Chapter 18 ~ Time Alone
"Huh?" Taylor mumbled, rolling over in bed. He heard someone calling his name faintly in the background. He was almost completly asleep again when he was struck by a pillow.
"Taylor! Wake up!" Zac yelled, grabbing the pillow and hitting him in the head.
Pushing the pillow off the bed, Taylor opened his eyes and looked at Zac. "What do you want? Gosh, what time is it?"
Zac just shook his head. "It's 9:30. Ashley called. I told her I'll tell you she called when you woke up."
Taylor threw the covers off him and jumped out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me up? Where's the phone?"
"Gosh calm down. She just called a minute ago. And I tried to get you up. But you've been out cold. It's like you were drugged or something." He laughed a little and handed him the phone. It had been in his hand the whole time but Taylor was too excited to notice.
"Oh. Thanks." He took the phone, sat back down on the bed and quickly dialed Ashley's number.
Taylor was pacing back and forth on the living room floor. He had his arms crossed and was staring at the floor.
"Um, Tay? She'll be here in just a second, you can sit down you know." Ike said, laughing a little.
He just stopped, turned around, and looked at him. "I know," was all he said, and began walking again.
"Where's my girl?" Zac asked as he came walking into the living room. He looked at Taylor and made a funny face. Then he looked to Ike.
Ike just shrugged his shoulders, meaning he doesn't have a clue what's wrong with their brother. "I guess you mean Kirstie. She's up in here room."
"Oh. Alright. She was crying again this morning." Zac said, looking sad. "She was saying something about missing her parents, even though she hates them, and that she still never wants to see them again. And we were talking about sending them a postcard to let them know she's okay."
Ike nodded and looked back over to Tay. Zac headed to the stairs to find Kirstie. Suddenly the doorbell rang. "Oh! I got it!" Taylor shouted, running for the door.
He opened the door and was happy to see Ashley standing in front of him. "Hi Tay." She said, a big smile on her face.
He looked a little bit sad, but managed to smile. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I love you." He said quietly in her ear.
"I love you too Tay." She smiled and handed him a small shiny bag that held his Christmas present within it. "What's the matter?" She could see something was wrong just by looking in his eyes.
"Oh, nothing. Let's wait 'til later to trade gifts. I just want to be with you right now." He said, forcing a smile.
"Alright." She took his hand and they walked inside. Ike was still sitting on the couch, watching tv. "Hi." Ashley said to him cheerfully.
"Hey what's up?" He said, muting the tv, planning to talk to her for a minute or two.
"Nothing much," she barely managed to get out as Taylor pulled her up the stairs behind him. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Taylor didn't say anything until they reached the top of the stairs. "I want to be with you. Just me and you, alone." He opened the door to find Zac and Kirstie. They were sitting on the floor in each others arms, leaning back against the bed. "Could you guys go in Kirstie's room?"
"Sure." Kirstie answered as they both sat up and went to the door. "Hi Ash."
"Hey." Ashley replied... and Taylor shut the door. "Um, Tay?"
"Yeah?" He asked, leading her to the bed.
She sat down beside him and he took her in his arms. "Oh, nervermind." She didn't want to say anything to upset him, or ruin the mood. He kissed her and they layed down on the bed. He rolled over on top of her and they kissed pasionately. She rubbed her hands through his soft hair. "I love you so much." She said, between kisses.
After a while he rolled off her. "Can I ask you something?" He asked sweetly.
"Of course. Go ahead." She said. leaning towards him and rubbing his leg.
"Well, we've like each other for a long time and... I never really asked you... but I just assumed we were...but now I want to ask, so it will be official." He looked at her hand on his leg and smiled.
She moved her hand up a little, going closer to his waist. "Huh?" She asked, just a little confused, but thinking she might have an idea of what he meant.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" His cheaks turned a light shade of red.
"Taylor," She smiled, "I'd be honered." They giggled and began kissing again. They layed there, embracing each for over an hour. They talked a little, but mostly just layed their, hugging each other.
Suddenly the door opened. "Would you two like some brownies? I just made some, they're still warm?
Taylor whispered in Ashley's ear and she shook her head. "No thanks Mom." His mother walked out of their room closing the door behind her. "I guess we could open gifts now."
"Yeah, I wanted to when I got here." She smiled and looked out the window. "Wow, it's really started to snow hard out there."
"Sure is." He got up and walked to the other side of the room. Opening a draw he pulled out a bag about the size of Ashley's. "I want to open your's first."
"Alright." She said as he sat down beside her.
He took the bag. Reaching down in it, he pulled out a small box covered with little Christmas confettii. He opened it and smiled. A small promise ring sat inside. He looked so happy and so sad at the same time. He took it out and sliped it on his finger. "It's a little small."
"I was worried about that." She said. "Look in the bag."
Taylor reached into the bag again and pulled out a silver chain. Putting the ring on the chain, he put it around his neck. "Thank you so much. I promise, I'll never take it off." Tears filled his eyes and he wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt.
Ashley hugged him tightly. "Sweetheart, what is the matter?" She asked as sweetly as possible. He didn't answer, only handed her the bag with her present in it. She pulled out a small box, but in this one, instead of a ring, there was a gold locket. She opened the heart shaped locked. It had a picture of him inside.
"It's to remember me by." He whispered. Trying to stop crying, he again wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "When we leave."
"What?" She asked, starting to scared. She knew something terrible was wrong, if it had made Taylor cry.
"We're leaving just a couple days after Christmas. We're going to L.A. to finish the album. And we probably won't be home at all for like, four months. We'll be there most of the time, but we'll probably go here and there, for interviews and tv shows." He started to cry pretty hard now. It really embarassed him, but he couldn't help it.
"Oh Taylor." She said, tears begining to run down her face now too. They hugged each, both crying. "I won't get to see you for that long?"
"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I'll miss you so much. But I promise I'll call you everyday. And write you. And maybe sometime you can come visit for a few days."
The two of them layed there for the rest of the day. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes they would cry together. But mostly they just held each other.
"I love you Taylor." Ashley whispered.
He kissed her forehead. "I love you too."
As the sun began to go down, they fell asleep together on Taylor's bed. Their tear-stained cheaks against each other.
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Chapter 19 will be up soon! ~ Krissy