Fell In Love With My Best Friend

Chapter 18

"Come on, you know you like him," Erica teased Taylor. Taylor and Brad have met a few minutes ago, and it was obvious that they were showing feelings for each other.
"Shut up."
"Come on, Taylor. Your eyes lit up when you guys laid eyes on each other! He obviously likes you."
Taylor shrugged and bit her lip to hide her smile.
"See? You're trying to hide the smile! Admit it, Taylor. You like him."
"Erica. It's only been ten minutes of talking to him."
"You have to have some liking in him!"
"I do, but..."
"So, you do admit it?"
"Damn. Yes, I admit it! Happy now?"
"Very," Erica said, smiling.
Taylor rolled her eyes as the guys walked back into the room. "Did you miss us?" Brad asked as he sat down next to Taylor. Taylor smiled and blushed slightly.
"I already know that Erica missed me," Rick said, smiling at Erica.
"How did you know?" Erica asked, laughing.
Rick smiled and kissed Erica's cheek as he looked at Brad. "Do you want us to leave you two alone?"
Brad looked at Taylor. "Will you allow me to speak to you alone?" Brad asked, gently.
Taylor hesitated as she looked at Erica, but she nodded. "Yeah, you guys can go."
"Are you sure?" Erica asked Taylor.
"Yeah."
Erica shrugged as she grabbed Rick's arm. He pulled her out of the room, and he closed the door behind them.
"Are you sure they will be okay in there?" Erica asked Rick.
"They will be just fine," Rick said, putting his hand in Erica's as he kissed her forehead.
Once they closed the door, Brad looked at Taylor.
"Taylor. I know we just met and everything, but I want you to know that I really like you. I know you are trying to get over a recent relationship, but just know that I really want to be with you, and I want to make you happy. Maybe I should wait a little longer for us to get to know each other, but please think about being with me," Brad said, looking at Taylor.
Taylor honestly didn't know what to say, and she said so.
"I am trying to get over a relationship, and I'm scared if I get in a relationship now, I will end up twice as hurt. I don't want to get hurt again. You might think I'm foolish or whatever, but..."
"Taylor. I could never think that. I'm looking at you, and I see complete perfection. I never felt that with anyone, and I just met you. That makes you pretty special."
"Yeah, I guess," Taylor said.
Brad ran his finger up and down Taylor's arm which made her tense up, but Brad just looked up at her. "I get if you're not ready to get in a relationship yet, but promise me that you'll think about it. "
Taylor smiled and nodded. "I promise. I'll think about it."
Brad smiled and hugged Taylor, kissing the top of her head. He felt her tense up in his arms, so he rubbed her back to make her relax.
"Relax. I'm not doing anything more than that until you're ready. I will wait as long as I need to."
Taylor pulled away from him, and she looked at him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."

*******

"I can't believe he's actually going to wait for you. He is so sweet!" Erica exclaimed as she grabbed Taylor's arms.
 Taylor laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, he is very sweet."
"You should date him."
"Erica. I'm not over Bradley."
"I know, but he could be good for you."
"He is good for me, but I'm just not ready."
"When will you be?"
"I can't answer that."
"Why can't you?"
"Erica...Don't push me. I'll let you know when I'm ready, but it is definitely not now."
 "Damn. You don't have to be all like that. I was just asking a simple question," Erica said, crossing her arms.
"Erica, I know that. You know how I felt about Bradley. He was my first boyfriend."
"You don't think I know that? I just want what's best for you! You are one of my best friends, and I can't sit here and see you feeling lonely all the time."
"Erica..."
"Taylor. Just don't. I understand, okay? I just want you to be happy," Erica said, standing up. "Erica, wait. Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it, and thanks for being my best friend and caring." Erica looked at her, and she smiled. She ran to Taylor, and she gave her a hug. "You're welcome. It needed to be said," Erica said, stilling hugging Taylor.
 Taylor laughed and pulled out of the hug. "What do we do now?"
"If we had school, we would go to bed, but we don't have school."
"Isn't that next month?"
 "Don't remind me."
Taylor laughed, and she looked at the clock. "It will be here before you know it."
"I'm about to unfriend you."
"Sorry, Erica. This isn't Facebook, you can't just unfriend me because you feel the need to." "Who said?"
"I did."
"Who said I had to listen to you?"
 "I did." Erica laughed, and she rolled her eyes at her best friend. Buzz Buzz. Erica's phone started vibrating in her pocket, and she had a feeling it was either AJ or it was Rick. Of course it was Rick.
Rick: Hey. Are you still with Taylor? Erica smiled and rolled her eyes. "
What?" Erica heard Taylor asked.
"Rick asked me if I was still with you."
 "What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing, it was just a text message."
"Mhm."
Erica: Yeah, why? She received another message within 30 seconds.
Rick: I was just wondering. I'll go since you guys are hanging out.
Erica: No, don't go.
Rick: You don't want to hang out with your best friend?
Erica: I do, but give me a few minutes and I'll tell her I'm sick or something.
Rick: No, don't do that. Don't lie.
Erica: Okay, but I was just leaving in a few anyways.
   Before Erica could read another message from Rick, Taylor stood up, and she walked towards the door. "Erica, I'm getting tired. You can go home if you want."
"Are you sure?" Erica asked as she joined Taylor at the door.
"Yeah. I've been feeling sick anyways."
 "What's wrong?" Erica asked, concerned.
"I have a really bad cold."
"You sound fine to me."
"Right now, but once it kicks in..."
"Taylor, you are such a terrible liar."
"I am, aren't I?" Taylor asked, laughing.
Erica laughed, too. "You know I'm going to Rick's, don't you?" Taylor slowly nodded.
 "Taylor, I'm sorry. I told you that I was going there tonight last night, right? You could always come over, and Rick could invite Brad over."
Taylor smiled, but she shook her head. "Not tonight. I'm serious when I say I'm sick and tired. I haven't been feeling well, I've been feeling really sleepy around 11 o'clock lately."
"Okay. I hope you feel better soon. You didn't get pregnant, right? I would flip the fuck out!" "Erica! I'm not pregnant! Especially since I'm a virgin," Taylor said, motioning her to the door. "Bye Erica."
 Erica walked out the door, closing the door behind her. She started to walk down the sidewalk towards Rick's house. His house was about four blocks away, so it wouldn't take her long to get there. On her way, she passed plenty of houses, and she loved looking at each one. Some looked neater than others, but she liked looking at them even if they didn't look the prettiest. It made her think of what kind of house she wanted to buy when she got older. She was young but loved to picture her future. Her future used to consist of Liam, but she honestly hasn't thought about him in awhile since she was with Rick. Rick was her distraction. She was happy with Rick right now; things were going great.
She couldn't really put a face to who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but she did know that she wanted a big house to fit all of her children. She loved thinking about her future... Nice car, nice house, nice career... She sighed as she passed the last couple of houses before she got to Rick's. She stepped on his porch and knocked on his door. Within a minute, he opened the door. He smiled and stepped aside.
 "Hey beautiful," he said, giving her a hug once she was inside.
 "Hey."
 Rick lead her to the kitchen and said, "Was Taylor upset when you left?"
 Erica shrugged. "She was a little bit, but I think she should be fine. She honestly is probably dealing with mixed feelings about Brad. She likes him, but she's so afraid of getting hurt again." Rick nodded as he stirred the meal he was preparing. "Understandable. That's always a fear for everyone."
 "True. I never thought I would date someone else after my best friend moved away. I'm glad I found you."
 Rick turned to her as he turned off the stove. "I'm glad I met you, too. I love having you around, you have no idea."
 She smiled as she hugged him from behind. "Whatcha cooking?"
 "Just some spaghetti for my mom and I. She probably won't eat much, so you can have some, too."
 "Are you sure? I don't want to impose."
 He turned around and kissed her cheek, saying, "Don't be silly. You're always welcome here." "Thank you. That means alot. I can't stay long though. My parents would like me home before ten."
 "No problem. We can eat and get you home." Erica nodded.
 "Let's watch a show, too. I would like to relax for a bit before I walk home."
 "Good idea," Rick said, finishing up the spaghetti, starting to prepare the plates for everyone. "Go ahead and get it started while I finish up these plates. I'll be in in a minute."
 "Okay," Erica said, kissing Rick before leaving the kitchen.