Chapter 15 - Backstory
The next morning, Taylor was on her way to Laura's when her phone rang. She had decided to finally tell her the truth today but she wasn't sure how. She was too busy thinking how she was gonna tell her girlfriend that she absentmindedly answered her phone. "Hello?"
"Taylor? Hi! I was wondering if you were free today? Maybe we can have some lunch?" It was Pete.
Taylor was again taken by surprise. She hated it that this guy was having this effect on her. "Uhm, lunch?" She looked at her watch. It was 20 minutes past 11. Maybe it was better that she talked to him first before speaking to Laura. She had to get this done and over with, anyway. "Okay, no problem."
"Okay. So, I'll just pick you up? You still have the same address, right?"
"Uh, no. I mean, yeah I still live at the same address but there's no need to pick me up. I'm not home anyways. Let's just meet somewhere... private, hopefully." She didn't want the media to see them together, she was pretty sure they were gonna have ideas of their own if they did.
"Yeah, I understand. Wanna meet at my place, instead?"
Taylor didn't know if it was a good idea to meet Pete at his place. But agreeing to meet him in the first place was already a bad idea, anyway. "Uh, okay. Just text me the address and I'll be there."
-o-o-o-
Laura had been calling and texting Taylor for an hour now but she couldn't reach her. She was supposed to invite her for lunch but it's almost one o'clock so she just decided to eat on her own. She decided to just drop by her place afterwards.
-o-o-o-
Taylor made her way to Pete's as slowly as she could. She was afraid of what she might feel once she saw him again and she didn't like to think how it could affect what she had with Laura if it turned out to be something she thought she was over with for years now.
She was already in front of his door but she still hadn't rung his doorbell. She wanted to back out, to just get out of there but she couldn't move her feet. After a few more minutes of going back and forth with her decision to just leave, she had gathered up the courage to finally ring the doorbell.
After what felt like hours but only a few seconds of waiting, the door opened. "Taylor," said the man she hadn't seen in a long time looking like he had been given the best gift of the day.
-o-o-o-
Taylor had received her third rejection in one week. She had auditioned for numerous television shows, commercials, and even tried films but none of those people she auditioned for seemed to think that she was deserving of any of those roles. She was tired. She was starting to doubt whether this career she chose was worth every stab of pain she felt every time she got rejected.
She was also getting tired of her family bullshit. She didn't want to be any part of that anymore but they kept dragging her to the mess they kept creating for themselves and she was tired of that, too.
The only good thing in her life right now was Pete, the guy she had been in-love with for three years now. She knew that she wouldn't have handled all the disappointments and problems she'd been having if it wasn't for him. He was always there whenever she needed him and he loved her very much. She felt the same.
As if sensing that she needed him right now, Pete had arrived. "Hi, sweetheart!" He went up to Taylor and kissed her.
"Hi," said Taylor with a half-hearted smile.
"What's wrong?"
"Another rejection."
Pete wrapped his arms around Taylor's shoulders and kissed her head. "Ahhh, don't worry about them. They don't know what they're doing. It's not your loss, baby. One day, you will find the perfect role for you, one that will make you one of the biggest stars in the world, and it will win you a lot of awards. I'm telling you. That day is coming sooner than you think. So, stop feeling bad, okay?" He hugged her more tightly.
Right then, she felt a lot better. This guy with her was all she needed. She was sure that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
-o-o-o-
"Have a seat! I'll just set the table so we can eat," said Pete, as if in a hurry. He looked so rattled Taylor wanted to laugh.
"Pete, no need to hurry. It's okay. I'm not yet starving anyway." That was a lie.
Pete still almost ran to the kitchen, though.
When he was out of her sight, Taylor tried to assess what she was feeling at the moment. And it scared her. Because she felt that violent thumping inside her chest again. The moment she saw Pete, she wanted to run away. She wanted to go back in time and change her mind about allowing him to come back to her life. Because after all the years she hadn't seen him, when she thought she wouldn't be affected anymore, the past came biting her in the ass, and it still hurt as if what happened just took place yesterday.
-o-o-o-
She thought it was just gonna be one of those normal dates. A nice restaurant, good food, cozy environment. But she realized it was gonna be more than just that when Pete went down on one knee, held a small box in front of her, and opened it. It was indeed more than just a date when he started saying the words she's been wanting to hear from him for a long time now.
"Will you be my wife, Ms. Taylor Schilling?"
Feeling warm tears flow from her eyes, tears of ultimate joy, Taylor said the words she never thought she'd ever regret. "Yes. Yes, I will!"
-o-o-o-
Pete and Taylor had just finished lunch. The whole time they were eating, all Taylor could think was how much it would've been better if it was Laura who cooked, and it was her she was eating with. She couldn't wait for this to just be done so she could go see her gorgeous girlfriend now.
She hated being there. She hated how stupid she was for agreeing to this. How could he act as if nothing had happened? How could he just barge into her life again after what he did to her?
"I'm glad that you had agreed to join me today. I really thought that you wouldn't... after everything that has happened."
Taylor was surprised by how fast Pete wanted to get on why they were there in the first place. She thought that he was gonna beat around the bush in the first place, knowing how it ended with them five years ago. But she was thankful anyways. At least she could go home sooner.
"I honestly don't know why I'm here." She said, with a blank face.
Before she got here, she planned on being nice to him because that's what decent human beings do. But now that every feeling was starting to come rushing back, all she wanted was to hurt this guy in front of her... as much as he'd hurt her before.
-o-o-o-
Two days before the wedding. It was all Taylor could think of. She was so excited of becoming Mrs. Peter Sullivan that she couldn't think of anything else. She wasn't as excited about the wedding as she was about the marriage. It was all that mattered to her. It wasn't about the occasion that was about to happen in a couple of days, it was the entire future life in store for her and Pete.
She must have been too engrossed with her thoughts that she didn't realize that Pete was behind her. "Hey! I didn't realize you were there. How long have you been standing there?"
Pete just smiled, but it was gone as soon as it formed in his lips.
"Are you okay?" Taylor rushed to his side."What's going on, babe?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Okay." It was freaking Taylor out, how Pete looked. He's never usually like this. He was always outgoing, always laughing. Now, he looked... wretched.
They both sat down.
Taylor just stared at Pete, waiting for him to say something.
"I love you," were the first words that came out of Pete's lips.
Taylor just smiled, encouraging him to go on.
"I love you so much. That's why..." Pete bowed and kept shaking his head. When he looked up again, he looked as if he was about to cry. "We can't continue the wedding."
At that moment, Taylor couldn't move. She wasn't sure if she heard him right but she was afraid to ask him to repeat what he just said because if she indeed heard him right, it would hurt like hell. She felt all her strength gradually ebb away. She couldn't speak.
"I'm so sorry. I was stupid... and crazy... and I would do anything to go back in time and not do what I did... But I can't. And I'm terribly sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you're hurting me now." It was what Taylor wanted to say but she only thought that to herself. "I... I don't understand. What's happening?" She was on the verge of tears now. This wasn't happening. This was supposed to be the sole good thing in her life right now. Why was it being taken away from her?
"I... I got Jenna pregnant."
Taylor didn't even care who Jenna was anymore. When she heard the word pregnant, she felt her world collapse, and she was beneath it. She was being crushed and she couldn't get back up. She's lost all the will to be aware of what was going on around her.
She didn't even realize that Pete already stood up...
That he had started walking away... not just from her at that time, but from her life.
And that it was the last time he was going to see him in a long time.
-o-o-o-
Laura arrived at Taylor's place more than an hour after she ate lunch. She's looked for her everywhere but she wasn't there. She was wondering where she would be at this time of day. She usually told her whenever she was leaving her house.
She tried calling her again and eventually found out why she couldn't reach her. She had left her phone.
Laura took and opened it. Her last message was from an unregistered number. The message was an address. Without thinking, Laura went back to her car and drove her way to wherever that place was.
A/N:
Explosiosinthesky, Thank you! I try. I've actually finished this story up until the very last chapter that's why I can update regularly =)
moanzs, Here's the new chapter! Thank you for the reviews, you rock haha. =)
Elzyles, Wow, that's impressive! Haha. That's 70 pages in MS Word lol =) Thank you, appreciate that you like it
fishbonne1082, no it's definitely not yet over don't worry =) Thank you!
stargatejumper10, that's actually my hopes for them irl. A girl can dream, right? Haha.
Thanks again you guys. Sorry for saying this over and over again but I really do appreciate it =)