[15]
He smiled as she walked out of her bedroom, having taken an hour longer than him to get ready.
"Wow," he whistled, "Syd, you look...wow...amazing, absolutely amazing and beautiful."
She blushed, it creeping into her cheeks and making her look that much more beautiful, "You look spiffy yourself."
The blush crept into her cheeks again as she looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed at the use of the word 'spiffy.'
"Are you ready to go?" he asked quietly, trying to alleviate her embarrassment.
"Let's go," she reached her hand out for his, and together they walked out the door.
****
They walked intothe restaurant and were immediately seated by the manager who must have known Michael as they conversed amicably for a few minutes.
"And who is this lovely lady?" he asked with a smile.
Michael's face softened and brightened considerably, "This is my girl - this is Sydney, Syd this is Thomas, he's one of my mother's friends, I've known him since I was nine."
Sydney beamed, "It's nice to meet you Thomas, so does that mean you know stories about little Michael?"
Thomas laughed, "You have no clue my dear, seriously you have no clue how many stories I know."
"I'd love to hear them sometime," Sydney replied as a blush crept into Michael's cheeks at the thought of what Thomas could tell her.
"Of course!" Thomas exclaimed, "Call me sometime, you can contact me here at the restaurant and I'll tell you all of the stories I know."
With that he was gone, and Michael looked at Sydney with a pleading look in his eyes, "Syd, please, don't."
Her eyes filled with mischief and humor, "What? Embarrassed are we Mikey?"
"Please don't call me that," he joked, a smile on his face, then, all of a sudden he turned serious, "Syd, what are we?"
She looked up quickly, her eyes clouding with confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I mean what are we," he clarified, "Are we friends? Am I just your bodyguard? Is this all professional? Or...are we more?"
Finally she understood and their gazes met, "I know what I want us to be."
And it was true: she did know what she wanted them to be.
And it certainly wasn't for them to be friends, she wanted more from this relationship, she felt more comfortable around him than she had ever felt around anyone, she trusted him with her life.
It wasn't often that she willingly handed over her heart with no questions asked, this was one of those times.
"Is that right?" he asked, and as she nodded his tone slipped an octave lower, "I know what I want us to be."
And it was true: she did know what she wanted them to be.
And it certainly wasn't for them to be friends, she wanted more from this relationship, she felt more comfortable around him than she had ever felt before around anyone, she trusted him with her life.
It wasn't often that she willingly handed over her heart with no questions asked; this was one of those times.
"Is that right?" he asked, and as she nodded, his tone slipped an octave lower, "I know what I want us to be too."
She had never felt this shy around a topic before, but this one was an exception, it seemed, as neither of them knew what to say.
He reached his hand across the table and lifted her chin up so their eyes met, "Syd I want to be able to take you home and introduce you as my girlfriend, and I want to be able to announce from the rooftops that I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world, I want you to be my girlfriend."
Sydney smiled brightly, "I was hoping you'd say that."
Michael reached across the table again, connecting their hands and leaning towards her, kissing her lightly, then he pulled back just enough to talk, their noses touching, "I'm glad you feel the same way."
She didn't like the fact that they were so close and their lips weren't touching, so she closed the distance once again, this time not letting him get off with a short kiss, but instead, letting her tongue push its way into his mouth and tangle with his before retreating once again, "Mmmm..."
"I agree," he said against her lips.
They were brought from their little dream world by the waiter who took their orders and promptly left, choosing to give the young couple privacy once again.
"I'd love to stay like this," Sydney murmured with a smile, "But I have to use the little girl's room."
Michael smiled, "I think I can let you go for a couple of minutes if it's that big of an emergency."
"It is," she nodded with a playful smile as she stood up and placed a chaste kiss on his mouth, "Be back in a few."
"I'm counting on it," he replied, already feeling alone as she walked away.
As she walked towards the restroom at the back of the restaurant, completely lost in her thoughts, she ran into someone, and her head snapped up, "I'm so...sor --"
Her gaze turned cool as she glared at her ex-boyfriend.
"Well, well, well, look who it is, my dear Sydney," Danny smirked, "It's been a while, hasn't it? What? Three or four months?"
"I wouldn't know," Sydney growled, "You see, I don't remember anything about my time with you."
"That's a good one Syd," Danny laughed, "And if your eyes didn't betray you, I might have actually believed you."
"Don't call me that," she hissed, "You have no right to call me that anymore."
"But don't I Syd?" he taunted, "I mean, come on, I almost married you, I think I have every right to call you that."
"And if it were up to you, we would be married right now," Sydney spat, "Luckily for me, I found you out for the lying, cheating bastard that you really were before it was too late."
He laughed again, and went to try to pull her into his arms, "You know you still want me."
But, he didn't succeed as a voice behind them stopped him cold, and brought a smile to Sydney's face, "Why don't you get your hands off my girlfriend before I'm forced to kick your ass myself."
Sydney shoved Danny's hands off of her, and ran into Michael's arms, "Are you okay Syd?"
"I'm fine," she sighed, "He didn't touch me or hurt me, I would have been forced to knock him out if he did."
Danny was watching the whole scene with a smirk, "So who is this Syd?"
She glared at him, safely tucking her hand into Michael's and holding up her other hand to tell him she could and wanted to handle this one on her own, "Didn't I tell you not to call me that? And not that it's any of your business, but this is my boyfriend Michael, Michael this is Danny."
Danny extended his hand to Michael who simply stared at him like he was out of his mind.
"Well I see how it is," Danny replied, then before he turned around to leave, he looked at Michael, "Well Michael, good luck, she's a feisty one."
And then he was gone.
When he could no longer be seen, Sydney collapsed into Michael's arms, tears streaming down her cheeks, the encounter bringing back memories she did not want to remember.
"Who was he Syd?" Michael demanded, his blood boiling with rage, and his fists clenching with want to murder this man for hurting Sydney so much.
She sniffed, "How did you know to come looking for me?"
He smiled, he knew her so well already, "You were gone for over fifteen minutes Syd, I wanted to make sure you were all right."
'I needed to make sure you were all right,' he added silently.
"But really Syd, who was he?" he asked gently, "I need to know who he was."
She looked into his eyes and pleaded, "Please, not right now, I'll explain it all later, let's just not let this ruin our night anymore than it already has."
"Deal," he replied, wiping her eyes dry, "Are you ready? Because our food is at the table."
"Yeah," she answered, "Let's go."
~&~&~
He smiled as she walked out of her bedroom, having taken an hour longer than him to get ready.
"Wow," he whistled, "Syd, you look...wow...amazing, absolutely amazing and beautiful."
She blushed, it creeping into her cheeks and making her look that much more beautiful, "You look spiffy yourself."
The blush crept into her cheeks again as she looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed at the use of the word 'spiffy.'
"Are you ready to go?" he asked quietly, trying to alleviate her embarrassment.
"Let's go," she reached her hand out for his, and together they walked out the door.
****
They walked intothe restaurant and were immediately seated by the manager who must have known Michael as they conversed amicably for a few minutes.
"And who is this lovely lady?" he asked with a smile.
Michael's face softened and brightened considerably, "This is my girl - this is Sydney, Syd this is Thomas, he's one of my mother's friends, I've known him since I was nine."
Sydney beamed, "It's nice to meet you Thomas, so does that mean you know stories about little Michael?"
Thomas laughed, "You have no clue my dear, seriously you have no clue how many stories I know."
"I'd love to hear them sometime," Sydney replied as a blush crept into Michael's cheeks at the thought of what Thomas could tell her.
"Of course!" Thomas exclaimed, "Call me sometime, you can contact me here at the restaurant and I'll tell you all of the stories I know."
With that he was gone, and Michael looked at Sydney with a pleading look in his eyes, "Syd, please, don't."
Her eyes filled with mischief and humor, "What? Embarrassed are we Mikey?"
"Please don't call me that," he joked, a smile on his face, then, all of a sudden he turned serious, "Syd, what are we?"
She looked up quickly, her eyes clouding with confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I mean what are we," he clarified, "Are we friends? Am I just your bodyguard? Is this all professional? Or...are we more?"
Finally she understood and their gazes met, "I know what I want us to be."
And it was true: she did know what she wanted them to be.
And it certainly wasn't for them to be friends, she wanted more from this relationship, she felt more comfortable around him than she had ever felt around anyone, she trusted him with her life.
It wasn't often that she willingly handed over her heart with no questions asked, this was one of those times.
"Is that right?" he asked, and as she nodded his tone slipped an octave lower, "I know what I want us to be."
And it was true: she did know what she wanted them to be.
And it certainly wasn't for them to be friends, she wanted more from this relationship, she felt more comfortable around him than she had ever felt before around anyone, she trusted him with her life.
It wasn't often that she willingly handed over her heart with no questions asked; this was one of those times.
"Is that right?" he asked, and as she nodded, his tone slipped an octave lower, "I know what I want us to be too."
She had never felt this shy around a topic before, but this one was an exception, it seemed, as neither of them knew what to say.
He reached his hand across the table and lifted her chin up so their eyes met, "Syd I want to be able to take you home and introduce you as my girlfriend, and I want to be able to announce from the rooftops that I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world, I want you to be my girlfriend."
Sydney smiled brightly, "I was hoping you'd say that."
Michael reached across the table again, connecting their hands and leaning towards her, kissing her lightly, then he pulled back just enough to talk, their noses touching, "I'm glad you feel the same way."
She didn't like the fact that they were so close and their lips weren't touching, so she closed the distance once again, this time not letting him get off with a short kiss, but instead, letting her tongue push its way into his mouth and tangle with his before retreating once again, "Mmmm..."
"I agree," he said against her lips.
They were brought from their little dream world by the waiter who took their orders and promptly left, choosing to give the young couple privacy once again.
"I'd love to stay like this," Sydney murmured with a smile, "But I have to use the little girl's room."
Michael smiled, "I think I can let you go for a couple of minutes if it's that big of an emergency."
"It is," she nodded with a playful smile as she stood up and placed a chaste kiss on his mouth, "Be back in a few."
"I'm counting on it," he replied, already feeling alone as she walked away.
As she walked towards the restroom at the back of the restaurant, completely lost in her thoughts, she ran into someone, and her head snapped up, "I'm so...sor --"
Her gaze turned cool as she glared at her ex-boyfriend.
"Well, well, well, look who it is, my dear Sydney," Danny smirked, "It's been a while, hasn't it? What? Three or four months?"
"I wouldn't know," Sydney growled, "You see, I don't remember anything about my time with you."
"That's a good one Syd," Danny laughed, "And if your eyes didn't betray you, I might have actually believed you."
"Don't call me that," she hissed, "You have no right to call me that anymore."
"But don't I Syd?" he taunted, "I mean, come on, I almost married you, I think I have every right to call you that."
"And if it were up to you, we would be married right now," Sydney spat, "Luckily for me, I found you out for the lying, cheating bastard that you really were before it was too late."
He laughed again, and went to try to pull her into his arms, "You know you still want me."
But, he didn't succeed as a voice behind them stopped him cold, and brought a smile to Sydney's face, "Why don't you get your hands off my girlfriend before I'm forced to kick your ass myself."
Sydney shoved Danny's hands off of her, and ran into Michael's arms, "Are you okay Syd?"
"I'm fine," she sighed, "He didn't touch me or hurt me, I would have been forced to knock him out if he did."
Danny was watching the whole scene with a smirk, "So who is this Syd?"
She glared at him, safely tucking her hand into Michael's and holding up her other hand to tell him she could and wanted to handle this one on her own, "Didn't I tell you not to call me that? And not that it's any of your business, but this is my boyfriend Michael, Michael this is Danny."
Danny extended his hand to Michael who simply stared at him like he was out of his mind.
"Well I see how it is," Danny replied, then before he turned around to leave, he looked at Michael, "Well Michael, good luck, she's a feisty one."
And then he was gone.
When he could no longer be seen, Sydney collapsed into Michael's arms, tears streaming down her cheeks, the encounter bringing back memories she did not want to remember.
"Who was he Syd?" Michael demanded, his blood boiling with rage, and his fists clenching with want to murder this man for hurting Sydney so much.
She sniffed, "How did you know to come looking for me?"
He smiled, he knew her so well already, "You were gone for over fifteen minutes Syd, I wanted to make sure you were all right."
'I needed to make sure you were all right,' he added silently.
"But really Syd, who was he?" he asked gently, "I need to know who he was."
She looked into his eyes and pleaded, "Please, not right now, I'll explain it all later, let's just not let this ruin our night anymore than it already has."
"Deal," he replied, wiping her eyes dry, "Are you ready? Because our food is at the table."
"Yeah," she answered, "Let's go."
~&~&~