Page 75 of Loving Bad
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Taylor
One day passed slowly into another and time seemed to drag on. I tried to pick myself up and move on, but it was so hard when I couldn't stop thinking about him. I replayed our last fight over and over in my mind to figure out how I'd made him so angry that he'd packed his stuff and left.
I'd hoped that just a few days of cooling off was all he'd needed, but apparently I'd been wrong. There would be no cooling off. He'd closed the door on what we'd had. He'd shut the door with a bang and left.
There was a knock on my bedroom door.
"Come on, you can't stay in there forever," Matthew said through the door.
I begged to differ. I could stay in my room for as long as I wanted, or at least until the hole in my chest closed up, but I doubted it would ever heal completely. I lay on my bed looking up at my white ceiling, happy to be by myself. If I was around people, it was harder, since I had to put a smile on my face and pretend everything was fine. It was exhausting.
In my room, I didn't have to pretend. People say that you never forget your first love, but in my case I wasn't sure if I would ever stop loving him despite how quickly he'd cut ties. Each time I thought about him packing up his stuff and leaving me, the pain in my chest worsened. It felt like betrayal. The least he could have done was listen to what I had to say, but instead he'd disappeared the first chance he'd gotten.
I hoped if I ignored Matthew, he would leave me in peace.
"It's a Friday night. Why don't I take you to see a movie?" he suggested.
I kept tightlipped, hoping that he would just leave me alone. He was trying to help and I understood that, but I just wanted time to deal with my heartbreak. I had to figure out a way to carry on.
"Taylor, you have to come out," he instructed and then he let out a sigh.
Silence ensued.
"I'll stand here all day if I have to," he threatened. I pressed my lips together, feeling annoyed.
He would stand there and keep talking until I came out. I let out a frustrated sigh and then got off my bed.
"Fine," I relented when I opened the door and faced him. "But I'm choosing the movie."
It would have to be a comedy or an action because there was no way I could make it through a romance movie.
"You get to choose the movie," he agreed with an eye roll.
"Is Jordan going to come with us?" I asked as I peered past him into the living room.
"I don't think so. She’s getting all dressed up to go out," he informed me.
I was happy that she seemed to be getting back to normal and going out on dates with guys. It wasn't a step I was ready to take yet. Jordan had nearly her entire wardrobe laid out on her bed when I entered her room.
"I can't decide what to wear," she said as eyed out the different items of clothing.
"I can see that," I commented as I stood beside her. "Where are you going?"
"Steven asked me to out to dinner," she said with a smile and I mirrored it. She'd mentioned Steven was a cute guy in one of her classes.
"That sounds great," I replied, trying to keep my voice cheerful and light.
I wanted to know if she'd seen Slater, but he'd become that person whose name we never mentioned out loud in the flat. It had been another week and there was still no sign of Sin. I'd hoped he would have been back soon or at least have been in contact, but I'd received nothing from him. No messages or calls.
There also hadn't been any more incidents with the stalker, either, which was a good thing. I still wasn't talking to my brother. He still phoned regularly and spoke to Matthew. I wouldn't stay angry with him forever; at some point I would forgive him. There had been a few times that I'd wanted to contact Sin, but I'd stopped myself. The fact that he wasn't responding to my messages or calls spoke volumes and I didn't want to be some desperate chick who couldn't let go.
Jordan managed to find something to wear and she hurried out the door when Steven arrived for their date. He seemed like a nice guy and I told her to have fun.
Matthew walked me down to the car and opened the passenger door for me and I got in. Maybe Matthew was right, maybe spending a little time outside the apartment would be good for me. At least it would take my mind off my heartbreak for a couple of hours.
