Taylor tried to call and talk to Summer the afternoon of the fight but failed to get in touch with her friend. She cried to Ryan bitterly that night about it all and as she had talked to him, she felt her heart melting for him. He is so good and sweet, Taylor thought to herself. He listens to me ramble and when I am all finished and exhausted he flashes that brilliant smile that I can see even though we're talking on the phone and my world feels safe and good. She had gone to bed happy at least in the fact that she loved and was well loved by such a good man.

In the morning she had intended to sleep in; she had only a few errands to run and did not see the point in using up too much of her Sunday on tiresome chores. Her plans to sleep in were interrupted however at nine by Cordelia.

"Hey what's going on?" Taylor yawned as her blonde friend entered the apartment briskly.

"Seth talk to you lately?"

"No not lately." She was alert now; the sleepiness of the morning no longer hung over her auburn locks. "Is everything okay?"

"No—far from okay. He came over very late last night—we were supposed to go to the movies but he didn't show up until eleven."

"What did he say?"

"Something about Summer having a meltdown; I don't believe it."

"No." Well at least Taylor wasn't the only one to get upset about the fight yesterday. In her mind Taylor could easily see Summer having a meltdown and Seth's comforting of Summer becoming something physical and passionate. Even though she had no evidence, Taylor felt in the pit of her stomach that Summer and Seth had slept with each other while Cordelia had waited for him. "You think he's lying?"

"It's an easy excuse for him to make—I mean, I know she's been upset lately; but if she was having a meltdown, wouldn't she turn to you first? I mean, weren't you guys going to the beach yesterday? Did she seem all right?"

"Well she seemed a little down." If Taylor was going to lay it all out for Cordelia, now was the chance. There the blonde stood, her eyes full of hope and affection and even though her brain yelled the truth, Taylor's mouth formed lies. Standing there, Taylor found she could not give up Summer's secrets. "She just lost her father." Taylor couldn't well tell Cordelia they had had a fight about Summer's intensions of breaking Seth away.

"I know—I get that; but we both have seen how Summer's been acting towards Seth. I just can't shake the suspicion that they did something last night."

"Seth and Summer have been through a lot together though—maybe it was nothing." Taylor turned and walked into the kitchen. "Do you want me to make some coffee? She had never been a particularly good liar and she feared her hazel orbs would give secrets away. Why didn't she just blurt out the truth? No doubt it would make Summer's life easier. No, apart of her hesitated because she wanted Seth to make the decision for himself; also, based on Summer's reaction from the day before, she would not be very happy with Taylor for telling Cordelia anything. Cordelia might swoop in and steal back Seth for herself.

"You'd tell me though right?"

"If I know something about Seth and Summer? Yeah." There the words lay, out in the atmosphere; Cordelia eagerly snatched at them. Taylor held the coffee pot in her hand and looked Cordelia squarely in the eye. She couldn't tell Summer and Seth's secret to her; she felt like every time she opened her mouth to speak those words memories of her friendship with Seth and Summer and all the affection and friendship and love they had given her opened up before her; those images shut her mouth and tied up her vocal cords and the only thing she could express was her lack of anxiety about Seth's disloyalty to Cordelia. "I'll let you know."

"Thank you; I knew I could turn to you." Cordelia sat down and smiled up at her friend. "You probably want to go back to bed—I would have called later but I've been so upset and worried."

"No I'm up—I'm the type that can't usually fall back asleep. Do you want anything to eat? We have some cereal?"

"No—I'm going to go back home and call Seth."

"Did you guys fight?"

"Yeah—I'm still a bit worried because he became so defensive and nervous about things when I asked him where he'd been. I don't know—it's just that they've been so tight lately that I can't escape the impression that they're up to something. I mean, you know how they were in high school."

"I know—but Seth is a good guy—he wouldn't do anything to hurt you." No, except cheat on you and go back to his ex-girlfriend.

"Well maybe I overreacted; they have been through a lot together."

"Just talk to him and let him know how you feel—maybe he just needs to know how anxious you are about Summer, I'm sure he'll be better about it. He does love you."

"I don't know about that."

"Cordelia? You don't think he loves you? Do you love him?"

"I do love him—that's why this is so hard for me. I've never loved another guy like this before." Her words made Taylor feel cold and dead inside; her heart laughed with a bitter ruefulness. Again the truth tried to throw itself up into the morning daylight, but her throat was like cement and it would not pass.

"Tell him that—he'll see how much he loves you and thinks about you—I'm sure last night was nothing; just trying to help out a friend."

"I will." She smiled brightly at Taylor and rose to leave. "Thanks so much for listening to me." Cordelia hugged her friend tightly and left, leaving Taylor standing in the kitchen, a sharp pain tugging at her heart. She sat down and thought about all that she had done; she had lied outright to her friend, and for what? So Summer and Seth could finally get back together again, so they could continue their mad dance around each other?

Taylor was not sure how long she sat there, musing, because before she knew it there was a knock at the door; looking up, she noticed that the time was nearly eleven and that she had absentmindedly had some cereal and had drunk the coffee she had been brewing for Cordelia and herself. As she rose from the table the knock sounded again.

"Be right there!" she cried and walked hurriedly to the door. Throwing it open, she found Seth before her.

"Hey."

"Hi." There was a great deal of tension marked in Seth's face and she knew that her earlier intuitions had been correct. "What's going on?"

"Well I wanted to and talk to you about Summer."

"Well that's a good thing Seth because that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." Suddenly Taylor hit Seth squarely in the arm. "You slept with her, didn't you?"

"Why did you punch me for?"

"Seth! How long have I know you and Summer?"

"Four years."

"I think it that amount of time I've come to be able to predict your behavior." She pointed her finger excitedly at him. "I've seen this little drama unfold before you know; I saw the whole Zach episode unfold."

"So Cordelia is my Zach Stevens?"

"I guess so—what happened last night?" She lead him into the kitchen and sat down wearily. "Cordelia came by here."

"She called me to talk."

"Did you talk to her? Did you tell her the truth?"

"I didn't." He must have seen the annoyance in Taylor's eyes because he become nervous and defensive. "I cheated on her and I know it's wrong Taylor but I can't help it because it's Summer."

"The girl who broke your heart and made you miserable all last summer and fall."

"She made a mistake—she's the first one to admit it; I know she's admitted it you as well because that's why I went over there."

"Because we had a fight."

"And she was really upset by it; you hurt her feelings and she felt like crap because she knows she hurt yours."

"So you were comforting her and what? There was a moment?" Seth just nodded his head. "You want to be with her?"

"I do but at the same time everything you say about our past is true—Summer broke my heart and I don't know if I can just get back with her again."

"You have to break up with Cordelia."

"I know—I just need some"

"No—I don't want to hear how you need time; you slept with another person Seth, and she really loves you."

"All the more reason for me to take it slow—I have to get the right words together."

"You better get them together quickly." Taylor sighed and rested her head on her hand. "You really think Summer's changed?"

"I do—but I just have to get over the past." Wasn't that so true with everyone? Taylor thought about her and Ryan. They had taken things slowly at first because she had been hurt by him; yes they had slept together immediately and their passions had been intense, but Taylor hadn't really allowed her heart to be conquered for a good month. She remembered how it had happened because it was such a small gesture: Taylor had had a bad day and had called Ryan to tell him about it; even though it now seemed like a petty matter, Taylor had invested so much emotion into all the things that had made her day so rotten. Ryan of course had listened to her with full attention and then had been so supportive and sweet and funny about her day that she realized then and there how badly she had missed him and that there was no one else who really understood her the way he did.

"You will Seth—if you really want to."

"We're having dinner tonight—Summer and I; you should come."

"Will she want me to?"

"Yeah—she'd really be happy to see you."