I Knew You Once [ Taylor York ]

3. I Like Your Hair.

Suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder.

I slowly turn around as I recognise a familiar face.

Justin York.

"Oh, hi" I say, caught off guard.

"Hey" he says smiling, his wife holding his hand. "It's been a long time, how are you?"

I hug them both and slowly relax. At least they're not Taylor.

"Great, how about you?" I ask back.

"Great too" Jana smiles at me.

"How's life? What have you been up to?" I can feel he is genuinely interested.

"I'm living in LA now, getting my doctorate."

"Wow, that's cool." Justin and Jana had always been nice to me. And to everyone. They were amazing.

"Did you come here alone?" Jana asks.

"No, no. I brought someone, he is just... Parking " I make up in the spot.

After a few minutes of small talk they left to say hi to more people.

So here I am, alone and afraid. I stare at the building for a few seconds just forgetting everything.

Damn, Hayley is actually getting married. I'm happy for her. She deserves to be happy. She is going to have an amazing day with all her friends and family. And she is going to get out of that theatre married. The exact same theatre I'm standing in front of. It hasn't quite settled yet. I feel care-free for a moment. My friend is happy and I am t-

"Hey" a voice cuts my inner dialogue.

I turn towards it, my heart beating fast against my chest.

It's Taylor. It is Taylor York. My legs feel like jelly as I try to respond.

"Hi" that being the only thing that I escapes my lips.

"Justin told me you were here and I um... Wanted to say hi." His voice even sexier than I remember.

He is wearing a suit. And damn does he look good in it.

But no, I'm not doing this right. He is not perfect, he is not a greek god, he is not above me in any way. He is just a guy. A normal guy.

I think to myself, trying to relax.

Then why does he intimidate me so much?

"So... How are you?" He asks, his hands on his pockets.

"Great, I live in LA now. Do you still live there?" I say as if I didn't spent the last few days stalking him.

"No, I um... Live here now" he looks down. He was nervous, like me. That was a good thing, right?

"Oh, like Hayley then?"

"Yeah, we just needed to be home" he takes a deep breath "Anyway, where do you work at now?"

"I'm getting my PhD, and I get paid for it so that's cool." I say, not really knowing how am I not passing out.

"Oh wow, I'll have to call you Doctor McKenna for now on" he jokes, and smiles. That damn smile.

"Please don't" I laugh with him. I miss this.

"I like your hair" he says after a few moments.

My hair is now its natural light brown and short, very different of the long pink one Hayley convinced me to try during Momentour.

"Thanks. I really like yours too" I say shyly.

His hand travels to the mop of curls on top of his head.

"Yeah, I prefer it like this" after a short silence Taylor talks again. "You look really pretty" he says like a five year old complementing his crush.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself" I say quietly and silence comes between us.

He is in front of me. His face is in front of mine. I've missed him so much. And here he is. I look him in the eyes, not being capable of saying what I truly fe-

"Hey, I'm back. Did you miss me?"

I disconnect my eyes from Taylor and look by my side. Peter is back. And wearing eyeliner. That son of a bitch went to buy some. He is going to regret it.

"Oh um... Peter this is Taylor, Taylor this is Peter" the latter puts his arms around my shoulders.

The curly haired man's smile falls.

They shake hands.

"Well so... I should probably say hi to a few more people, see you later" he quickly disappears into the crowd.

I turn to Peter.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I say angrily as I hit him in the chest.

"This look just needed some eyeliner. You have to recognise I look amazing" he smirks.

"I don't fucking care anymore. Do you know who that was?" he looks at me confused "That was my ex, you dumbass."

"Ooooh" he pauses "Well, that was awkward"

"Yeah, I didn't notice" I reply, sarcastically. My arms crossed.

Peter looks at me mischievously "Wait, you like him" he affirms.

"Pfft. No, I don't" I say, you know, like a liar.

"Oh my god, you like him, that's so sweet" he laughs.

The theatre doors open. I grab Peter's hand and walk inside fast, avoiding the conversation.

We sit in a zone around the middle. I see Chad welcoming people and I think I'll say hi later. Not really wanting to talk.

Is it that noticeable that I like Taylor? Did he notice? Oh my god what if he did? I must've looked stupid and desperate. I fucked up I'm so stup-

And then I see him. He laughs with Chad and goes to sit around the front. My muscles relax and my inner rambling stops.

Maybe it wasn't that bad. I'm sure it was nothing.

Fuck, the things he does to me.

Everyone sits and music starts. I look at the doors and there she is. Hayley looks amazing and very smiley. I look down and see her doc martens.

My friend is so cool.