“Mmm, this is one good cookie,” Tif moaned, taking another bite of the delicious iced sugar cookie that she and Kinsey had stopped for after they left Pricilla of Boston. Kinsey nodded, her mouth completely full. They were strolling through Central Park in the freezing cold at Tif’s request. “I can’t wait to move here.”
“I can’t wait for you to move here,” Kinsey told her, linking her arm through Tif’s as they passed the Central Park Zoo.
“I’m sure you’re tired of wallowing in testosterone.”
“Well, I have made a new friend recently. Her name is Reggie and she works at Macy’s, too,” Kinsey told her.
“Are you replacing me, Kinsey Jackson?” Tif teased.
“No one could ever fill your big ass sassy shoes,” Kinsey said, “But I think you’ll like her. She came to a concert with me and the guys and they all got along.”
“Is she coming to the show tonight?” Tif asked.
“No, why?”
“Invite her! I want to meet her!” Tif said, “Come on! We need another person there to fight against the crazies!” Kinsey laughed and pulled out her cell phone, stepping away to make the phone call. By the time she had returned, Tif had eaten two more cookies and was looking shamefully into the now empty bag.
“You’d better quit eating like that or you’re not going to fit into that gorgeous dress you just bought,” Kinsey said.
“They’re just so good!” Tif whined.
“So are deep fried Oreos, but you only have to eat one to know that it’s not good for you,” Kinsey laughed, remembering their trip to the Oklahoma State Fair that had resulted in massive heartburn and more than a few great stories. “So, Reggie is going to meet us at the condo at six. She sounded pretty excited. I think she’s ready to see the guys in action.”
“Ooo! A Hanson concert virgin! How exciting,” Tif said, “Should we head back?”
“I could definitely use to thaw out a bit. With some drinks perhaps?” Kinsey suggested.
“You know the way to my heart!” Tif laughed and with that, they were on their way home.
When six o’clock rolled around, Kinsey and Tif were dressed and ready to go to the show, Tif insisting on wearing a very cute dress that she was going to freeze her ass off in and Kinsey deciding to go a bit more casual with a pair of trouser jeans and cute tank with a jacket she intended to take off once they were at the venue. Tif was shaking up a batch of Cosmos when the buzzer sounded, sending Kinsey scurrying into the entryway to let Reggie inside.
Kinsey found herself nervous as she waited at the front door. It had been a very long time since they had added someone new to their social circle. Bringing Reggie along to the Morningwood concert had been an initial trial, but Tif’s approval was really important, especially since she was going to be moving there soon. Kinsey liked Reggie and knew that she could be trusted around the guys. Nothing bizarre had shown up in the tabloids or on the internet since Reggie had spent the evening with them, and that was honestly all it would normally take. She was additionally nervous tonight, though, because it was Reggie’s first time seeing the guys perform live.
When it came to the guys’ career, Kinsey was incredibly protective. She’d been with them through every stage, from those beginning garage rehearsals when Zac was still gaining coordination with the drum set. She wasn’t ever the one to claim that she was their biggest fan; there were many fans out there who would certainly be far bigger contenders for that title in terms of knowing lyrics and the number of shows attended. But she was always supportive and always honest with them about things she liked and disliked. When it came to other people’s opinions of them, however, she always felt like a mother bear protecting her young. Reggie was not the kind of person she thought would be judgmental. At least not out loud. So Kinsey knew that her worries were likely completely unwarranted, but they were there nonetheless.
Reggie knocked on the door a moment later, pulling Kinsey from her thoughts. She opened the door and had to laugh. Reggie stood in the hallway with three garment bags draped over her arm.
“I have no idea what to wear,” she groaned as she came in.
“We can help,” Kinsey laughed, “Not that it really matters. You’ll see just about everything there.”
“Well sure, but I’m going to be there with you guys and I don’t want to look like an idiot,” Reggie told her, heading into the kitchen with Kinsey. They found Tif inside pouring the pink concoction into three martini glasses. Reggie sat her bags on the back of one of the chairs before heading over.
“So, you’re Reggie,” Tif said, telling Reggie her own name more than asking if she was correct.
“And you’re Tif,” Reggie smiled, sticking out her hand in Tif’s direction. Kinsey watched as Tif’s attempt at a somewhat tough exterior melted away at Reggie’s enthusiasm. They shook hands before Tif placed one of the glasses in Reggie’s hand.
“To new friends,” Tif toasted, giving Kinsey a smile.
The guys were scheduled to take the stage at eight, and given the fact that it was a small members-only show, they had decided not to have an opening act. Kinsey was incredibly excited about that. They always chose good groups to open for them, but Kinsey had always tended to either zone out completely during their performances, or had just hung out backstage until it was time for the guys to take the stage. So, at 7:40, the three girls were ushered to their seats, Kinsey having texted Taylor earlier to ask if he could save one more seat.
“What a great view!” Reggie said, taking off her coat and placing it on her chair in the front row of the balcony, “I imagine you two don’t like to be down on the floor.”
“We did that a few times,” Tif explained, “But the comments you hear are really disturbing. They’re bad enough up here.”
“Comments?” Reggie asked.
“Just wait,” Kinsey laughed, sipping the vodka tonic she’d gotten from the bar before heading to her seat. Her phone started vibrating in her pocket and she pulled it out, trying hard not to spill her drink all over herself. She had a text message from Taylor.
“Who is it?” Tif asked absently, watching as the stage crew got things ready for the show.
“Just a text from Taylor,” Kinsey said as she navigated her way to the message itself. Her eyebrow raised as she read its contents.
I love you and can’t wait to see you after the show.
“What does it say?” Tif asked, but Kinsey just shoved her phone back in her pocket.
“Nothing,” Kinsey lied. Something about the text message felt off. They had said that they loved each other many times now, but weren’t the types to say it all the time. Especially not in a text message. They just weren’t at that stage in their relationship yet. Or at least she hadn’t thought they were.
“Well aren’t you going to say something back?” Tif asked. Kinsey sighed and responded with a more typical I love you, too. Try not to get a boner on stage. 😛 and then put her phone in her purse for safer keeping. When the curtains closed, she felt familiar twinges of excitement, knowing that soon they would be just on the other side. She wondered simultaneously what it would be like watching Taylor perform for the first time since they’d started their relationship, how Reggie would like the show, and whether or not any of the fans would pick up on the fact that she was in the audience now that she had become tabloid fodder.
“Do you know how many songs they’re doing tonight?” Tif asked.
“They usually do around twenty, right? Since they’re not in the middle of a tour we might get a nice long show tonight,” Kinsey told her.
“Can I ask a stupid question?” Reggie asked. Kinsey laughed and turned to her right, where Reggie was standing and nodded, “Will they do ‘Mmmbop’?”
“They usually do,” Tif rolled her eyes, “Don’t get me wrong, I understand why they do, but-“
“You weren’t around when they wrote it,” Kinsey countered, “I’ve probably heard that song over a million times.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Tif laughed, sipping her own drink.
“I’m not,” Kinsey said, draining the last of hers, “Anyone else need a refill?” When they both said they were good, Kinsey headed off to the bar by herself. Once she had placed her order, she turned around and leaned against the bar, watching the crowd around her. Everyone looked so excited, so ready for the show to begin and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Aren’t you Taylor’s girlfriend?” a voice from beside her asked. Kinsey turned to look and saw a girl a few years younger than herself standing there looking at her expectantly. She didn’t know how to respond. They’d never discussed whether or not to go officially public with their relationship. But then she remembered that Taylor had never made any efforts to dispel the rumors that they were together. In fact, he’d gone to great tongue-filled lengths to show the public that they were, so she decided to fess up.
“Yes, I am,” she said, trying to be nice but wanting the girl to go away more than anything.
“Well, he fucked me in a club last weekend,” the girl said. Kinsey laughed in her face.
“No he didn’t.”
“Oh no? You keep tabs on him all the time?”
“Just go away,” Kinsey rolled her eyes, snatching her drink from the bar and no longer feeling in the mood to play nice.
“Not so sure, huh?” the girl asked, following her for a few steps.
“If I wasn’t sure about my relationship with him, then I would be sitting her arguing with you and defending our relationship. But since I am, there’s no reason for me to be still talking to you. Now seriously, go away before I get security, which I really don’t want to do,” Kinsey told her definitively before walking back to her seat.
“Who was that?” Tif asked, watching as Kinsey sucked down half of her drink in one sip.
“Some bitch trying to convince me that she slept with Taylor last weekend.”
“What?!” Reggie asked.
“I knew this was going to happen. Why did he have to kiss me in front of the paparazzi?” Kinsey groaned.
“You don’t think he did it, do you?” Reggie asked.
“Oh god, of course not. Not only would he never cheat, but he was with me all last weekend and if he’d had the energy or stamina to sleep with anyone else, I would be writing to Marvel Comics to see if they’d make him a new superhero.”
“But what would his superhero name be?” Reggie laughed.
“Rock Star Sex God,” Tif giggled, prompting Kinsey to slap her arm.
“Isaac told you about that?” Kinsey groaned, wishing the lights would dim so her red face would be masked.
“Oh yeah,” Tif laughed.
“Sex god?” Reggie questioned, raising an eyebrow. Kinsey just turned towards the stage as the lights finally dimmed.
“Oh good, the show’s starting!” Kinsey said, her false topic-changing enthusiasm not lost on Tif and Reggie.
“I’m so excited!” Reggie said, grabbing onto Kinsey’s arm as the curtain parted. Kinsey’s eyes flew to Taylor the second he was in sight, his fingers already moving gracefully and purposefully against the piano keys. The beginning strains of “Optimistic” filled the room and Kinsey couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She had always watched all three of the guys during performances, but now, she was drawn to him and the pull was strong. He was so magnetic on stage, every ounce of his being put into every second of the music he was creating.
They did a great mix of old songs, recent ones, and then a few that they had written since they’d moved to New York. Once the one hour mark hit, they watched as Taylor and Isaac left the stage. To the casual observers in the audience, it would have looked like any other time they left for solos, but Kinsey saw much more. She saw the way that Zac looked at Taylor as he moved over to the piano and she could tell from Taylor’s body language that he was tense. His normally lithe stride was nervous, and he looked back over his shoulder just before leaving the stage.
“That was weird,” Tif commented and Kinsey was thankful that she wasn’t the only one who had noticed, “Isaac looked ready to yank Taylor off the stage.”
“What’s going on?” Reggie asked.
“It looks like Zac is going to do a solo,” Kinsey told her.
“Do they do that a lot?”
“It’s become pretty common, but I didn’t know they were doing any tonight. Taylor didn’t mention it…” Kinsey said, sipping her drink again. Everyone in the balcony sat down to rest their legs, anticipating a typical low-key solo.
Zac sat down on the piano bench and scooted around until he was in the place where he felt comfortable and he adjusted the piano mic so it was properly suited to his height. He cleared his throat nervously and started to speak.
“A lot has happened in the last few weeks, some things that I wasn’t prepared to deal with because I had never imagined them happening. And my reaction to those things has caused me to lose someone close to me,” he said, prompting the crowd to make sympathetic noises and Kinsey to scoot closer to the edge of her chair, “I’ve tried to say I’m sorry, but I haven’t been doing it right. I can’t lose this person from my life and this another attempt. I’m sorry. I really am, and I hope you believe me.” And then, he started to play the piano. His fingers didn’t move across the keys with the same grace as Taylor’s, but he had become a really good piano player throughout the years. After a few chords had passed, he began to sing.
Can you forgive me again?
I don’t know what I said
But I didn’t mean to hurt you
I heard the words come out
I felt that I would die
It hurt so much to hurt you
Then you look at me
You’re not shouting anymore
You’re silently broken
I’d give anything now
to kill those words for you
Each time I say something I regret I cry “I don’t want to lose you.”
But somehow I know that you will never leave me, yeah.
‘Cause you were made for me
Somehow I’ll make you see
How happy you make me
I can’t live this life
Without you by my side
I need you to survive
So stay with me
You look in my eyes and I’m screaming inside that I’m sorry.
And you forgive me again
You’re my one true friend
And I never meant to hurt you
Kinsey wasn’t even looking at the stage any more by the time the song finished to loud applause and cheers. She didn’t stand up with the rest of the balcony, Reggie included. All she could do was sit there with her head in her hands and cry while Tif rubbed her back. Each line of the song, one she recognized as a rare Evanescence track called “Forgive Me” she’d taken a liking to a few years prior, had made her resolve melt.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” Reggie asked, snapped out of her trance as Taylor and Isaac came back on stage and she realized that Kinsey wasn’t standing beside her. She sat down in her chair and grabbed Kinsey’s right hand. Kinsey nodded, trying to force her tears into submission, but failing when Taylor looked up at her. His expression was unreadable, too many emotions present to identify them one by one, but she knew that he was feeling a little emotional as well.
“What’s going on, Kins?” Tif asked.
“He finally said he was sorry,” Kinsey cried.
“Well yeah, I got that part,” Tif laughed, “But are you going to be okay?” Kinsey nodded and forced herself to stop crying. She picked up her glass from the floor and drank the rest of it before wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“I’m going to go clean myself up,” Kinsey said.
“You want us to come with you?” Reggie asked.
“No, stay and watch the show. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She made her way quickly to the women’s restroom and hoped that it wouldn’t be crowded inside. Inside, she found two girls applying lipstick and talking about how hot the guys looked that night. She rolled her eyes and walked up to another sink and started digging around in her purse for her emergency make-up products to fix the dripping mess her eyes had become. As she pushed her smudged eyeliner back into place and used a paper towel to wipe the run mascara from her cheeks, she listened as the girls’ conversation turned to whispers. A few swipes of mascara and she was able to leave without hearing any snippets of their conversation, a conversation she was sure had something to do with her.
“Feeling better?” Tif asked as Kinsey sat down.
“A bit. I just wish I could go talk to Zac,” she said, preparing to zone out to think when a loud comment came from behind.
“Oh god, look at Taylor,” the girl practically moaned, prompting Tif to elbow Kinsey, as if she hadn’t already heard the very loudly spoken comment.
“You can look at Taylor with Zac up there? Oh my god,” another girl said.
“That’s right, bitches. Isaac’s all mine,” Tif whispered to Kinsey, grinning wickedly as she did so.
“They can fantasize about Taylor all they want. I’m the one who sees him naked,” Kinsey replied.
“Yeah you do,” Tif said, tapping her glass against Kinsey’s. She was glad for the little interruption, because it didn’t allow her to sink into the massive bout of introspection she’d felt coming on right after she’d come back to her seat. There was plenty of time for that later. All she wanted to do now was enjoy the show and not think about what the hell she was going to say to Zac when they went backstage.
The rest of the concert was amazing. It had been almost a year since she’d seen them perform in front of a crowd and every time she saw them it was a completely new experience. She got excited all over again and found herself cheering and clapping like every other fan when they did their final bows after the encore.
“Are you ready to go backstage?” Tif asked cautiously, and Kinsey felt reality sink back in. It was now or never, and she knew that never wasn’t really an option, so she just nodded and followed Tif’s lead.
The song Zac had sung for her had been so perfect, and it really did seem fitting that he would be able to apologize to her best through song. After so many days of being furious at him, she knew that she was ready to forgive him because he was finally ready to man up and say that he was sorry. He even did it in front of a room full of fans, which she had to admit earned him some more brownie points. It would have been so easy for him to just record himself singing the song and send her the recording, but he had obviously learned his lesson and knew that he had to do something honest and true. If she had learned anything from them over the years, it was that they were always in their purest form on stage making music. Sure, they might be sending fake smiles into the crowd, but the energy they felt when they performed was something real. And so was this apology.
They made their way backstage like they always did, this time with Reggie in tow looking slightly nervous.
“Am I going to get in trouble for being back here?” she asked Kinsey nervously.
“Absolutely not,” Kinsey assured her, trying her best to be nice when her heart was pounding so fast and hard that it hurt. When they reached the outer dressing room, they found all three guys standing inside talking. The looks on their faces weren’t the usual ones of excitement-laden joy they typically donned after concerts, but they didn’t look upset either. They were simply having a conversation, one that ended abruptly when the girls came in. Tif broke the ice by running over to Isaac, flinging herself into his arms and giving him a big kiss. Zac looked at Kinsey and took a step towards her, obviously unsure of what to do next. She made the next move for him and walked forward quickly before wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug, feeling tears come forth immediately.
“I’m so sorry,” he told her, hugging her back just as tightly. The severity of their hug hurt a little, but Kinsey didn’t mind. It needed to be that strong for a reason, as if they needed it to be that way so they would both believe that it was actually happening. After several long moments, he pulled back. “I’m so sorry about everything I said and the way I handled it all. I was just so shocked and hurt that I couldn’t see straight. But I’ve calmed down and everything is making a lot more sense to me now.”
“I’m glad and I forgive you” she said, feeling a few stray tears fall, “The song was beautiful.”
“I’m glad it came out okay, because Taylor and Isaac didn’t want to let me do it. That’s what we were fighting about when you saw us. I wouldn’t tell them what song I wanted to sing, I would only tell them that I wanted to do a solo even though we’d agreed not to do them. When Taylor yelled at me then and told me that he was not going to let me hurt you again, I saw that he meant it. It still weirds me out, but I kind of get it now. The whole you and Taylor thing.”
“Thank you. I can’t imagine how hard it would be for me to be in a relationship that my best friend couldn’t acknowledge or understand.”
“I’m your best friend again?” he asked, sounding sincerely surprised. Kinsey’s chest tightened and she felt another round of tears get ready to spill.
“You’ve always been my best friend, Zac. Always,” she told him and he hugged her again. She could hear the other four inhabitants of the room talking and trying to ignore what was going on between them, but all she could focus on was trying to get her tears in check so they could get on with their evening. She and Zac had finally forgiven each other and everything felt right again.
Once Kinsey had been released from Zac’s tight embrace, she found herself pulled into Taylor’s arms and also pulled away from the group. Before she could smile or tell him how much she’d enjoyed the show, he kissed her over and over, his left hand making its way into her hair, holding her close to him. When he finally pulled back, it was only an inch or so.
“Let’s go to Vegas,” he whispered, kissing her again.
“In the mood to gamble?” she asked with a smile, her eyelids fluttering shut as his lips found hers again, this time more hungrily.
“Not exactly,” he breathed and before she could open her eyes or respond, she felt him slip something onto her ring finger. Her left ring finger. A million things went through her mind at once. Was he seriously proposing? Did he honestly want to marry her in Vegas? They’d only been together for a few months, wasn’t this a little soon? Wasn’t it weird that somehow it didn’t seem soon at all? What was she going to say?
Before she spoke, she opened her eyes and looked down at the ring, finding an enormous and gaudy piece of costume jewelry on her finger, the word “Busted!” written carefully on the big fake diamond with a black Sharpie.
“What the hell?” she demanded and Taylor started laughing. It was then that she realized everyone was looking at them. He just pulled his phone out of his pocket, pressed a few buttons, and the held up the screen for her to see. The picture of her wearing the wedding dress was displayed. “Tif!”
“She sent it to Isaac and of course he sent it to me,” Taylor explained, “I knew you were just doing it to fuck with me, so I decided to fuck with you right back.” She pulled the ring off of her finger and threw it at his chest.
“That wasn’t funny!” she spat before lowering her voice to a whisper, “I thought you were really proposing to me.”
“Kinsey, we’re not ready for that and we both know it,” he said, stepping forward to take her hands in his, “When I actually do propose to you someday, it won’t be when I’m a sweaty mess after a show. And it will be with a real ring.”
“When?!” Zac chimed in, looking embarrassed after he’d spoken, obviously not having meant to say it out loud, “Sorry…”
“Will you all go shower? You smell awful,” Tif said, pretending to be disgusted by Isaac’s arm around her waist until he kissed her and she gave in. Kinsey laughed at them, but then felt Taylor pulling on her hand impatiently.
“Yes?” she laughed when she looked at him.
“Were you going to say yes? Until you looked at the ring, that is,” he asked.
“I guess you’ll never know,” she teased, poking him lightly in the stomach, “But, I can’t go accepting your proposals when you’re off banging slutty fans at clubs on the weekends.”
“What?!”
“Some girl up in the balcony was trying to convince me that she slept with you last weekend,” Kinsey told him, laughing lightly at the shocked expression on his face.
“I’m so sorry people are just coming up to you like that. That’s so uncalled for,” he said sincerely. She smiled.
“Taylor, I’ve known all along that you and the fans and the business are all a package deal,” she told him before reaching forward discreetly to lightly grab him through his jeans, “Emphasis on the package.”
“Oh my god, guys. Really?” Tif asked, and Kinsey flushed red at being caught while Taylor just stood there.
“What can I say? She was just admiring this package deal she’s got herself stuck with,” he shrugged, prompting both of his brothers to close their eyes and shake their heads.
“So, that does run in the family,” Tif stated and Isaac turned a shade of red Kinsey had never seen before.
“In the whole family?” Reggie teased, giving Zac a wink.
“Showers! We need showers. What a great idea!” Zac exclaimed uncomfortably before leaving the room. Isaac gave Tif a kiss before following, leaving Taylor lingering.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he told Kinsey, “Sorry about the ring.”
“It’s okay,” Kinsey said, “But for the record, to make up for it, if you do buy me a real ring someday, it’s going to have to be bigger than that fake one.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” he grinned, patting her on the top of the head before leaving.
“I haven’t seen Zac that embarrassed in a while. Good job, Reggie!” Kinsey laughed once the girls were alone.
“I really want to know!” Reggie said, “Now you two have me curious.”
“You fit in well,” Tif told Reggie, “So, what are we doing tonight? Kinsey’s already gotten proposed to, I don’t know how we can top that.”
“It wasn’t a real proposal,” Kinsey said, unable to stop herself from sounding slightly disappointed.
“But you wanted it to be!” Tif teased, “You’ll have a rock on that hand by our wedding.” Kinsey just rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch, prepping herself to wait for the guys. They sat and chatted for a few minutes before Tif and Reggie decided to go out in search of a restroom, leaving Kinsey to wait by herself.
She couldn’t believe everything that had taken place in the last few months of her life. It wasn’t anything she had ever imagined when she had envisioned her first months in New York, but everything had progressed so naturally. Well, as naturally as they could given the interesting circumstance in which she and Taylor had started their relationship. Who would have ever thought that she would allow Taylor to kiss her, let alone get the point where she thought that a teasing marriage proposal might have been a real one? Zac came out first and sat down next to her.
“I missed you,” Kinsey admitted now that they were alone.
“I missed you, too,” he said, placing his arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple, “And for the record, I’m going to try very hard to get used to you and Taylor being together, but it’s going to take some time.”
“I know,” she said, “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away.”
“I understand why you didn’t,” he sighed, as if he was finally allowing himself to admit that he did in fact understand, “And it doesn’t matter now anyway. I’m just glad to be talking to you again. If that means watching as my brother sticks his tongue down your throat in order to stay best friends, then I guess it’s worth it.”
“BFFs?” Kinsey asked, sticking out a pinkie towards him. He smiled and locked his pinkie with hers.
“You know it,” he said sincerely.
“So, are we going to get drunk tonight or what?” Taylor asked as he came back in the room, sitting down on Kinsey’s other side. Zac removed his arm from Kinsey’s shoulders as Taylor sat, but didn’t get up. Isaac entered a few minutes later and looked around.
“Where’s Tif?” he asked.
“He’s lost his fiancé!” Kinsey exclaimed, looking at Zac.
“The poor baby,” Zac continued, finishing the Seinfeld quote for Kinsey. Isaac gave them a stern look.
“She and Reggie went to the bathroom,” Kinsey explained, watching as Isaac pulled over a chair.
“Did you like the new material?” Isaac asked Kinsey and she nodded emphatically.
“Very much. It was a great show.”
“I’m glad we pulled it off on such short notice,” Taylor said, reaching over absently to take Kinsey’s hand in his. She smiled and fought the urge to look down at their conjoined fingers, his right hand holding her left. Isaac leaned down and picked up the fake ring from the floor, chuckling to himself as he looked at it.
“It’s all your fault,” Kinsey told him, kicking his foot.
“Says the girl taking pictures of herself in a wedding dress purely to freak her boyfriend out,” Isaac said, tossing the ring into her lap.
“It was pretty and I wanted to try it on, what can I say?” she shrugged, taking the ring and dropping it into her purse. They started to chat absently about how the show had gone and what they were going to do that night when Kinsey looked around the room and started to get choked up, “This could be one of the last times we’re alone like this.”
“Oh don’t be such a drama queen,” Taylor said, “Isaac’s not leaving the country.”
“No, but once Tif gets here everything’s going to change. And I’m excited about that, don’t get me wrong. I’m just saying that it’s going to be different. I thought we would have a little longer together than we did, that’s all.”
“Are you crying?” Taylor asked, knowing the tight sound of her voice immediately.
“No. Shut up,” she spat, but he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, mockingly consoling her. She tried to push him away, but found her efforts to be in vain. “I might love you, but you’re still the most irritating person I’ve ever met.”
“That’s fine with me. It means I made it to the top of more than one of your lists,” he told her.
“Jackass,” she rolled her eyes. He leaned over and pressed his lips to the sensitive place just below her ear.
“I love you,” he whispered. She turned towards him and returned the sentiment, allowing herself to sink against his side as they waited for Tif and Reggie to return. Her life wasn’t where she had thought it would be in November of 2006, but she was damned happy to be just exactly where she was.
Song credit goes to Evanescence for “Forgive Me.” Lyrics from www.azlyrics.com