I couldn't believe that it was already Sunday. I hadn't talked to Taylor since Wednesday so I was really looking forward to seeing him. I know it's cliche when people say it, but even though we'd only talked a little bit, I felt really comfortable around him, until I started thinking about being in a house with him alone. That's when I got nervous. It's not that I thought he'd go crazy and jump on me or even expect anything, but he was a rock star. What if he did expect something from me? I wouldn't know what to do. I mean, I wouldn't do do anything with him, but still. I was a little worried about that as I sat on my bed waiting for my door to be knocked on by this guy who'd been consuming my thoughts for a week.
I'd thought a lot about what I was wearing, even though I wasn't going to dress up or anything, I was still a little concerned. I finally decided on jeans and a three quarter length shirt. I didn't want him to know just how much I'd thought about seeing him again. I took another glance in the mirror and was about to pack up my guitar when there was a sharp knock at my door. My roommate had gone home for the weekend, so I knew that it could be no one but Taylor. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I was immedeatly taken with Taylor. His eyes, his face, his clothes, and even his smell, it all hit me within seconds of openeing the door. I hoped he didn't notice my intake of breath. "Hey Taylor, how are you?" I asked, moving out of the way and motioning for him to come in.
"I'm great, and yourself?" He asked
"I'm doing just fine."
"You look nice, I like your shirt." He said, nodding towards it. I felt my cheeks blush a bit as I said thank you.
"Do you want something to drink or eat or anything?" I asked, motioning to a tiny fridge sitting on the one counter in the small room.
"Sure, what do you have?" He said. He'd taken a seat on my bed and was looking around the room.
"Well, us poor college students, all I have is milk, water, and a 2 litre of Diet Coke." I said, smiling.
"Diet Coke is fine," He said. "Hey, what's this?" He asked, seeing a one inch binder sitting on the corner of my bed.
"Oh that, that's just the place where I keep all my lyrics and chord progressions and stuff." I answered, handing him a cup. He took a big swig and then smiled up at me.
"Cool. Hey, I told my mom that we'd be back at 1:30, so we should probably go. She wanted to meet you before leaving me alone in a house with you." He said as he stood.
"Ok, let me pack up my guitar. Should I even bring my electric? Or should I bring both?" I asked, gesturing to my two cases in the corner.
"Bring your electric and if you want an acoustic you can use Ike's." He said. I picked up my electric case and grabbed my notebook. He promptly walked over and took my case from me.
"We can't have you carrying too much you know." He smiled his beautiful smile at me and put his hand on my back to lead me out of my dorm. I could feel the warmth of his hand through my shirt as I walked out, and when he removed it, I felt like yelling at him to put it back. I locked the door and we headed out to his car. I hopped in as he put the case in the backseat and came around to the front. As we pulled out he turned to me and smiled.
"So, do you miss Indiana?" He asked.
"Wow, I can't believe you remembered where I used to live!" I exclaimed. He just smiled. "Not the physical place, but I miss the people. My mom, dad, and Noelle and Jake." I noticed him stiffen after I said Jake.
"Is Jake your boyfriend?" He asked, keeping his eyes trained to the road. I smiled inside.
"No, he's my brother." I said.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" I couldn't believe how nervous he looked.
"No, I haven't had a boyfriend for a while. My last relationship kinda turned me off of guys for a while. But don't ask about him." I warned. I seriously didn't want to talk about that.
"He turned you off of guys?! How long will it be until another guy catches your eye?" He said with a twinkle in his eye.
"I think that's already happened." I said quietly. Immedeatly after I said it I wished I hadn't. A look of relief flooded his face and he turned and gave me a tiny smile. I smiled back and changed the subject.
"So, do you have a girlfriend?" I said, smiling. He wouldn't be showing intrest if he did, would he?
"No, not yet. It's kind hard because we travel so much. But I'm looking now because we're gonna be in LA for a year with this new album, so there's time for a relationship. But that's assuming someone would want me."
"I'm sure anyone would want you, Taylor." I said sincerely.
"Why is that?" He asked, grinning.
"Well, for your money of course. Why else?" He started laughing as I said that, and much to my relief we pulled off the highway and through a neighborhood. Chit-chat continued until he pulled into a driveway and shut off the car. He got my guitar and we both headed up to the front door. Upon entering, a little kid ran up to the front door excitedly. When she saw us, she stopped in her tracks.
"Oh, it's just you." She said, turning and walking away. Utterly surprised I turned and looked at Taylor who looked really confused. He walked up behind the little kid and lifted her up high into the air. He set her back on the ground and started talking.
"Who were you expecting Zoe?"
"Dad. Mom says when he gets home we're gonna go to the zoo!"
"Aww...you get to go to the zoo and I have to stay here? No fair!"
"I know, but mom said you guys needed to work. Ike and Zac are gonna go somewhere else. I think to a movie or to the mall." She said. "Hey, what's her name?" She asked, pointing to me.
"Hi, I'm Andrea. Who are you?" I said, squatting down next to the girl. She smiled and hid behind Taylor.
"Zoe. I'm this many" She held up four fingers. "How many are you?" She asked.
"I'm 18 years old. One year younger than Taylor here. She smiled and then ran off. Taylor turned to me.
"Let's go set this stuff down in my room and meet the others." I nodded and we walked up a flight of stairs and into a hallway. He knocked on the door to a room yelling "You two decent?" Two voices said yes and Taylor opened the door. He walked in and turned around, beckoning me to follow him. "Andrea, this is Isaac, and this is Zac. Guys, this is Andrea." He said.
"Hi, nice to meet you." I said politely.
"Nice to finally meet you too." Zac said, smiling.
"How are you doing since our little phone talk?" Isaac asked, grinning.
"Well, I'm slowly recovering my hearing, but other than that, it's great to put a face to the name." I said. There was laughter around the room, followed by uncomfortable silence.
"So Zac, what do you say we go to the movie now?" Isaac asked, turning to his brother.
"Sounds like a grand idea to me, wink wink nudge nudge." The two started laughing and exited the room. Isaac poked his head back inside.
"Would you like me to shut the door?" He said grinning. He quickly shut the door right before a pillow hit it. Taylor was laughing.
"Sorry, they can be a handfull. Hard to believe he's 21, an actual adult now. He'll never grow up." He smiled.
"Oh, it's ok. I have a brother and a sister too. Your brothers are cute." I said, smiling.
"Must run in the family, eh?" He said, walking around like he was carrying way too much muscle mass on his body.
"Nice try Fabio, but it's not gonna work." I said, laughing.
"Well, if that won't work, we'll just have to start going on this song here. Stupid Cherwin. Maybe after we get done we can actually have some fun." He raised his eyebrows at me suggestively. I blushed a bit and looked away. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look at him. "I was kidding." He said. I smiled. Phew, what a relief.
"I know." I lied. He smiled and pulled out my guitar. He let out a low whistle.
"Wow, this is nice. Don't let Ike see it. Ever." I laughed and he joined in and began working on the song. We actually worked really well together. I was open to his suggestions and he was open to mine. After a while he suggested that we wrap up our work for the night. It was almost 5, and both of us were emotionally tired. We headed downstairs into the family room and he flipped on the TV. We both took a seat on the couch and started watching some old movie on HBO.
"You wanna put in a movie or something?" He asked.
"Sure, you go ahead and pick. Surprise me." I said.
"Ok, but you'll have to close your eyes while I pick." I smiled and shut them. When I felt him come back and sit down next to me I opened them. We sat through the previews and I waited to find out what movie it was. When the screen filled with the opening scene I turned to Taylor with my jaw dropped.
"What?" He asked.
"Is this 'The Sixth Sense'?" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah, have you seen it?"
"No! I've wanted to see it for two years, and I never got around to it! I've heard so many good things about it." I gushed.
"It's a great movie. I've seen it so many times, but I still get scared at the same parts." He confessed.
"I'm a wreck during these movies. If I get up and leave, don't take offense, I'm just trying to calm down." I warned him with a smile.
"Hey, do you mind if I turn off the lights? A movie isn't a movie unless it's dark." He said, standing up.
"Sure, that's great."
"While I'm up, do you want me to make some popcorn? I'm going to make some anyway for myself, but do you want me to make enough for you to have some?"
"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry anyway." I settled into a comfortable position on the couch, pulling myself into a little ball and wrapping myself in a blanket. The movie started off with a bang, and I was already a little uneasy. I gasped as the couch moved and looked over to see Taylor sitting down and placing the popcorn inbetween us. I kept my eyes glued to the screen and grabbed some popcorn.
"AUGH! What is that!?!" I yelled, reaching my hand behind my neck to find out what had just yanked on my hair. I looked at Taylor and he busted out laughing.
"I'm sorry...haha...you looked so...TENSE, I had to do it...hahahaah, I'm sorry...that was priceless." He said inbetween fits of laughter.
"Taylor whatever-your-middle-name-is Hanson, don't you EVER do that again! I almost peed my pants!" I yelled. I couldn't help smiling when he continued laughing.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again. And it's Taylor."
"Huh? What's Taylor?" I asked, utterly confused.
"My middle name. My middle name is Taylor."
"What's your first name then?" I asked.
"Jordan. Don't laugh." He said. I smiled.
"When I was a kid I wanted to name my future son Jordan. I wouldn't laugh at that name."
"Hey, pay attention to the movie, it's getting good now!" Taylor half joked/half ordered. I turned to face the screen and continued on. I got caught up in the story and hardly noticed when the popcorn ran out, or when Taylor got up and came back a few minutes later. However, I did notice a nagging feeling that wouldn't leave me alone. I turned to Taylor.
"Will you pause it? I have to go to the bathroom." I explained.
"Sure." He grabbed the remote as I made my way into the bathroom. When I stepped out a couple of mintutes later, Taylor wasn't on the couch.
"Taylor? Tay? Lor? Hey, this isn't funny. I'm WILL scream if you jump out from behind that wall. Taylor, STOP IT! Where are you?" I said, peering into the dark living room. I heard something oh-so-quiet from behind me and turned around, face to face with Taylor.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH, Don't DO that!!" I screamed. He was laughing again. I don't know why, but I was actually really mad. I started hitting his shoulder with each word I said.
"You...SCARED...ME...TO...DEATH!!!" His grin turned into a look of fear when he realized that I was actually really scared and a little mad. He grabbed onto my hand that was punching him and wouldn't let go.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry...shhh...stop yelling, I didn't know you'd get so scared. I'm sorry, here, feel better." He pulled me into a hug as my heart beat slowed from the shock of his trick. But it started going even faster when I realized that I was hugging Taylor. I squeezed him tight and then backed up. He rested each of his hands onto each of my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.
"Andrea, I'm sorry for scaring you twice, and I won't do it again. Please forgive me. I was just joking around." I sighed.
"Fine...I'll forgive you this once. But not ONE word from your mouth until the movie is over." I said, trying my best to look menacing. He nodded seriously and we both headed back into the living room. I sat back down on the couch and continued watching the movie. Every once in a while I'd look over at Taylor to make sure he wasn't about to grab me or put a spider in my lap or something, but he was engrossed in the movie, so I focused my attention on it for the rest of the evening. When the movie ended, I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe that...well, if one of you out there hasn't seen it, I won't give it away, but man, what an ending. This spurred a conversation between Taylor and I that lasted for a good fifteen minutes about little things in the movie that should've gotten my attention.
"Hey, I should probably be heading back now. I have an early morning class that I have to make it to." I said. I really didn't want to go, but I didn't want to miss my class the next day.
"Ok, let me go get my coat and your guitar and I'll be back in a second." Taylor said. He ran upstairs and came back down a few minutes later. "Are we ready?" He asked. I nodded and we started out the door. We got in his car and headed off for the campus.
"So, what do you think of the song we started?" I asked.
"I think it's gonna be great. I know you should play the guitar and sing, and I'll play the piano and sing. We could probably get Zac to play the drums for us, and it could be like a duet or something. That's just the way I felt it though, a somewhat ballady duet."
"That's how I perceived it too. It's gonna be cool to work on. I mean, today was really cool, but I'm looking forward to getting it written and recorded and stuff." I gushed.
"Oh, I know! And the fact that we can actually do it in a REAL studio is just the icing on the cake. Hey! I have an idea!" Taylor said suddenly.
"What?"
"Well, on Tuesday, after class, we should go eat lunch in the deli again, and then we can go back to your place to work the song, and then while you go to class I could hang out in your dorm or run some errands or somthing, and then after your class we could work on it again, and then I could go with you to Reality Squared and watch you play!! How does that sound to you?" He said, turning to face me quickly before looking back at the road. That sounded like heaven to me, I wanted to say, but I couldn't do that.
"That sounds great! We could probably get the song done, considering how much work we got done on it today. And then maybe while I'm in class you could stay in my room and either write the lyrics or music, and then when I get back we can finish that, and then next Sunday, we could start recording, next Tuesday we could compile the list of who's working and write our paragraphs about each other, and the last Sunday we can finish the recording!!" I was so excited, everything was coming together!
"Wow, you just babbled that off!" Taylor said, smiling at me. "And it was great! We should totally do that, because then we'll get it done! And I can't wait to see you at Reality Squared. After hearing you today, I'm in awe of your talent." He said, softly. "And I mean that too."
"Stop Taylor, you're making me blush! But thanks, that means a lot to me. And I think you're amazingly talented too." We settled into a comfortable silence as he pulled into the parking lot in front of my building. I was getting out and grabbing my case when he came up behind me and said, "Let me get that for you. I'll take it up to your room for you."
"Ok, thanks." I said, smiling. We both walked upstairs and at my door he set my guitar down as I unlocked it. "Thanks for letting me come to your house Taylor. I had a lot of fun." I said, not knowing what else to do.
"Oh, it's no big deal, the pleasure was mine. I'll see you on Tuesday, ok?"
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to spending the WHOLE DAY with you...Oh man..." I said, rolling my eyes.
"Hey! I actually am looking forward to spending the day with you!" He said, putting on a puppy dog face. My heart skipped a beat.
"I know, I am too." I confessed.
"I'll see you then, ok?"
"Yeah, thanks for carrying my guitar."
"You're welcome. Bye now."
"Bye." With that I walked inside and shut the door.