Lonely Hearts Meeting

Chapter 25 - Reaching Out

Taylor wakes up, having fallen asleep after being intimate. She feels like a new woman - one who's far less afraid. Joe had given her something back that Adam had taken from her years ago, she hadn't realised what she'd been missing. She feels braver. Her mind slips back to her friends, the people she hadn't spoken to in almost a year. She wants to reach out, and maybe now is the time to do that. Taylor looks at Joe's sleeping frame, his peaceful face. She smiles a little before slipping out of bed, throwing his shirt over her body and grabbing her phone. She walks out to the little window seat, curling up with a blanket as she wills up the courage to call Abigail. She wants to do Abi first, she's known her the longest and is really hoping that she of all people will understands. 

Her hands shake as she clicks dial, her heart speeding up and the dial tone sounds. 

"Taylor?" Abigail's voice filters through the phone and Taylor's eyes fill with tears. 

"Abi, I missed you." She whispers, her voice cracking. 

"Where have you been? I called and called but never heard!" She can hear the emotion in Abigail's voice and it almost breaks her. 

"I...It's such a long story. I'm so sorry." She can't spit the words out. How do you explain to your best friend that you'd been emotionally abused by your ex - the one who'd seemed so perfect for you? And then explain all the stalking that had happened after you'd tried to get away? 

"Tell me Taylor, I'm here to listen. I was so so worried." Taylor bites her lip, wishes she'd written out some sort of script. 

"Adam forced me to stop talking to you, to stop seeing you. He...He'd get pretty angry when I tried to resist." She whispers, it's all still so hard to talk about. 

"Holy shit. I'll kill him. Did he hurt you?" The fire in Abi's voice is unmistakable, she sounds exactly like how she used to. Taylor sucks in a shaky breath, running her fingers through her hair. 

"Yeah, he did. It was more emotional stuff than anything. I don't think I realised how fucked up it was until I left." 

"You've left? Are you safe now?"

"I left, but he spent a while stalking me. Sending threatening messages to me, trying to force me back to him. I honestly thought I wasn't going to survive it." Tears are pouring down her cheeks. She'd really missed her friend, she's so angry with herself for letting a whole year go by. 

"Oh Tay. Where are you now? Where's Adam?" She can hear the worry in her friends voice. She wishes she were with her now, that they could hug it out. 

"That's the good news I have. Adam is in prison, I'm not the first girl he's done this to - I'm just the one he was most possessive about it seems. And...I've met someone else." Even she can hear how much lighter her voice is when talking about Joe. 

"I'm so glad he's locked up. And I'm so proud of you for realising that's where he needed to be. Now tell me about this new guy! You sound relieved by him." 

"He's...god Abi he's everything I could have dreamed of. He met me while I was right in the thick of all the stalking stuff. I kept trying to get him to leave, to live his life so he could be safe. But he refused. He stayed, and he's working with me through all the trauma. I'm pretty sure he's the only reason I was brave enough to go to the police about Adam. And he's everything Adam wasn't, he's showing me what love should be like." She can't say enough about Joe. Can't ever properly describe everything he's done for her. 

"You're gushing, he sounds amazing Tay. You deserve a lifetime of happiness. I'm so sorry about everything you went through. I should've seen the signs. I should've tried harder to get to you, called the police or something." She can hear the despair in Abigail's voice and she feels her heart drop. 

"You couldn't have known." Taylor murmurs softly. "I don't blame you, I honestly stopped responding to keep you safe. He threatened so many things, but I needed to keep you all safe. Please don't think you should've done something differently. I'm honestly just grateful you aren't angry with me." Taylor leans her head against the window, pulling the blanket around her a little tighter. 

"Oh Taylor no, I was never angry. I knew something was wrong, I just could not figure out what it was. But in hindsight it should've been obvious." 

"The benefit of hindsight...I look back and see all the signs that Adam wasn't who he pretended to be in the beginning. But neither of us can change what happened. And I am happy now, I'd go through it all again if it meant meeting Joe." 

"When can I see you? And I want to meet him, the man who's truly taken your heart." They both giggle, Taylor's so happy they've slipped right back into their friendship. 

"I'm in London at the moment, being finally free to travel is amazing. We'll be back in two weeks and I promise I'm coming to visit. I owe my parents a visit too so we'll probably fly down to Nashville as soon as we get back." 

"You better message me, I'll pick you up from the airport. We'll hang out like old times. I've really really missed you." She can hear the tears in Abi's voice, her own still dripping down her face. 

"I've missed you too. I really have been thinking about you, despite not being able to reach out." 

"Oh Tay, me too. I even tried your mom, but she had no clue either."

"Yeah I've only reached out to her recently. It's been hard to work up the courage to reach out to everyone I cut off. But I'm getting there."

"I'm glad, take your time with it all. There's absolutely no rush. I can't imagine how difficult it's been to try heal from all this." 

"Thank you for understanding." 

"I'll always be here for you T. I'm just one call away, no matter what."

"Thank you." Taylor whispers, trying to wipe her tears away. "I've got to go now, but I'll be in touch. And I'll message you the dates for when I come visit." 

"I love you Taylor, speak soon okay?"

"Love you too Abi. I'll see you very soon." The call disconnects and Taylor lets out a sigh, staring out of Joe's window. Her heart is in pieces, she really hadn't imagined how hard that call was for her emotionally, but she's so glad she did it. She can't handle another one today so she places her phone down next to her, giving herself time to stop crying. She really still can't quite grasp everything Adam had taken from her. She's only now starting to pick up the pieces of her shambled life, somewhat trying to take herself back to the girl she'd been before all of this. 

"Taylor?" She hears Joe call out to her, looks over at him. He's standing a distance away, a concerned look on his face. "Do you want to be alone?" She shakes her head, gesturing for him to come over to her. She scoots forward, lifting up the blanket a little to let him slide in behind her. His arms wrap around her and she snuggles into his chest, grateful for his warmth. His fingers gently caress her waist and she sighs, letting herself relax against him. She slowly unwinds from the emotions that call brought forth. 

"I called my oldest friend, Abigail." She murmurs softly. 

"I heard you on the phone, thought I should give you some space." He gently kisses her head. 

"Thank you. It was something I needed to do, I'm glad I did it. I just didn't expect the barrage of emotions that are seeming to follow." 

"Anything you're feeling right now makes sense. He took a lot from you, I can't imagine how hard it is to go back to your old life." 

"I was hoping we could go to Nashville when we get back to the US? Spend a week or two there so I can see my family and Abigail. But I totally understand if you don't want to, I know you've taken a ton of time off work already so I can do this on my own." 

"I want to be with you Taylor, wherever you go - I'll be right there with you. Work can live without me for a bit longer. Besides, I'd love to meet your friends and family." His arms are still firmly around her, his lips on her cheek. 

"You're too sweet. I love you." She murmurs, intertwining her hands with his. 

"I love you too." He turns her head around, just enough so their lips can meet.