Chapter Seventeen
Luke
Icouldn’t stop picturing Tayler in trouble. Hell, I had dreams about it. I tossed and turned all night long. Sure, part of that was because I felt terrible, but most of it was concern for Tayler.
I woke up this morning shaky, still on my sofa, with the same headache I fell asleep with. Deciding to work through it, I got up and made coffee. As soon as that brewed, I took it back to the couch with me. While I sipped, I remembered the dreams. The most vivid one was me searching in the dark for her. I kept hearing her voice. She sounded scared, which made my heart race, but I kept looking for her. When she screamed, I swear part of me wanted to kill whoever was hurting her.
Shit.Was it me?
It could have been. Dreams are weird like that. Ironic.
Resting my head in my hands, it hits me. I know what I need to do, and she’s not gonna like it. Not one bit.
* * *
I shouldn’t be here.Tayler’s probably going to kick my ass, and it’s all Quinn’s fault.
Raising my hand to knock on her door, I pause and lean in closer to listen. It’s early, plus it’s Saturday, so she should be home. When I hear nothing, I knock again. Still nothing. Pulling out the phone from my back pocket, I text Quinn.
Me:I’m at your door. Come let me in.
I wait two or three minutes and knock again. That’s when I hear a voice. Quinn. She pulls the door open, and I want to laugh. She looks like she’s been in a wind tunnel, only not in a good way. “Hey.”
“What on God’s green earth are you doing here at six in the morning? On. A. Saturday? I worked until close last night, and I’m pooped.”
“I need to see Tayler.”
With one brow arched, Quinn’s mouth begins to open like she’s about to say something, most likely something snarky, but she stops when Tayler steps into the living room. The second I catch a glimpse of her, something sort of miraculous happens. My headache? Gone.
“Tayler.” My voice catches like I haven’t spoken for weeks.
“Luke?” Tayler’s voice is husky and sleepy but sweet at the same time. “What are you doing here?” Shit. She sounds sad.
I step through the doorway past a shockingly silent Quinn. “I need to talk to you.”
“You do?”
I do. You know what else? The closer I get to her, the better I feel. The pressure in my chest is lessening. “I do.”
“Why?”
“I’m going back to bed.” I forgot Quinn was even there, but now that she’s spoken, I’m glad she’s leaving us alone.
I look down at Tayler. I’m just going to do it. I’m going to say it. I have to. “I’ve missed you.” Plus, I’m worried about her too, but I’ll get into that later.
Tayler’s beautiful face flushes a gorgeous shade of pink, but that doesn’t stop her from saying the four best words I’ve ever heard. “I’ve missed you too.”
Not sure what to do next, I hold up the white paper sack in my hand. “Brought you donuts.”
“Oh?” Then the most beautiful thing happens. She laughs, and I swear to you, my previous body aches disappear. It’s like she’s the best medicine I’ve ever taken.
In case you’re wondering, no, it’s not lost on me that my previous ills were probably brought on by the fact that I think I need this woman. My body was telling me so, and it’s rarely wrong about these things. My head, on the other hand? It’s usually way off. In this case, though, my brain agrees. I just don’t know what it means. Do I miss my friend, or is there more to this?
“It’s a bit early for me to eat but let me make some coffee. I’ll have one with a cup-a-joe.” She giggles again as she makes her way into her kitchen.
I need to keep going. It seems like the more I say—confess—the better I feel, so why stop now? “I’m sorry about what I said to you at the dinner party. It was callous and mean. I just—”
Luckily, she stops me from spewing too much by holding up her pretty hand, “Me too, Luke. I swear—” She chuckles. “—you bring out the worst in me.”
