Lonely Hearts Meeting

Chapter 3 - The Picnic

Adam: Well well, I see you're passing out your number already - he won't stick around long, you'll be begging for me to take you back. 

Taylor feels her hands shake slightly, he'd seen her? How on earth had he seen her? Her mind is racing, terrified that he's following her now. What on earth had she gotten herself into with him? Just as she's about to go into full panic mode - she sees Joe's name pop up again, he's sent her a place for them to meet tomorrow. She sucks in a deep breath, wiping under her teary eyes as she sends Joe a thumbs up. She's choosing to ignore Adam for now, wants to focus on the man who's made her feel all fluttery inside - who genuinely seems interested in her as a person. She's hoping that Adam seeing her had been a coincidence, that he's using it to scare her. So with that in mind, she shuts off her phone and heads to bed. As she lets her exhausted body fall onto the mattress, she can't help but wonder what will happen tomorrow. She's made it clear that she's not ready to date yet, but she's excited by the prospect of Joe - there's something about how quickly she's been drawn to him that surprises her. She'd not expected to trust another man with her heart after Adam, definitely not this quickly. As her eyes droop, Taylor allows herself to give into exhaustion - has the first pleasant dream she's had in months. 

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It's 4pm, Taylor had spent the day finishing off her last bits of work - trying not to worry about Adam, finding herself hopelessly dreaming about her 'date' this evening. Now, she's finally getting ready for it. She wants to look good, wants to not feel completely awful about her existence tonight. So as she puts on her makeup, her mind wanders. She's still slightly worried about that text, worried about what she could inadvertently be dragging Joe into. If Adam really is stalking her, that would put him in danger. Taylor bites her lip, worrying if she's made the right decision to go out tonight. She stops her movements for a moment, just blankly staring into her reflection. It takes her a bit to collect herself again, breathing deeply, reminding herself that it's going to be okay. She gets weird like this sometimes - well, its fairly regular these days. 

Finally, she manages to pull herself together, enough to continue getting ready. It doesn't take her too long, and by 5:40 she's walking out the door. A breeze blows through her hair, pulling it back over her shoulders as she walks. It isn't far, he's asked her to meet him at the same park she'd been in yesterday. The fluttery feeling returns to her chest as she gets closer, she's excited. Taylor's phone buzzes in her hand, she looks down at it to see Joe's send her a message. 

Joe: Hey, I'm here - ready whenever you are :) 

He's attached a picture she recognises instantly, knows exactly where he's waiting. A smile creeps onto her face as she types her reply. 

Taylor: Not far now, see you soon :) 

She shoves her phone into her pocket, picking up her pace. She feels lighter today, her excitement has cleared some of the fog in her brain. It doesn't take much further for her to walk until she sees him sitting down on a picnic rug, food laid out for the both of them. Taylor's small smile breaks into a grin as he waves her over. As she walks up to him, he stands up to greet her with a friendly hug, one she reprimands herself for wishing would last longer. 

"It's nice to see you again." He says warmly, she watches his eyes shine in the evening light, an astounding blue colour she could absolutely get lost in.  

"You too!" She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear as they sit down on the blanket. "Wow, you went all out! This looks incredible." She sees him grin, his cheeks pinking slightly. 

"Thank you, how have you been since I last saw you?" 

Their conversation flows from there, any awkwardness vanishes and she really enjoys herself - finds herself laughing loudly, happier than she's been in years. God, she can't remember a time where she really felt like this. So...free? They're just getting to know each other, but laughing and telling stories as if they're old friends, neither understanding why they're so drawn to one another. Eventually, the sun goes down and they decide it's too cold and dark to remain here. So Taylor does something she never anticipated she'd do,