Page 55 of Dreams
“I don’t want to forget him.”
“Moving on doesn’t mean you have to forget him.” Abigail ran her fingers over a picture of Danny with his goofy grin. “I think he’ll always be a part of you, but Tay, he isn’t coming back.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?” She looked up, locking her eyes on Taylor’s. “Because it’s been a year and a half, and it seems to me like you’re just waiting. It’s a long life, and he’d want you to live it.”
Taylor looked back down at the book as Abigail flipped to the next page. This one wasn’t Danny. She’d drawn Josh standing by the river, his hair blowing into his face. His lips were turned up in a smirk as he stared at something. She imagined that something was her. Abigail stopped turning pages and held out the open book for Taylor to take.
“Are you in love with Josh?”
“How am I supposed to know that? I like him. A lot. I don’t even know if I’m ready for that.”
“You are.” She shrugged.
“How do you know?”
“It’s in your eyes. I’ve seen you change over the last two months. Girl, when I met you, you were a mess. I didn’t think we’d ever be friends. You aren’t that girl anymore.” She paused, tilting her head to the side. “You need to tell him.”
“I can’t do that!” Taylor’s face blanched as she shrank away.
“Yes you can. He’s never going to make a move because he thinks you’re this little grieving girl. We’ll show him different. Tomorrow - at the charity ball.”
Taylor shook her head vigorously while Abigail nodded with a satisfied grin on her face.
After a while, Taylor slumped back against her pillows with an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. Tomorrow.”
* * *
Google could be an evil thing, but Taylor couldn’t seem to resist it. She was surprised it had taken her this long to type in those two words - Josh Walker.
She was just curious. Knowing him, there wouldn’t be much. He wasn’t as much the public figure as someone like Mack. The first few pages were from various hockey sites, showing his stats along with a picture that was taken of him right after he was drafted. Taylor laughed at the cuteness of the eighteen-year-old kid version of him. He was only a year younger than she was now, but he’d changed.
The boyishness was still in his face, but he’d grown taller and much broader. He now had the muscles of a seasoned athlete, not a kid playing at being one.
Taylor knew she should stop there. It would’ve been better if she had. Instead, she moved her finger across the touch pad to bring the cursor over the images button and tapped twice.
Pictures covered the screen. Most were of Josh at various stages of his hockey career, but then there were others. His family was a prominent one in Connecticut, and the images chronicled their charity events and galas. Josh was in many of these, a date always by his side, even in the younger pictures.
One girl was in a lot of these, but she looked older than him. Her long auburn hair shone as it draped across her slender shoulders. Then there was a blond. A leggy, gorgeous blond. And the list went on. Each girl wore a dress that looked more expensive than the last.
Taylor crossed her arms over her chest as Abigail came in.
“You haven’t even started getting ready, darlin’?” she asked.
“I don’t know if I can do this.” Taylor sighed.
“Of course you can.” She glanced at the computer in front of her roommate. “What have you been in here doing?”
Taylor turned the screen for her to see.
“Oh, Hon.” Sitting down next to her, she wrapped an arm around Taylor’s shoulders. “This isn’t really what you’re upset about, is it?”
“Kind of.”
“You know what?” Abigail clapped her hands together. “I’m going to do your hair. Then we’re going to put on our fabulous dresses. Tonight we get to be the princesses.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Taylor laughed.
