📎A/N. Hello my lovelies, it's the new year and we are back in business!!! 

Recently, I interviewed  ericalaurie , author of the featured story 'Eun Na and the Phantom': Check out the interview and make sure to put her story into your library. http://mnjgreenhill.com/mnj/2016/01/13/erica-laurie/

 If you remember, last time we left Sydney and Ethan at a function at the Carlton...   

Don't forget to vote if you enjoy the chapter :-)

Take care.

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As they exited the hotel into the night air, Sydney quickly placed her hands into her coat pockets. While the days were still warm, the crisp evening chill reminded her that summer was losing its battle with the oncoming winter.

She opened her mouth to make her exit but was stopped when Ethan was pulled aside by a man who sat on Treadstone's board of directors.

His, "I'll be right back," ensured she was denied making a quick getaway.

Sydney moved out of the way of a passing group of tourists taking photos, and from her vantage point, studied the organized chaos. She smiled. If nothing, the city was predictable. The constant flow of foot traffic, coupled with the slow-moving, bumper-to-bumper vehicles along the main thoroughfare ensured that the sounds were bombarding her senses from all directions.

She glanced up and down the street as the aroma of chestnuts roasting over an open fire wafted by. Not seeing where the source originated, Sydney focused on the bedlam currently playing out in front of her. A steady stream of guests from the event were filtering out of the Carlton, towards an endless supply of yellow cabs, which ducked in to pick up their ride, and an instant later was tucked back into the sea of late night traffic.

She looked up and down the street, evaluating her options. Walk the few blocks, or cab home?

Before she could make a decision, she noticed someone waving to her from the far side of the entrance. Roy, Ethan's colleague she had met earlier, broke away from the small gathering. "Hey Sydney," he said as he closed the distance. "I was hoping I'd catch you before you leave. It was nice meeting you." He handed her a small white card. "If you're ever near Greenwich Comedy Club on open mike night, pop in. I could always use the support."

Sydney glanced down at the business card. Roy had scrawled the address of the club and the dates he was performing. "It was a pleasure," she said looking back up at him. From the corner of her eye, she spied Janet studying their interaction with a great deal of interest.

For some reason, the woman irritated her beyond belief. "Will Janet be there?"

Roy glanced over towards his colleague. Noticing she had been caught out, Janet raised her chin and refocused on the person next to her. He began to laugh aloud. "God, I hope not."

The sound carried to Ethan who glanced around to see where it was coming from. He quickly finished his conversation and returned his attention to Sydney. "Sorry about that."

"It's quite all right. Roy was just filling me in on his comedy gigs," said Sydney, nodding towards Ethan's colleague.

Roy grinned. "You know me, ever the salesman," he said and then winked. "And it never hurts to have a pretty woman in the audience cheering you on."

A car horn blared impatiently from somewhere close by, which had them turning in the direction it had come from.

"That's my ride," said Roy when he recognised the vehicle. Making his goodbyes, he rushed over to the double-parked car, got in, and a moment later was gone.

Ethan chuckled. "Don't tell him I said this. But he's actually not bad."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, he's certainly not backwards in coming forward."

Seeing her opportunity to leave, Sydney pulled her coat closer and said, "It's late and I'd better be getting home."

"I'll‑" began Ethan before he was cut off.

Janet, never far from Ethan throughout the evening, materialized at his side. She clung to his arm to halt his departure. A pout on her perfectly made up lips. "You're not going already," she said, as her lashes swept up and she levelled her feline eyes at Ethan. "We're heading to Southside. Why don't you join us?"

Sydney nearly choked at the woman's seductive and smouldering expression. Janet had certainly mastered the come-hither look. With her model-thin frame and stunning looks, Sydney wondered how any man could resist the succubus's charms.

"Not tonight," Ethan said as he pulled away from Janet's grip. "I need to get Sydney home."

To his credit, he looked uncomfortable at the woman's closeness.

Janet unglued her eyes from Ethen and flashed Sydney a venomous glare.

Sydney, who had been on the brink of telling him she was able to make her own way home, closed her mouth and smiled smugly at Janet. She couldn't help herself. The little devil that often perched on her shoulder and whispered in her ear had gotten the better of her. Even though she knew it was childish, not to mention beneath her, it didn't stop the small thrill of victory that rushed through her veins as Janet threw her a frigid look that bounced right off her.

Sydney 1: Bitch 0.

"You could've gone to the club with your friends," Sydney said as they began heading south down Madison. Guilt had suddenly overtaken her. Perhaps he wanted to go and was just being polite?

"I see enough of them at work, and it's been a long week."

She had to admit, he did sound tired. From the snippets of information garnished from Walter, Sydney knew that if he wasn't visiting the hospital, he could always be found at work. Day or night.

Sydney slowed her paced and looked at Ethan. "You do know I can walk myself home, don't you?"

Ethan glanced sideways and then back up again. "I know, but I'd feel a lot happier knowing you got home safely," he said. "Besides, Walter would never forgive me if anything happened to you."

Sydney recalled their earlier conversation and Ethan's unspoken concerns. A rush of empathy flew through her and she restarted their earlier discussion. "You really shouldn't worry about him so much. He's happy and I think understands he's there to get better," she said as they stopped at a crosswalk.

His fixed stare at the other side of the road as they stepped forward with all the other pedestrians reflected his doubt in her words.

"Okay answer me this," she said, realising he was lost in his guilt. "Is he at St Patrick's permanently?"

He frowned and his gaze flickered down to her. "No! Once he's at a point he can no longer be helped, or improved enough to not need help with the basic things, he'll move in with me."

"Why St Patricks?"

"I would have thought you knew why by now," he said stiffly. "They're the best in the state. If he has any chance of improving, it'll be with them."

Sydney shrugged. "So why the concern? You know you've made the best decision possible. One that, may I remind you, not many can."

Ethan seemed to consider her words and let out a deep exhale. "Sometimes I get glimpses of who he used to be. I suppose I've not yet come to terms with the fact that he'll never go back to that."

The pain in his voice caught Sydney off guard. Without realising what she was doing, she crooked her arm into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You haven't lost him," she said with meaning, "You just need to learn and accept who he is now."

Ethan taken by surprise at her sudden movement, faltered a step and then quickly recovered. She watched as his pained expression turned into a puzzled one with a tinge of astonishment. "What?" she asked.

"I've just realised that outside of his caregivers, I've never really spoken to anyone about Walter. It feels... nice."

The crowd milling out of Madison Square Park, stopped their conversation as they wound their way through the exuberant teenagers, still high from whatever concert they had just been to.

It wasn't until they turned down East 23rd Street that conversation was possible again. At first, they returned to the safe subject of Walter. This quickly moved on to other topics.

"Rather than raise the ceiling, we should be cutting back on spending," argued Sydney after they had started to discuss the hot topics covered by some of the speakers at the Carlton. "It's like someone who's constantly asking for more and more money to pay his bills. At some point, you've got to ask if he might have a spending problem."

"That will only take us so far," said Ethan, "Our biggest problem is we can't agree on what to spend the money on. We're heading into a vote for raising the ceiling, and there is a lot of misinformation rife through the press. We don't want a lower credit rating. All it will do is increase interest rates, something no one can afford."

It wasn't until they turned onto East 20th Street that Sydney realized she was feeling content. Something she rarely felt. Outside of Grace, her Aunt and Uncle and Stephen, she was constantly on edge. The worry that she'd slip-up or be recognised was always at the forefront of her mind.

This evening, for once, she had been herself. Not Victoria. Not DB. Not even Sydney. She was her true self, a combination of all three parts that made up her whole.

Sydney pulled her coat closer to keep in the warmth. "Thanks for convincing me to go this evening. It was nice to get out," she said before she could stop herself.

"Not a problem, I hope you didn't find it too dull."

Sydney tilted her head smiled as she recalled one particular panellist that had her in stitches. "Actually, some of the speakers were quite entertaining. And I quite enjoyed Harvey Stein's topic."

Ethan laughed his face now relaxed and devoid of the worry that seemed etched on his face earlier. "Don't sound so surprised," he said as he turned towards her.

Sydney was a deer caught in headlights. Ethan's bright grey eyes coupled with his handsome face had her chest beating faster than usual. She was becoming very aware of the man walking beside her and was sure her temperature was rising. Her only consolation was the dim lighting along the street would mask the flush she was sure covered her face.

Her smile wavered as she darted her eyes away and struggled to say something to make the moment less awkward. "You Wall Street type have your moments," she finally said with more gusto than she felt.

She was thankful when Ethan changed the subject and another animated conversation began. The closer she got to home, the more Sydney realised she wished she lived further south. Much to her chagrin, the discovery that she found it easy to talk to him unsettled her. She recalled moments from the Vineyard when they had shared the same comfortable familiarity. It was as if they had wiped the slate clean. But how could it? They were still the same individuals who distrusted each other. Weren't they?

"This is me," Sydney said as they arrived outside her apartment building and began to fish in her bag for her keys.

Ethan tilted his head up and cast a glance over the building she called home. He then looked over at the small park across the street. "I didn't realise Personal Assistants made the sort of money to afford to live in this part of town."

Sydney froze. She had let her guard down enough that she forgot the person who he thought she was.

Not able to meet his gaze she continued to fumble in her handbag. "DB owns it," she mumbled. "I rent it at a discount as part of my package." Her stomach churned waiting for his reaction.

"I hope you make him pay for the utilities as well. I suspect he gets his lump of flesh with the amount of work you seem to do for him," Ethan finally replied.

Sydney tried to hide her relief at his words. He had brought her excuse. For now. "Found it," she said triumphantly as she held up the keys she had found a while ago.

Not sure what to say or do next, Sydney stood awkwardly outside the main door to the building. She was saved from any further embarrassment when Ethan noticed a cab approaching and stepped out onto the road to hail it.

Once the cab had stopped, Ethan said a couple of words to the driver, and walked back over to where she was standing.

His heart stopping smile emerged as he came closer. "I'll let Walter know you returned my I.D.," he said, patting the pocket he had placed it in.

His expression became serious as his eyes burned into hers. "And, thanks for making what was going to be a very tedious evening, enjoyable."

"Anytime," she whispered as his face dipped lower and his lips brushed her cheek.

A moment later, Ethan was in the yellow cab. As it pulled away from the sidewalk, she watched it make its way up the street and turn the corner before she headed inside. The touch of his light kiss still burning against her skin.

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📎A/N... so what did you think?? Looks like there might have been a little shift in how they regard each other..  wonder what's going to happen next?? ;-)

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Till next time, take care and be safe.

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