Taking It

5.2

5.2

The girls were on dinner duty, and by girls I mean Brooklyn. Jasmine was too busy flirting with Faith up in her room and I was the slowest cooker in history. However so Brooke wasn't making dinner on her own Alec offered to help and the smells coming from the kitchen were divine, well as divine as they could be.

"Why do you love me?" Taylor inquiries while tracing a small heart into my palm. So far he has been tracing letters and having me guess the word. It was a lot harder than I figured it'd be.

Suddenly every word from the English vocabulary eludes me and I sit like a deer caught in headlights.

I hadn't exactly prepared myself for this question and as I sit and think about it, my list of reasons isn't nearly as long as his.

"Do you remember when I told you about the bad thing that i did? The reason why Jim had begun his sexual assault on me?" I turn my gaze to him and slowly Taylor nods his head.

"Yeah, I remember. I kinda blew up and almost broke my hand."

"Well even after hearing how much of a slut I was you still wanted to hang out with me and you continued to look at me like I was the most fascinating thing on this planet."

"That's why you love me?" Taylor chuckles and I shake my head.

"No." I pause. "I love you because I was able to tell you that, tell you about a part of me that I had sworn on keeping a secret until the day I died. I love you because we were able to open up to each other without the fear of judgement. I love you because in the short span that we had known each other you became my best friend." I admit, my stomach twisting myself as I start to run dry on reasons why I love Taylor.

"I don't know exactly when I started to love you. I just know from the first day I met you, you've plagued my every thought no matter how hard I tried to push you away." I take his hand in mine, holding it tightly. "I love you because with you all the dull colors in my life seem so much brighter. You made me believe in love again."

"Ditto." Taylor cracks a smile at me and for some bizarre reason it breaks me into a fit of giggles.

"Look at us being a bunch of teens in love."

"I'm an adult. You're a teen in love." He throws his arm around me and tugs me closer. "I'm however just in love with you." Before I can protest how he was just nineteen a couple months ago he presses a kiss to my forehead.

"Soups on!" Alec shouts from the kitchen.

Oliver is up and to his feet shouting, "Thank god!" He bounds off quickly and Taylor follows his lead, leaving me to go fetch Jasmine.

• — • — •

I never knew Jasmine had down there pierced. So when I just so happened to walk in on her showing it to Faith I quickly apologize and back out the door. I bound down the stairs and nearly topple Taylor over as he carries two bowls of spaghetti.

"Hold on speedy. Where's the fire?" He chuckles, handing one of the bowls over to me.

I shake my head, graciously accepting it. He leads me back into the living room where Oliver and Brooke are arguing about which marvel movie we should watch. By the time they settle on the first avengers movie i'm almost halfway done with my spaghetti and ponder getting another.

Jasmine comes down after about fifteen minutes, not seeming too embarrassed but still avoids direct eye contact with me. By this time I force myself to stop being lazy and head into the kitchen to get more food.

Before i can even make one step, Taylor holds out his empty bowl and asks "Can you take this into the kitchen for me?" He gives me this look that flutters my insides and makes it nearly impossible for me to say no. So i don't.