Torneró

2

The answer is nothing.

Nothing would be waiting at home for Sylvie. The thought disturbed her deeply as she struggles to get out of the small yellow cab, she thanks the driver as she passes him a twenty dollar bill and makes her way into the apartment.

Groaning in frustration and lack of sleep, Sylvie opens the modern door to apartment number 13 and plops herself onto the white couch located near the centre of the living room. The golden sun from across the city lights up the room entirely, it's safe to say Sylvie's New York apartment was made of more glass than actual walls. There's a 360 view of the city surrounding her. The ground is made of light brown wood designed tiles, while the white tables are decorated with red scented candles of different lengths and sizes. On one table lay a stack of books with a laptop carefully balancing at the top, next to it sits a brown photo frame. Inside is a photo of Sylvie with her parents and her older sister, Katherine. They're standing outside a grand house, it has white pillars holding the roof up and a large, gold fountain in the front.

Just as sleep is about to overtake her body, her phone begins to buzz uncontrollably from the couch next to her. She lifts the phone weakly with her hand and glances up at the screen.

Katherine

Sylvie's thumb hovers over the decline button as she debates whether to answer her sister or not, before she can agree fully with an answer, the buzzing stops. Sylvie begins to lower her phone back down to the couch before she feels the device shaking in her hand again. This time she figures it must be important and taps on the green accept button as she lifts the phone to her ear.

"What do you want, Katherine?" Sylvie growls, unamused. Katherine begins to chuckle into the phone, as if Sylvie had said something funny, "Goodmorning little sister, I'm just checking to make sure you're not dead in a ditch somewhere" she pauses as some events of the night before return to her conscious mind. It was now made clear that Sylvie was with Katherine last night. "I'm fine", Sylvie groans out through the phone.

Katherine hesitates for a moment before she begins to speak up again, "I turned around for a second and you were gone, were you with the guy from last night?", she questions. Sylvie nods her head stupidly before she realises that Katherine can't even see her, "yeah, I think. What was his name?" She finally blurts out. Katherine laughs hysterically over the phone at her little sister, "two things. One, his name was Carter, I think. And two, you need to stop being so irresponsible Syl. You could've gotten hurt, or worst, you're 23 now." Katherine pauses as she debates over if she should say the next words out loud or not, "It's been seven years, don't you think you should move on?" She replies, clearly frustrated at her sister's actions from the previous night.

Sylvie rolls her eyes before replying, "I have moved on". Once again, Katherine hesitates as she chooses her next words wisely. "No you haven't, I know you're still meeting with him."

Sylvie leans back against the plush cushions of her couch in shock. She rummages for words through her mind but comes up with nothing. She finally pulls the phone away from her ear and hangs up on the call without another word, turning her phone to 'do not disturb' and tossing it onto the empty seat next to her on the couch.

Her mind shuffles over things to do next, sleep was no longer an option as Sylvie no longer felt the need to sleep. She lifts herself off the couch with her hands and walks into her bedroom, grabbing the white towel from her messily made bed and strolling towards the shower.

She pulls the tap on and rotates it towards the left, she brushes through her tangled hair by the mirror as she waits for the shower water to turn warm. Once she's done brushing through her hair, she undresses herself and steps into the water cautiously.

Sylvie tilts her recovering head back as the warm water flows through her dry hair, wetting it. She closes her eyes and lets the thoughts take over, she lets her mind remind her of her past. The flashbacks lighten the darkness of her shut eye lids as a feminine voice calls out to her.

_____
"Close your eyes, baby" she said as she reaches her arms out, the tears in her nomad eyes rise and fall out, flowing down her already wet cheeks.
_____

Sylvie opens her eyes wide once again as she turns her head around her in a rush, ensuring her safe surroundings. Her tears that managed to escape mix with the drops of water from the tap above her. The water flows through her hair, travels down her back and legs, before finally meeting with the flooded floor at her feet.

She quickly massages her head through with shampoo and rinses it off, then continuing with the lavender scented body gel, making sure she's completely clean.

3 days later

Carter's POV:

I push open the clear, glass doors with the palm of my hand as one of my best friends, Cole, follows shortly behind. My eyes travel across the large cafe as I attempt to place them on the counter with the cashier, though they land on her.

Sylvie.

She sits in front of a man in a dark blue suit, seeming very frustrated, on a circular table for two. The only thing preventing me from believing they're on a date is the nude coloured, pendaflex folder he hands her from across the table. She grabs hold of it and opens it hastily, proceeding to read over it quickly and shutting it closed once again. She slams the folder down on the table and slides it back over to him aggressively while shaking her head and leaning again the back of her chair lazily. The man speaks quietly to her, though it's obvious through his facial features that he's being firm and serious. She eventually rolls her eyes and uncrosses her arms to pull something out of the front pocket of her white blouse. She tosses a wad of cash in front of her, it lands in the middle of the dark oak table. The suited man leans forwards, grabs the wad of cash and the pendaflex folder, and abruptly stands up and buttons his blazer. He walks right past Cole and I without acknowledgement and makes his way out of the cafe without turning back once.

Sylvie doesn't turn to the man either. Instead she leans her head in her hands against the table, supporting herself by her elbows. "I'll be back" I say to Cole, I don't look over at him but it's obvious that I'm addressing him. I make my way over to Sylvie, who has yet to lift her head.

Standing in front of her, I clear my throat to gain her attention. She wipes her face down with her hands frustratedly before turning her attention over to me. I notice her breathing hitch and eyes widen slightly as she recognises me, she was clearly expecting me to be someone else. I also notice the slight smudge of dark mascara under her eyes, and her glazed over eyes. Proving to me that she had been crying.

"It's Carter, right?", she's the first to speak up as I nod my head - yes, and round the table, sitting in the chair the suited man was seated in previously. "How've you been, Sylvia?" I question her, assuring I made the mistake in her name. "It's Sylvie" she snaps back as she lifts a hand under her eyes, quickly wiping away the smudged mascara in hopes that I wouldn't notice. "Right" I lean back on the chair, "how've you been?" I repeat the question.

Sylvie doesn't respond, though she lifts her gaze at me in a questionable manner. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we agree to not see each other again?" She asks me in hesitation. I shake my head and laugh under my breath as I look down towards the table. I look back up at her and respond, "it's not like I followed you here and intended to see you again". She nods her head briefly before falling back on the chair.

"Who was that guy?" I finally ask her after minutes of silence. She lifts her hazel eyes directly up to mine, they turn cold as she replies to me, "that's not your business, I need to be somewhere now". Without giving me a chance to reply, she lifts herself up, pushing the wooden chair she was previously sat on across the tiled floor, it makes a loud screeching sound. She practically runs out the cafe, leaving behind a wind of her lavender essence.