Daylight

Chapter 14

Michael's POV

Here I am, still in this bathroom being pathetic as ever. I've gone through at least half of my archived instagram posts by now. I shouldn't even be looking at these because I'm just giving myself more heartache. I don't even know how long it's been since I locked myself in here, I've completely lost track of time.

I scroll to a photo of Taylor and I on Christmas morning. I remember when my parents asked Taylor what she was doing for the holidays one day in sixth grade, and when she said her grandparents refused to celebrate any holidays (because they're just assholes), my parents let her sleep over on Christmas Eve and celebrate with us. She's been coming over every year since, and the thought of her possibly not showing up this year kills me. I hope I can somehow dig myself out of this mess that I created and have her not hate me forever.

I keep looking at the photo. I'm sure Taylor is back inside with John by now, and they're probably making out again. Then she'll tell him what my dumbass said to her, and he'll totally kick my ass. I never meant to tell her what I was thinking, I was just super drunk and the words slipped out of my mouth involuntarily.

I need to leave this party. I'm still pretty drunk, but if I drive slow I should be fine. I just hope I don't bump into Taylor and accidentally say something stupid again.

Right as I'm about to leave the bathroom, I hear a knock on the door and my stomach drops. I know exactly who it is.

Taylor's POV

"Are you sure you're alright?" John asks me as I'm staring into nothing while in his massive kitchen.

"Yeah I'm fine," I try to force a smile, "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom really quick."

He watches as I slip away and push through the crowds of people in the living room. I'm not trying to get away from him, I just need to be alone for a little while longer.

As I make my way to the front of the house, I see Brooklyn dancing with her ex.

Then I stop and do a double take.

Brooklyn is dancing with her ex, their arms around each other and everything. Just wait until Michael sees that.

Speaking of Michael, if he's not with Brooklyn.. Where is he? I didn't see him anywhere while walking through the main party area in the house.

I get a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach as I get closer to the bathroom door. There's no way.

I knock on the closed door, subconsciously doing the special knock that I would use at Michael's house in middle school so he would know it's me. (Think of do you want to build a snowman in Frozen where Anna knocks on the door in the beginning of the song)

There's a pause. Fuck. I need to stop doing that.

Michael slowly opens the door, then steps out.

His eyes are bloodshot and he doesn't look too good. His hair is messy, it looks like he ran his hands through it a hundred times. He usually does that when he's upset about something.

I look down and see his phone in his hand. It's open to a photo of the two of us on Christmas. It's from his old Instagram account. Why is he looking at that?

He notices me looking and he quickly turns his phone off.

"Taylor can we please talk-" he starts.

"I can't do this right now," I interrupt as I slide past him and lock myself in the bathroom.

I take a seat on the edge of the bathtub (yes, there's a bathtub in the main floor BATHroom)
And recap what I just saw. First of all, Brooklyn was canoodling with her ex and I don't plan on telling Michael about it. He can figure that out himself. Speaking of Michael, why was he in his old instagram account? I could recognize all of those photos easily, I used to log in to the account all the time when I first moved into my apartment because the move was a weird transition for me. I went from being a 30 second walk away from my best friend's house to a 10 minute drive, and I couldn't even drive yet. I no longer had anyone to go to when I started thinking too much.