On campus, everyone assumes they are a thing. It’s easy to see why people would get that impression and they never waste energy fighting it. They hang out at each other’s dorms constantly, get coffee together, and are always side by side in the cafeteria, laughing and smiling at each other. They study into the late hours of the night at the library and she never goes to a party without Ed by her side to watch over her. It’s the closest they’ve ever been. Taylor rests her head on his shoulder, and holds his hand sometimes when they watch movies on his sofa. She stays in his bed with him when the hour grows late and she doesn’t want to walk back to her dorm. They share food and Ed sings songs to her that she knows are about her, but never says. Ed thinks she might come around to the idea of them and he holds hope that was far from healthy.
Then Taylor meets Jake, a junior and business major, three months into the semester and falls head over heels. As much as Ed hates to admit it, Jake is different from the guys of Taylor’s past. He pays attention to her, catches all her little quirks, and surprises her every chance he gets. Ed can see the changes in Taylor; her smile gets a little bigger, her cheeks always have a healthy glow about them, and her laughter sounds like sweet music. He hates that he isn’t the one responsible for it, but at the same time he’s is happy that she is happy. The leaves change; days grow shorter and winter comes. When he needs her warmth the most, he has to watch her cuddle into another man’s arms.
When everything seems hopeless for Ed, he meets a sweet brunet in a coffee shop on a brisk February morning. They chat over a cup of coffee; something he’d normally do with Taylor, but she hasn’t been around as much as she used to be. He finds the courage to ask Alice out, putting himself out there for possibly the first time. They go for walks in the park, snuggle on the couch watching movies, and it’s nice. Alice lifts his spirits and distracts him from his troubles. That’s the problem though; she’s just a distraction whereas Taylor was consumption. He always found himself comparing Alice to Taylor, but he denies it for as long as possible.
It lasts until summer break. It’s a tough goodbye, even if Ed wasn’t madly in love with Alice, it still hurt to say goodbye. He even writes her a song or two, although he never plays them for her; only Taylor hears his music. His relationship with Taylor seemed to be fading as well. Neither would admit it, but they talk less and they never find time for just the two of them. There is a hollowing echo of what used to be. She’s always with Jake and his friends.
That summer Ed does a lot of thinking, ponders what he really wants from life. School isn’t really what he’d thought it be, and it wasn’t entirely his idea in the first place. His parents were the ones who pushed him to apply and he liked the idea of being close to Taylor. He’s been writing constantly these past few years, so has Taylor, but for whatever reason she wasn’t willing to pursue it. Ed wanted people to hear his songs; to hear the words he’d written for a beautiful girl who stole his heart when he was only five years old. He thought the world deserved to know how wonderful she is.
He’s still searching for his place in this world and college just doesn’t seem to be it. He can’t just keep following Taylor, hoping she’ll lead him through life. He isn’t a stray dog; he has to start making his own path. He has to do something that is his own. He decides a degree in music in three more years isn’t going to help him get a record deal. The stage is a dream for him. Forget the fortune and the pictures, all he wants is to share music and leave his mark. He feels he’s already lost his dream with Taylor, possibly even their friendship, and he’s not going to let another one go without a fight.
