loveless // haylor au

chapter twenty three

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chapter twenty-three
the big problem

October 3rd

When I woke the next morning, Taylor wasn't there.
It was just me, alone and naked, hair still slightly damp.

Sighing long and loud, I wondered if last night had actually even happened, or if it were perhaps just a figment of my imagination.
Maybe we parted ways after dinner, and I'd gone mad from the lack of sex, so to protect myself, my brain invented this hyper real scenario.

I turned my head and noticed the condom I'd used, wrapped up in tissue and by my bedside table.
Well, clearly it happened.

I jumped into some track pants before heading out into the living area .
She wasn't in there, or in the kitchen either.
The bathroom was empty too. I even checked Wes' room.

'Fuck, okay,' I mumbled, knowing she must've left, I just couldn't figure out why. She wasn't the kind of person to just run out after spending the night with someone.

I sat down with my phone on the couch and opened up her contact information. I called her once, listening to it ring out. Worry crept into my mind at the no answer. I inhaled sharply.

What the hell was going on? She wouldn't just take off and leave, especially after last night. Especially when we'd just celebrated our "one month thing".
Shit, I was almost feeling used.

I flicked her message, asking if she were alright, and it delivered. I stared back at the screen for a while, waiting for the three dots in the bubble to pop up as she typed, but there was nothing.

Usually in situations like this I'd just come up with a reasonable explanation. But I actually couldn't with this one, this wasn't like Taylor. Unless something was wrong. Unless I'd done something wrong.

'Oh, shit,' I breathed, remembering what I'd said before I fell asleep. I jumped up, track pants slipping on my hips. 'Oh, shit.'

I'd scared her. I'd freaked her out.
I groaned loudly into my hands, fisting my curls right after. Fuck!

I desperately reached for my phone on the couch, and dialed her number again. When she didn't answer, I tried once more.

'Fuck!' I hissed. God, I was a fucking dumbass!
It was not the right time to say those three words, and she would've hated it. I'd be surprised if she hadn't of left.

I got ready quickly, showering and changing and eating breakfast in record time just so I could stop by her flat before I got to the studio. However, my first meeting was in less than twenty minutes by the time I was ready, and there was no way I could make it to both.

'Sorry,' I whispered to Al, as I got through the doors of the studio. 'Are they here?'

'In your office,' Al hesitated, trying to hide his disapproving gaze. I didn't say it enough, but I was lucky to have him around. He was always covering for me.

The meeting with the clients went for about an hour, and it wrapped up nicely. They were a friendly couple who planned on wedding in Paris. I told them I'd shot in Paris a couple of times, which thrilled them.

'I've never done Paris,' Al remarked, once they'd left and I was standing out in the foyer with him, 'That'll be fun.'

I hummed back absentmindedly, tapping my fingers against the receptionist's desk.
Taylor hadn't replied to my messages yet, and I was growing even more anxious by the minute. A little angry too.