Page 4 of Loving Taylor

Chapter Two

Just as Ibroke through the crowd, I spotted her standing with her hand on the wall like she was struggling to stand upright. She swayed and I stepped forward to catch her. My arm wrapped around her and I held her up against me.

"Sorry," she mumbled, slightly slurred as she looked up at me. Her eyes were glazed over. I frowned when I tried to figure out how long it had been since I had last seen her. It hadn't been that long ago.

"You okay?" I asked, searching her eyes.

"Nope...I...," she said before she closed her eyes briefly. "The room...won't stop."

"I think you need to sit," I suggested, steering her to the stairs.

She stumbled on the first step and I tightened my arm around her to hold her steady. Three steps up she was struggling so I lifted her into my arms effortlessly and carried her up the remaining stairs. Inside my bedroom I kicked the door closed and set her down to sit on my bed.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled again, pushing the hair out of her face.

"It's okay," I told her. "We've all been there."

She put her hand to her head. "I can't...didn't drink...that much."

Her words echoed my previous thought.

"I'll get you some water," I said, heading to my bathroom. I got a glass and filled it halfway with some tap water.

When I returned I handed her the glass. She took a couple of sips but struggled to stop some water from tilting over the rim. I took it from her and set it down on the table beside the bed.

"You're hot," she said, looking at me dreamily as I turned to face her. Her statement took me by surprise.

"So are you.” I allowed myself to openly appreciate her. I had rules I didn't break but I was tempted to throw them out the window to find out if her lips were as soft as they looked.

"You have a reputation," she revealed. Her tongue swept across her bottom lip and I felt a rush of excitement at the small action. I hadn't been so affected by a girl since I was a young boy. The years of experience had taught me control, which was swiftly evaporating with every second I spent in her company.

Jordan had told her about me. I wasn't surprised. The reputation I had did well to hide my inner turmoil and emotional inability to make a deeper connection with a girl.

"What did you hear?" I asked out of curiosity. I folded my arms.

"That you're kinda a manwhore." It was spot on.

I shrugged my broad shoulders, unapologetic of who I was.

"Would you kiss me?" she asked. Her big blue eyes on mine made me question why I had stupid rules in place at all. Even knowing about my reputation hadn't been enough to scare her off. But most girls still had a belief that they could succeed where no girl had before.

"You've had too much to drink," I reminded her out loud. But it was also for my own benefit to remind myself I couldn't let this get out of hand.

"It's okay...." She shrugged. "I understand."

I frowned, trying to keep my distance so I wouldn’t do something I would regret. I dropped my arms to my sides.

"What do you understand?" I found myself asking.

Her eyes lifted to mine and I could see a sadness in them. It wasn't the superficial type that was easily remedied. It reminded me of what I had wrestled with for most of my life. What was haunting her?

"I'm not pretty enough."

I shook my head. "You are...beautiful."

It was the first time I'd ever told a girl that. I'd used the words hot, gorgeous, pretty, but never the word beautiful.

Her eyes looked up hopefully to me. "Really?"