Page 35 of Tailored for Them

I smirked, remembering my stupid teenage years when my brother and I would get into typical teenage trouble.

“It’s easy for young people to feel like they need to follow a step-by-step guide to thrive and be happy. Society does its hardest to convince people that they won’t be happy unless they do A, B, and C. You, however, have always seemed immune to that.”

I nodded at that because that’s how I’ve felt, too.

“So that’s why you felt relieved to hear me proclaim I was intentionally single?”

“We knew that nobody could pressure you to do anything you didn’t want to do. So, when you said you weren’t going to settle down and that you were happy, well, doing what you do,” my mom continued, raising her eyebrows at me, “we felt relieved that you figured that out so young. If more people were as confident in themselves and their decisions as you are, I feel like the world would be a little less complicated.”

I smiled at her, “That’s nice of you to say.”

“It’s true.” She sat straighter in her seat and started focusing on her food again.

“What if I ended up changing my mind?” I asked.Thatwas what I had been thinking about ever since that kiss I shared with Nicole at the taco bar. This feeling of attachment. This feeling of wanting to be near her. Wondering what she was up to. The intoxicating thrill of learning that she liked me sexually, too.

I was expecting my parents to pause dramatically at my question.

Instead, they continued to eat as if this wasn’t a big deal to them at all.

I was silly for expecting anything else.

“People are allowed to change their mind, Taylor,” my dad spoke around his mouthful of turkey burger, “If you end up finding someone you want to settle down with, they must be special.”

Shrugging, I thought about his words some more.

You hardly know Nicole, I reminded myself.

It was true, but—not to sound like Beck—I still felt something there. Something between us that I didn’t think I had truly experienced until now.

Something scary, but exciting at the same time.

“Is Nicole someone special?” my mom asked, staring at my phone as it buzzed on the table.

I blushed, feeling like she was reading my mind.

“It’s still very new, but…” I tilted my head back and forth, “…I think I really like her.”

You hooked up one single time, calm the fuck down, T.

You know what, who the hell cares? Adam fell in love with Beck because he saw her laugh one single time before she even knew he existed. Nothing matters.

“Well, I hope you two have fun tonight.” My mom hummed as she turned to my dad to ask about his day. While they startedtalking about his thrilling day of crunching numbers at the accounting firm he worked at, I finally read Nicole’s text.

Nicole: Send me your address.

Chapter Ten

NICOLE

I jumpedafter Taylor opened their door.

It sounded like they ran to the front door after I knocked. I could hear the heavy thuds of their feet quickly approaching the door.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Taylor said, opening the door wide enough for me to step through the threshold into their apartment. I noticed a lot of muted warm colors. A burnt orange accent wall, healthy indoor plants on shelves. A large book with someone wearing a jersey on the cover, sitting on their wooden coffee table. Unlit candles on their kitchen counter to my right, a clean and empty kitchen sink. Cream curtains framing the sliding glass doors on the opposite end of the living space.

Their apartment was clean, cozy, and calm.

Being in their space made me want to relax my shoulders and dramatically exhale a sigh.

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