**Sun**
I didn't get a response until two days later. I'd just finished heating up some Ramen when my phone rang and all the nervousness I'd been suppressing came back to me. I cleared my throat and answered, hoping she couldn't hear the shakiness in my voice, "Hayley?"
"Tay? Are you okay? I would've called sooner but my phone was being fixed." She explained. She sounded happy, whereas I was here scared shitless, wondering if I should just hang up and give up.
There were a couple of seconds of silence while she waited for me to reply. "I'm sorry," I finally said. "I'm sorry I made you fall out of love with me. I'm sorry I pushed you away when you tried showing me that you still cared. I was being stupid and immature and I'm sorry. I realized that it's better to have you in my life as a friend than not have you at all. I'm ready to move on."
"You didn't do anything wrong. It just happened. I felt horrible when I figured out that my feelings for you were gone. I tried making myself fall back in love, but that's not something you can really do. " she paused, "So, New York worked a lot more than I thought it would?"
"Wait, what'd you mean, I thought Jordan planned this out?" I asked, confused. I walked over to the window and looked out at the night sky. The moon was shining through the branches of dead trees. It was a nice night. I'd probably be outside if it weren't cold as fuck.
"I told Jordan that you needed to wind down. You haven't been on vacation since before we broke up and I was starting to worry so I told him to book you a much needed flight home. Oh, and he wasn't able to get the whole entire month so you guys have a gig. He'll tell you when."
"Oh, um, thanks." I said, getting distracted by something across the street. It looked more like a blob in the dark. "Hey, I'll talk to you later, I have to check something out."
"Okay, talk to you later then." She said as I hung up, almost slipping in an 'I love you' in there like we used to. I sighed, then let curiosity take over me. Putting on a jacket and grabbing a flashlight, I made my way over to the unmoving mass.
It wasn't an 'it', but a 'who'. I stood over the shaking form of Jenna McDougall. I kneeled next to her and lightly nudged her. Her head shot up in surprise. Her face was stained with tears and make up, her hair messy. She wore nothing to keep from the cold but a thin jacket. "What are you doing here? What happened?" I asked, wrapping an arm around her to keep her as warm as possible.
"She kicked me out," Jenna replied, voice shaky and angry. She laughed humorlessly, a shiver overtaking her for a second, "She cheated on me and kicked me out." Tears started brimming her eyes once more.
"Well, you know what? You don't need that bitch. You have me now. C'mon, you'll get sick." I stood up, pulling her along with me. I rushed her inside the house and lead her to the couch. Rushing to the closet, I grabbed a couple of blankets and went back to Jenna. I'd made her lay down on the couch and wrap my jacket around her self.
I wrapped the blankets securely around her after taking back my jacket, acting like an overprotective mother. "Tired?" I asked, sitting by her and comfortingly rubbing her back. I'd never had this much contact with a person I'd pretty much just met, but it seemed appropriate and she looked like she needed it.
She shrugged slightly, looking down at the blankets. "Thanks," she said quietly. We both stayed quiet for a few minutes. "I always thought this house was empty." She said, breaking the silence.
"It usually is. I'm traveling most of the time." I looked at her, she had a thoughtful look on her face.
"I know who you are now." She paused and met my eyes, "you're Hayley Williams' ex girlfriend. You're in a band called... We Are In the Crowd..?"
I laughed lightly and shook my head, "We Are The In Crowd. And yeah, I dated Hayley."
She nodded, "You two were cute. You were the last couple anyone expected to break up."
I laughed once, "I didn't expect it either. Are you hungry?"
"No, thanks." I realize I'm still rubbing her back when she lays her head in the crook of my neck, which must feel awkward since she's a couple inches taller. "Why do think she did it?" She whispered, sadness seeping through her voice.
"Because," I began. "She's a manipulative bitch who doesn't know how to appreciate what she has." I told her just as quietly.
She sighed, "I hate to ask, but can I stay here tonight? Just for tonight."
"You can stay for as long as you want. c'mon." I took her hand and pulled her into what used to be my parents' room. I jumped into the bed and turned to Jenna, "This is where you'll stay." She was still wrapped up in the blankets. She's adorable as fuck.
She laid down next to me and yawned, "thanks, Taylor."
"No problem. Now, sleep. You're tired." I poked her arm.
"Fine, mom." She joked sleepily. She laid her head on my stomach and dozed off. Wether she noticed was beyond me, but I wasn't gonna complain.
•••
Ahoy, mateys! I've been saying that a lot, I really don't know why. I decided to upload this today bc it's been a while, whoops.
Basically, I wanted to say that I really like guava paste and cheese.
I love you!
