Strangers

Painful memories

TW: suicide

When Jenny entered the apartment Taylor was coming out of it.

"Wow, I didn't even get in before you left"

Taylor stopped and gave Jenny a quick hug.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow, looking over at Taylor again.

"Teacher let us leave earlier today. Where are YOU going, that's interesting"

Taylor hesitated. She expected Jenny to be there in half an hour and Taylor would be gone by then. Now Jenny caught her off guard and she didn't know what to answer.

"I have a meeting" the first thing Taylor thought of

"With whom and why?"

"Is this an interrogation? Since when are you interested in my business?"

Jenny was looking at her even more suspiciously now.

"I didn't ask you anything, what's up mom? You never made a secret of where you were going before"

"I don't, I'm just late" Taylor started making excuses.

"So where are you going to be late?"

Jenny kept up with her, but Taylor had already figured it out and had an answer.

"Jenny, I'm meeting someone at the cafe.We'll have a heart-to-heart talk, and I'll explain to him why he shouldn't cross me.  I'm really late so let me go" Taylor's pushiness and cold tone worked and Jenny went into the apartment and Taylor called the elevator.

"Okay, bye, mom. Good luck crushing the competition out there"

"Thank you" Taylor smiled and got on the elevator.

She bit her lip and sighed. She had to come up with some plausible cover story for Jenny to explain her departure and absence.

She and Joe didn't see each other more than three times a week, like they'd agreed. But she had to admit, It wasn't enough. Good sex, of course it was important, but it was also interesting to talk to Joe.

At first Taylor had avoided it by all means to avoid getting attached and all that, but then it just sort of worked itself out. She was no longer in a hurry to leave, and she was free to stay longer and chat with him about everything.

They had a good time sometimes sitting on the floor of his apartment. He was a pretty comfortable person.

Taylor got out and drove along the familiar route that she had learned by heart over the past month and a half.

Joe met her as usual and walked her to the apartment. He was kind of weird that, though he didn't show it, but something in his demeanor and Taylor's intuition told her that something was obviously wrong.

He was usually more cheerful, and this time Taylor had initiated the meeting, and Joe's behavior made her question her decision to spend the evening with him. Joe walked her in and asked:

"How have things been going since the last time we saw each other?"

"I'm fine" Taylor smiled as she looked at him, but he didn't smile back.

"Well, I'm happy for you. I'm doing the same old thing, too"

"You look a bit zoomed out"

It was as if those words sobered Joe up from the state he was in. He turned to Taylor and kinda smiled.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired today"

"Well, all right, then"

Taylor didn't believe him. She herself was an expert at pretending that everything was fine when it wasn't, so she could tell when other people were trying to do so. But she didn't tell Joe anything; if he'd wanted to, he would have told her. And it's none of her business anyway. They are not that close.