Page 66 of Loving Taylor
"Sure thing." He lifted his shoulders and let them drop. "I was just trying to make conversation."
His explanation sounded innocent but it didn't sit right with me.
"Don't."
Taylor was off-limits to him. I could tell his interest went deeper than just friendly conversation and I didn't want to spell it out to him that she was mine. That message went without saying.
"Okay." He nodded.
I stared at him for a few moments to ensure he had received the message and once I was happy he had heeded my warning, I pushed off the counter.
"You ready?" Slater asked Eric when he exited the kitchen behind me.
"Yeah." Slater's eyes met mine.
I would explain it to him later.
They left and I was left alone with only my thoughts.
Why don't you just call her?And say what? It was the same problem I had been wrestling with.
An hour later I still hadn't come up with anything but I knew I was running out of time. I had to let her know that I was still around and I hadn't backed off. She had to know that I was staying.
I held my phone in my hands, agonizing over what to say. Eventually, feeling frustrated, I keyed a message and sent it before I could stop myself.
A simple message that said,I'm sorry.
I set it down on the coffee table and stared at it. I don't know what I was expecting but I waited and waited. With each minute that passed I felt more agitated. I stood up and started to pace again. I had never wanted to hear the slight ping of a message coming through on my phone so badly before, but there was only a deafening silence.
After ten minutes I was convinced that it hadn't been enough but I didn't know what else to say. Did I send her another one? I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to ease the tension that was building. There were plenty of reasons she was taking so long to respond.
Maybe she was out. Then my mind went into a frenzy of who she could be with if she wasn't at home. My jaw tightened when I thought of Matthew. I didn't want to imagine her going out with him. This time I recognized the searing feeling for what it was—jealousy.
She might have gone out with Jordan. But that thought didn't make me feel any better. Jordan was probably nursing a broken heart after Slater had ended things so she would probably be on the prowl for another guy. I didn't want Taylor out looking for someone to replace me. Then I remembered Matthew again. Was he going to take my place?
The knock at the door was unexpected and I felt irritated by the interruption. I opened the door and anything I was going to say was stuck in my throat when I saw Taylor standing in front of me.
She was dressed in a simple shirt and jeans. Not a stitch of makeup, but she had never looked more beautiful. I was blown away.
My eyes met hers. I felt the effect of her presence immediately in the way my heart sped up. The anger and anguish that had been in her eyes the last time I had seen her was gone. Now it was replaced with apprehension and determination, which I took as a good sign. I smiled at her.
Then I noticed she hadn't come alone. Matthew stood just behind her. Why was he here? My walls that had been weakened by the sight of Taylor were hardened by him. My smile waned.
Any momentary relief vanished. If she had shown up alone it would have been a good sign but it only spelled the opposite that she had come to see me and she had brought him with her. Was she here to tell me that whatever had been going on between us was really finished and she was moving on to him?
Still reeling, I glared at the person to blame even though I knew I shouldered most of that responsibility. I pressed my lips into a tight line.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" I asked before I could rein in my temper. Now my anger was directed at her.
"Calm down. Don't jump to conclusions," she told me, holding up her hands to me. "Just let us in and I'll explain everything."
I could at least give her the opportunity to explain but it was difficult to keep a lid on my anger. I stepped back and allowed them in. Her explanation had better be good, otherwise this was not going to go well.
The fact that Matthew walked in looking relaxed and unfazed by my anger made me want to pummel him with my fists. He was so confident and here I was so unsure of what was going to happen.
"I need to talk to him alone," she said to him and he nodded. I frowned. Why the hell did she need his permission to talk to me? I crossed my arms to stop myself from doing something stupid. I needed the full picture before I allowed myself to respond.
"I'll stay here," he said, taking a seat on the sofa without even looking in my direction.
