The Right Chords

Chapter 12

This night, when you were going to Taylor's, you realized you were late. The project with Elliott took longer than expected, and you lost track of time. When you finally entered Taylor's, she greeted you with a mixture of relief and annoyance. 

Taylor: "Where were you, y/n? I was worried." 

You looked down, feeling the guilt rise in you. 

Y/n: "I'm sorry, Taylor, I was at the apartment, I had a lot of work and things to do". 

You preferred to lie so as not to upset her, but she knew you too well to know that you were coming to invent this answer. 

Taylor: "Are you kidding me?" she said angry enough, if her eyes could be a color other than blue, they would be red, red with anger. 

Y/n: "No, uh, yes. Okay, I had to help Elliott with his project and it took longer than I thought. I didn't see the time pass." 

Taylor: "Obviously you were with Elliott, how could I not have guessed before? You could have sent me a message to warn me of your delay at least," she exasperated 

Y/n: "I.. I ran out of battery, I'm sorry." 

Taylor instantly cut you off, "Must be because you're sending him too many messages." in a very cold tone

You felt hurt by that tackle she had just thrown at you. 

Taylor: "Does he know at least about the two of us?" 

Y/n: "Tay.. No, he doesn't know.... I told him I wasn't in a relationship." You see some tears running down Taylor's cheeks that she is still trying to hide. You were trying to catch up. 

Y/n: "We said we shouldn't say it, it wasn't against you..." 

Taylor sighed, seeming frustrated and went on to say, "I understand that you have friends and responsibilities outside of our relationship, but I can't help but feel left out when you spend so much time with Elliott." 

You tried to calm things down, "Taylor, I promise you my feelings are for you. Elliott is a friend, nothing more. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise." 

Taylor stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up at you. 

Taylor: "Maybe we need a break, y/n. To step back and reassess our feelings. I cannot continue to feel this way." 

You felt a sharp pain in your chest at the thought of a break. 

Y/n: "No .. Taylor, I don't want to lose you. I love you." That was one of the first times you said...

Taylor shook her head, seeming torn "I love you too, y/n. That's why I think this pause is necessary. Maybe after a little while we can come back stronger."

Your heart broke as the reality of the situation hit you. 

Y/n: "If you feel like you need it, Taylor, then I'll respect it. I'll be there when you're ready to come back." 

Taylor looked at you with sadness, and you saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes. 

Taylor: "I want it to work out between us, y/n. But we need to fix these problems to build a strong future." 

The decision to take a break weighed heavily on both of you, but you understood that it was perhaps the only way to overcome the hidden tensions that had begun to settle between you. You were determined to prove to Taylor that your heart was totally hers, and you knew that you would go through this together, no matter which way you chose. For his part, Taylor seemed ready to refocus and reconsider his own feelings. A period of reflection began, and each of you had to face your own inner demons