Chapter 15
Ryan watched Julie leave his office and continued to stare at his cell phone. As if on cue, he was suddenly jolted out of his trance by his phone ringing. Taylor.
"Hey" he said quietly when he answered the phone.
"Hey" replied Taylor sweetly.
There were several moments of awkward silence broken by them both speaking at the same time.
"We need to talk…" they both started and laughed as they had the night Ryan proposed. Both sensed that this conversation was going to go very differently.
"You first" said Ryan "I'm listening".
Taylor was nervous. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. "Ryan, I've done a lot of thinking" she began " and I want to say that this actually has very little to do with Nate, and everything to do with you and me." Her voice was shaky, but she knew she needed to get it all out. "I think we've been kidding ourselves that we were meant to be together for ever." Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing. It seemed like they had come to the same decision.
"I know what you mean" he said softly "not that I didn't want to make it work. I really did, and I really do care about you Taylor."
"I know Ryan, but you know you still have a lot of stuff to deal with. I think you really need some time on your own with no romantic distractions at all. You still have some healing to do. I don't think you had enough time before."
"Taylor, it's never been about her" Ryan wasn't being entirely truthful, but he really didn't want to hurt Taylor. "It's about me, and my issues, and I never wanted to hurt you. I really thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."
"But you don't" Taylor finished for him "and I don't want to be with someone who only wants to be with me because it's safe and comfortable. We both need excitement and passion, and we're not getting that from each other any more. I didn't really want to do this on the phone, but I also didn't want to do it at home with Nate there."
"Thanks" said Ryan barely in a whisper.
"You take care of him and make him want to do the same for somebody else too. Bye Ryan, I won't be home tonight." Taylor began to break down.
"Bye Taylor, I …" he trailed off and hung up.
He laid his head in his hands on his desk trying to comprehend exactly what he was feeling. This was turning out to be one hell of a day. It was only lunch time and he was minus a girlfriend and plus a foster kid. He couldn't possibly have known what the rest of the day would hold for him.