Surround me - the first novel

Prologue - No more thinking about Tom.

Taylor's POV

Tom Louis Parker, with his sandy beach hair and open easy smile was very good at talking to girls. Good at serenading them with his guitar and dedicating songs to all of the girls he casually glanced at. And even though I was very young, had the rest of my life ahead of me, I thought I had found love. The kind that creeps up on you slowly, gives you butterflies and makes you feel faint whenever you see each other.

I sigh exasperated looking out of my bedroom window, back again at the juvenile posters on my wall. They're all bands that he likes, we share similar interests. And I may have just adopted some of the music he enjoys along the journey of our five year friendship. Bands like pearl jam and nirvana. I hasten to remember him crudely giving me a rendition of pearl jams track daughter and reminisce at how I laughed as he muddled up the words. Him tickling me and then awkwardly removing himself from my immediate personal space. Neither of us sure whether we were friends or something more than that.

That was the real problem with Tom. He was a casual kind of guy, carefully choosing his words. Always delineating on love but never quite promising it.

Pulling myself up, from the comfort of my bed, I stand and grab at the nirvana poster pulling it down and throwing it in the bin. There I think to myself. Pearl jam is next. I drop shot that one into the bin too. Finding myself examining the room for all leftover signs of him, in some weird kind of exorcism of my sort of ex boyfriend exercise.

"Taylor Elena Harris" he had said to me when we first met, eyes sweeping over my brunette hair and cream skin.

"What do you play?" He had asked, at a music rehearsal, it was a straight forward question uttered by a boy unlike any boys I had ever seen before. I looked up into those eyes uncomprehending, losing my train of thought entirely.

"You're a singer?" He guessed, he was very good at talking to girls. Pulling myself together I replied that I could play guitar and sing.

"I'm sure you sound wonderful" he had replied, I glance at my guitar sitting proudly in the corner of my room and consider throwing it just because he touched it once. All in aid of the exorcism of Tom. Deciding I've hit a new level of crazy I force myself back into the bed noticing a car pull into the drive as I peer out of the window. Reversing up the small driveway, killing the engine the driver remaining seated in the car.

LY... I begin assessing the number plate recognising it and racking my brain. A blue car, Taylor think, who drives a blue car? I ask myself deliberating for a moment. Im no car enthusiast, couldn't tell the difference between a Chevy and a jeep but the more I look at this one I'm almost positive this is Tom's dad's car.

Before my mother seizes the opportunity to embarrass me by opening the door and asking whether Tom is staying for lunch, or confronting Tom's dad on why Tom hasn't been over for weeks. I fly down the stairs and out of the front door to confront the driver of the mystery blue car. Hoping that's it's Tom and not his dad, that would be rather awkward. I laugh a little on my descent.

The air hits me as I leave the house, and I realise I haven't left my bedroom let alone ventured out into the glorious Californian sunshine for almost two weeks. I have been busy procrastinating, writing tortured love songs and watching re-runs of one tree hill. Let's not miss out crying my little heart out. But I will not be letting onto any of that to the young man sitting in the car before me. He glances at me a smile on his perfect lips, his chiselled jaw clenched just slightly. Apprehensive of the reaction he is going to receive. His eyes tell me that he is sure of himself, sure that he can worm his way back into top spot "kind of" boyfriend position.