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Chapter Twenty-Six Garlic. Taylor could smell garlic. And tomato sauce. Slowly opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. He was at home in his own bed. His mother was obviously cooking spaghetti, a family favorite. It was once his favorite as well, but now, the smell of the garlic was almost too much for his sensitive nose. Turning to look at the clock on the bedside table, he could hear the crunch of broken glass under his head. It was now 5:13 p.m., Tulsa time. He’d been so tired when he’d come in that morning, he’d barely made it to his bed and had collapsed, not worrying about the shards of the broken picture frame left there from the last time he was in his room. Sitting up, he brushed the sharp fragments off the bed and placed his feet on the floor. “Ah, you’re up.” Taylor looked up to see Mr. Jones standing in front of him, perfectly pressed clothing in his arms. “Time to get up and get ready to go out for the evening. Were you successful last night?” The man asked. Taylor shook his head. Standing up, he looked down at the floor where more pieces of broken glass ground against each other as his weight came down upon them. “I don’t feel like going out–I just got home.” He said, irritation in his voice. He stepped over to his dresser and opened the drawer, pulling out an old T-shirt. He ripped the shirt off over his head that he’d worn the night before and tossed it on the floor amongst the glass, enjoying the look of disgust coming from the man in front of him. |
“Oh, well, perhaps you could just eat in tonight, Master Taylor.” He said, bending over and picking up the shirt, shaking the glass off it.
“I asked you not to call me that.” Taylor said, pulling on the blue jeans he’d discarded the night before.
“Old habits die hard.” The man said, walking out of the room. Before Taylor could follow, he stuck his head back in, “You never told me if you managed to find food last night…” he said.
“Oh. Yeah, I went to the playground and when some mom wasn’t watching, I grabbed her daughter and made off with her.” Taylor answered.
“That’s good.” The man retorted, rolling his eyes.
“Yes, I managed.” Taylor said quietly.
“Very good, sir.” Mr. Jones answered and he was off again, going about his duties as if the house belonged to him. Taylor wondered how his mother was going to like having the man around. He knew she would either feel him to be a pest or a godsend. Smiling to himself, he stepped out into the hallway and down the stairs.
In the kitchen, Diana pulled two large trays of bread out of the oven. Her children ate more of the bread than the spaghetti, she thought, taking the pieces off the pan and setting them on a plate on the table. Suddenly, she looked up and Taylor was standing in the doorway. “Oh, you scared me. Are you up?” She asked. Wrinkling his nose at the smell of the bread, he nodded. “So, is this when you will usually be waking up?” She asked, looking at the clock on the stove.
“Um, you know? I really don’t know.” He said. “I mean, I don’t know if it has to do with the sun or what. I guess we could ask Mr. Jones. ‘Cause maybe, it’ll be later here than in New York–or earlier…” He blinked his eyes, then shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.” He said quietly.
For a moment, she just stood there looking at him. She sat the pan down on the table and put her arms, oven mitts and all, around him, “I missed you so much, baby.”
“I missed you too.” He said back. Just then, Zac walked in and grabbed one of the hot pieces of bread off the pan, tossing it in the air and rubbing his fingers.
“Ow, ow, ow!” He said.
“Serves you right.” His mother said, “You’ll spoil your appetite.”
“Ha!” Taylor exclaimed, “Since when did that ever happen?”
Zac sat down at the table, “Hmmm, never that I can remember.” He said, taking a bite of the bread. Then he held it out to his brother, “Want some?”
Taylor flinched, “No, it smells hideous. Keep it away from me.” He said, turning his head.
Zac’s eyes widened, “Ike! The garlic thing is true! Watch!” He said, standing.
Isaac came in from the hallway, wiping his hands on his pants. “Man, what happens to the towels in there?” As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw Taylor almost knock a chair over trying to back away from his little brother. Zac seemed to be attacking him with a piece of Texas Toast.
“Zachary Walker!” Diana spat, “If you don’t settle down, you can just go eat at Taco Bell!”
Suddenly, Zac came to his senses at the mention of the dreaded fast food. Taylor was backed up against the wall, his head turned as far away from his brother and the pungent smell of garlic as he could possibly manage. “God bless Mom, anything but that.” He said, sticking the bread in his mouth and backing away from Taylor. “Sorry man, I’ve just been trying to figure out what’s true and what isn’t about you all.”
Diana shot Zac a look, then began to call the rest of the family in for dinner. Taylor watched as one by one, members of his family came in and took their seats at the table. Jessica had filled each person’s glass either with milk or ice for tea or Kool-Aid. There was an empty seat and he didn’t know if he should sit with them or not. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look into the eyes of Mr. Jones. “This is a perfect time for you to go out and get what you need. Don’t make yourself miserable wishing for something that can never happen.” He then handed the boy the jacket he’d taken from him on the plane. Newly washed, the stain now gone from the sleeve. Taylor sighed, then pulled it on, smelling the fabric softener and the laundry detergent. His mother and father both gave him sad smiles and he turned and headed up the stairs to get his shoes on. Once in his room again, he picked up the waste can and brushed the glass from his bed into it. Then, he carefully picked all the shards out of the carpet. Putting his shoes on, he headed back down the stairs and glanced in the kitchen where Mr. Jones sat in his seat, eating food his mother had cooked and talking with his brothers and sisters about their day. A day he had slept through. This was going to take some getting used to, he thought.
~~~~~
Taylor pulled his car into a secluded spot in the parking lot of the mall near his house. Looking at his watch, he saw it was almost seven o’clock. The sun was long gone and the sky had begun to spit rain down in cold little splats on his windshield. He intended to do his dirty work quickly and get back home as fast as he could. He wanted to spend some time with his family, and not traipsing around the streets of Tulsa looking for another victim. He didn’t think he’d ever understand how Kirk and Melanie seemed to actually enjoy the hunt. Although, he supposed, it hadn’t been entirely unsavory to him. When the hunger was upon him, the act of feeding was an extremely satisfying thing. And of course, sometimes the girls were incredible, he was a teenaged boy after all, and kissing and touching and tasting them was a treat usually. But, then there were times when he just hadn’t wanted to do it. Times like now, when it became a chore. As he entered the brightly-lit building, he pushed his damp hair out of his face and squinted, his eyes adjusting from the darkness he’d just left. Saturday night at the mall was a bit overwhelming to him, and he was only just remembering why. Now, not only was he a local celebrity, but his mind was so in tune with those around him, that at times it became a jumble of sound and tiny pieces of thoughts as people passed him. As he walked towards the music store, he tried to focus and tune out what was not needed. He couldn’t read the thoughts of everyone there, but the few that he could were disconcerting. He stepped into the store, gazing at all the pianos, drums and guitars hanging all over the walls. He smiled, thinking Isaac would have been in heaven. He wondered as he stepped over to the sheet music if either of his brothers would be able to handle coming with him the next time he went out. He ran his fingers along the many pages and books filled with notes and lyrics there. Not only had he been missing his family, but he had missed music. Making it, listening to it, wallowing in it as he had for most of his life. It was blatantly missing from his life as a vampire so far. “Can I help you?” A woman’s voice pulled him from his music-induced trance.
When he looked up at her, he saw the look. The look of recognition when they realized he was a Hanson. One of THE Hansons. “Oh, no. I’m just looking, thanks.” He smiled at her. She smiled back, then walked away. Relieved, he continued looking at the titles, off in his own world. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he was certain she’d come back, armed with a sharpie, but when he turned, he looked into the clear, gray eyes of his ex-girlfriend. “Charlotte!” He said, smiling, “I was just thinking of you last night!” He leaned over and hugged her as she laughed.
“Sure you were. Just like you always used to think about me.” She retorted.
“No, really. I met this girl and her name was Charlotte and it just got me to thinking about you.” He said.
She raised her eyebrows and pushed her chestnut hair behind her ear, “Ah. How old was she?”
“You always bring that up, don’t you? I can’t do anything about the age or level of sanity of my fans, Charlotte.” He grinned at her and shook his head.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, anyway, does it?” She said, putting her arm around his shoulders. “So what brings you to Tulsa?” She asked.
He wrinkled his brow, “I live here, remember?” He said.
“No you don’t, you live in LA or New York. Or someplace like that, I can’t really remember.” She said.
Taylor leaned down towards her face, “Charlotte, I do believe you are bitter. That’s so sweet of you–I didn’t think you cared that much.”
“Pfft. I cared alright, you butthole. You were just never around to see it.” The words were bitter, but her face let him know she had gotten over it.
His face softened as well, “Well, I’m really sorry about that.” He sighed, looking into her eyes, “Sometimes, I wonder if it’s all worth it.”
“You know darn good and well, you couldn’t live without it. Everything and everybody else just has to come in second. Someday, you’ll find somebody that understands that and can live with it. But, ‘til then, your hand and Mr. Pinky are just gonna have to get to know each other really intimately.” She laughed at his face as his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. Before he could say anything back though, they heard the unmistakable sound of young girls outside the window looking in. None of them seemed to have the courage to go in the store, but Taylor and Charlotte both knew, they’d be fair game when they left. She looked up at him, with eyes that said, ‘I told you so.’
“Sorry.” He murmured.
“You sure are.” She said, “Well, come on, let’s get it over with.” And she put her hand on his arm and pulled him toward the exit. “Oh, did you get what you came for?” She asked, stopping.
“Yeah, I did.” He smiled down at her, then whispered in her ear, “Wanna catch up? My car’s out in the parking lot, not too far.”
“Hmmm, well, it depends on what you mean by ‘catch up’. I’m supposed to meet my boyfriend at eight, we’re gonna go to a movie.” She said.
“Boyfriend, huh? Anybody I know?” He asked, his head cocked to one side and his eyes sparkling.
She got a sheepish look on her face, “Aaron.”
The response was swift and expected, “AARON!? My Aaron?!” He exclaimed placing his hands on his hips. The girls in the hall were enjoying the scene immensely.
She looked up at him, shaking her head. “He’s not your Aaron, any more than I was your Charlotte.” She looked him in the eye, “You-don’t-live-here-any-more.” She said as if he was hard of hearing and she had to enunciate each word carefully.
Now his face had turned to a pout, “But–“
She interrupted him with a wave of her hand, “No. No buts. It was over between us a long time ago. You and me were both ok with it–so don’t act like he’s doing anything wrong or hurting you in any way.” She looked out the window where the group of girls seemed to be growing. “If we don’t get out of here soon, there’s gonna be a mob scene out there and I can’t tell you how much I don’t want to get into that kind of crap again.”
“Alright, let me just get this book for Ike–his birthday was a couple days ago, and I missed it.” He said.
“You missed it? How the hell did you miss it? Were you in a coma in the hospital or something?” She asked, her eyes peering into his.
“Hmph, something like that.” He muttered and he stepped up to the counter to pay. Smiling at the woman, he handed her a fifty dollar bill, and whispered, “If you could maybe see your way to getting us out the back or something, I would sure appreciate it.”
She looked over at the door where a couple of the girls hovered, hoping to catch him on his way out, “No problem. I was wondering how you were gonna get out of here in one piece.”
She handed him the change and he held his hand up, “Keep it.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that. I’d have offered anyway.” The woman said, pushing the money towards him. Charlotte watched as Taylor leaned over the counter a bit and looked into her eyes. She then folded the money and pushed it down in her pocket, “C’mon. It’s this way.” She said, turning toward a door that said, “Employees Only”. A quick turn or two and suddenly, Charlotte and Taylor found themselves out in the parking lot, “Good luck!” The woman said, and she shut the door, locking them out.
Charlotte wrapped her arms around herself, “Well, that was certainly abrupt!” She said. Taylor laughed and put his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer to him.
“Where’s your coat?” He asked, shuffling toward the back of the parking lot where he’d parked his car.
“I left it in a locker.” She shivered, “I hate carrying it around the mall.”
“Here.” He said, pulling off his own jacket. “This’ll be better than nothing.”
“You’ll be cold though–Taylor, where the heck did you park, anyway? This is like, the back forty or something.” She said, as they picked up their pace almost to a run. The rain was turning to snow and by the time they made it to the car, Taylor could feel his shirt sticking to him from the dampness. He unlocked the doors, flinging the passenger side open and helping her inside. Once inside, they both began to laugh, “God, some things never change!” She exclaimed, shaking her head.
“It’s not my fault!” He said. “They just see one of us, then they get all excited and they don’t know what they’re doing! It’s just that whole rockstar thing. And actually, it has changed. I can actually go out without a bodyguard now. That’s what low sales will do to ya.”
She looked over at him. The moonlight shone in the window and caught in his eyes making them bluer than usual. It was easy to remember what she’d seen in him then. “I’ll never understand it, never.” She said. “That album was fantastic.”
His eyes lit up, “Did you like it?” He asked unsurely.
A smile crossed her face, “Oh Taylor, of course I liked it. You guys are so talented.”
He just looked at her for a moment, “Did you know…I wrote a song for you…” he said quietly.
“No…really?” She said, leaning in closer to him. She was still shivering.
"Which one? Do I know it?”
He pulled himself closer and began to tug at the jacket, “This is wet…..” He said, pulling it off her shoulders. “Do you have the album?”
“This Time Around?” She questioned, looking at his mouth and his lips as he spoke.
He leaned in closer, “Mmmhmmm…” he said into her ear. He then put his hand on her jaw and ran his thumb over her cheek, his eyes meeting hers just inches apart. His breath in her ear caused another shiver to course through her body. “Are you cold?” He whispered. He didn’t wait for an answer though, he just pulled her over closer to him, the gear shift the only thing between them now.
“I don’t know…………….which song?” She murmured, closing her eyes and leaning her head back a little.
His lips touched hers just the tiniest bit as he ran them down her chin to her neck. His fingers spread the top of her blouse a bit and he kissed her chest, then back up to her lips. One kiss there and he went back to her ear, “Runaway Run…”
Her brow furrowed, though she didn’t open her eyes, “You wrote that….for me?” She asked. If his hands hadn’t been traversing her body now, touching her in places she didn’t think he ever had, she would have jumped up and down and made him swear he was telling her the truth.
“Yes…” he breathed into her ear. He put his cold hands under her shirt and reveled in the warmth of her skin. He knew that soon, his skin would feel as warm as hers. “I waited for you….hoping you’d come back to me…” he sang the words so softly, she felt like she could only hear them in her mind.
She jumped a little, “oh, your hands are cold…” she breathed.
“Sorry…” he said softly, pulling his hands back out. One he put in her hair, pulling her closer and kissing her with his lips while his other, he placed between her legs, pressing against the warmth there.
Arching her back, she leaned her head back as far as it would go and slowly opened her eyes. The snow was skittering across the pane of glass and floating about in the light that stood in the parking lot. It was all very soft looking as the windows were quickly fogging up. Her mind was feeling foggy as well. All she could think of was Taylor and the sound of his voice. Every word of that song was echoing around her brain now, but it was softer and slower than she remembered. She felt his hands on her, opening the buttons on her blouse, his cool fingertips brushing over the swell of her breasts. As he opened the clasp of her bra, she placed her hands in his silky hair. As his cool lips touched her nipple, she gasped, but then he opened his mouth and allowed his warm tongue to linger there, making her quiver and open her legs a little, inviting him closer. As if he were reading her mind, he went over the gear shift and almost into her lap. His face was so close to her now, their noses touched. His eyes sparkled in the light and she could almost see the snowflakes swirling in their depths. Then, he looked down, his lashes resting on his cheeks. She watched as he licked his lips and then began to stroke her through her jeans. “Oh, Taylor…” she groaned and again, she closed her eyes. She felt his breath on her neck and then she felt a sharp pain as he sunk two sharp fangs in, the taught flesh making a popping sound as he pierced it. Her breath caught in her throat and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
He drank her in greedily, the warm blood flowing freely into his mouth. Then he noticed she seemed frozen. He pulled back for a moment and looked into her eyes. “Charlotte…” he said.
“Wh-what are you doing?” She asked, finally taking in a gulp of air.
He smiled at her and she saw the teeth now, wet with her blood. He licked his lips before he spoke and then they were white and shiny and totally amazing. His eyes had taken on the moonlight now and she almost imagined the tiniest green fire in them, shining from inside the blue. “I’m drinking you. God, you taste so good, Charlotte.” He said, and then he moved back toward her. She should have been frightened and she knew it, but she wasn’t. In fact, she welcomed the feeling of his teeth returning to the place where he’d been. As he drank more from her, his hand continued its path down her pants. He stroked her and smiled despite himself when he felt his fingers becoming wet. In her mind, she could still hear the sound of his voice, singing that song for her. Not for all those fucking little girls, but for her. Finally, just for her. The pain just added to it, made it feel more real.
Taylor pulled back and looked at her. The glazed look in her eyes and her shallow breathing let him know it was time to stop. He ran his tongue along her neck, lapping up the blood that had run down her front when he’d pulled away from her. Pushing her blouse back again, he gave one last lick of her nipple with his tongue as his fingers played with the other. He felt her shift under him and he pushed his other hand farther in, his fingers deep into her soft folds. She didn’t say anything, but she threw her head back and let out a breathy sigh and he felt her body go rigid. Plunging deeper, he listened to every little sound that came from her lips. He pulled his hand away from her breast and pushed her head to the side. The wounds were gone, just two tiny indentations remained, slightly pink. They’d be gone by morning. He brought his now warm hand back to her breast, but before he could go back to what he was doing to her, the door was yanked open and both of them landed in the wet, sloppy parking lot, him on top of her, wincing as he heard her head smack the hard pavement. “What the fuck are you doing, Ike!?” He shouted, looking up into the angry eyes of his brother.
“I could ask you the same thing!” Isaac yelled, grabbing Charlotte by her arm and pulling her out from under his brother. Her head lolled back and her knees were unable to hold her up alone. “Help me here.” He said to Taylor. Taylor stood up and put his arms under hers, holding her there as if she were weightless. Isaac quickly pulled her bra back together and fumbled around with the clasp.
“What’s wrong, Ike? Don’t know how a bra works?” Taylor asked.
Isaac’s glare was almost as frightening as Taylor’s could be. “No, you dickhead, I think somebody very strong must have broken it–it’s bent now and it won’t close. So, who’s the asshole that doesn’t know how a bra works now?” He spat, pulling her blouse together and buttoning it as quickly as he could. “Gimme her coat.” He said.
“She left it in the mall.” Taylor said, looking away from Isaac’s accusing stare.
“Fuck, Tay! Are you gonna just pick off all our friends now?” Isaac said, taking off his coat. “Give me my fricken’ jacket then. I’m sure you don’t feel the cold.”
Taylor reached in the car and pulled the denim jacket out and handed it to his brother. “Look, Ike–I didn’t follow her or anything like that. We just happened to run into each other and stuff.”
“Yeah, it sure looks like that was all that was happening.” Isaac said, pulling his coat over her shoulders.
“Tay?” She said sleepily, her eyes half open and her brow furrowed. She reached her hand up and touched the back of her head. “Ow…I have a headache…” she said and then she saw Isaac. “Hey, Ike.” She said slowly.
“Hey Charlotte, are you feeling alright?” He asked, pulling her out of Taylor’s grasp.
“Mmm…I don’t know….where’s Aaron? I was s’posed to meet him at eight or somethin’.”
Taylor looked over at Isaac. “Oh?” Isaac said, looking back at him, “Where were you supposed to meet him?”
“I can’t remember…um, we’re gonna see a movie…I think.” She said, shaking her head. As they turned and headed back toward the mall, she stumbled and fell on one knee. Taylor rushed over and he and Isaac pulled her back up and with her between them, they managed to get her walking. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong, I’m just so tired…” she said.
“Well, you sorta hit your head pretty good back there.” Taylor said. She looked over at him, squinting as if she was trying to remember something.
“Yeah…it hurts.” She said absently.
Isaac grabbed the door and opened it, glancing around to see how crowded it was going to be. “Is there a reason why you chose the mall on a Friday night for your dinner, Tay?” He asked, looking at him over the head of Charlotte.
“I just…I had something I needed to pick up.” He said, lifting the girl a little as her feet were nearly dragging behind her. “Pick up your feet, Charlotte, geez!” He said.
“Stop a second, Tay.” Isaac said. Taylor looked over at him as Charlotte lay her head on his shoulder. His voice was so low, Taylor wouldn’t have been able to hear him if not for his excellent hearing. “Did you drink from her? I mean, like, a lot?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, not a really, whole lot or anything. Just normal, I guess.” Taylor answered, looking down at her. She appeared to be trying to keep her eyes open, but was having a hard time of it.
“Well, go sit on that bench over there and I’m gonna run over there and grab her a cookie. Do you think they have juice?” He asked.
Taylor shrugged, then turned and he and Charlotte sat down. He was beginning to notice people looking at them as they went by and he hung his head a little, hoping no one would recognize him. The mall would be closing soon and so there weren’t as many shoppers as before. His eyes turned to Charlotte again. She was pale and her jeans were soaked from falling into the parking lot, as were his own. Her hair, usually shiny and brilliant hung in wet clumps and the back of her hair had a bit of a muddy look to it. At least he hadn’t landed in the slush like she had. Reaching up to her face, he put his warm hand on her cheek, “Charlotte, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt ya.” He said gently.
As Isaac joined them, she opened her eyes and looked up at Taylor, “Did you really write ‘Runaway Run’ for me?” She asked.
“Yeah, I did. Just listen to it, you’ll know.” He answered. Isaac handed him the cookie and a bottle of apple juice. “Yuk, why didn’t you get her some milk?”
“I don’t know! Don’t they always give people juice when they give blood?” He spat at his brother.
“I guess.” Taylor said, “I never gave blood before. Well, not voluntarily anyway.” He held the cookie up to her face, “Here, Charlotte. You need to eat something.”
She shook her head, “I don’t want it, I feel sorta sick.”
“Well, how about some juice, it’ll make you feel better.” Isaac said, screwing off the lid.
Ignoring him, she just looked around for a moment, then asked, “What time is it? I gotta be there at eight.”
Isaac looked over at Taylor, “Um, actually,” he said, “I think it’s about 8:15.”
“Fuck!” She said, standing up and nearly falling over, “I gotta get to Aaron.”
Isaac and Taylor both grabbed her by an arm, “Only if you eat something.” Isaac said to her and he held out the bottle for her.
“Ok,” she said, taking a sip of it, “We were gonna see a movie, I think.” She said.
“Were you gonna meet him there?” Taylor asked.
“My head hurts.” She said, putting her hand there again.
As the movie theatre box office came into view, Taylor noticed his friend Aaron standing there, looking at his watch and then looking this way and that. Finally, he looked up and saw the three of them coming towards him.
“Charlotte! Did you let these guys make you late?! Damn Tay! It’s been a long time!” Then he looked at Charlotte. “What the hell happened?” He said, pulling Isaac’s coat open and looking at her clothes.
“I don’t know…” she answered, “I think I hit my head and stuff. Me and Taylor went to the store.” She said, smiling over at Taylor.
Now Taylor found his friend’s angry brown eyes focused on him, “What the fuck kinda store? Did you give her something?” He spat.
“A music store, man.” Taylor answered. Aaron pulled Isaac’s coat off her and handed it to him.
“How’d she get all wet? And her shirt’s all messed up!” He said, putting his arm around her protectively.
“I don’t know, some girls were chasing us and stuff and we had to go out a back door and it was rainin’–I don’t know what all happened.” Taylor said.
“Look,” Isaac said, “she didn’t have her coat, she said it was in here, so I gave her mine and we walked her back in here to meet you, alright?” He could see the way the conversation was going and he didn’t want to see what might happen. Besides, at this point, all he wanted to do was get Taylor back home.
Aaron looked from Isaac back to Taylor, “You’ve been gone for a long time, and the second you get in town, you try to get her back. Well, it doesn’t work that way! You can’t just waltz in when you feel like it and take what you want. Everybody told me what they heard about you, but I didn’t believe it. Just stay away from her–I don’t know what you did to her, but if I find out you drugged her or something, I’m gonna kick your ass so hard it’ll come out your mouth!” He growled at Taylor. Charlotte laughed, but Taylor just stared coldly back at him.
“I didn’t drug her.” He said.
Isaac took Taylor by the arm and pulled him away from his old friend. “Come, on. Let’s just go home, alright?”
“Whatever.” Taylor mumbled, and he turned and walked back towards the exit. A glance back showed him Charlotte being comforted by Aaron, she appeared to be crying now.
As they stepped out into the cold wind, the snow appeared to have turned back into rain, “How did you know where I was?” Taylor asked.
Isaac offered his coat to his brother, but Taylor shook his head, “Kelly called me and said she saw you getting cornered at Wilson’s Music. So I thought I’d come and help you out.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Taylor said, as they stepped up to their cars.
“Tay, you didn’t…you know, have sex with her, did you?” Isaac asked, looking over at his brother. His shirt was wet as were the legs of his jeans, yet it may as well have been a fine spring day for all the discomfort it seemed to be giving Taylor.
“No–I’m not even sure I can anymore.” Taylor muttered, thinking he really hadn’t felt a thing in that region since he’d been with Michelle. He looked up to see a look of horror on his brother’s face.
“What!? You’re kidding, right?” Isaac said.
“No. I’m not kidding.” Taylor said, opening his car door.
“God, that would suck…” Isaac said, giving him a concerned look.
“Tell me about it.” Taylor answered, then he started to get into his car.
"Hey Tay–” Isaac stopped him.
“Yeah?”
"Did you really write that song for her?” Isaac asked.
Taylor looked over at the Mall as the lights on the signs began to go out, then back at his older brother, “Yeah, I did.” He said, then he got back in the car, started the engine, and headed for home, leaving Isaac watching after him, before doing the same.