Renegade Revival

Chapter 26: Sanity

Taylor's POV

"Do you keep an outfit in your bag, or something?" I joked as Hayley walked into the kitchen, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. She wore everything she used to wear, except for a leather jacket. Her arms were exposed for the first time, which changed her appearance overall.

"It comes in handy, y'know?" she chuckled, giving me that adorable smile of hers as she shrugged a little. I smirked and shook my head at her as I took the pancake mix out of the cabinet.

"No jacket?" I quizzed as I started to gather more ingredients.

"Nope," she sighed with a wider grin. "I'm tell ya, York. I've changed a lot. And I'm still working on it."

"So, you're starting with your wardrobe?" Hayley glared at me with a smile still remaining on her face.

"Smart ass," she snickered, then gave me a playful nudge. "What's for breakfast?"

"Food," I teased.

"Really?" she gasped, sarcasm obvious in her words. I laughed as I poured some of the pancake batter onto the pan that was already heated as Hayley and I chatted.

"Let me see your arms," I said. Hayley said nothing; I looked up at her from the pan, meeting her hazel eyes.

"Okay," she said with confidnece. She held her arms out, her wrists facing up. The scars that were once fresh four months ago were fading. None of them looked recent; none of them were as deep as before. I looked up at Hayley with a small smile.

"You're not hiding, are you?" I asked, unable to stop my smile. She shook her head.

"No cover-ups, no hidden scars. Nothing," she said.

"I'm proud of you, rebel."

"Me too," she admitted with a small smile. "Your hotcakes are gonna burn."

"Shit!" I laughed, quickly flipping the pancakes that were cooking. The other side was already darker than usual.

"Looks like you already burned them," Hayley chuckled.

"Yeah," I sighed, deflating a little with a chuckle. I turned the stove off and scrubbed the remains off the pan before putting it in the dish washer.

"Wanna go out and eat, stiff?" Hayley offered, trying to hold in a laugh. We eventually both burst into a laugh.

"Yeah," I managed to say.

***

"So, what was it like?" I asked. "Being in a coma, I mean."

"It's... weird," Hayley admitted as she poked at my hand that rested on the table. "It's dark-- no shit. It's lonely. It's peaceful, but a weird peaceful that will make you never want to be alone again."

"I'm sorry," I said, frowning a little.

"For what?" she asked with a small scoff. "It wasn't your fault."

"Well, I'm sure you were lonely all those four months and I never visited you," I said, feeling a pang of guilt.

"You didn't know," she reminded me with a soft smile. "If you did, I'm sure you would've lived in that hospital room with me." I laughed at her remark, knowing it was the truth. I could never leave Hayley's side, even if I tried; even if I wanted to.

I found myself lost in her eyes again. Yesterday replayed in my head, making me smile. Last night began to enter my thoughts as well, making me a but curious at her mention of eloping.

"About what you said last night," I tried. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" Hayley asked, her hazel eyes showing a bit of confusion.

"Us... together," I stammered, feeling sheepish for some reason.

"You mean getting hitched and running off?" she quizzed. I nodded. "Hell yeah, I meant it."

"You really want to be with me for that long?" I asked with a hint of a chuckle.

"No," she said as she held my hand. "You don't get it, do you, Taylor?"

"What?"

"I don't only want to be with you. I need to be with you."

"You don't need to," I smirked, feeling another pang in my chest at my own words.

"In order for me to be sane, I need to be with you." Tears started to glaze her hazel eyes that held past's pain. "You helped me find myself, even when I didn't know who I was. You were always there."

"Hayley, darling," I sighed, watching a tear slide down her soft cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled as she tried to resist her tears. "I know, this is so stupid. I'm getting all emotional and shit--"

"It's fine," I said. I tugged on her hand, signaling her to sit next to me on my side of the booth we sat in for our breakfast. She did and cuddled close to me. I took her into an embrace and planted a kiss on top of her head.

"Thank you," she said into my chest, her arms creating their own gentle embrace around my torso. I smiled and gave her a light squeeze.

"Anything for you, rebel," I said before planting another kiss on her head. "Anything."