Miss You

Chapter 41. Past

••• 2 months later •••

I woke up to my phone ringing. That stupid chicken squawking ringtone. Damn it! So annoying.

"Hello..." I said groggily, as I rubbed my tired eyes.

"Hey, Alaysia. It's me Taylor." He said.

Isn't that just great.

"Hey..." I said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but failing miserably.

"How are you?"

"Good. You?"

"Great. Can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Meet me for lunch."

"Um... I don't know."

Why the heck did he want to meet for lunch?

"Please. There's something you need to know."

"I haven't spoken to you in months. What do you need to say that can't be said over the phone?" I asked, getting impatient.

"Please, just meet me at the cafe near Central Park."

"Ugh... fine. It's your lucky day, buddy." I said, sarcastically.

"See you at 12pm. Bye." He said, ending the phone call.

I always had a soft spot for Taylor. I don't know why. Maybe it was because he's my ex and I never really forgot about our relationship even though I'm with Nate now. Or maybe it's because he's helped me so much and loved me even when I didn't love myself.

It was already 10:30 am so there was no point in eating anything, so I just drank a cup of tea. I quickly showered, got dressed, then got in my car. On the way, I got a call from Nate.

"Hey, babe. Good morning." He said in his super attractive morning voice, which I never get tired of.

"Good morning. What's up?" I asked, one hand on the wheel, the other holding my phone to my ear.

"Nothing much. Meetings all day and L.A is blazing hot."

"Oh, New York isn't too hot and I'm free from work for a bit." I said, stopping the car abruptly, not noticing the street light had turned red.

"Oh shit!" I shouted, accidentally.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Nate asked.

"Yeah.. I'm fine. I'm driving and almost ran a red light." I said, with a sigh.

"Oh, I'll let you drive then. Talk to you later. Love you." He said, sweetly.

"Yeah, love you too." I said, and put my phone down.

Thank goodness there were no cops around or else I would have surely been fined.

I pulled up at the cafe and prepared for the worst but hoped for the best.

"Alaysia!" Taylor exclaimed, as he greeted me at the door.

"Taylor!" I said, almost unable to breathe due to his tight hug.

"I'm so happy you came." He said, leading me to the table.

"Yeah, you're welcome." I mumbled.

"You look so different." He said, looking at me as if I were an alien.

"Yeah... so do you." I said, with an eye roll.

What's wrong with this guy?

"I didn't mean it like that. You look really good. The highlights in your hair and the tattoo. When did you get that?" He asked, pointing to the small butterfly tattoo under my collarbone.

"Oh, a little while ago when I was in L.A."

"Are you gonna get more?" He asked, as our meals arrived.

"I don't know. Are you?" I asked, touching his right arm that had a sleeve of tattoos.

"Nope... I'm done with tats now. I just wanted a sleeve, that's all." He said, as he ate his pasta.

I nodded. "So why'd you call me here to talk?" I asked, biting my salmon sandwich.

I love salmon.

"Well, I didn't want to say this stuff over the phone." He said, looking up from his food.

"What stuff?" I anxiously asked.

"My feelings that I just can't get rid of." He said, looking at me.

I choked on my coffee. "What?" I asked, in shock.

Is he trying to kill me?

"I still have feelings for you."

"Taylor, we broke up last year. I thought you moved on." I said, looking at him questioningly.

"Yeah, I did for a month." He said, quietly before putting his head down in embarrassment.

"Oh... no. Taylor, I'm sorry." I said, noticing how insensitive I was being towards him.

"It's fine. I shouldn't have called you. It was a mistake. Just go. Whatever." He said, with sadness in his voice.

I could tell he was embarrassed, but what did he expect me to do? I'm in a relationship with someone else.

"No, I'm not leaving. Talk to me. I care about you still, you know." I said, reassuringly.

"There's no point. You're with someone else. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. We had so many great moments together. Your guy is really lucky to have you, trust me." He said, trying to smile through his sadness.

My heart sank. "Please, just stop. I don't know what to say. Our relationship is in the past and you know that. Nate and I have been together for nine months now. We have similar careers and we just click. I'm sorry that this is isn't what you wanted to hear." I said, rubbing his arm softly.

"It's fine. Everything you said is right. Maybe I need to get out more and find somebody like you did." He admitted.

"Yeah, that's what I did. I got out and socialized." I said, nodding my head.

"Thanks Alaysia. I lo...." he said, cutting himself off quickly.

"You're welcome and what was that last part?" I asked, confused.

"Um... I uh... I love you." He said, looking away.

I smiled and placed my hand on his shoulder. "I love you too, friend. Always will. I'm always here for you, okay?" I said, hugging him.

"Thanks, Alaysia." He said, and I could tell he felt relieved.

"No problem. See you later, buddy." I said as I waved and got in my car and he got in his.

"See ya, when I get a new girlfriend and call you over to meet her." He said, as he laughed.

"Yeah, you go Taylor. I'll be waiting. Bye!" I said, with a chuckle as I reversed out of the parking lot.

Taylor has a way with words. He knows how to get a girl to melt inside. But, what could I have done? I wasn't gonna break up with my boyfriend for my ex. No way! I am always gonna be there for him no matter what, but I don't want to get back with him. Everything happens for a reason and he'll find the perfect girl for him. It just isn't me.