This


this is a story I wrote in early '98, and it's really corny and stupid but I wrote it and just a few weeks ago a friend convinced me to post it. So keep in mind, it's old and silly, but it's mine and I have to love it.


She looked at her room, the room that had once shortened the gap between love and lust. She looked at the bed, and oh, the many hours they had spent on that bed, talking, laughing, bonding. She looked at the window, the very window he had climbed, skinny and face flushed, in to give her one last kiss, the sweetest kiss she had ever received. She thought of the cold winter nights he had braved the ice and snow, and had climbed in the window, shivering and bringing in gusts of snow onto the warm blankets. What times they had had, just together, just the two of them.


"Hey Suz?" He asked, looking up slightly.

"Yes?" She asked.

They were lying on her bed, their heads up against the other, around two am on a cold winter night. Both sets of parents knew he was there, but neither said a thing. They were only ten, too young for the hormones. They thought.

"Will you marry me?" He asked, craning his neck to look at her.

"Will I marry you?"

"Yeah, I mean, if I can't find anyone else."

"Gee, thanks."

Taylor sighed. "No, that came out wrong. What I was trying to say is, it'll be fun. I wouldn't want to marry anyone else."

Why are you so sure of this?" She asked.

"Because. I'll have millions of dollars when we get a record deal."

"Okay. I mean, yes, Taylor, I'll marry you."

"Cool."



She laughed at the memory. He had been her best childhood friend, probably her only childhood friend. She had gone to school for three years, but she had hated it. Naturally, Diana had offered to take over her schooling, to let the two friends be together.



"Taylor, I'm sick of this." She said, smacking the pencil on the table.

"What, it's just fractions." He said, looking up.

"No, I mean, you guys getting rejected so many times. I mean, when are you going to get signed?" She asked.

"Soon."

"Soon?"

"Yes." He said firmly.

"Oh. Well, how do you know?"

"You can't be rejected by ten labels and still have the drive, Suz. I know we can do it."

"If you say so." She said, picking her pencil back up.

"I say so." He said, touching her arm.



She laughed again. She remembered that day so well. They were in the sixth grade, and doing fractions in the basement. Around a year later, a letter came in the mail that changed their lives forever.



"Susan, you'll never believe this!" He said, running up to her.

"What, what?" She asked, looking up from her book.

"I just went to get the mail, and oh, it came!"

"What? What came?"

"The letter! We did it! We've been signed!"

"Wow, that's great!" She said, knowing what this would mean.

"Susan?"

"Yes?" She said, looking up from the magazine she had been reading on her bed.

"Um, I have to go."

"I know. I knew you would have to leave me someday to be famous, but I didn't think it would some so soon." She said, getting up. She had said goodbye to his family earlier, but he had come back to said a final goodbye.

"It's only six months, and I'll be home for Christmas!" He said, trying to cheer her up.

"I know. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." He said, giving her a tight hug. When they pulled away, she was shocked to see a few tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, don't cry. I haven't seen you cry in years!"

"I'm not crying, I'm just getting misty, that's all." He said.

She hugged him, and he left soon after.



He came back at Christmas at least six inches taller and his voice a few pitches deeper. His body had filled out, and his arms were bigger, and his hair was shorter. And, he was leaving her. Again. But this time, for a long, long time.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He said, holding her tight.

"I am too. I'm loosing you again." She said, bursting into a fresh set of tears.

"I know. I'm sorry. You haven't lost me. No, no, I'll always be here."

"I know, but I can't keep doing this. I miss you so much. I have no one to talk to, I have no friends. I'm so glad your mom isn't leaving this time."

"I know, she'll take good care of you, I know it." He said, hugging her again.

"Okay."

"I have to go."

"I know."

He pulled back and looked down into her brown eyes. He didn't want to leave. Over the past few weeks, he had been developing different feelings for her…good ones…well, to him they were. He knew he had to do it, but he wasn't sure how. He took a deep breath, and leaned down.

She didn't move. His eyes were staring into hers, and she didn't know what his next move would be. He suddenly started to lean down, with his eyes half closed. She didn't think, she just moved in to meet him. His slightly chapped lips were on hers, and she felt his soft hair brushing her cheek as he leaned down. They broke apart, and where his kiss ended, hers began.

He kissed her for another minute or so, or seconds as it seemed to them. His rough hand gently laid on her cheek, his other arm wrapped around her. She felt as though she would float away. She had always known Taylor, but never in this way.

Never had she noticed his eyes like that, his soft hair, or his gentle hands. She hadn't seen his lean body he had just so recently gotten. She must have missed his loving glances and friendly hugs, the gentle brushes and wondrous proposals.

He pulled away, and touched his hand to her cheek.

"Goodbye." He said, his voice cracking, not knowing that it would be goodbye for many months.

When he left, she threw herself on her bed and cried like she had never cried before. She felt a ripping pain, greater than any gash or punch could have given her. She felt as though a searing pain, and it wasn't in her arm, her leg, or on her body. It was in her heart. And it was ripping in two. All over him.



But, he was gone, and her house was being sold. She had gone away to college, leaving some things behind, that had been left there, even after she had long since graduated. She was 25 now, and he would be 26 soon, for his birthday was in the spring. Her mother had recently died, and she had no reason to keep the house, which was next door to a very special family. His family. But, he didn't live there anymore, and the last of their many children were either gone or nearly gone.

She picked up the last box, and took it into the hall. She looked in the white, empty room, but didn't see an empty room. She saw a girl and a boy, around six years old, hugging each other with all their might. She smiled, closing the door, and walking down the steps with the boxes, and out the front door, and to the street. She didn't see the curb, and she tripped, dropping the boxes.

She heard a car door slam and a person ran over to her.

"Are you alright?" She heard a person ask her.

"yes, I'm fine, thanks. Just didn't see the curb there." She said, getting up. She looked up to see who was standing in front of her.

She stopped, and slowly got up. The eyes followed her all the way.

"Are you?" They both said.

There was a long pause.

"Hi. I'm Susan. Have we met?" She asked, outstretching her hand.

"Yes, I think we have, but I can't quiet place it." He said, shaking it.

"Well, hopefully you can help me fix that."

"Yeah, I hope I can."

"Yes, me too."

They quickly embraced in a tight hug. He squeezed her tight and lifted her off the ground, then stood back to look at her. He suddenly had a look of urgency in his eyes.

"So, are you married?"

"No, I'm not."

"Neither am I. Well, I have a daughter, but, her mom, kind of, just left her on my doorstep a few weeks ago."

"Oh my god."

"No, she isn't mine. We don't know who's she is, but, she couldn't have her anymore. I was the first candidate for her."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be a great father, Taylor."

"Yeah, but could you give me some help?"

"I don't know."

"What's taking so long?" a voice said.

They both looked over to the car, where a little girl with chocolate colored hair and brown eyes, around five, got out of the car. She marched over, and planted herself between Taylor and Susan.

"Who are you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm Susan, a friend of your daddy's." She said.

"He's not my daddy."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"I want him to be."

"Well, I don't know about that, but I think he'll do a good job, whatever he is."

"I think he'll be alright." The little girl said.

"Yes, I think so to." Susan said, laughing at the little girl's wit.

"Susan, this is Ani. Ani, this is Susan, a very good friend of mine."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm not going to be much longer, why don't you go back into the car." He said.

"All right." She said, turning to go back to his car.

Taylor looked at her. "So, are you dating anyone?"

"No...how about you?"

"Nope." Taylor shook his head.

"Oh." Susan said.

"Sooo....you wanna go out sometime?"

"Taylor..."

"Look, I know it's hard to start dating a guy with a kid, but just give it a try...."

"Yeah..." Susan said slowly.

"One date?"

"I guess." She replied.

"Cool. So where are you living now?" He asked.

"Um, in an apartment about three blocks from here."

"Okay." He reached in his wallet and pulled out a pice of paper and dug in his pocket for a pen. "Can I have your number?"

Susan looked at him skeptically.

"So we can get together......sometime..." Taylor said hopefully.

"I guess." She said, scribbling down her number.

"Thanks." he said.

"Taylor!" Ani screamed, sticking her head out of the half open car window.

"I'll be right there!" He said. He turned back to Susan.

"This isn't going to be easy." She reminded him.

"I know."He said, grinning.

"So...?

"We'll make it work."

"Oh we will?" She asked, grinning.

Taylor grinned. "Nice seeing you. I'll call you." He said, giving her a flirty kiss on the cheek.

She watched from the curb as Taylor got in his car and drove away.

"Taylor Hanson..." She said under her breath. "After all these years, you still have my heart thumping in my chest."