1 (jaylor) wisteria hearts and caged folk songs

chapter three.

She hadn't even realised that she was running through the rain in nothing but a sweater and shorts. She was still in too much shock to feel cold. Her feet were wearing nothing but the cat slippers she'd had since high school.

The paparazzi would have a field day with these photos. She knew that already. People would be getting paid big money for them. Any photos of her not looking her best would do well in the media, and they'd blow up on Twitter, therefore making her hate herself more. She knew that people would make up stories about her situation, knew that shortly, the whole world would have made assumptions about her.

Joe gently draped his coat across her shoulders while he guided her to his car. She was grateful for this action.

The camera flashes had become more frequent now that there was something interesting going on. It surprised her that Joe's first priority was to stop them from getting any decent photos of her. She'd never been with someone like that before. No one had ever worked hard to keep her from being seen as he did. And the fact that he thought about all these things as he was leaving his apartment to pick her up? That was enough to make her want to sob. No one had ever thought about protecting her from the cameras before, and here was Joe, who seemed to do it without thinking twice. No one had ever cared about her privacy in that way before, and it astounded her.

This thought made her begin to feel again. Just a little, tiny piece was stitched back into place.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, placing them on her. They were a little too big, Taylor noticed, and if they were in other circumstances, this would have made her laugh. Joe possibly would have too, if they were different people, and this was a different moment. They almost kept sliding off her nose, because all she wanted to do was look down at the floor. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and murmured something about devalued photographs. She was in too much shock to hear his precise words.

Then, he opened an umbrella and hid her from the view of the cameras until they made it to his car.

Joe helped her into the front of his car and reminded her to put on her seatbelt before he slipped into the driver's seat.
Taylor couldn't even think straight, so much just happened and she felt like her head was going to explode. She jumped when her phone started ringing, panic flooding her body even more than it already had.
"Shit," She murmured as Joe started driving. She could barely think straight, the clarity that had filled the void in her mind had seemingly vanished.
"Don't answer it. Turn off your location," Joe told her firmly as if he could hear her thoughts. "It's going to be okay. Turn off anything where he could see where you are. You're alright now. You're safe, I promise. He can't hurt you anymore." How did he know what to do? How did he know what to say? How could he think straight? He drove away from the street, back to his apartment, and didn't question why her sweater was almost ripped, why there was blood running down her arm and mascara dripping from her eyes. He just drove, and the gentle hum of the rain falling calmed her racing heart.

"It's going to be alright, Taylor." He reassured her as he opened her car door. "We'll get you inside and warm. You don't have to talk - not if you don't want to. And if you don't want to stay here for more than one night... that's okay too. I'm sure that your parents would want to help you through something like this. But for now, I'm here." He took her hand and led her up to his apartment. His hair was wet and dripping down his face, and she was soaking. She apologised for the puddle that was left in the elevator. She apologised for the fact she made him come out on such a cold night, apologised for the fact she looks awful. She apologised for the rain, for the wind, for having to help her, for the cameras. For everything. She was used to everything being her fault, and apologising for all of her mistakes had become second nature.

Even though he assured her that there was nothing to apologise for, she couldn't stop.
Taylor knew that she couldn't go and see her parents... not now. Not like this. Because they didn't know. No one did. No one except the actor from the cafe with captivating eyes and a warm smile.
She was unable to stop the tears. They just kept coming and now, they refused to stop.
"Here," Joe handed her a dry towel. "Let's get you all sorted. God, you're freezing. Here - come and sit in front of the fire while I find you some dry clothes." He guided her to the fire and watched as she sat down quietly.
She pulled her knees into her chest, the numbness settling in. She was used to feeling that way - but it was different this time. It was so much deeper than anything she'd ever felt that she didn't know if she'd ever feel anything ever again.