The Way We Once Were

fifteen

tw: abuse

Taylor's POV

The sun was barely rising when I heard the sound of the front door opening downstairs. My heart stopped for a second, dread pooling in my stomach as I realized Joe must've come home early. I hadn't expected him until late tonight, which had felt like a reprieve, a momentary break from the anger he'd left in his wake after last night.

I rushed to the window, hoping that Travis would have already pulled out of the driveway and be long gone. But there he was, just getting into his truck, the engine humming to life. My breath caught as I watched Joe stop in his tracks, staring hard at the taillights as Travis pulled away. Joe's jaw tightened, his fists clenched at his sides. The look on his face was one I hadn't seen in a long time, but I remembered it all too well.

When he turned back toward the house, I felt panic wash over me. I braced myself, taking a deep breath, knowing that whatever I had to say wasn't going to be enough for him. Still, I couldn't avoid this confrontation, not anymore.

The door opened with a sharp thud, and Joe's footsteps were heavy as he walked into the living room, his eyes scanning the space until they landed on me. His gaze was like ice, cold and unforgiving, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"So," he started, his voice low and deadly calm, "you want to explain why Travis Kelce is leaving our driveway at six in the morning?" I swallowed, trying to find the right words, but everything I thought of felt like it would only make things worse. "Joe... it's not what you think. Travis was just here to check on me."

He let out a bitter laugh, his eyes narrowing. "Check on you? At six in the morning? Who do you think you're fooling, Taylor? You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you?"

"No, Joe, I—" I started, but he cut me off, his voice rising.

"Don't lie to me!" he snapped, taking a step forward. "I saw how you looked at him. I've been seeing it for months now, but I thought—" He stopped, taking a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "I thought I could trust you. I thought you were different."

"Joe, please," I said, trying to keep my own voice steady. "I never meant for this to happen. I didn't plan any of this, but things between us... they haven't been right for a long time. You know that."

"Don't lie to me!" he snapped, taking a step forward. "I saw how you looked at him. I've been seeing it for months now, but I thought—" He stopped, taking a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "I thought I could trust you. I thought you were different."

"Joe, please," I said, trying to keep my own voice steady. "I never meant for this to happen. I didn't plan any of this, but things between us... they haven't been right for a long time. You know that."

He clenched his jaw, his eyes full of anger and hurt. "So that's it? You're just gonna run off with him, leave me behind because things 'haven't been right' for a while? That's your excuse for going behind my back?"

I felt the frustration building, a mixture of guilt and resentment swirling inside me. "I'm not excusing anything, Joe. But you have to admit, we haven't been happy for a long time. And last night, when you proposed... I couldn't say yes. Not when I knew it wouldn't be right."

He took a deep breath, looking away for a moment before meeting my eyes again. "I embarrassed myself for you, Taylor. I got down on one knee in front of everyone, thinking I was giving you everything you wanted, and you just... turned me down. I made a fool of myself because of you."

I flinched, his words cutting deeper than I'd expected. "I didn't ask you to do that, Joe. I never said I wanted that."

His face twisted, and he let out a bitter laugh. "Of course you didn't say it. You never say anything, do you? You just let me think everything's fine, and then the moment something better comes along—"

"That's not fair!" I interrupted, my voice rising. "I didn't choose this. I never wanted to hurt you. But you can't blame me for not wanting to pretend everything's perfect when it's not."

He shook his head, his face hardening. "You're just making excuses, Taylor. You're trying to justify what you did. But the truth is, you've been lying to me, and now you're just trying to make yourself feel better about it."

"Joe, please," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, though my heart was pounding. "I don't want to fight with you. I just think it's time we both move on."

He laughed again, but this time there was no humour in it. "Move on? You think it's that simple?" He took another step closer, and I instinctively backed away, my heart racing. "You think you can just go off and playhouse with him, leave me here like none of this ever mattered?"

"Joe, that's not what I'm saying," I whispered, feeling a prickle of fear.

Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist, his grip tight and painful. I gasped, trying to pull away, but he held me firmly, his eyes blazing with anger. "You don't get to just walk away from me, Taylor. Not after everything I've done."

"Joe, let go," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, but my fear was starting to show. I tried to twist my wrist out of his grip, but his hand tightened, the pressure making me wince.

"You think I'm just going to let you go? Just like that?" he demanded, his voice low and venomous. "You think you can make a fool out of me in front of everyone and then run off with him?"

"Joe, please," I said, my voice shaking. "You're hurting me."

He ignored me, his grip tightening even more. "You think you're so clever, don't you? You think you can just use me and then throw me away when you're done?"

I felt panic rising in my chest as he pulled me closer, his face inches from mine, his eyes full of rage. I could feel the pain in my wrist where his fingers dug into my skin, and I knew I had to get out of there before things got worse.

I twisted my wrist away from him, taking slow steps away from him. "Please get away from me Joe." I whispered. "You deserve this Taylor." Joe growled. I flinched as he raised his hand, bringing it down on my cheek. "Fuck you!" I gasped, stumbling backwards.

Joe narrowed his eyes, shoving me backwards into a glass vase sitting by the table. It broke, showering us with shards of glass. I winced as I felt the shards cut deep into my skin, causing blood to run down my arm.

"Help me Travis." I whispered, begging, hoping he was still close by as I sobbed. Tears ran down my face as Joe stalked towards me, blood dripping from his leg. "Please help."