Chapter 11:
The following morning, Taylor was greeted by a generous amount of sunlight spilling through the blinds, and he knew that it was time for a change. He was beginning to feel like quite the hermit, cooped up inside of Mason and Alexa's apartment all day every day. In a way, it was fun and even a little bit thrilling to hide out, but he was starting to get restless. His whole life had been driven by such exciting forward motion, so to have everything come to a grinding halt all of a sudden was a serious shock to his system. Taking baby steps was probably the best way to overcome his cabin fever, so Taylor showered quickly and decided to go out for some coffee. Over the past several days, he was pretty sure he'd all but drained the girls' caffeine supply.
Seeing that their bedroom door was open a crack, he walked by to ask them if they wanted anything while he went on his coffee run. Yet the telling sounds of a brewing argument drifted into the hallway, causing Taylor to stop in his tracks before entering. He knew that he should turn and walk away, that their relationship was none of his business and he had no right eavesdropping on what was meant to be a private conversation. But his feet were glued to the floor as he listened to their hushed whispers.
"I thought you took the day off of work," Mason's voice, although quiet, sounded hurt.
"I tried, but it's not that easy for me to do, Mas," Alexa said. "My job isn't as flexible as yours is. I don't have any other people to ask to switch shifts with me at the drop of a hat. This family relies on me to watch their kids, and-,"
"Oh, come on, Lex. You're acting like I ask you to take days off all the time. I just thought today might be different, that it might actually mean something to you, considering it's our one-year anniversary."
"It means a lot to me," she snapped. "But I can't just blow off work to have dinner with you, and you know that."
"Fine. Forget it," Mason said, the anger in her voice replaced by a sadness that even Taylor could pick up on from several feet away. "I'll cancel the reservation and we'll make plans some other time."
"Mason, I'm sorry," Alexa said softly. "Don't make this into a bigger deal than it is. You know how much I care about you."
"Honestly, I'm not sure that I do anymore," she said, and before Taylor could realize what was happening, she threw open the bedroom door and stormed into the hallway, almost knocking him over.
He felt a fiery blush coat his cheeks as he stumbled backward and saw both Mason and Alexa staring at him with matching looks of pain and confusion in their eyes.
"Sorry," he stammered. He knew there was no real way to cover up the fact that he'd heard everything, but he was at least determined to try. "I was just heading out for some coffee, and I thought I'd see if you guys wanted anything..."
"Maybe Alexa should just go with you," Mason said, her tone so icy that Taylor actually shivered. "She's too busy to hang out with me anymore, but she always seems to have plenty of time for you."
Then she turned her back and stomped into the kitchen, leaving Taylor and Alexa looking at each other helplessly.
"Is everything okay?" Taylor finally asked, breaking through the tense silence.
Alexa just shook her head sadly and retreated into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
* * * * * * * * *
After that notably awkward episode between Mason and Alexa, Taylor was all the more determined to get out of the house. He left the apartment quickly and wandered outside for awhile, his thoughts spinning clumsily through his mind while he tried to make sense of them. Although the girls had seemed fine with him living there, maybe his presence was putting a strain on their relationship that he hadn't realized. He made a mental note to make himself scarce more often, and to spend less of his days and nights sprawled on their living room couch so they could actually have some alone time. Their argument left a bitter taste in his mouth and a weight on his heart, reminding him of the difficult conversations he had with Melanie toward the end of their marriage. He sincerely hoped that their story would turn out differently than his and Melanie's had - in this ridiculous mess of a situation, at least someone deserved to be happy.
He was pulled back to reality when the strong, delicious smell of coffee invaded his nostrils, reminding him why he'd gone out in the first place. He looked up and saw the familiar Starbucks logo staring down at him; he yanked the door open and stepped inside.
He'd originally planned on getting his coffee to go, but since he was in no rush to return to the apartment, he decided to live on the edge, order a breakfast sandwich along with his drink, and sit down for awhile. He found a secluded spot in the corner and ate his meal quietly, averting his eyes whenever someone looked his way. He'd become an expert at dodging glances from strangers. He could hardly remember the life he used to lead, when he welcomed the random attention lavished on him by people who thought they knew him.
He shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. The text message was from Zac, and it contained three simple words.
I see you.
Taylor swallowed thickly and stayed completely still for a moment to prevent his breakfast from coming back up. Then he slowly raised his eyes and looked around the room. He didn't see him at first and was about to write off Zac's message as a scare tactic, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar head of hair several tables away, turned in his direction. Zac was also alone, his right hand clutching a cup of coffee while his left one gripped his cell phone.
Taylor knew he should just approach his brother and talk to him, but he didn't know how. So he sent him a text instead, making sure not to look in Zac's direction while he typed the message. His response was both hasty and childish, but what else could he do? Of all people, his brothers should have understood his need to escape the crazy people following his every move, but instead of sympathizing with him they somehow succeeded in making the situation so much worse.
Thanks for tracking me down and making me the star of the national news.
When several minutes passed with no reply, Taylor finally stole a glance at his little brother to find him staring down at his phone with a hint of a smile on his face. Zac finally punched a few buttons, causing Taylor's screen to light up a few moments later.
Oh, get over yourself. You're not that important.
Taylor bit back a grin at his brother's cheeky response. Over the last few weeks, he really had grown to miss his family, Zac in particular. But that was something he hadn't been willing to admit to himself until now.
He paused for a moment before replying, If that's the case, then what are you doing here?
You know how much I hate texting. I'm coming over.
While Zac might've been slow on his cell phone, his physical reflexes were impressive and he promptly sank down into an empty chair beside Taylor, giving him very little time to prepare.
"I knew it," Zac said. "Isaac gives up way too quickly. He got tired of waiting around for you, but I knew that if I stayed here long enough, I'd find you."
"Zac, there's a Starbucks on every corner of this city," he pointed out. "You just got lucky."
"Maybe so. But either way, be glad that you ran into me first instead of Ike. He has been an absolute basket case since you've gone missing, and he just might tear your head off when he sees you."
Taylor took a thoughtful sip from his coffee cup, knowing that Zac was right. Isaac had always been the most intense of the three of them, the quickest to fly off the handle when anything went awry. Once more, he was overcome with guilt for putting his family through any sort of pain, but they didn't understand his situation and left him little choice.
"But seriously, fuck the tabloids and the crazy news stories. Are you okay?" Zac asked, flecks of concern swimming in his large brown eyes.
Taylor sighed. He knew that if there was one person in his family he could confide in, it was Zac. Zac might not be able to relate to what he was going through with Melanie, but his little brother had done enough foolish things in his lifetime to convince Taylor that he could trust him without being judged.
"I...don't know if I'm okay yet. But I think I'm getting there," Taylor said honestly.
Zac looked across the table at him for a long stretch of time before rising to his feet. "I'll get a refill on our coffee, and then you can fill me in on what's been going on with you lately."
A wave of relief washed over Taylor upon hearing Zac's words, taking him by surprise. Maybe Mason was right all along, and he just needed to let things out in order to feel better about them. He wasn't ready to face his entire family with the various sad truths of his life, but at least he didn't have to hide from Zac anymore. A genuine smile crept onto his face and made a home there as Taylor realized that sometimes what you fear the most is the very thing that heals you.