shivering because she had removed her jacket.
"What is that?!?" Michael exclaimed.
"What? My freckles? It's a curse, I hate them."
"No, no I love your freckles, but these ones right here, they form Cassiopeia."
"Cassiopeia? The constallation?"
"Yeah, you've never heard the story of Cassiopeia? Ok, so she's this African queen who's unbelievibly beautiful, and one day she upsets the gods and Posiedon sentences her to sit in the heavens on her throne upside down. So she's forced to spend the rest of eternity with her skirt around her shoulders and all the blood rushing to her head. One mistake and..." Michael trailed off.
"...she paid for eternity." Sydney finished for him.
Sidewalk near the Waldorf-Astoria 9:20
"I cannot believe I am doing this." Sydney said as she wrote her name and number down on a tiny scrap of paper.
"Slowly, I'd like to have it legible." Michael warned.
Sydney laughed, and handed the piece of paper to Michael when a garbage truck came zooming by, blowing the scrap out of both of their hands and onto the street with numerous other scraps of garbage. Sydney rolled her eyes and began to walk away.
"Wait! That was just an accident! Please don't read into this one!" Michael called after her.
"It's a sign!" Sydney exclaimed.
She considered their situation and decided what they would do, "Here's what I'll do, take this 5 dollar bill and write your name and number on it."
"Okay..." Michael agreed, took the pink pen and 5 dollar bill, and wrote his name and number down.
(make this pink!) Michael Vaughn
555-7894
He handed it back to her and she ran across the street to a vendor, paid the man the same 5 dollar bill, and turned around and waved goodbye to Michael.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"When that 5 dollar bill comes back to me, I'll be able to call you. Then you'll believe in fate, won't you?"
"I don't think its fair that you're the one with all the control, what if you get the bill back and your life is just so perfect that calling me would ruin everything. I think there should be something out there with your name on it." Michael explained.
"You are absolutely right. Lemme see, what have I got?" Sydney dug through her purse and produced a copy of [i]Alice in Wonderland[/i]. "Ok, tomorrow morning, I'll write my name and number in the front of this book and then sell it to a used book store. And every time you pass a book store, you'll have to go inside and see if it's there."
"This is cruel and highly unusual, you know that don't you?" Michael commented.
"Ok, one last idea," Sydney said as she spotted the Waldorf coming into view. She grabbed his hand and rushed inside the hotel.
"What? Are we getting a room?"
"Ha! Very funny!" Sydney smirked, she lead him to the elevators and said,"Ok, you go over there and get in. When the door closes, pick any floor. If we pick the same floor, we're meant to be together now!"
Michael shook his head and said, "You're crazy."
They both entered their elevators, and Sydney tossed her Bloomingdale's bag at Michael.
"My name's Sydney." She called out to him as the doors closed. She instinctively chose floor 23, because 23 was her favorite number.
In his elevator, Michael opened the Bloomingdale's bag, it contained one glove. He looked at the buttons, and reluctantly decided on floor number 23. He smiled at his one glove and he closed his eyes to wait for the elevator to stop at floor 23. When the elevator stopped, he looked at the indicator knowing it was too soon, he was on floor 14. A man and his son, appropriately dressed in a devil costume stepped in. Concerned, Michael said, "This elevator's going up."
"Oh it doesn't matter, he likes to ride either way." The man said to Michael. The child hissed as he pressed every button between floor 14 and 23.
Meanwhile, on the 23rd floor, Sydney's elevator came to a stop. She ran out, sure she would find Michael waiting for her. She found no one. Still, she decided to wait, but only for five minutes. She sat down on the floor and waited.
On the 17th floor, a large group emerged with Michael, shouting, "Is she here? Is she here?"
Sydney was disgusted, she stood up and pushed the elevator button. It arrived quickly and she got on and closed the doors. Michael's elevator arrived, and he found no one on the floor. Discouraged, he got back on his elevator and went downstairs.
As Michael left the building, he found himself checking every brunette on the street to make sure it wasn't Sydney. He finally headed home, thinking only of the glimmer of hope that her [i]Alice in Wonderland[/i] book would bring.