Chapter 18
As Sydney made her way over to him, she decided to check where Weiss was. She still wasn't sure if he had arrived yet. She twisted a gem on her bracelet, which activated the microphone. She then lifted her right arm, and pretended that she was fixing her hair, so she could talk to him.
"Weiss? Weiss are you there?" She waited for an answer, which just never came. Assuming that he hadn't arrived yet, she thought that this would give her plenty of time to get to know this mystery man. She picked up another champagne glass off a waiter that walked by to help boost her confidence.
Standing a couple of feet away from him, she couldn't believe how handsome the back of this guy was. He was quite tall with light brown hair. She could just about hear his voice as he spoke to the people he was standing with, and she had to admit his voice did sound a little familiar. A little like Vaughn's. She dismissed this thought, telling herself that she was just being paranoid, and that she needed to get Vaughn out of her mind. And the only way to do that was to start meeting new people. And she was about to do that with this guy.
One of the guys who he was standing with noticed that Sydney had come over to talk to him. "Hey, I think there's someone here who would like to speak to you." He nodded at Sydney. "Yeah I would." She replied, smiling. The mystery man turned around, and suddenly it wasn't a mystery anymore. Was there no where were she could go to get away from him?
"You know, on second thoughts I'd rather not." She turned on her heels fighting the urge to cry.
"Wait Sydney..." he called after her, running to keep up. "Wait...please."
She stopped but stood with her back to him. "Where's Weiss?" She asked.
"I er, I asked him if I could come in his place." The words got stuck in his throat, but he managed to eventually get them out.
"What?" She turned around so that she was facing him. Around them couples were dancing to the slow rhythm of the band's music. "Why would you do that Vaughn, when I particularly told you to stay away form me?" Her face was filled with confusion.
"I needed to talk to you." He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in the red dress. If it was possible, he felt like he was falling even more in love with her.
"What could possibly have been so important that you couldn't have waited until tomorrow to tell me? I'm sure Lauren wouldn't like the idea of her husband flying across the world to see another woman." She was quite flattered and glad that he had come, but she was trying her hardest not to let her face portray this.
"Will you dance with me?" He knew he was avoiding her questions, but he would reveal everything to her shortly. Right now, all he wanted to do was to dance with the person he loved, and pretend like nothing had changed. Like nothing had changed between them.
"Vaughn..." She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her.
"Sydney...please!" She looked at him, his green eyes making her heart melt. "Okay." She finally dropped the angry act. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer to him, placing his hand on her back. Holding her close, he remembered how good it felt to be this close to her. It made him regret the mistake he had made marrying Lauren even more. For the next couple of minutes they danced in silence, each gazing into each other's eyes. They seemed to fit in perfectly with all the other couples around them, who appeared to be in love with the people they were dancing with. But finally Vaughn broke the silence.
"The reason I flew out on this mission, is because I wanted to tell you that me and Lauren are over. There was no baby it was a mistake, and I've asked her for a divorce. I couldn't continue to live the lie that I was a happily married man, when the woman that I really wanted to be with...was you." He felt his heart speed up, the thought of her rejecting him making him worry.
A single tear ran down her cheek, as she searched for something to say to him. "So that's it? You guys are over?" Her feelings were mixed up, sure she was happy that he was single, but did she really want to set herself up to get hurt again?
They had stopped dancing at this point, but Syd remained in his arms. "Yeah, we're through. I was getting sick and tired of going home, wishing that it was you I was going home to. It just wasn't fair to Lauren or you."
"Vaughn, a lot has changed between us..." He took her hand and led her away from the rest of the dancing people, into a quiet corner on the far side of the room. "I know that I've hurt you so much, and the fact that I've done that makes me so mad with myself. You've got to understand that I'm not expecting you to let me just walk back into your life again, because I don't deserve that." He stopped, noticing a clock on the wall. "Sydney we best get going, Sark and Stochansky will be here in less than ten minutes." Syd looked at the clock, and realised that he was right. The mission had to come first, and then they would have time to sort out this little problem.
"Ok. Can we talk later?" Vaughn nodded his head. "I'm staying at the hotel up the road, room 452. Come by later and we can try and sort this out." She smiled at him, hoping that they could sort it out, but only time would tell.
As Sydney made her way over to him, she decided to check where Weiss was. She still wasn't sure if he had arrived yet. She twisted a gem on her bracelet, which activated the microphone. She then lifted her right arm, and pretended that she was fixing her hair, so she could talk to him.
"Weiss? Weiss are you there?" She waited for an answer, which just never came. Assuming that he hadn't arrived yet, she thought that this would give her plenty of time to get to know this mystery man. She picked up another champagne glass off a waiter that walked by to help boost her confidence.
Standing a couple of feet away from him, she couldn't believe how handsome the back of this guy was. He was quite tall with light brown hair. She could just about hear his voice as he spoke to the people he was standing with, and she had to admit his voice did sound a little familiar. A little like Vaughn's. She dismissed this thought, telling herself that she was just being paranoid, and that she needed to get Vaughn out of her mind. And the only way to do that was to start meeting new people. And she was about to do that with this guy.
One of the guys who he was standing with noticed that Sydney had come over to talk to him. "Hey, I think there's someone here who would like to speak to you." He nodded at Sydney. "Yeah I would." She replied, smiling. The mystery man turned around, and suddenly it wasn't a mystery anymore. Was there no where were she could go to get away from him?
"You know, on second thoughts I'd rather not." She turned on her heels fighting the urge to cry.
"Wait Sydney..." he called after her, running to keep up. "Wait...please."
She stopped but stood with her back to him. "Where's Weiss?" She asked.
"I er, I asked him if I could come in his place." The words got stuck in his throat, but he managed to eventually get them out.
"What?" She turned around so that she was facing him. Around them couples were dancing to the slow rhythm of the band's music. "Why would you do that Vaughn, when I particularly told you to stay away form me?" Her face was filled with confusion.
"I needed to talk to you." He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in the red dress. If it was possible, he felt like he was falling even more in love with her.
"What could possibly have been so important that you couldn't have waited until tomorrow to tell me? I'm sure Lauren wouldn't like the idea of her husband flying across the world to see another woman." She was quite flattered and glad that he had come, but she was trying her hardest not to let her face portray this.
"Will you dance with me?" He knew he was avoiding her questions, but he would reveal everything to her shortly. Right now, all he wanted to do was to dance with the person he loved, and pretend like nothing had changed. Like nothing had changed between them.
"Vaughn..." She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her.
"Sydney...please!" She looked at him, his green eyes making her heart melt. "Okay." She finally dropped the angry act. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer to him, placing his hand on her back. Holding her close, he remembered how good it felt to be this close to her. It made him regret the mistake he had made marrying Lauren even more. For the next couple of minutes they danced in silence, each gazing into each other's eyes. They seemed to fit in perfectly with all the other couples around them, who appeared to be in love with the people they were dancing with. But finally Vaughn broke the silence.
"The reason I flew out on this mission, is because I wanted to tell you that me and Lauren are over. There was no baby it was a mistake, and I've asked her for a divorce. I couldn't continue to live the lie that I was a happily married man, when the woman that I really wanted to be with...was you." He felt his heart speed up, the thought of her rejecting him making him worry.
A single tear ran down her cheek, as she searched for something to say to him. "So that's it? You guys are over?" Her feelings were mixed up, sure she was happy that he was single, but did she really want to set herself up to get hurt again?
They had stopped dancing at this point, but Syd remained in his arms. "Yeah, we're through. I was getting sick and tired of going home, wishing that it was you I was going home to. It just wasn't fair to Lauren or you."
"Vaughn, a lot has changed between us..." He took her hand and led her away from the rest of the dancing people, into a quiet corner on the far side of the room. "I know that I've hurt you so much, and the fact that I've done that makes me so mad with myself. You've got to understand that I'm not expecting you to let me just walk back into your life again, because I don't deserve that." He stopped, noticing a clock on the wall. "Sydney we best get going, Sark and Stochansky will be here in less than ten minutes." Syd looked at the clock, and realised that he was right. The mission had to come first, and then they would have time to sort out this little problem.
"Ok. Can we talk later?" Vaughn nodded his head. "I'm staying at the hotel up the road, room 452. Come by later and we can try and sort this out." She smiled at him, hoping that they could sort it out, but only time would tell.