Baby Love

Chapter 3

Word Count: 1789

Taylor's POV

It's been nearly one week or to be exactly five days which is 120 hours and 432000 seconds. Today is day six I haven't called or picked up the phone. I'm no longer hiding at Ed's but rather at a hotel where I've been having my own self-pity party. He seemed too perfect for it to all be real. He was kind, loyal, funny, gorgeous, and above all else one of my best friends. So where did I go wrong?

Did I choose the wrong guy? Would I have been better off accepting Tom's proposal? I never asked for it or even alluded to the idea of it but for some reason, I'm always the bad guy in that story. Maybe I could've learned to love him and then I wouldn't be so lonely.

Joe was supposed to be my happy ending, the end of all the endings. But here I am again living through what has to be an ending because he hasn't called either. He's texted a few times but never called. The last forty-eight hours have been radio silence. I'm not sure why but he hasn't sent a good morning or goodnight text. I can't even stalk his Instagram or anything because he practically doesn't exist anywhere online.

I called my mom yesterday and just cried the entire time on the phone. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm insane and probably a bit of a drunk. To be fair I was a little tipsy but it wasn't like I was out clubbing, just drunk in a lonely hotel room thinking about all the what-ifs.

I'm supposed to be in London for a few weeks while Joe starts his new movie and premieres one that he filmed last year but lately, I'm not sure what's keeping me here if we're over. Maybe I should just call him? Right? I mean girls can make the move? That doesn't make them clingy or anything. Why do we have to act like we're fine all the time?

I hastily pick up my phone clicking on Joe's contact off my list of favorites. It rings once....it rings twice....it rings three times...and goes to voicemail. Excuse me this is a decent hour of the night, like seven o'clock.

Joe's text comes through a few seconds later that prewritten line I can't talk right now. Stupid Siri writing such a lame message. What is he doing? Is he out with another girl? Did he decide he was done with my drama and break up with me without me knowing?

Joe's POV

Four days - nearly one for every year that Averie's been alive. She threw quite a fit when I finally showed up at my parents. I took a few days to collect myself after Taylor's abrupt leaving. I think some part of me resented Averie for her leaving but I know that's wrong. Taylor's leaving had to do with my lack of communication, not Averie's excitement to see me. It still hurt though. I texted her for three days with simple messages but she never answered. I know her read-receipts are off after getting enough creepy numbers texting her own but I hope she at least read what I wrote.

When I finally showed up on my parent's doorstep, they wanted to have a sit down with me over my behavior because my child has been a massive pain in everyone's butt since then. She barely even acknowledged me when I first walked into her room. She didn't want me to join her tea party, play her kitty cat game, or even serve her at dinner. Her anger was very clear no matter how much I tried to parent her.

That night we both stayed at my parents with the promise that we'd be going home early the next day. I woke her up for school and she continued to glare at me while she got ready. My mom did her hair and Dad handed her a packed backpack. I loaded her in the car and dropped her off at school without so much as a proper goodbye.

Yesterday I spent the day cleaning and trying to get my mind off of Taylor. She's not in the public eye anymore so I can't necessarily stalk her online or anything. There are rarely any paparazzi here so she could easily go under the radar. Or maybe she went back to her faux boyfriend of hers, Tom? Or maybe she just left, like left the country. I did text her bodyguard and he said he couldn't disclose much but she was safe and still in the UK, so that's got to mean something.