One Chance: a Ted Sweeran fanfic

Ch 26

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Taylor's POV

Abigail. The name kept violently rushing through my head like the strong current eroding the very foundation of the canyon of my thoughts. Abigail, the sole person I had ever trusted as a teenager. How could my fiery best friend now be the one to betray me?

She couldn't have. That was it. There was absolutely no way that my best friend had done those terrible things Ed had accused her of, but why was there still a little voice in my head telling me I was wrong?

Then I realized: it wasn't my voice at all, it was Ed's. I was torn between the word of the man I had married and that of the person who had been there for me since the moment we met so many years ago in high school. I so desperately wanted to believe both but I knew I would have to decide between them. I had only heard Ed's side of the story, so I had decided to hear the other from Abigail.

I had called her an hour after running out on Ed and had almost laughed at the irony when I remembered her contact name was "my bestest friend like, ever" that I had put in a couple of years ago. I was lost in the metaphorical resonance of being torn between two red heads when we pulled up to the hotel where Abigail was still staying at in downtown London. I had asked if she wanted to meet somewhere like a restaurant but she had quickly suggested that we just stay in her hotel room as she was coming down with a cold.

I got out of the car into the windy London streets and after thanking my driver, quickly dove into the warm refuge of the hotel lobby. I brushed my windswept hair out of my face and made my way towards the elevator. The door opened before I had the chance to press the button and a elderly man in a tux and bifocals asked me if I was going up.

"Yes, thank you," I confirmed as I stepped into the elevator. After the doors had closed the man again asked me something.

"Floor 13, I presume?" he asked, not even bothering to turn around.

I was a bit surprised that he knew that, but then again I was pretty much associated with the number, so I brushed it off as nothing.

"Yes, you are right again."

"I know, I'm always right. People get on and off, but all I have to do is stay on and wonder about their destinations." I was now starting to believe he was a little crazy, and as he continued on he finally turned around and looked me in the eye. "You know, I used to be a cabbie, back before the ole vision got too bad to drive...among other reasons. Well, anyway, I would get to know the people in my cabs, their life story, where they're from, where they would end up, what kind of music they would like, what kind of food they ate for dinner the night before, and most importantly their problems..." he then turned back around as the elevator came to a halt at floor thirteen. "I learned that some people are too trusting, Mrs. Sheeran, and I know what becomes of them because of it." As I hurriedly exited the elevator he called after me. "Don't be blindsided, it can get you in to all sorts of trouble."

Only when the doors had fully closed did I notice I hadn't been breathing. I took a deep shaky breath in and tried to clam down. I went down the uniform hallway with the odd hotel room numbers on the left and evens on the right. I paced down the hallway until I found the room number I was looking for: 221. I again took a deep breath then knocked on the door.

"Abigail?" I asked. "It's me, Taylor." I waited for what seemed to be a year before the door swung open.

I stepped into the hotel room and put my bag down on the bed. "Abigail, I really need to talk to you, I-" didn't get to finish my sentence as too late I felt something being injected into my neck.

Everything was spinning and very blurry as I tried desperately to regain my balance. Then I saw her. Abigail was holding me and I wanted to sob because she was so nice for stopping the world from spinning. Her hair looked especially pretty today; it looked like magical ginger happiness. I laughed as I began twirling my fingers in her bouncy curls. She was saying something...something about going for a ride? I slowly nodded my head. Of course I would go with her, I never wanted to stop playing with her curls. But first I just needed to take a nap...