Page 33 of Wish We Were There

He didn’t know how to respond, sitting on the edge of his bed and blinking away tears. He didn’t have the band anymore, but he’d still have Kylie. That had to count for something. She was probably the best friend he had now.

“Okay,” he croaked, wiping his eyes. “Yeah. Okay. Thank you.”

“I’ll be there in thirty minutes,” she replied, her voice softer now. “See you soon.”

She hung up, and Taylor flopped back onto his bed with a groan. He didn’t really feel ready to talk about what had happened with Parker, but she would surely ask what had gotten him so down again when she arrived, and he didn’t want to lie to her. Maybe she would have some advice that would make him feel better, even a little.

Sighing, he forced himself to get out of bed and turned on the lights. He looked a mess, so he tidied himself up, brushing his teeth and changing into clean clothes. Dishes from days ago were still in the sink, so he set to work cleaning them off and putting them in the dishwasher. He was just turning it on when the doorbell chimed, almost immediately followed by the sound of the front door opening.

“I’m coming in!” Kylie’s voice rang out from the entryway, making Taylor chuckle despite himself.

“Come on in,” he called back. Kylie shuffled into the kitchen, carrying a takeout bag in one hand and a drink tray in the other; Taylor grabbed the precariously balanced tray and set it on the counter. “You didn’t say you were getting boba too.”

“Well, I was already there,” she laughed. “I made a snap decision. I’m, like, ninety percent sure I got your order right. Taro milk tea with boba, right?”

Taylor’s smile wavered with emotion. It was such a small thing, but it made him feel the first glimmer of... happiness? Hope? Something he hadn’t felt since his conversation with Parker, before he’d said the words that brought it all crashing down.

Parker. The memory made his smile stutter.

“Aw, shit, did I get it wrong?” Kylie asked, her cheerful expression falling. Taylor bit back a laugh as he shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his free hand before the tears burning there could spill over.

“No, no, you got it right,” he said quickly. “I just... Shit. Sorry. It isn’t you.”

Kylie’s lips pursed with worry, as she looked at Taylor for a long moment. “You want to talk about it?”

“Maybe,” Taylor sighed. “Maybe after we eat.”

She nodded, and soon they were sitting in front of the TV, eating their takeout and watching an episode of some reality show Kylie was binging. He watched in silence as Kylie howled with laughter over some over-the-top argument two women were having—he still wasn’t entirely sure what the show was about.

The moment Taylor finished eating, though, Kylie paused the show and turned to him with an expectant look. He couldn’t stifle the laugh at that, especially because the frame she paused on was blurred with movement, save for the exaggerated, shocked expression of a man in the background.

“Okay, okay,” he chuckled, before she could say anything. “It’s, uh. A long story, I guess.”

“Tell me,” she said, leaning closer to him. First, he reached for the remote and turned the TV off. Kylie snorted with laughter when she noticed, but he was absolutely not going to have this conversation with that image in the corner of his eye.

“It’s, um, Parker,” Taylor blurted out, forcing a casual tone. But Kylie’s eyes brightened immediately. She didn’t say anything, and even her expression remained mostly the same, but he could practically feel the way she tensed up in anticipation at the admission. “We... talked some stuff out the other day. Or, uh... I guess it started last week.”

“Start from the beginning,” she prompted. “What happened?”

“Last week, I...” he started, then trailed off, his face burning with embarrassment. He’d played the moment that he’d kissed Parker over and over in his head, but it still had the sting of shame and regret remembering it now.

“I... kissed Parker.” Kylie made a stifled noise, like she wanted to scream, as she clapped one hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Taylor laughed nervously, looking away. “Yeah, I know.”

“Oh, Taylor, did it go badly? Is that why you’ve been sad?” she asked urgently, leaning forward to grab his hand, the one not in the cast.

“Er... sort of,” he sighed. “I mean, I thought he wanted it—he was into it at first, and then... He kind of, uh, freaked out, but not in an ‘ew, gross’ way but... He was saying we shouldn’t do this, that he introduced me and... me and Zach, and he would feel too guilty.”

“No!” Kylie groaned, squeezing his hand harder. “Did you tell him?”

Taylor flushed, looking away. “I... Yeah. I told him. He was really... shocked, I guess. He seemed kind of upset about it, even. He said he needed to think things over, so... We didn’t really talk much after that. I was... pretty upset about how he reacted. But then he still came over to work on some stuff at the venue yesterday, and...”

“Do I need to kick his ass?” Kylie interjected as he trailed off. Taylor shook his head—she looked almost disappointed.

“No, it’s not like that,” he sighed. “We talked it out, and I told him more about what happened, and he seemed more understanding, but then he was saying like... We shouldn’t, you know, be in a relationship or whatever yet, that it’s still too soon and we should... go slow. But I don’t know when it won’t be too soon anymore. And I explained why it isn’t too soon for me, but I guess he doesn’t feel the same way.”

Kylie was silent for a long moment, brows furrowed. Finally, she hissed out, “God, he’s so stupid.”

Taylor laughed, even as a surge of protectiveness rose in his chest. “I guess. Maybe a little.”

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