He entered the hotel lobby when a small body crashed into him. He knelt down to help her up and apologise. She scrambled up hastily, picking up her scattered belongings and muttered her own soft apology. She seemed nervous and he noticed her trembling hands while she collected her things. He looked her straight in the eyes and had the shock of a lifetime when he recognized her. 'Taylor?' he exclaimed with surprise. She lifted her head and he could see the surprise in his eyes mirrored in hers. 'No, sorry you're mistaking me for someone else' I have to go. And with that, she ran out of the lobby.
He called after her, but she did not look back and his own presence was now known. Absentmindedly, he signed the requested autographs and wondered why she had reacted like that. He would recognise that face anywhere; after all, it still haunted him in his dreams. He was convinced she had known it was him, he had seen the astonishment and recognition in her eyes. After the usual business, he finally went up to his hotel room where he loosened his tie, took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his spotless white shirt. Then, he washed his face and lay down on the bed. He closed his eyes and thought about the first time he had seen Taylor. She came to Easy High during their last year of high school. She attracted a lot of attention immediately and easily fitted in. He had missed a couple of days into the first week but when he saw her, he had wanted to ask her out. When he found out that Chad, his best friend, had already beaten him to the punch he was gutted. There was an unwritten rule to go out with a girl that your best friend dated so he had to step away. It was harder for him than he realised and secretly he hoped that it would stay with just that one date. He wasn't that lucky; one date become two, several dates turned into a full blown relationship and suddenly Taylor was no longer a girl he wanted to date, she became his best friend's girlfriend. In vain, he prayed that it was simply a crush but again luck wasn't on his side. She lived very near to him and the more he learned about her, the more he liked her. It became so hard for him to deal with the situation, that he started to avoid her as much as possible, and consequently, Chad. Instead, he threw himself in his sports, and that had turned out well for him. On the other hand, Chad kept pressuring him into telling him what had changed and of course, he couldn't tell him. In the end, Chad decided that Troy simply didn't like Taylor and since he couldn't come up with a better explanation, they all assumed it was true. Even Taylor. Which hurt him all the more. A few months into the relationship, they broke up as sudden as they had gotten together and Troy's heart leaped. Hi wondered what had happened, Chad no longer confided in him, even though they were still friends. He strained himself to follow the conversations of the girls whenever they whispered about the situation, but for them, he was Chad's friend and therefore the 'enemy'. He never did find out what caused the break up but it did please him. Chad was good to her, he knew that much but he also knew that he himself had far more in common with Taylor than his best friend.
Troy sighed at the memory and played with the small ring he had in his pocket. It was Taylor's. She had dropped it when she had hastily left the lobby and he only spotted it when she was already gone. He even remembered it, she wore it on a thin chain around her neck, and occasionally on her finger. It wasn't anything expensive, but he guessed that it had great personal value for her. Taylor McKessie. He still couldn't believe it. The girl he had been in love with all those years ago had been returned to his life as sudden as she had disappeared from it. He knew that he never quite got over her but that his feelings for her were this strong he hadn't realised. This time however, he would tell her once and for all how he felt about her.
