Think About Me

Chapter 2: Bad Influence

"Okay," Paige says as she drapes her tote bag over the back of her chair. The café has nearly cleared out by now, leaving just her and I, the barista, and one other person who sits at the opposite end of the room. "Tell me about last night."

Oh. I forgot all about last night. Honestly, I can't remember a single detail about Tyler at the moment. All I can think about is green eyes, dark hair, pale skin...

I reel my thoughts back in.

"That's not why you're here," I tell her.

"Oh," she says, her face falling. "Was it bad?"

I roll my eyes, sigh a bit impatiently. "No, it wasn't bad."

"So you did have sex with him!"

I'm appalled at the images that suddenly swarm, uninvited into my mind. Because it's not Tyler. It's definitely not Tyler. It's porcelain skin and curling, raven hair and-

I shake my head as if to clear it.

"Paige," I say succinctly, looking directly into her eyes. "I'm going to need you to stick with me here, because I'm having a bit of a crisis."

She looks a little alarmed now. Good.

"What?" she asks, a bit hesitantly.

"I just saw Jude Taylor in here thirty minutes ago. Why did I just see Jude Taylor in here?"

"Oh yeah. He moved back. I forgot to tell you." She shrugs out of her coat and hangs it with her bag, any prior concern now gone. "I thought you would've seen that."

I stare at the table, through the grooves and grains and straight into the depths of... I don't even know what. My own personal hell? No. It is not that big of a deal. He's engaged and I'm seeing a really great guy, and I'm happy. The timing was never right for a reason. Jude Taylor and I were never meant to be.

"I only follow him on Instagram," I say, swirling the last bit of hot chocolate in the bottom of my mug, allowing myself to really sink in to that last thought. It's cool now, but all the chocolate has settled at the bottom, making for a delicious last sip. "He doesn't post much on there."

"He and his fiancée moved into a house north of town," she tells me.

Heather is her name. I know nothing about her other than what I've been able to glean from the seldom pictures Jude's posted of her. She's a pretty little thing, with long, platinum blonde hair. And while I've wondered why they rarely share their relationship online, I've decided that it's a good sign -that they're relationship is happy and healthy, that they don't feel like they have anything to prove to anyone.

"Something about wanting to be closer to home," Paige continues. "You know what that means."

I glance up at her. "What?"

"They're probably thinking about starting a family. Or she's pregnant already. That's usually why people move back home. They want their kids to be around grandparents and all that."

Pregnant. Kids. Family. Those are the things that tie you to someone forever -far more binding than marriage.

Which I don't care about.

"Oh my god," Paige groans, looking at me with this exhausted expression. "Don't tell me you still have a thing for him."

"I don't! I'm just... it was weird seeing him today. You know I used to basically be in love with-"

"In love with him. Yes, I know. Everyone did. You had Carter Taylor written all over the inside covers of your notebooks for years. I remember."