People Change

“Hey, Gates, where are you going?” Matt demanded as they took a lunch break and Brian instantly headed towards the door. Brian turned around and blinked confusedly at him. “Ashley ordered pizza. You don’t have to leave for lunch.”

“Oh, no, I’m meeting someone,” Brian answered.

“A fresh prospect for girlfriend material?” Zacky inquired. He walked into the lounge behind Brian, stopping in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Better not be,” Jimmy answered before Brian could say a word. He’d walked in behind Zacky and sank down onto one of the couches in the lounge. The guys all looked around at him, questions in their eyes.

“Do you know who the mystery girl is?” Johnny asked.

“I should,” Jimmy said, smirking past all of them at Brian. “She is my sister, after all.”

“Whoa, you’re going to lunch with Sydney?” Zacky exclaimed. Brian sighed and nodded. Zacky whirled to look at Jimmy. “Has she been acting strangely lately? Because I think Gates has drugged her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t agree to going on a date with Brian.”

“She owes him,” Jimmy said. He briefly explained what had gone on the week before. “But...you better get going, Brian. You’ll be late if you don’t, and my sister won’t take too kindly to that.”

“See you guys this afternoon,” Brian replied before exiting with a wave.

When Brian pulled up outside of the bakery a few minutes later, he could see Sydney standing behind the counter. Their eyes met through the glass, and Sydney instantly scowled. Maybe she’d been hoping he wouldn’t show up. Sydney turned and disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments before stepping out again, having shed her apron and told Lanie that she was leaving. She walked out from behind the counter, Brian got a better look at what she was wearing. It looked good on her, showing off her thin lanky shoulders; the golden latex pants she wore molded to her long, skinny legs. Brian glanced away before a certain appendage of his could take notice of how unbelievably attractive Sydney had become.

“Hey,” he greeted as Sydney slid into the SUV beside him. She didn’t respond, preferring to cross her arms and glare at the windshield. Brian let it slide—they weren’t exactly on good terms yet—and pulled away from the curb.

Sydney didn’t speak the entire ride to the deli. Finally, her icy silence chipped away when she had to order a drink from the waiter. Brian tried to ignore the lustful glint in the waiter’s eye as he watching Sydney glance at the menu to order a drink. She ordered a water, and Brian ordered a Mountain Dew. The waiter glanced one more time at Sydney before turning and walking towards the kitchen. Jimmy had been right: many guys noticed Sydney’s attractiveness. He began to wonder how many times she got asked for her number a week.

“So, how’s the eye?” Sydney asked begrudgingly once she’d found something on the menu she wanted. She folded the menu back together and placed it gently on the edge of the table.

“Good, thanks,” Brian answered, his fingertips brushing over the eye that still felt a little tender from its recent run-in with a fist. “How about you?”

“Been better,” Sydney grumbled, but the conversation was interrupted when the waiter returned. He smiled flirtatiously down at Sydney as he placed their drinks in front of them, hardly noticing Brian. Sydney and Brian both ordered their food, and Brian was finding it increasingly difficult not to say something to the waiter about flirting with a chick who clearly was not noticing or even interested in his flirting.

“It happens all the time, you know,” Sydney said. Brian snapped his gaze back to her face; he’d been glaring at the waiter as he walked away, feeling a strange sense of jealousy towards the guy. Sydney was no longer glaring; she’d relaxed her face and posture.

“What does? You getting attacked by ex-boyfriends?” Brian asked. He took note that Sydney almost cracked a smile.

“No, I meant guys flirting with me and staring at me when I’m out in public,” Sydney answered. “I don’t mean to boast, but it’s just a common occurrence to me.”

“Well, I just think it’s rude and highly unprofessional,” Brian replied indignantly.

“How would you know what’s professional? You’re a rockstar. You thrive on being unprofessional,” Sydney answered. Brian couldn’t argue that she had a point there. Obviously, she hadn’t lost her brains when she lost her nerdy, unattractive exterior. “But, I agree. I’ve gotten used to it. You shouldn’t be upset about it.”

“I’m not upset,” Brian retorted hastily.

“You are too,” Sydney remarked, taking a drink of her water. She raised her eyebrows when Brian opened his mouth to protest. Brian closed it again and took a drink of his Mountain Dew instead. He knew she knew, and telling her otherwise would just be a waste of time. But at least he had her talking and carrying on a conversation with him.

The waiter returned seconds later with their food. He put their plates down in front of each of them before pivoting his body towards Sydney. Something like exasperation flashed in her blue eyes before she looked up at the waiter.

“I know this will seem really unprofessional of me, but I think you’re really pretty, and I’ve been standing in the kitchen waiting for the food for the past few minutes trying to get up the courage to ask you for your number,” the waiter said with a smile. Brian noted that the guy was going for the nervous nice-guy routine. Sometimes it worked, but only when the woman was interested in the first place. Brian knew a male’s technique of scoring a chick probably better than anyone else. He could be a college professor if a college offered Scoring A Girlfriend 101.

“Just one question,” Sydney answered with a smile. Sydney’s smile looked a lot like Jimmy’s, Brian noticed, only better. Brian realized that he would give anything for that smile to be directed his way, but he would have to earn that as much as his forgiveness.

“Sure, anything,” the waiter said hastily, looking a little excited and already reaching for a pad of paper stuck in his back pocket.

“Is your name George?” Sydney asked, her smile fading into a somber expression. The waiter’s smiled faded as well, except his was replaced by confusion.

“No,” he answered slowly.

“Sorry, then, I can’t give you my number and we can’t ‘hook up’,” Sydney said, putting “hook up” in air quotes with her fingers. “I only date men named George. Sorry.”

“Oh,” the water replied, looking crestfallen and sticking his pad back into the pocket. “Right. I’ll be back around in a few minutes to see if you need any refills.” With those parting words, he left.

“That was harsh, Sydney,” Brian commented, picking up his sandwich and preparing to take a bite. Sydney made a face that could’ve been one of guilt before her expression smoothed over once again.

“A little, yeah, but it works wonders,” Sydney answered. “Usually, the guys are in such shock at such a thing that they simply walk away a lot like that guy did.”

“Do you really only date guys named George?” Brian asked curiously.

“Of course not,” Sydney answered. “It’s just a good excuse to get guys off my back.

“Oh, you know what I meant,” Sydney added when Brian raised his eyebrows as his mind instantly leaped straight into the gutter. “You pervert.”

“Can’t help it,” Brian said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Sydney shook her head before eating a bite as well.

Brian managed to keep Sydney talking during the entire lunch date. They didn’t talk about anything too important, mainly a lot of insignificant stuff. Brian knew he was treading on thin ice when it came to Sydney, and the only reason she’d agreed to this lunch date was because she figured Brian deserved something in return for that black eye. So, he kept the conversation casual, trying not to say anything that would upset Sydney enough to make her clam up again.

They were still talking when Brian pulled up outside of the bakery. Brian smirked at Sydney as she turned to say her farewell.

“See, it wasn’t so hard,” he said before Sydney could say anything. She just looked confused.

“What?” she asked, her hand freezing on the door handle.

“You carried on a whole, civil conversation with me,” Brian answered smugly. “And you didn’t mind the lunch date one bit.”

“As far as you know,” Sydney snapped. Her scowl reappeared and she sent one last glare Brian’s way before sliding out of the vehicle and walking into the bakery. Brian could only smile, however, as he pulled away and headed back to the studio.

Sydney had let her icy attitude towards Brian slip and thaw beneath the warmth of comfort and kindness. She was only angry because she’d realized it too.