Page 2 of Taylor
I feel his hands come under my armpits as he pulls me up from the seat. He manages to manhandle me out of the car and my jelly-like legs just about hold me up. Together, we stumble towards the front door. I’ve only seen pictures of this house but it’s even more impressive in real life. When I visited Lilly after she moved to Devon, she and Lucas were still living in his hotel. They only moved in here a few weeks ago. I’ve been desperate to see what she’s done with the place but I wasn’t expecting my first visit to be quite likethis.
I feel my body giving up on me as I stand at the front door, clinging on the best I can to Caleb. I need to lie down. I need to sleep. Fuck, I need morepainkillers.
When the door gets pulled back, I just about make out Lucas with Lilly hanging over his shoulder. One look at his guests, and he drops her to herfeet.
“Shit, what happened?” he asks seconds before Lilly turns towardsus.
“Shit, Taylor. What happened to him?” she asks Caleb as I feel Lucas grab on to my other side. He’s just in time, because I was about to hit thefloor.
They both start to move me into the house but blackness starts to descend on me so I struggle to focus on what they’resaying.
“I know you,” I hear Lilly say to Caleb as I feel myself lowered on to what I hope is the sofa. “But I can’t placeyou.”
“I’m Caleb, Beth’s brother. Taylor lives with me.” Lilly doesn’t know anything about Caleb because I haven’t told her about him. It’s killed me to do so and I don’t really know why I’ve kept it from her, but I have. Maybe it’s because I want him so badly but he won’t allow it. Maybe it’s because I’ve fallen for him and yet I’ve barely touched him. I’m sure I could come up with loads of reasons if I thought aboutit.
“Oh, it’syou,” Lilly says as if she’s just figured out some impossible puzzle. I know she’s known there’s been something going on with me but she’s never come out and asked, which I’m grateful for. “What happened?” she asks again but I don’t hear Caleb’s response. I drift off into the blackness where the pain disappears and I can put what happened to one side, knowing I’m with my real family. Lilly is my family; she has been for a few years now. Unlike my blood relations, I know I can rely on her and I know she’ll look after me. Caleb would have been great but he doesn’t understand—not yet, anyway. Lilly, on the other hand, knowseverything.
Caleb
I’ve been awayon an amazing shoot for the last two days and I’m buzzing to tell someone about it. Hoping Taylor will be home from work, I jog up the stairs to our flat with my overnight bag over myshoulder.
I don’t think anything of it when I find the door ajar. Taylor is pretty useless like that. Clearly, me moaning about him leaving it open last time fell on deafears.
“Taylor, the fucking door’s open again.” I may have moved to a nicer building but we’re still in the middle of London. Fuck knows who we’re sharing this building with, but he’s happy to leave the door swinging open for anyone to stroll in. If he’s left it open because he’s too busy fucking someone while I was away, I’m going to be seriously pissedoff.
“Taylor,” I shout again when I get no response. This time, I do hear something, but it’s not so much a response as I groan. I head towards the kitchen where it sounds like it came from but before I find him, I findblood.
“Fuck, Taylor,” I say to myself as I pick up my pace. “Fuck,” I repeat when I find him curled up in the corner of the kitchen, covered inblood.
I crouch down next to him to inspect the damage but there’s too much blood to really seeanything.
“I’m ringing anambulance.”
“No, please.No.”
“Taylor you’re in a right state. You need to be lookedat.”
“I’m…fine. Please,” he begs. “Lilly.”
“What?”
“Take me…to…Lilly…please.”
“Taylor, she lives in Devon. It’s hours away. You need to go to A&E, not fuckingDevon.”
“No,” he says again with much more determination behind it. He manages to uncurl himself enough so he can sit up a little and look atme.
The state of his face makes me suck in a breath. I’ve known for a long time that my feelings for his guy are too strong, but I’ve managed to lock them down. Taylor’s a player and I’ve had my fill of those over the years. He may tell me he’s changed but a leopard never changes hisspots.
I fight the urge to wrap myself around him and never let go. Instead, I stand up and pull my phone out of my pocket to call for an ambulance. Fuck knows what he might have broken. I shouldn’t be movinghim.
“Caleb. Please,” he begs again, staring into my eyes, his dark ones to my blue. “Take me to Lilly. I needher.”
“For fuck’s sake,Taylor.”
“Please.”
“Fine. Let’s clean you up a bit first,” I say caving to the pathetic look he’s giving me. I can only say no to him so manytimes.
