A/N: Hey guys! I've been really busy lately with soccer, so I haven't been able to post. Review responses are posted at my live journal through the link on my author's profile, as always. Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter!
"Michael," she said, walking out to where he was standing in the foyer of the room.
"Yeah?"
"There's only one bed."
"Hey guys!" Yani said. "You know what would be really funny?"
"What's that now?" Eric asked with sudden interest, though, everyone knew it was the alcohol.
"What if, when Syd and Vaughn get to Santa Barbara, they find in their hotel room, that there is only one bed?" the Aussie offered. "Then they can jump in the sack!"
"Now that would be interesting," Francie smiled at her young friend's idea. All were laughing at the hilarity of Yanicka's comments. All accept Nadia. Her interest in the banter of the younger woman had been lost a little bit over an hour ago. She was getting tired of Yani's jokes. The thing about the girl that truly annoyed Nadia was that Yani referred to Sydney like she was her older sister. Sydney Bristow is my sister, Nadia thought.
It was obvious that jealousy had taken over Nadia.
But one thing I do know, she will not replace me.
Francie noticed that Nadia looked tense.
"Hey Nads, are you alright?" she asked Nadia in a concerned tone. Then she threw Weiss a pointed glare. "Eric, I knew you poured her too much wine." Weiss threw his hands up in exasperation.
"No, I'm fine. I think I'm going to head back to the apartment, I'm really tired," she said, supplying a fake yawn. "Talk to you all later."
"Bye Nadia," everyone chorused as Nadia made for the door. Eric immediately snapped up from his seat, seeming suddenly sober.
"I'll walk you back," he managed to slur. His attempt to appear sober had received him a couple snickers and coughs from his friends still lounging in Francie's living room. Weiss tripped over a rug, and tried to grab onto a stool for support, but failed miserably. Nadia giggled. "When I back, I expect this here goblet," he said, holding up a wine glass, "to be filled with rum!" And with that, he pushed Nadia out the door, wine glass still in hand.
"Hey Eric?"
"Wasssssup?"
"How are they going to fill your glass if you have it?" she asked, smiling.
"Magic," he replied in a goofy tone, fluttering his fingers before him. The two walked the short distance to the front door of Sydney's vacant apartment. "See? Like that. We just appeared here," he said pointing at the door. "Maaaaaa-gic."
Nadia searched her jean pocket for the key that Sydney had given her earlier. When she noticed that Eric was watching her intently, her fingers brushed up against cool metal. Found it...
"You okay Eric?" she asked, slightly hesitant of his drunk appearence.
"Yeah, I'm fine Nadine. I was just wondering if you are up for som-"
He kissed her. But Nadia simply resisted. She had just met him, so she just stood there, and pushed him off of her.
"Oh Nadia, I'm so sorry!" Weiss apologized seriously. She smiled awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it. I'll see you later," she said quietly, opened the door and closed it behind her.
"Damn Weiss, you're such an idiot. No I'm not, shut up!" he started to talk to himself. Or was he arguing with himself? "Dude, you just met her. I didn't mean to kiss her. So what, it was an accident? That's what I'm saying. You're such a loser. I know. Finally you admit it. Why do I mess it up with a woman who is for once, actually worth it? Beats me."
On the otherside of the front door, Nadia sighed.
"Maybe this break from Cesar is just what I need," Nadia told herself quietly. "Maybe I really don't want to marry him."
She through the dark apartment and to the bathroom where she started to draw a hot bath.
"Oh," Michael said, equally surprised as the woman standing in front of him. "Whoa, okay then. What do you think we should do then?"
Silence.
Then Sydney finally spoke.
"I'll sleep on the couch then," she offered hopefully. With that response, Vaughn shook his head vigorously.
"No, I invited you to come here with me. I won't let you take the couch," he stated. "I'll take it. You have the bed. Besides, the couch looks quite comfy." He smiled while she studied his expression, which was almost positive was fake. And that was when she noticed the intensity of his green eyes. They had such depth and implied warm and protection. When she realized that he was gazing back into her own eyes, she broke the tension.
"Vaughn its fine. I'll take the couch. In fact, I want to take the couch." He raised an eyebrow at this.
"No. It's too late anyways. I've already made the pull-out bed for myself," he said.
"Why did you make the bed for yourself if you didn- wait, you knew that there was only going to be one bed?" she inquired. He nodded. Then she realized what this meant. He was going to come to Santa Barbara with her, Alice...I should have known, she thought. But why do I care? We're just friends
"Goodnight Syd," Michael smiled, walking into the living room and opening up his suitcase in pursuit for his boxers.
"Night Michael." And with that, she retreated to the bedroom to get herself ready for bed.
Before Sydney had left for Santa Barbara, she had quit her job at Shadow Box, and focused on getting Yani to start at Cafe Comforts, Sydney's coffee shop. Today was Yani's first day.
Howie, the anything-but-straight manager, had trained the Aussie so that she could work an evening shift that night.
Espresso machines, new filters, and caramel frappuccinos, how hard could it be? Yani thought brightly.
The progress she had accumulated training decreased at a surprising rate, as Howie left to stock the new coffee beans in the back, leaving Yani to deal with her first customer.
She pulled the corners of her lips, to her ears in a wide smile. "How may I help you today, ma'am?"
The peppered-hair, lanky woman grunted. "Where's Howard? I won't have anybody make my afternoon cup but Howard."
"Howie is in the back sorting be-"
"He's always sorting those damn beans! Would you make yourself useful and go him. I need my macchiato!"
"Sorry ma'am, he has told me to take tonight's orders. I'll try my best to make your coffee as well as he can," Yani smiled warmly. I hate this woman already and I look really fake...
"Stupid youth, don't know anything that's going on in the world today," the woman hissed. "Surprising they let you chaps work in a coffee shop. Dumb kids shouldn't be making espressos... everyone knows that, especially you damn foreigners..."
"What can I get for you?" Yani asked fakely, pretending as if what the woman was saying hadn't affected her. Yani was always been proud to be Australian and didn't see why this stub of a woman was making snide comments.
"I'll have a grande, steamed hazelnut macchiato, with two shots of espresso, a teaspoon of half and half. Shake it a little bit at a ninety degree angle," the woman said. Yani wrote down the specifics on the side of the cup, thinking the woman was done ordering her drink. But she was wrong, "Absolutely, NO foam. Go easy on the whipped cream, drizzle some almond oil on top of that. And I have a board meeting in fifteen minutes, so I want my macchiato in three."
Whoa, this bitch is crazy!
"What are you standing there for? It's rude to stare, now get to it!" the woman snapped at Yani.
"Y-y-es ma'am," the Aussie mumbled. Where was she going to start?
By the time Yani finished the woman's coffee finished, it had been seven minutes, and since her finger slipped on the nozzle, there was about an inch of foam at the top of the cup. The scalding hot liquid was seeping over the sides, burning Yani's fingers as she tried to put the top on.
"Here you go," she smiled, but the woman grabbed the cub immediately, dripping some of the hot beverage on Yani's forearm, and having a taste. The woman scrunched up her face in disgust. "Uh...that will be $4.89, ma'am."
Narrowing her eyes at the Aussie, she grabbed four one dollar bills out of her purse and threw them on the counter, then stormed out of the cafe.
"You forgot the eighty-nine cents!" Yani yelled afer the woman, but it was too late, she was already gone.
"Here," a young man with shaggy blond hair said, pushing a dollar towards Yani behind the register. "Eighty-nine cents, plus a tip," he smiled.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Yanicka blushed, uneasy at the guy's kindness. "What can I get you?"
"How about an Aussie, and dinner for two tomorrow night?"
"Look at that giraffe, Vaughn! It has a crooked neck!" Sydney exclaimed excitedly. The pair were at the Santa Barbara zoo, when Sydney went to watch the giraffes.
Michael smiled, and walked over to Sydney from where he was looking at the monkeys. "That's odd."
"I think its cute," she stated, looking up at the animal's eyes. "Nothing like I've seen before."
There had been something more to Sydney Bristow than Vaughn had noticed. She had this quality, like an ability, to make anyone smile. How could it be that he would actually agree to be just friends with her, without any objection? This one is different, he remembered saying to Eric. He didn't want to screw up his friendship with Sydney. Especially if that friendship had the potential to be something bigger.
"What?" she asked nervously when she noticed him gazing at her intently. Then she remembered, her dream. Her dream where Michael had proposed to her in sawdust, in front of a giraffe with a crooked neck. She looked down at the ground.
Sawdust.
She noticed he was fumbling with something in his coat pocket. Maybe its a ring, she thought. No, no, NO! Stop that Syd. You're just friends, remember? But her curiosity was overwhelming her. She started to become paranoid, what was in his pocket? Would he propose to her if the situation was different?
"Vaughn?" she asked firmly, her right hand was starting to quiver. She grabbed it with her left hand to stop it from shaking.
"Oh nothing. I just remembered our dinner reservations at this restaurant," he recovered. Sydney eyed him supiciously, but then smiled.
"Okay."
"You ready then?"
Sydney nodded still smiling.
But before she walked up to the main entrance with Vaughn, she waved to the giraffe with the crooked neck.
Walking toward him, he smoothed his hands over his pockets absent mindedly, giving Sydney reason to let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing in his pockets.
If there was nothing in his pockets, then why was she disappointed?
After dinner, a somewhat awkward dinner, Vaughn and Sydney went to an old drive-in theater for a showing of Casablanca. Right before the credits started to roll, they left for a walk along the pier, buying ice cream from a vendor, and discussing Vaughn's flavor choice.
"Oooh, chocolate, eh?" Sydney giggled, licking her spoon of coffee flavored ice cream. "That's one step up from strawberry, I must say."
He laughed, taking a bite of his chocolate ice cream. "Yeah."
"I thought for sure you were going to pick vanilla or something pansy-like," Sydney added sarcastically.
"Oh really now?" Michael inquired, arching his brow.
She nodded in response.
"Now what if I had ditched strawberry and chocolate and tried something like coffee? What are the chances of coffee actually being the ice cream flavor for me?" Vaughn asked, proud of his vague analogy. He hoped his was vague enough for Sydney to ignore, as he had meant for the analogy to apply to their situation.
"What are you suggesting, Vaughn?" she asked. "You trying to steal my flavor?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Walking back to the room from the pier, both Sydney and Michael immediately started to get ready for bed, though it was only ten o'clock on a Saturday night. Sydney took the bathoom to wash her face and brush her teeth, while Michael pulled out his bed on the couch.
They exchanged their goodnights as Sydney walked back to the bedroom, and Vaughn to the bathoom. When he was finished, he went back into the living room, got onto the hide-a-bed, and relaxed his head in hands.
Sydney lay in bed staring up at the ceiling in darkness.
What she saw in her dream just a few nights before, she could have sworn it was what it was today, minus the proposal. Hell, she was even wearing the same shirt as she had been in the dream. But it just didn't add up. There was the giraffe with the crooked neck, and the sawdust, but no ring. Why did she have that kind of a dream if she wasn't even dating Michael.
Alright, she admitted. I'm interested in him. But that dream...
What she was going to do next, would be entirely spontaneous for even her. She pushed the sheets off her tank top and pajama bottom clad body, stepped out of bed, and walked into the living room.
"Vaughn," she whispered seeing he was still awake. He was startled, he had expected her to have gone asleep.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you sleeping out here?"
"Well, because I thought that you might want you priva-"
"The bed in there is big enough for two."
A/N: Hoped you liked it. I start school today. Maybe I should get in bed...PLEASE review! You know the drill. Please. :-D Purply button: "I love you! Click me! Click me!"
