We now join Chad and Taylor, where they are about to have their first real confrontation of the story. Took us almost 6 years to get here, so let's tune in ;)

"Taylor…" Chad breathed.

Taylor just shook her head. "No." She said bluntly, shakily.

"Taylor, will you please just listen to me?" Chad pleaded, stepping away from his car and moving to the place in between their vehicles.

"No! Get away from my car. Now." She hissed. The words dripped like venom from her lips. Every part of her seemed to be on edge, even more so than usual. Still, regardless of whether she hated him or not, Chad was determined to at least try to talk it out with her, even if there was a chance that she would leave (again).

"Not before you listen to what I have to say." He replied with a persevering look in his eye. She huffed angrily and took off for the yard area of the building. He followed her. "I know you're upset about the ring-"

"Upset!" Taylor laughed bitterly.

"I didn't think you'd notice it!"

"You didn't think I'd notice it!" She repeated, walking faster.

He didn't think that I'd notice my custom engagement ring on another woman's finger. Classic.

"I kept offering to get her a different one. That was my mistake. But damn it, Tay, I need you to know why." Chad begged, reaching for her arm.

Taylor quickly snatched it away from him. "Don't touch me! You have no right!" She crossed her arms tightly to her chest, desperately trying to still herself against the trembling storm within her.

Chad held up his hands slightly. "You're right...I don't. I'm sorry." He said softly. The full extent of his shame washed over his face as he said it.

There was a thick and heavy silence between them for a moment.

Taylor took a shaky deep breath. Her head was trained to the ground and her shoulders were tense. When she finally looked back up at him, he noticed that she had to fight to keep looking him in the eye.

"How could you do this?" She whispered hoarsely. Clearly, she wasn't going for that tone of voice because he saw a fleeting look of horror cross over her features before she cleared her throat and replaced the broken look in her eyes with one of steel.

"I…" Chad began, responding to her expression with a similar one of his own. "I don't know."

Another silence.

Taylor groaned and rubbed her temples. "How did I not see it before?"

Chad gave a weak smile, "I mean...there was a reason why I always held her hand under the table during meetings?"

Taylor scowled and shook her head. "You're despicable."

"Taylor!" He called after her as she walked around, and away from him again yet again, in an attempt to go back to her car.

"Save it, Chad! You'd think that for once in your life you could stop cracking stupid jokes all the time! You can't even give me the respect of actually having a serious conversation with me for two minutes. Why should I listen to you at all?!"

"Because I would never have thought of proposing to her with your ring! Ever!" Chad called back. Taylor, who had begun to pull on the door handle of her car, stopped again, turning around to give him a look of disbelief.

"But you did, though." She said, more sarcastic than confused.

Chad caught up to her once again. "Only because she found it after we broke up." Once he realized that he had Taylor's attention, he continued his explanation, "After you left, I couldn't... look at it anymore. So, I stuffed it in a drawer. It stayed there for about a year or so. During that time…" He hesitated briefly, "I started going out with Shaylah."

"Surprise, surprise." Taylor muttered.

He ignored her and continued his story, "One morning before one of our dates, I came out of the shower and opened the bathroom door to see Shaylah digging through the same drawer. She quickly closed it and explained that she was going to borrow one of my t-shirts. It was obvious that she saw it. And what could I say? That I still had the engagement ring that my ex-fiancée gave back? That I still kept it around because in a way, it was my last piece of you?"

"Oh please, Danforth." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"You act so callous whenever I try with you." He narrowed his. "Do you think that I did any of this to hurt you? Because something like that isn't okay, even as a petty act. You know I wouldn't have gone that far. Don't you?" She was quiet and he felt a sharp pain in his chest as a result.

"I don't know what you would have done." Chad heard her say, finally. "All I know is that you did."

Which incident she was referring to, he did not know. He sensed that her words ran deeper than the current discussion. He wondered if it was just in his head.

"I know…" Chad sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was never something he did when he was younger, he would always worry about accidentally combing out the large mass of curls that rested on top of his head. Now that they were gone, it was an action that he found slightly comforting. "I'm sorry. Really, I am."

Taylor scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I don't want to hear that you're sorry!"

"Well what else can I say?" Chad exclaimed. Taylor yanked open her car door and tossed her purse on the passenger seat inside. "No, I'm serious, what else can I say?!"

"This conversation is done, Chad."

He watched her slide into her seat, not even sparing him a second glance. "So that's it?"

The door shut.

He boiled at the retreat. "You're just going to walk away!"

The ignition roared to life.

Chad laughed in furious disbelief. "Typical. God forbid, that the great Taylor McKessie come down from her pedestal and talk about her feelings honestly for once. God forbid you let down that barrier and see something through!" He could have sworn she stopped to roll her eyes as she began to shift gears. He balled his fists, a familiar ache tugging in his chest, his face hot. "You know what, Taylor? Go ahead and run away like you always do! We all know it's what you do best!" He flinched slightly when he heard the car shut off abruptly.

The look of fire and fury in Taylor's eyes as she whipped her head to look at him through the car window made him regret the past six foolish seconds. However, he was never one to back down from a fight. Especially if that fight was with Taylor. So as she stepped out of her car once again, slamming the door shut behind her, he stood firmly in place with arms crossed. He could hear the fast click of her heels against the tarmac as she walked towards him.

"Don't you ever say that to me again." Taylor growled.

"Why not? It's only the truth." Chad replied with a shrug.

She laughed mirthlessly. "Don't talk to me about truth. You know nothing of the word. For the past five minutes that you've spent wasting my time, I've gathered that instead of just telling your future wife that she's wearing another woman's engagement ring, you'd rather hold her hand under the table for a few months."

"It's not that simple."

"And why not?"

"Because I'd already lost you, I wasn't going to lose her too." Chad replied with a shake of his head.

"Aw!" Taylor cooed dramatically, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "What a prince." He scowled at her. "You know, it's funny. I don't remember seeing all of this effort during my run." She chuckled mirthlessly. "I guess she really is too important for you to lose. Who would have thought you'd finally get it?"

"And you weren't?" He asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

She opened her hands and made a motion at their surroundings. "All I know is that the proof is in the pudding."

"So what, you wish it was you?"

"That's not it at all!"

"Then what is it?!"

"I just think it's funny that you care so much about her thoughts, and her feelings, but my thoughts and feelings would always be pushed to the side! Suddenly, God knows how, you care!"

"Well, am I marrying her, or you?!" Chad exclaimed. Though, he immediately regretted it once he saw Taylor flinch. Her brown eyes blinked up at him in shock, and her look soon changed to one of bitterness.

"Tay-" He began, but she just turned on her heel and walked back to her car.

Chad rubbed the back of his neck, cursing under his breath. "Taylor, I'm sorry-"

"There's no need to apologize." She said softly, her gaze cold. "I'll see you and your fiancée at your next appointment. I believe we'll be going over the attire for the wedding party."

"Tay-"

"Goodnight, Mr. Danforth."

And with that, she shut her door, turned her key, and left him standing alone in the parking lot.

She also buckled her seatbelt because she kept the law :) Thanks for reading everyone! I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.