Friendly Reminder

Chapter 4

When Zac told Taylor that he wanted to throw him a birthday party, Taylor was less than thrilled. Not only did Taylor not care for big crowds of people, but he also hated being the center of attention. It didn't matter if it was his birthday, he wasn't a fan of Zac's plan.

But because he was always overly polite, he couldn't say no to his best friend, who was only trying to make his birthday the best.

Agreeing to the party meant another anxiety inducing factor: Hayley.

Taylor's heart dropped when he thought of seeing her. Of course she would be there. She was probably the first person Zac told about the whole thing.

They had now gone almost a week without talking and Taylor hated every second of it. He felt like he shouldn't reach out to her because in his head, he was the one who messed everything up between them and felt ashamed that he let his feelings go overboard.

At the same time, he thought maybe he should talk to her and mend what he had broken, even though he didn't want to go back to being just friends. All he wanted was to be more than that.

When Taylor woke up on his birthday, he opened his phone up to a sea of "happy birthday's" from friends, his brothers and his parents.

What he noticed, though, was that there wasn't one from Hayley. Not that he expected anything from her at the present moment, but he knew how early she wakes up and how awkward she probably would've felt wishing him a happy birthday.

That part made him sad because he never wanted things to end up like they were right now. That's why he knew kissing her might be a mistake. He was just hoping he was wrong.

Once the clock hit 7, Taylor got a sinking feeling in his stomach, knowing that his friends would be showing up soon for the party.

The only person he could think about was Hayley. Would she even show up? Maybe she wouldn't come because of the tension they knew would be there. He wasn't sure, but he was bound to find out when the time came.

The first people to show up were the HalfNoise guys and Joey Howard immediately asked, "Is Hayley here yet?" To which Taylor replied, "Uh, no, she's not."

Joey's question echoed throughout Taylor's head for the next 45 minutes, as he pondered the same thought.

Eventually, Zac came up to Taylor and handed him a beer. "I don't think you've had anything to drink yet. Let loose, dude, you're 29 now!"

Taylor accepted the beer and attempted a genuine smile. "Thanks, man. And thanks for throwing me this party, it's nice catching up with everyone."

He honestly wasn't hating the party as much as he thought he would, but the thought of Hayley lingering around in his mind was enough to bring him back to reality.

Zac noticed him drift off somewhere else and said, "I'm really surprised Hayley's not here yet. Have you talked to her at all today?"

Taylor's head popped up at the sound of Hayley's name. "No, actually we haven't talked."

Zac didn't understand why he was so nonchalant about that, since he knows they talk every day, not to mention, it was Taylor's birthday.

"Wait, really? She didn't even wish you a happy birthday? Did something happen between you guys?"

Taylor wasn't about to scare Zac by telling him that he kissed Hayley and he sure as hell didn't want to make it seem like anything was wrong between them. "What? Nothing happened, I'm sure she's on her way right now."

Zac side-eyed him because his answer sounded like a complete lie, but didn't want to press him about it. "Okay, buddy, but just know you can talk to me about anything."