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CHAPTER 9

"First round is on me. What do you want?" Emily asked.

"I'll take a strawberry margarita." Sylvie said.

"I'll have a beer." Stella replied.

Emily went to the bar and gave Herrmann and Kelly her drink orders.

"A margarita? That's different from your usual beer." Stella commented.

"Just figured I'd try something different. I'm starting to get tired of the same thing." Sylvie said.

Stella gave her a look.

"Tired of the same thing?" Stella questioned.

"I don't know. I just want to try something different. That's all." Sylvie said.

"Good to know." Stella said.

Emily walked back to the table with her drink and with Stella's drink.

"So, Kelly is in the process of making your margarita and will bring it over when he's done." Emily said.

Before anyone could say anything, Herrmann brought out the karaoke machine.

"Alright you guys, who wants to sing some karaoke?" Herrmann asked, getting the crowd fired up.

The crowd cheered and a few college students started singing karaoke. Everyone was having a good time. Kelly finally brought Sylvie's margarita over and then went back to bar tending.

"Here's to a much over due Girl's Night Out!" Stella said as she raised her beer.

They all clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their drink. Kelly quickly sent a text to Matt asking if he was coming.

"MOLLY'S? BRETT IS HERE. - KELLY." Kelly said in the text message.

Matt's faced lit up.

"BE THERE IN TEN. - CASEY." Matt replied.

He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He arrived at Molly's within ten minutes and casually walked in. Lucky for him, he had changed clothes after he got home. He was wearing a solid plain grey polo shirt with dark blue jeans. He knew he shouldn't be wanting to spend all this time with Sylvie but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be near her every second he could.

"Hey man, can I get a beer?" Matt asked Kelly.

Kelly handed him a beer.

"You know, Brett is sitting over there with Stella and Foster." Kelly casually commented.

Matt turned to glance around casually and caught Sylvie's eye. She gave him a flirty smile and he turned back around to face Kelly.

"She's hanging out with Kidd and Foster." Matt said.

Just then, Ritter and Gallo joined them at the bar.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ritter asked.

Kelly shot Matt a look and then chuckled.

"Nothing." Matt said.

"Casey has it bad for Brett." Kelly teased.

"I do not." Matt answered.

"Oh really? You took a week off to stay with Brett in Fowlerton. You look at her in a way that I haven't seen you look at any woman, including Gabby. Oh and you didn't waste any time getting to Molly's when I told you she was here." Kelly joked.

Matt couldn't deny the expression on his face.

"Dude, everyone at the house knows that you two have it bad for each other." Ritter joked.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Matt questioned.

"Come on, Casey. I've seen the looks you give Brett when you think no one is watching. You've got it bad." Ritter teased.

"I've seen it too." Gallo said.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about but I'm thinking that you guys need more drills next shift." Matt insinuated.

Ritter and Gallo stopped before Matt suggested that they clean the bathrooms.

"Alright, so it's pretty obvious. Is it not obvious?" Emily asked.

"No, you're right. It's very obvious." Stella said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sylvie asked.

"You have it bad for Casey." Stella said.

"So what if I do? I mean, it's not like he feels the same way about me." Sylvie smirked.

"Don't be so sure. The whole house knows he has it bad for you but neither of you have made a move yet." Emily said.

"See, he doesn't feel the same way." Sylvie said.

"I don't know. I mean, he's sitting over at the bar. He wasn't here when we got here and then he happens to show up after we are here. I'm just saying that I think it's obvious he likes you." Stella said.

"Alright. Fine. I like him and he probably likes me but don't try to set us up. I don't want Casey to feel like he has to ask me out. If he likes me, then he can ask me out on his own but please, don't push him into it." Sylvie said.

"Alright, we won't do that but I get to drive Ambo for the next week." Emily said.

"And you have to go shopping with us this weekend to update your wardrobe. Deal?" Stella asked.

"Deal." Sylvie said.

They continued to chat about other things besides Sylvie and Matt's feelings for each other, but they were going to hold Sylvie to shopping because it was the one thing that Sylvie hated and they knew if she wanted them to drop the teasing about Matt, then she would have to go shopping with them. It was a small price to pay but definitely worth it. Plus, she can spend time with her friends outside of the house.

"I have an idea." Emily said.

Sylvie knew that look.

"Em, no. Don't even think about it." Sylvie playfully warned.

Stella looked confused.

"Wait, what's going on?" Stella asked.

"She wants us to get up and sing." Sylvie said.

"I'm in if you're in." Stella replied.

Sylvie gave her friends a look and then caved in. They walked up and chose the song, "Black Magic" by Little Mix.

"I can't believe you guys talked me into this." Sylvie whispered under her breath.

They laughed and the song started playing.

"All the girls on the block knocking at my door. Wanna know what it is make the boys want more." the women sang.

One of the voices caught Matt off guard. He recognized one of the voices singing.

"Is your lover playing on your side? Said he loves you, but he ain't got time. Here's the answer. Come and get it at a knocked down price." Sylvie sang.

Matt turned and saw that it was Sylvie singing and smiled. The women continued to sing and the crowd was getting into it.

"Take a sip of my secret potion. I'll make you fall in love. For a spell that can't be broken, one drop should be enough. Boy, you belong to me. I got the recipe And it's called black magic..." Sylvie, Emily, and Stella sang.

After the song was over, the three of them went to walk away but Matt grabbed Sylvie's hand.

"You were good." Matt said with a cheerful smile.

Sylvie blushed.

"Thanks." Sylvie smiled back.

They stared at each other for a bit before Emily and Stella yelled for her. She smiled at Matt and he smiled back before heading back to her table.

"Dude!" Kelly said to Matt.

Matt gave Kelly a look.

"What?" Matt asked.

"Seriously? You had your chance and you didn't do anything." Kelly smirked.

"Captain, he's right. If you really like Sylvie, you need to go for it. I like Gabby but she's not here and you can move on. I'm not trying to overstep my position or anything like that, but your face lights up when you see Sylvie, just like I do when I see Cindy." Herrmann said.

If Herrmann is saying something, then it must be obvious.

"Did she drive here?" Matt asked.

"She rode with Foster and Stella." Kelly replied.

"Interesting." Matt said to himself.

Back at their table, Stella and Emily tried so hard not to ask about Matt but Sylvie couldn't help but laugh.

"If you wanna know what that was about, he was just telling me how good we were. That's it. Let's move on." Sylvie said.

"Ok. Uh, Foster and I were saying that we were gonna invite Chloe to go with us shopping this weekend." Stella said.

"That's fine. I'm sure she still needs to get things for the wedding." Sylvie said.

"How's Cruz handling the wedding planning?" Emily asked.

Sylvie laughed.

"He hates it but Chloe is making him give input on it whether he likes it or not." Sylvie giggled.

"I'd say so." Emily said.

"So Stella, Kelly's birthday is coming up. Have you decided what you're gonna do for him?" Sylvie asked.

"I hadn't thought about it. I mean, he hasn't really said much." Stella said.

"You should do something romantic like a weekend getaway to a cabin or something." Emily suggested.

Back at the bar, Kelly asked Matt a curious question.

"Has Stella said anything about my birthday?" Kelly asked.

Matt gave him a look.

"Uh, no. She hasn't said anything. Neither have Brett and Foster." Matt said.

"That makes me wonder if she's planning something with the two of them." Kelly smirked.

Matt turned to look at the women and shook his head.

"If I find out something, I'll let you know." Matt said.

The night went on and everyone was having a good time.

"Last call!" Herrmann yelled out in the bar.

People were coming to the bar to get their last drink before Herrmann closed the bar. Sylvie went to the bathroom and Emily saw it as the perfect opportunity to leave.

"I'm leaving while she's in the bathroom. If she comes back out, just tell her my landlord called or something. Love you! Bye!" Emily said as she quickly left so that Matt could take Sylvie home.

Sylvie came back and saw that Emily was gone.

"Where did Emily go?" Sylvie asked.

"Something about her landlord calling or something like that. She left in a hurry." Stella said, making up an excuse.

Sylvie grabbed her purse and was getting ready to leave. Matt was also getting ready to leave and accidentally bumped into Sylvie.

"I'm so sorry." Matt said.

"It's ok. I was just getting ready to call a cab." Sylvie said.

"Nonsense. I'll take you home. I was just heading out myself." Matt said.

"You sure it's not a problem?" Sylvie asked.

"Absolutely no trouble at all." Matt said.

With that, they said their goodbyes to everyone and headed out. Matt unlocked his truck and opened the passenger door for Sylvie to get in. She got in and Matt closed the door. He walked over to the other side and got in. He turned the truck on and started driving to Sylvie's apartment. Joe was staying with Chloe at her apartment, so she had the apartment to herself. She liked it on some nights but she missed having a roommate there all the time. She missed Otis and the way he made her laugh. She was in deep thought when Matt interrupted her.

"Brett! You're home." Matt said as he tried to get her attention.

"Oh, sorry. Uh, thanks for the ride home." Sylvie said as she got out of the truck.

Matt got out as well.

"Hey, are you alright? You seem distant." Matt said.

"Just thinking. That's all." Sylvie said.

"About what?" Matt asked.

"Everything, but mainly about Otis." Sylvie said.

"Mind if I come up with you?" Matt asked.

"No, I'd like that." Sylvie smiled.

They walked to her apartment and headed inside. Sylvie took her shoes off and placed her purse on the kitchen counter. Matt closed the door behind him and put his keys in his pocket.

"Now is your chance. Don't blow it." Matt thought to himself.

"Make yourself at home. Looks like Joe is staying with Chloe, so I'm home alone again." Sylvie complained.

Matt took his shoes off and walked over to the kitchen where Sylvie was standing. She was frustrated about the fact that Otis wasn't there. She started crying and Matt knew exactly why she was crying. There was a picture of Otis and Sylvie hanging up on the refrigerator with Joe photo bombing them in the background. Matt pulled Sylvie into a longing hug, where she cried on his shoulders. All he wanted to do was take her pain away.