Beach Days ~T.H.~

Chapter 12

"What's up, Gorgeous?" Tayler says.

"Just seeing what you're up to!" I say with a smile. "I was hanging with Indiana and Lilia for a little bit. Indiana and I really hit it off! She's super cool!"

"That's good! I'm glad you two are getting along. Indiana can be really hard to win over, so she must really like you." Tayler seems genuinely happy that I am making friend with his friends, and it just builds my opinion of him that much more. "So what so you want to do now?"

"Um, well, while Indiana and I were talking, there was something brought up that I wanted to talk to you about." I stumble about the statement, still unsure of whether I'm ready to tell him.

"Okay...," he starts, "let's go somewhere to talk." He kisses me on the forehead, grabs my hand, and leads me to another room.

The room he leads me to is more mature looking than the bedroom we had previously been in. It was decorated in grays, the bed was made, and it was relatively clean. Tayler's room.

He shuts the door and plops gently onto his bed. He pats next to him, inviting me to join him on the mattress. I sit gently and am very conscious of the creak of the bed. My insecurities are only amplified by my anxiety, and I can't help but think: Good lord, could you make it any more obvious how heavy you are?

He sits with his back against the headboard and his knees slightly bent toward his chest. I face him sitting criss-cross-applesauce.

"What'd you want to talk to me about, Em?" Tayler asks. He looks at me intently so that I know he is paying attention and truly wants the hear what I have to say. 

"So...," I start, not sure where to begin or how to even approach the topic. "Umm..."

Saving me from my inability to form the words, Kelianne taps on the door and then comes in.

"I'm back! I brought a plain black iced coffee for you, anddddd a caramel frappuchino for my girl here!" she says playfully. "Sorry it took so long, the line was ridiculous."

"Thanks, Kelianne!" I exclaim. "I really appreciate it! How much do I owe you? Like 5?"

"Girl, I got it not worries!" she replies.

"Are you sure?" I ask, feeling guilty that she wont let me pay her for it.

"Of course! My treat!" 

"Okay... Thank you! I'll get next time okay?" I say.

"Hey, Kelianne, thank you for the drinks, but Emily and I were kind of in the middle of a conversation when you came in. Do you think we can maybe catch up with you in a bit?" Tayler says in a manner which is firm, but respectful.

"Oops, of course! Sorry to interrupt, guys!" she apologizes, exiting the room.

"So...?" Tayler says, prompting me to continue.

In the moment I know that I can't do this right now. "Um, I just wanted to ask you about.... Lilia." I realize that this isn't a lie, and I really am curious as to why she was acting weird. "She seemed to have already determined that she wasn't going to like me before I even got here. Maybe it's just in my head or I'm jumping to conclusions, but I just really want your friends to like me and-" I cut myself off when I realize I'm rambling and probably look like a crazy person.

Tayler looks at me with a contemplative expression. "I had hoped that things wouldn't be weird between you, and I didn't want to make it weird if she was going to be cool, but I guess I should tell you..."