What About Now

Chapter 16 - My Friend

Taylor's P.O.V.
Once we'd explained to George what had happened, and the reason as to why there was a load of paper all over his floor, he could not stop laughing.

"I wondered what that noise was!" He cried, wiping his eyes, "I thought it was a little girl outside or something!" We all burst into laughter, and afterwards, when Dylan finally retrieved the last few bits of his work, I was left alone with George. We talked for a while, about New York and about my role at the newspaper. He showed me how I would submit my column to the editor, and explained how I would be helping edit the newspaper too. It was all a bit overwhelming, and once he had finished, my mind was over flowing with information.

"You got that?" He asked, suppressing a laugh as he looked over at me. I must have looked slightly stunned, as my eyes were wider than usual, and my eyebrows were raised a little. Clearing my throat, I regained my normal look, and smiled at him.

"Yeah, yeah I've got it," I replied, "So where will I be working?"

"Oh, well I thought it would be nice for you to sit where you used to!" George grinned, "We're tight for space as it is, and your old desk is the only one available."

"Yeah, that's great," I forced a smile. My old desk? But that would mean that I'd have to sit opposite Thomas again!

"Okay, great!" George said, handing me a file, "Well, this is your first assignment for your column. It's good to have you back, Taylor!"

"It's good to be back!" I replied, taking the file and heading out the office. I looked up along the long row of desks until I found my one. It was still the same, and Dylan's desk was just next to it, which was good! Putting on a confident look, I walked to my desk and quickly sat down in the seat, so as not to catch Thomas' attention, who was sat with his back to me and chatting to someone.

"Are you working here?" Dylan asked, looking cautiously in Thomas' direction.

"Yep!" I tried to sound cheerful but failed. Dylan gave me a sympathetic look.

"Oh don't worry, Taylor. Hey, at least you've got me as a neighbour!" He winked, making me laugh. And of course, that caught Thomas' attention. Fudge fudge fudge. I quickly ducked my head down and began flicking through my work as his gaze fell on me. I could tell he was watching me carefully, before he turned away and continued with his conversation. Phew.

Later that evening...

"Well, that's me done for the day," Dylan sighed, leaning back in his chair, "How's your work going?"

"Eh, could be worse," I smiled, furiously typing away at my computer.

"You got any plans tonight?" He asked me, fiddling with his pencil on the desk.

"Er, yeah, I'm going to surprise Ben," I looked up to see a look of disappointment on Dylan's face, "Oh, I'm sorry Dyl! How about we go out for coffee tomorrow after work?"

"Okay, sounds good!" The smile returned to his face and he lifted his bag up from the floor, "Well, until tomorrow morning my love," He bowed low and his bag slipped from his shoulder to the floor. I burst into a fit of laughter as he scrambled about to pick up his belongings.

"Until tomorrow morning you weirdo!" I laughed, waving him goodbye. Once he was gone, I let out a last chuckle and returned to my work.

"Hey," A small voice said from behind me. Confused, I turned round in my seat to see Thomas stood in front of me.

"Oh, hey," I replied bluntly, folding my hands on my lap, "What do you want, Thomas?"

"Nice to see you too," He sighed, sitting himself on the edge of the desk behind me, "How's your work going?"

"Good, I guess," I said quietly, keeping eye contact with him. He looked sad, and I suddenly remembered what Dylan had told me.

"After you left, Thomas was an absolute wreck, Taylor. He wasn't eating, sleeping and he was always late for work."

I hadn't even thought about how Thomas had felt when I left him, and as I thought about it, part of me began to feel bad. Almost sorry for him. Drawing myself away from my thoughts and back to reality, I averted my gaze to the floor and started playing with my fingers. Thomas cleared his throat, and shuffled a little on the edge of the desk.

"Look Taylor," He started, making me jump slightly, "I came over to say that I'm sorry. I was a jerk last night, and it pained me to see you upset like you were. I guess, a part of me was a little jealous when you told me you'd found another boyfriend, and I'm sorry I made you feel the way I did." He looked at me with desperation in his eyes, and I knew he was genuinely sorry.

"Thomas, I-"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me," He said hurriedly, "I just want you to know that I'm truly sorry for all that I've done to you. I've been a complete jerk, and I completely understand if you don't want to, but the only thing that I'm asking you for is to be my friend again."

"Thomas-"

"I've missed you so much since you went to New York, Taylor. When Dylan told me you'd gone, it broke my heart. I called you and called you, but I knew that you hated me and probably never wanted to see me again, and that just tore me apart."

"Oh Thomas," I said gently, getting up from my chair. There were tears in his eyes, and he wiped them away with his hand. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him as he fought back tears. He circled his arms around my middle and hugged me tightly.

"Thomas, it's okay," I said quietly into his shoulder, "I forgive you, okay? Don't go tearing yourself up about it anymore, yeah?" I pulled back from him and smiled. He sniffled a little, and gave me a brave smile.

"What happened in the past is in the past now," I went on, "And I'm sorry that I caused you to feel the way you did! I can't imagine how you felt!"

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," He let out a slight laugh, "I was the one in the wrong." A small smile formed on my face, and I took a step back from Thomas and held out my friends.

"Hello there. I'm looking for a spare room to rent? Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to have an en-suite. Just so long as it has a door that locks, and a landlord that knows where to find the boiler." Thomas laughed, and shook my hand.

"Ooh, that might be a deal breaker!" Grinning, I pulled him into another hug. He held me tightly and rubbed the small of my back gently.

"Thank you, love," He whispered in my ear. I smiled, and buried my face into his shoulder. I had my friend back.