Jays POV
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2k7KiU0B5
The Audi roars to life as I press the start engine button and reverse out of my drive. An invitation from Matthew is a big deal, perhaps he's just being a best friend that is worried about my mental wellbeing, I laugh to myself. Knowing for sure that he wants to suss me out. He wants to watch me around Taylor, work out firstly why she stood up for me and secondly why the hell I'm apologising to a girl.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDG3lk2hUru
Replaying the moment as I drive towards the highway, Jane standing before me and me telling Taylor to get back. Taylor ignoring me and Jane shoving her into Ross with force. I had been so close to shoving her back, my reactions just too slow. The fact that Jane is a girl made me think twice before physically touching her and Taylor paid the price for my hesitation.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRkeTwO3E7
Glancing out at the falling snow I realise that Taylor means something to me, the absolute worry and concern I experienced when she was winded. The pain at not being able to talk to her afterwards. Taylor has gotten under my cold exterior and allowed me to feel something for her. I had believed that showing her that I could be in a relationship with somebody would allow her to see me as an option. A guy like Ross that can have a relationship with women rather than flings and one night stands. However my outstanding ability of messing things up continually, means that my plans have failed.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7PsoZIIZm
So resolutely as I turn into the suburban road where Matthew lives, I decide upon something. Something that will change her perspective of me, something that scares me beyond belief. I decide no more games. At all. I will be myself around her, and it terrifies me because being myself around anybody is daunting. Yet it is the only option I have left. Should it not work then I guess I'll move to Australia, somewhere that she doesn't exist. But boldly from now on I will just be me, the person that makes his mother coffees and enjoys buying art. The guy that is his father's son whether he likes it or not, a business minded individual. The person that is scared of relationships because of the turbulence between his own mother and father throughout his childhood, the insecurities and the playfulness all rolled into one.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM1tqTtteF
Securing the car on the drive, I hop out and climb the wooden porch up to Matthew's door. Cursing myself for not bringing some kind of gift like wine. If I know Taylor she will have cooked. Tapping on the knocker and pushing my hair back, I pull my Barbour jacket around me and wait.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZdwxw0Gl0
As Taylor invites me in, I take in the scents of her cooking and smile genuinely, she just smiles as Matthew walks through the hall and greets me like a best friend would.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhCBtaOjXS
"Jay" she says softly and I eye her checked shirt which is loose and most definitely Matthew's. Her scooped up in a ponytail as she walks her bare legs over to me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYbra3JeBd
"I made pie" she laughs walking through to the kitchen as Matthew follows her.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazWmcjVfVE
"Smells incredible" I comment as she hands me a beer and smiles. Matthew opens his own beer and watches me, inspecting my body language.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe0ROH9DYp
"Honestly, it's almost done" she smiles over at him.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53ax5zarGk
"Take a seat I'll bring it all over" she says and he smiles down at her.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitcOIL3feL
Matthew takes the head of the table and I sit on the wooden chair next to him, my back to the fire with a view over the whole kitchen as Taylor moves around and I watch her for a brief second.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kl60uvwik
"Taylor said you bought some art" Matthew comments and I look at him smiling.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nkcQfpzyY
"A print which has taken my eye for a while now" I tell him, I pull my phone out and show him the print I've bought. It's a landscape, serene with blues and greys. He comments on it launching into a conversation about art, which I allow him to take the lead in.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjybMrLtpfq
I begin daydreaming about her, her pink lips and the way she chews them when she's in front of me. Watching her as she moves around the kitchen counters, catching her eyes every now and then. Her hair and how it frames her face, she brushes it off of her shoulders and places the food onto the plates. There is something about Taylor Elena Harris that enchants me, and not just in the respect of wanting to have sex with her. It's in the way she thinks about things, how she puts all of her effort into what she's doing to achieve perfection. Whether that be dancing or cooking.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGnT54IcxX
She strides across the kitchen bare foot and places Matthew's plate in front of him, ruffling his hair idly as she goes back to retrieve the other two. He watches her and smiles briefly as she returns and sets my plate down before me. I thank her quietly and she takes her seat opposite.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwHFV3NUtg
"This is a beef pie that my mother taught me, it's got mushrooms and onions and garlic" she explains and I eye it appraising how she has perfectly baked the pastry.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaT4rQ54qu7
"Your mother must be an amazing cook" I chuckle and Matthew watches me keenly.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXRj1mz2SO
"Taylor is her mother's daughter; you're very like your mom" Matthew comments and she laughs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmvcSlPx5o
"My mom brought me up" she explains cutting into her pie as I feel the fire warm me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGsWNHR80Z
"My mom carried the burden of parenthood alone, and she taught me everything. Whether that be how to cook or how to do my hair. She did it all" she explains softly as I tuck into the food, feeling it warm me and comfort me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKM2F5s1Rbl
"Evelyn is pretty gentle, and so are you" Matthew says and I watch her.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjbvs93ReV
"Evelyn is my mom" Taylor says to clarify and I smile at her normally. Her eyes flick up to my beer and how it's empty, she goes off to the fridge and collects two more beers and places them down on the table.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsCjEECv91
"My mother is not a cook" Matthew laughs and she giggles.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVO7t45jIX
"Before Steve, we had takeout a whole load of times, and burnt pizza. But she did try. And then she met Steve and he just started cooking for her" he laughs and I chuckle. Matthew eyes me surprised, we had been friends for a while when his mother met Steve.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9bfBZp7FT
"I like Steve how is he" I ask him and he smiles at me genuinely, like he used to, before I was an ass.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGs1YFUJsP
"He's good man, I forgot to say they're engaged now" he comments smiling over at Taylor.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfuPTrHRo3
"I'm happy for your mom" I say softly and he nods appreciatively.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs30cY2ayj
"My mother" I begin quietly.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAiWh3mE7n
"She brought me up, my father was pretty busy most of the time. He spent a lot of time in his study, making plans for the business" I say looking down at the roasted vegetables.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aV9sn3W8h
"Although my mother was always around, I grew up arguing a fair bit with my dad. Over nonsense." I admit and Taylor smirks as she catches my eye.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nSoMhNqHz
"Remember when your uncle took us fishing that time" Matthew smiles over at me and I laugh.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOF0gEJRN9P
"We were eleven years old and my uncle took us out to Lake Erie" I smile at Taylor and she nods enthusiastically.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzU14JND1wL
"We had the time of our lives" Matthew laughs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSV4m13j5h
"We did man" I say smiling at him genuinely.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUy2OTFyOu1
"Who caught the most" Taylor laughs and I smirk looking over at Matthew not wanting to embarrass him.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGZnrRe18V
"You can say it" Matthew laughs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBWQgo3DiY
"Matthew didn't get any catches" I say placing my knife and fork in the centre of the plate like I had always been taught too.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFzvQHZmwJ
"I caught a fair bit" I add, not boastfully like I usually would. Taylor laughs and watches me before standing up and collecting the plates.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ1lhpoppT
"Thank you Taylor" I say genuinely as she smiles.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPAMaBbmgy
"No problem" she says softly as Matthew joins her loading the dishwasher and briefly kissing her. I envy him so I look down and sip my beer.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2P24Wnpgzy
"What happened with Jane, you were with her for over a month" he asks as I follow him into their living room, I look out at the woods and how the snow tops most of the trees before taking a seat in a single chair by the fire.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0ti3mPbvn
"I just no longer felt that we were right for one another" I say and he sips his beer laughing. Taylor flicks through the flatscreen and lays down next to him as he strokes her hair.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyOGs6DAf8
"She clearly didn't share your vision" he sighs and I brush my hair back.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAwpesaZU2
"She felt otherwise" I say looking over at the fire and the flames licking up the chimney breast.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymC2QtwD7g
"I'm sorry Taylor honestly" I say softly and she nods as Matthew watches me, curiously.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPO3DPyGNLp
"It's okay, Jay none of us knew that she would behave in that way" she says easily.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi52WlNEnHX
Taylor settles on an action movie, and we watch as Matthew comments on the incredulous plot. His arms around her as she closes her eyes lying down next to him. Her hair falls around her as she sleeps and he glances over at me. Something tells me that his questioning will begin now that she has fallen asleep. His eyes flick up to mine and I ready myself for the inquisition.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMyiZfdw21
"You like Taylor" he says with no inflection to his voice, he is calm.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgdAJPo1R4
"Taylor and I are friends" I tell him and he watches me, his green eyes going over my face trying to read me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGt2DDRI1b
"You do not have girls that are friends" he says simply sipping his beer and eyeing me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2Mmh9O4db
"I do now" I say simply and he laughs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaW9TyqKxc
"Jay I've known you for a long time" he says and I chuckle, brushing my hair back and sighing.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGCt2hG6AH
"What do you want me to say Matthew? You're engaged to her, she's yours" I say softly turning my attention back to her, the way she purses her lips when she sleeps.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKQnNbofRU
"Man you drove out in the snow to find her when I asked you too without a second thought, when she fainted from the weed you could have avoided the situation and the potential legal problems but you sacrificed all of that and paid for a hospital suite. I'm not a fool" he says looking down at her as her chest rises and falls.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfO6YS36KuZ
"My dad sorted out the legal implications of that" I say wryly and he laughs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUY8E1AQ4J
"I drove out to find her because you asked me too" I add reminding him.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoL6fLPQh5y
"She told me that you kissed her" he says calmly. I start to wonder which time he knows about as I sit there and sip my beer. I hide the smile in my lips, instead watching him keenly.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fId9WgMK4
"Just before you fainted you said something that has been bugging me" he says turning his stare on me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLw9qsLKuh
"You said that you loved her" he says with a look of surprise on his face.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxk93IyHjqo
"You were dating Rachel then and I know it wasn't about her" he accuses me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHMD3GMNEC
"I was literally hallucinating Matthew" I tell him with a wry smile.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXvqoAGhQo
"No Jay you were comprehensive enough to call for an ambulance" he scoffs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlD4FYNjWnb
"Let's air it out right now, like adults" he implores me.
I scoff, thinking of snide comments and telling him that I'm older than him. Glancing down at her I place my head in my hands. Oddly telling somebody already feels like a weight off of my shoulders, even if it is her fiancé.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdyK46bE8W
"I have feelings for her. At first it was just physical, but now it's different" I admit and he nods. Looking down at his beer I briefly feel sorry for him, having Ross and myself as opponents is not ideal.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwwV9D02ks
"But she is engaged to you, and I get that" I say as he scoffs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbgAdmRYrY
"Not enough to avoid kissing her" he says sulking.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneQ3LzJxPZ
"No, we were absolutely off our faces Matthew. Tripping on laced weed" I say and he sighs.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FqtuBMYyr
"You held her all night long in the hospital" he accuses me, I hadn't imagined that he knew that much. I'm stumped.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwQ1XyGX00
"I didn't do a thing to her though" I say defensively.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnZXOD1jp2
"That's what bloody worries me, it's unlike you" he says almost to himself.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUNceXpFFh
Looking into the flatscreen as if it holds all the answers to our problems he grows quiet. I sip my beer and place it on the side, telling myself not to stare at her and add fuel into the fire.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbI8U5gk5y
"This stops now" he whispers over to me looking into the fire as I eye him. He holds onto his anger and annoyance, just like I taught him all of those years before.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUAq0XC0XG
"Should she ever decide she wants to be with you instead of me then I would understand. But until then, Jay, I'm asking you to leave her alone" he says quietly before looking up at me.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0X18FQDOT
"No longing stares and making passes at her" he adds and I nod giving him my best genuine smile.
79Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDrbFEYb4m
"I understand" I say to him simply.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
