All Grown Up | jdb

56

TAYLOR

The car ride over was quiet and awkward with each moment longer than the next. We finally arrive at a fancy sushi restaurant, something Justin and I always ate as comfort food. The last time I actually had sushi was when Justin crammed some down my throat the few days I spent staring at a wall.

"Sushi...always a good choice" I say and he smiles as the waitress leads us to our table. Nothing fancy, no designated eating area and no fancy rose with a bottle of wine waiting for us at our table.

Justin pulls out my chair and I take a seat as he walks around to his seat directly across from mine.

"This place is busy" Justin says and I can tell he already regrets his choice of coming here.

"Do you want to go some place else?" I watch as he scours the room for cameras. Sure enough he finds two people with their phones pointed at us.

"No, its okay" his bright brown eyes are brought back to mine, where he makes an effort to smile.

"Justin, we can go somewhere else" I say.

"We are already here.." He says.

"Maybe we can ask the waitress if she has any tables somewhere with less people?" I ask.

"Its fine." He says seriously and I don't bother arguing further.

We both peruse the menu and by the time our waitress returns we both order.

"So..." I say awkwardly.

"I have been going over in my head all of the things I wanted to say to you all day today and I completely forgot all of it." He says and I smile.

"I guess you can start with Sofia" I say picking up my glass of water.

"Tay, I was only doing what I thought you wanted me to. I thought you wanted me was what you wanto move on" He says.

"Not 2 days after I broke up with you. It really shows how much you care when you're going on helicopter rides and vacationing with a bunch of models the day after I told you to leave" I say remaining calm.

"I know, I do stupid things when I am upset" He says quietly. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"Did you really love her?" I ask.

"Are you kidding? I could never..." He pauses, keeping his eyes locked with mine. "I know I made it seem like I stopped loving you but...it's not true. Sofia was just there because I needed a distraction. She was nothing, she meant nothing."

"So you mean to tell me that the fact that you cheated on me with her and then left me to date her, doesn't mean anything?" I ask.

"It doesn't, it doesn't. She is easy, I needed a distraction and she was easy for me to get with."

"Is that what you think of me? Am I something easy too?"

"What? No! What would ever make you think that?" He furrows his brows at me.

"Well it didn't take much to get me here, did it?"

"You are not easy. You are nothing like Sofia, in every good way. I love you, not her." He says and I pause to digest what he is saying.

"How am I supposed to tell if you're telling the truth? How am I ever supposed to tell when you are lying or not considering our history?"

"I've never lied to you, Taylor."

"A lie of omission is still a lie." I say seriously.

"I was just trying to protect you." He says.