"Taylor should be here any minute." Seth and Summer sat on the couch holding hands and Summer looked up at Ryan and smiled sweetly. The young woman had become very different since her father's death. The old Summer, that spitfire of a girl, had been replaced by one of quiet and tired sadness and the medicine she was taking to level her out of her depression had not seemed to take hold of her yet.
"April helping your mom?"
"Yeah—they're making the salad." Ryan took a seat next to the pair and looked to Seth for help. Ryan was increasingly feel uncomfortable about this evening and the meeting of April and Taylor. It didn't help that Ryan also had come to feel incredibly awkward around Summer; she hardly seemed to listen to or notice him at times and her medicine only seemed to be making her more absent.
"Well if there's one thing that can make or break an evening, it's a salad. I hope that April and my mom don't screw it up."
"Thanks man." They settled into a difficult silence as Seth put his arm around Summer's shoulder and hugged her tightly. Paris had helped Summer some but Seth had confided in his friend that he was still very worried about his girlfriend. They listened to the bustle in the kitchen and further off, the dint of music that Sandy was listening to as he grilled the fish they would be eating that evening.
Seth was about to open his mouth to speak when there was a ring at the door; it had to be Taylor.
"I'll get it." Ryan rose slowly and made his way over to the door. Once again he felt a surge of nervousness as he moved towards the door. What would Taylor be like tonight? Would she be the stranger or the girl he had fallen in love with? Which one did he want? How would she interact with April and how would April take her? Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and smiled as the key to those questions walked through the door.
"Hi Ryan." Taylor hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for inviting me over tonight." Ryan took her purse and the two bottles of white wine she had brought.
"Anytime." As he walked, he caught the soft fragrance of her perfume; it was one she had worn when they had dated and he had always loved it. "You look pretty tonight." Again her simplicity served her well; she wore a long black skirt and a dark blue low cut top and though he tried to fight against it, Ryan could not but steal a glance at her waist and lower body as he walked her through the hall and into the family room.
"Hey guys." Seth and Summer she had seen the night before; Seth raised his hand in welcome and Summer reached out and pulled Taylor into a quick and tight embrace. If there was one person Summer responded well too still, it was Taylor. "Where are your parents?"
"Cooking and preparing salads. April's in the kitchen helping mom."
"Oh okay." She took the seat that Ryan had formally occupied and smiled up at Ryan. "I would put those away—you don't want the wine to get room temperature." Taylor had smiled so sweetly at him that his stomach had done a small summersault.
"Sure thing." He took the bottles into the kitchen where April was cutting strawberries and chatting absently with Kirsten, who was putting together a vinaigrette dressing. "Taylor's here." April looked up from the cutting board and Ryan saw a moment's panic pass over her blue eyes.
"I'll go tell Sandy." Kirsten left them alone for a moment and Ryan took advantage of that to go up to April and wrap his arm around her waist.
"You nervous?"
"Actually yeah, a little." Ryan kissed her neck and whispered that she had nothing to worry about.
"Let's go say hello." Taking her by the hand, he led April by the hand and back to the company. As he passed into the room with April, he saw before him Taylor talking to Seth about some Japanese film director; Summer listened and watched in amused silence. "Look who I found in the kitchen."
"Hello." April walked forward and Taylor rose from her seat and smiled majestically at the redhead.
"April— so nice to meet you." Ryan listened intently as he tried to discern any trace of irony or sarcasm in Taylor's voice; there was none, so far, his ex-girlfriend was the woman he had remembered her being.
"I've heard so much about you from every one." April seemed more at ease now and she turned to Ryan with a pleased look on her face; it told him that she did not feel threatened by Taylor, yet.
"Taylor." Kirsten and Sandy burst through the kitchen door and hugged the girl. "It's great to see you."
"It's been a while. Thanks for having me over for dinner."
"Of course—we're glad that you could make it." Sandy excused himself to finish cooking the fish. "How do you like San Francisco so far?"
"It's nice—not as pretty as Paris but still very nice."
"I bet you miss Paris a lot."
"Yes—every day." She explained to Kirsten that one of the main reasons she had returned was that her mother had been asking her to for nearly a year. Taylor had finally given way and though she did not say anything to him about it, Ryan felt like the death of Summer's father had helped Taylor make the decision. Taylor and her mother had grown close in the previous three years and Ryan supposed the fear of losing a parent you were finally coming to love had propelled Taylor out of Europe. Ryan himself knew that he would be badly shaken if his father, a man he was slowly but surely learning to love, had been suddenly taken from him.
"Dinner is served." Sandy poked his head through the door; April and Kirsten exchanged looks of brief horror as they realized that they had to put the finishing touches on the salad.
"Give us like three minutes." April kissed Ryan and followed Kirsten. Before she passed through the doorway, April looked back and subtly winked at Ryan; it wasn't subtle enough as he heard Taylor giggle next to him.
"She's very pretty."
"And very sweet."
"I'm starving." Seth whined; Taylor and Ryan both turned and looked at him and Summer sitting on the couch. Summer still sat there, her body languidly pressed against Seth's.
"Dinner will be ready soon."
"This is almost like old times." Summer's voice seemed far away, almost like the past she was thinking about. "The four of us, dinner at the Cohen household."
"Ryan looking remarkably handsome." Taylor's eyes were hot as she regarded him. "You do look very good tonight."
"Thanks." It disturbed him that the words had excited him so. It was strange, the ability she had to sting his soul at a moment's notice. There was a sparkle in her eyes now that he had once treasured; they now made him nervous. Could she have the power to conquer him the same way April had conquered him?
"Let's go and see if they need any help." Seth had watched the mute scene between Ryan and Taylor and seemed to want to escape the oncoming storm that he must have seen coming. He took Summer by the hand and led her out of the family room.
"Summer isn't having a good night tonight is she?" Taylor drew Ryan near her by the arm and whispered to him. "I didn't think she was very good in Paris."
"No—today hasn't been a good day for her at all." Because they stood close together Taylor's smell was strong in his nostrils. She smelt so wonderful and her skin looked so olive and soft; looking up into her hazel eyes, Ryan felt himself trapped by their power. For a dangerous second he so wanted to kiss those lovely pouting lips.
"Maybe we can do something to cheer her up?" There was a cry of celebration in the kitchen from Seth; the salad must have been laid on the table. Seth's cry had broken the moment between the two and Ryan followed Taylor into the kitchen feeling bewildered and bothered. "It smells wonderful."
"Grilled swordfish with a pineapple mango glaze."
"Well it looks delicious." Taylor took a seat next to April and smiled at Ryan's girlfriend. "Was this your pick?"
"No—I'm more of a hamburger girl myself." Taylor nodded her head in silent understanding and turned to Summer who was sitting on her left side.
"Would you pass me the wine?"
"Sure." Ryan watched the two girls interact and there seemed to be a flash of understanding, of intelligence between the two friends. What exactly was Taylor's eyes imparting to Summer as they made passing conversation whilst Taylor poured herself a drink? Did it have to do with April?
"You all there man?" Seth smirked as Ryan nodded his head.
"Yeah—just waiting for you to pass me the fish." Seth handed him the serving dish; Seth's sarcastic eyes implied that he knew what was going on in Ryan's head. They all made small talk as the food and wine went around the table. When all the plates were piled with food Sandy silently cleared his throat and raised his glass.
"A toast."
"Oh no." Seth rolled his eyes and received a gentle smack from Summer.
"To Taylor—for her graduation from the Sorbonne and for returning to America." Sandy smiled at the girl. "We're glad to have you back."
"To Taylor." She beamed as they drank to her.
"Thank you Sandy." In response she raised her own glass and toasted her hosts, as well as their daughter Sophie, who was upstairs sleeping. "Hopefully she feels better soon."
"The doctor's give it a few more days."
"I hated having the chicken pox—my mom was really sweet about it though, she stayed home for the entire week and kept me company." April looked over at Taylor and asked her what she missed most about Paris.
"The parks mostly—we'd spend days there talking and thinking; I used to sit for a friend at this one place." Taylor turned to Summer. "Do you remember it? It was the park with all the hawthorns and lilacs."
"It was very pretty."
"Yes—I had a friend who was obsessed with painting me surrounded by lilacs." Taylor laughed at the memory of it. "His studio was full of me and lilacs from every imaginable angle and color shade. I don't think his wife was very happy with him though—she destroyed a lot of those pictures."
"That's a shame." Ryan's voice contained more sarcasm then he would have liked; he turned to April and half smiled at her confused and slightly concerned look. Taylor seemed to ignore him.
"You would have liked him Sandy—he was a lawyer and he painted on the side—his office was always so filthy with paint and charcoal."
"He sounds like a fascinating man."
"Paul was very sweet—his paintings weren't very good but he was very enthusiastic about his work and his subjects." There was Taylor's ability to strike at Ryan again; for whatever reason, this French lawyer, with his deplorable paintings, was causing Ryan jealousy. In his mind he could imagine Taylor, naked amongst the lilacs. She must have had an affair with this man, why else would his wife destroy all of Taylor's paintings?
"Did you know any good artists?" Again his voice had shook in rising irrational anger and sarcasm. Now everyone's eyes were on him; Kirsten and Sandy gave him quizzical looks, Seth eyed him with bemusement while April again eyed him with perplexed worry. Only Summer, who had not seemed to pick up on Ryan's strange resentment, remained placid. She looked at Ryan and then over to Taylor and smiled sweetly at the girl.
"Yes a few—they were strange but brilliant. My friend Fleur painted; we went to Balbec together and she did some very pretty seascapes; I can maybe get you one, just to prove that I do know some good artists." Taylor seemed indifferent to Ryan's jealousy. Her shining eyes lacked luster for a moment but then a mischievous sparkle warmed them again. "This is excellent swordfish by the way Sandy."