Lonely Hearts Meeting

Chapter 9 - The Warning

Her nightmare is still in the back of her mind, Taylor stares at her reflection in the mirror - pausing from getting herself ready for work. She doesn't recognise the person staring back at her, can't even find who she was three years ago. What she can see is the extra weight she's gained over the past couple of weeks. Since Joe's been here. She realises she hasn't even been thinking about eating, she's just eaten when he does. As she studies herself further, it bothers her more. It's frustrating, knowing she shouldn't hate it as much as she does.

She must've been standing there a while because she's brought back to earth by a gentle knock on the door.

"Tay are you almost ready? We gotta go in a few minutes." His voice is soft, he's still so gentle with her - he must know deep down that she's a little messed up. But he never forces her to talk, just continues to be soft and warm.

"Yeah, just give me a sec!" She calls back, rushing to finish her makeup.

"Are you okay if I come in and brush my teeth?" Shit, she's been in here too long.

"Oh yeah of course!" The door opens slowly and she smiles at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long." His smile widens as he walks over to her, presses a gentle kiss to her head.

"Don't worry about it." He's just so easy going, something she's still getting used to. It's hard to switch the fear out of your brain when you're so used to being yelled at over the simplest mistake.

The pair finish getting ready before rushing out the door with seconds to spare. Joe drops her to the front gate with a quick kiss and hug before Taylor climbs out of the car, waving goodbye. It's the first time watching him drive away since her dream - the one he still doesn't know about. A pit of fear settles into her stomach, one she has a feeling won't subside until she's back in his car this afternoon. So Taylor does what she does best, puts on a bright smile as she makes her way to her classroom - determined to still do her job well today. Her students enjoy her class, the last thing she wants is for that to change purely because she's drowning in her personal life.

The day goes by smoothly, she's able to out her teacher's hat on and mostly forget about her worries. That is until her lunch hour, she's alone in her classroom - working. But the time comes where she feels a little hungry so she pulls out the sandwich Joe made for her. They had a good system, she made their lunches on a Sunday night one week, and he does it the other. It's odd how easy things are with him. But today, she stares at the sandwich and feels sick, remembers what she'd seen in the mirror this morning. So after staring at it for too long, she throws it out - shoving the trash can as far under her desk as she can, so she doesn't have to look at it and feel guilty. And that's that. She skipped the meal and returns to work.

The rest of her day flies past, once that final bell rings - the guilt sets in. Joe would be disappointed, hell she's disappointed in herself. Why on earth is she like this? Taylor just buries her head in grading papers, barely notices the time passing and misses her phone ringing several times. So imagine her surprise when she feels someone watching her from the doorway. The fear sets in again. Her heart begins racing and she jumps up, realises it's Joe and puts her hand to her heart - trying to slow its rhythm. She watches him put his hands up,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You just weren't answering your phone, I've been here for half an hour." He takes a few steps into the room, closing the door gently behind him.

"Sorry. I'm sorry, I-I must have missed it." Her hands are still shaking, can't stop the panic that overtook her, despite knowing there's no actual threat.

"It's okay." He wraps his arms around her. "It's all okay." Her head falls into his chest, trying so hard to centre herself as his hand strokes her back. She can't do this here, but the reminder that this can't happen seems to amplify her reaction.

"It's just me." He murmurs, reaching up to wipe stray tears from under her eyes. She focuses on his warm hands as they cup her cheeks, her eyes close as she nuzzles her head into his hands - pressing a gentle kiss to his palm.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out." She whispers, still worried he's doing to get fed up with her soon. Everything is constant with her, the stalking, the mess - her own mind tearing her apart.

"Don't apologise, you have nothing to be sorry for." He gently kisses her forehead, Taylor enjoys the proximity - feels warmth spread back through her body. "C'mon, let's go home." her murmurs, leading her out of the building tucked under his arm.

As they exit the building hand in hand, Taylor sees his car first - her feet stop moving as she gasps.

"What..." Joe trails off as his eyes follow her line of sight. In front of them is his car, with the word 'leave' keyed into the side door. She grasps his hand tighter, her dream practically flashing before her eyes as she sees the clear warning engraved into his car. Adam has been here. He's still following her - and by extension, Joe.

"Taylor I'm sure it's just some kid pulling a prank." He tries to calm her down but her eyes remain glued to the car as she shakes her head.

"No. It's him, I know it is." She's going to protect him. She'll let him go if she has to, but god that's the last thing she wants to do. She's finally found someone who seems to care in a pure way. She'll fight for them, but if it comes to it - as a last resort - she'll leave him. Taylor feels his arm wind around her waist. What the hell now?