"L A B E L S"

Episode 18

Taylor walks into her house after Chelsea drops her off and begins walking up the stairs when she hears laughing from the kitchen. She looks towards the kitchen door in confusion and slowly walks over.

She peeks through the small opening in the swinging door and sees her mother laughing and drinking as the kitchen table with someone at the kitchen table. She tries to get a peek of the person but the cabinet by the door is blocking her view. Her eyes widen when she hears the guys deep voice. She stands there wondering who this guy is. Her mother may be a drunk with no visible compassion but she wasn't known for bringing strange guys into the house. Her phone begins to vibrate and she backs away from the door slowly, walking to the front door. She walks outside quietly closing the door behind her and flipping her phone open. "Hello?"

"Are you free tonight?"

She walks away from the door slowly. "Why?"

"Well, I thought you could come over. My dad isn't home...we'd have the whole house to ourselves." He smirks and leans back in his desk chair.

"Uh..." She wants to say no and make up some excuse so she doesn't have to go but she doesn't really have anywhere to go. She can't stay home and she doesn't have any real friends to hang out with so instead of refusing she just says, "okay"; thinking that she'll just stay for maybe an hour.

"Great. See you in...ten?"

"Yeah, sure."

Nick smiles and hangs up his phone as Taylor sighs and begins walking to his house.

Taylor walks the few blocks to Nick's front door and sighs before ringing the doorbell.

Nick opens the door within seconds with a smile. "Hey."

"Hey."

He opens the door wider so Taylor can walk inside.

She turns to face him with a forced smile. "So...I'm here."

"Yep." He steps closer to her with an apologetic expression. "Look, Tay, I'm really sorry about canceling our plans for this weekend. My dad needed me to go with him to this really boring business party and I didn't really have a choice in the matter."

Taylor shows a small smile and shrugs. "It's okay, I understand."

He smiles and puts his hands on either side of her waist. "And that is one of the things I love most about you; you understand. You don't make drama out of every little thing. I really love that about you, you know?"

Taylor smiles and glances down at the floor, trying to hide her pink cheeks. "Really?"

Nick nods and moves his face closer to hers. "Really."

She looks up at his face and sees something she sees so rarely; she sees a loving and caring person smiling back at her. This was how he reeled her in, this was how he made her forget about all the crap he puts her through. 

He says one sweet, loving thing and she loves him completely for that one moment in time. She is completely and totally his, if only for just those few seconds.

He moves closer to her and gives her a long kiss....and another....and another. He leads her back to the couch as they both sit down while keeping their lips locked. He kisses down her neck and begins putting his hands up the back of her shirt.

Taylor bites her lip and looks around the room, trying to distract him, like she always does when things are going too far. "So, where did your dad go tonight?"

Nick shrugs and answers her between kisses. "I don't know but he said not to wait up."

She gently pushes him away and looks at him seriously. "Nick?"

He's laying on top of her and looks down at her when she speaks. "Yeah?"

"Why are you with me?"

He looks at her in confusion. "What?"

"Why me? Is it just because I'm the head cheerleader? Because I'm popular?"

He stares at her a moment before shaking his head. "No, of course not."

"Really? Then why?"

"Because...we are meant to be."

Her irritation with his answers heightens. "Why?!"

"Because..." He lets out an agitated sigh and stands up, rubbing the back of his head and walking away from the couch. "God Taylor, I don't know! Geez, I thought you were drama free! Why are you asking me a bunch of questions, just trying to create trouble?"

She stands up and stands behind him. "I'm not trying to make trouble, Nick. I just asked you a simple question and...if you can't answer it...well, then I guess that means you have already answered the question that has been on my mind for months now."

He turns around to look at her. "Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

"If we should even be together. And you know what? I honestly have no reasonable explanation for why we are still together." She walks past him, bumping his shoulder as she walks to the door.

He rubs his face with his hands and turns around with a sigh. "Taylor..." But it's too late, she slams the door and begins walking farther away from his house.