THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS DO, RIGHT?
That overcast Saturday afternoon, Taylor stepped out of the front door of 3CG with the intent of grabbing some lunch down the street when he spied Winn standing against her car across the street. He knew her current work schedule, she was supposed to be gone over an hour ago. He knew she tended to work over but today was Saturday, and the sight of her standing outside in the cold outside her office after hours was a little unsettling. Was she having car trouble? If she was, why didn't she call him? Or just come across the street?
He pulled his coat a little tighter around him. "Winn!" He called as he trotted across the street, looking both ways as he went.
She straightened up off of her car and looked around in shame, looking down at her cell phone one more time. "Hey," she said, her heart not in the greeting.
"What are you doing out here?" He asked as he slowed to a stop.
"Waiting for your brother. But I see you out here, so that must mean you're finally done. I figured he'd text me if you guys were running over or something."
He narrowed his eyes at her, confused. "I'm the only one in there. Zac had plans with his family and I haven't heard from Ike all day..." Suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "Why?"
Winn looked devastated and Taylor's heart broke in an instant. "Are you serious?" She finally creaked out.
He nodded slowly, hating himself for it. "Yeah," he said gently. "Did you, uh, did you have plans?"
She pressed her lips together and her eyes darted around. Her nostrils flared and the blood rose in her cheeks. It was obvious that she was fighting tears and Taylor immediately wanted to beat the shit out of his older brother. Winn nodded. "Yeah," she finally said, her breath filling the cold air. "He's supposed to go with me to my company's Christmas party in Oklahoma City. They got us all rooms because they're serving alcohol. I don't know if the idea of an overnight trip freaked him out or not--though I couldn't imagine WHY..." She rolled her eyes and then she sighed. "It's okay, though, I guess. I don't mind going alone. My staff will be there and I'm going to be meeting a lot of others from my district, so it's not like I'll be alone or anything, I just--can't believe he'd do that...I've been waiting over an hour."
Taylor shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Um, you sure you're supposed to meet him here?"
"Yeah. He said he was gonna be in the studio for a few hours and to just hang here after I got off work. Except that I've been off for almost two hours now and nothing."
"Have you called him?"
She huffed and scowled at him. "Of COURSE I've called him." Then she sighed and looked around, preparing her car key in her hand. "Oh, well. I'm not waiting any longer. I gotta hit the road. According to my GPS it's an hour and a half away and I need time to get checked in and get ready for the party." She shook her head and looked up at him. "I really thought better of him, Tay. I thought--I guess I thought things were different. Anyway, thanks for checking up on me, I appreciate it."
He watched her open her car door and prepare to get in when an impulse decision hit him out of thin air. "Winn, wait!"
She stopped in her tracks and turned around.
Taylor swallowed the lump of nerves that had now formed in his throat. "Look, I can't speak for Ike right now. Really, I can't, because like you, I have no idea where the hell he is. But, uh--I'll go with you. I'll go to your party with you."
Her eyes widened for a moment before she smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to make up for your brother. It's okay, really. I don't mind going alone."
"But I mind you going alone."
"Tay, that's sweet, but I know you have work--"
"Nothing I can't do later. I understand you wanted to go with Ike. I know you like him. But if it were up to me, we'd be checking into that hotel right now instead of standing here talking about it."
She searched his eyes and then she smiled. "You'd--you'd really go with me? I mean, it's an overnight trip...bunch of people you don't know..."
Taylor shrugged and smiled. "Yeah. It's what friends do. Here, I don't live far from here, okay? Go to your house and wait for me. Give me a few minutes to throw a bag together and we'll take my truck."
He saw the hesitance in her face before he added, "I'm not gonna stand you up. I promise. I'll call you when I get there, when I'm on my way..."
Winn laughed and shook her head. "That's not necessary. You're just--you're an amazing guy, you know that? I still don't see how you're still single. Anyway, let's hurry this along, I should have been on the road an hour ago."
"Right. Give me half an hour."
She raised her eyebrows. "Half an hour?"
"Don't question it, just meet me at your place."
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Taylor's nerves were shot when he pulled up to Winn's house. He wasn't kidding when he said give him half an hour. It was a wonder he didn't get pulled over, or worse. He had no idea what to pack to wear, so he threw a few pieces together and hoped he wouldn't embarrass her. And then there was the spending the night part. Holy shit, had he not been able to forget that, hard as he tried. Tonight was about the party. Nothing more, nothing less. He respected Winn. He would dress for bed, though that was something he hadn't done in years. He prayed for separate beds. He would sleep on the floor of their room had a single bed. He could barely handle sharing a bed with her awake with the planetarium on, much less in pitch darkness and dead silence. He would die.
Winn had changed clothes since he'd seen her last. Now she sported tight jeans, a long, white sweater, and brown, suede boots. She looked incredible. It was no wonder she preferred the cold weather. It was almost as if she was born for fall.
As she stepped outside and down her steps, Taylor helped himself to the suitcase in her car. He wasn't sure what it was lately, but he was just comfortable around her. They didn't really ask each other for anything anymore. They weren't totally awkward, they didn't wait for the other one to make a move. It was like they'd known each other for years. She picked food off of his plate and he helped himself to her cabinets. It was great.
Except for that big, white elephant in the room. That big, white, blood-related elephant.
"You really don't have to drive," Winn said. "It's my party, you don't need to go to the trouble."
"Nah, don't be silly," he said, hauling out her suitcase and plucking the dress bag off of the hanger in the backseat. He headed back to his dark gray truck and opened up the small back door. "I've only been to Oklahoma City a million times. I could do this drive in my sleep. Actually, I think I have a couple times...anyway, just tell me where to go and I'll get us there." He secured both his and her items in the backseat and then he closed the door and looked at her. "Okay. We ready? Clock's ticking."
She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Uh, yeah. Let me just lock up and I'm ready."
A couple of minutes later, she stepped up into the truck and closed the door. He couldn't help but notice how good she looked in it. She could sit in his passenger seat for the rest of her life if she wanted to. She would always look great sitting there. She looked over at him and smiled as she buckled her seatbelt. "If you had any idea what this means to me. Seriously. You don't have to do this, you can back out now."
He smiled as he backed the truck out and turned it around. "Nobody's backing out of anything there. And nobody's trying to. I mean, sorry for being forward and inviting myself, but I'm happy to go. If it's important to you, it's important to me."
"Tay..."
"It's what friends do," he repeated, for the second time. It was almost as if he had the need to convince himself. If he kept saying it, that's all it would be.
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As Taylor drove them down the highway, Winn's phone vibrated in her pocket. She considered not answering but she couldn't chance missing a call from a family member since she lived so far away now. So, momentarily, she broke conversation with Taylor to answer it.
Her blood boiled when she looked at the screen. It was Isaac. She didn't feel that answering now was a good idea, but she felt the need to let him know how unhappy she was with him. She couldn't let him get by with standing her up. She couldn't let him walk all over her.
So she answered.
"Winn. I'm so glad you answered," Isaac said.
"You're lucky I answered, that's what."
"You're pissed. I know. I get it. Look, where are you now? Let's go out tonight, let me make it up to you."
Winn couldn't help but glance over at Taylor, whose eyes she felt on her as he attempted to focus on the road. She shouldn't have answered. She didn't need to have this conversation in front of him. "Go out tonight?" She hissed quietly into the phone. "We were already supposed to go out tonight. But you bailed. You blew it, Ike, there IS no going out tonight."
"Please don't say that. Don't say I blew it. Just--just let me come over--"
"No. There is no coming over. I'm not home. We're on our way to Oklahoma City right now."
"You went anyway?"
"Of course I went anyway. It's MY damn company Christmas party, why wouldn't I go? I was gonna go with or without you anyway. Obviously, I didn't need you."
"Winn--you're kinda hurting me right now--"
"Well YOU hurt ME." Winn glanced over at Taylor again, ashamed of herself. He didn't need to hear this. She wished he would turn up the music or something.
Isaac let out a slow breath into the phone. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I am really, truly sorry. But, I--I got cold feet, Wynn. I just--I thought about it and going on an overnight trip together just seems like kind of a big deal and I don't--I don't know if I'm ready for that. I just--I need you to be patient with me."
She scowled into the phone, turning her head into the truck window. In a low voice, she spat at him, "Do you REALLY want to have the conversation about being patient when it comes to doing things people aren't ready for?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you. You have every right to be upset at me. I should have called, I should have talked to you about this. I should have put more thought into it when I agreed to go. I just--Winn, you're so different from any other woman I've ever met and I just--I want so badly for you to like me as much as I like you, but I have things I have to work out with myself, too."
"That's just it, Ike. I DO like you. I like you, and all the while you're giving me every reason in the world not to. There's a reason I won't commit to a relationship right now. And you just seem to keep helping that right along."
"I'm not ready for a relationship, either. I thought we had an understanding about that?"
"We do. I'm just letting you know how it is on my end."
"I do like you, though. And I want to keep seeing you. And I want to make this up to you. Just give me another chance."
"I don't know, Ike, I just--I'm really upset with you. And disappointed. I thought you were better than that. I understand that you got nervous and that's fine. But not calling and not cancelling was not cool. That was disrespectful and I don't like to be around disrespectful people."
"I'm so sorry..."
"So am I."
Isaac paused for a second on the other end before he spoke again. "Winn--who's we?"
"What?"
"You said 'we're on our way to Oklahoma City.' Who are you with?"
"I'm carpooling."
"Oh..."
"I have to go now. This wasn't the best time to have this conversation."
"Call me."
"Let me sleep on it."
"Please."
"Don't beg, Ike. It doesn't suit you."
Moments later, she terminated the call and stared quietly out the window. The truck was silent for several minutes before Taylor spoke. "Why didn't you tell him you were with me?"
She looked over at him, her anger still boiling. "Because it's none of his business."
Seeming to accept the answer, Taylor turned his attention back to the road.
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Isaac woke up to daylight flooding his bedroom. He was topless, the comforter pulled over his chest. He looked over and saw the raven curls on the pillow next to him. He looked up at the ceiling and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Shit," he muttered.
He had gone out with his buddies the previous night. He knew he'd had quite a bit to drink, but he didn't think he'd had THAT much. He barely remembered the woman next him and he certainly didn't know her name. For the first time in quite awhile, he had actually gone out without the intent of picking up a woman. He was proud of himself. However, old habits died hard and he had apparently brought one home anyway.
Turning over on his side, he retrieved his phone from his bedside table and looked at it. He didn't know which part was worse. The missed calls and texts from Winn or the fact that it was almost three in the afternoon and he was supposed to have already been in Oklahoma City with her by now. He sighed and hung his head in defeat. Surely this wasn't happening.
Turning back over, he gently shook the sleeping woman. Thank god she was attractive, that was all he had to say about it. "Hey," he whispered as he shook her awake. She turned her head and she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Sweetheart, you gotta go," he whispered at her.
Her smile quickly faded and he shamelessly didn't feel bad about it. After all, he had no real recollection of the night and he certainly hadn't brought her home in his right mind.
Without a word, and within minutes, the woman dressed herself and let herself out of his apartment. Pulling on a pair of pajama pants and helping himself to a breakfast of whiskey on the rocks, he called Winn and prayed for an answer.
When he got one, the conversation hadn't gone well. She was undeniably extremely pissed and she wasted absolutely no time tearing him to shreds over it. She had no qualms about telling him exactly how she felt and illustrating every way he had done her wrong. Words like 'disappointed,' 'disrespectful,' and 'hurt' littered the conversation and he felt like a dog over it.
By the time he hung up with her, he felt like a complete bastard. He was going to have to make this up to her in a huge way. The fact that he actually wanted to was startling in itself. And as fun as it would have been to brainstorm his options at the moment, more pressing issues suddenly crossed his mind and he couldn't seem to shake something she'd said in their conversation.
Swigging his whiskey, he held his phone in his hand and dialed his younger brother. "Zac," he said. "What's Tay doing tonight?"
"Doing?" Zac sounded puzzled. "I wasn't aware that he had plans. Why?"
"I just--I couldn't get ahold of him, that's all..."
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in Oklahoma City with Winn right now?"
"That fell through."
"So what are you doing instead?"
"Nothing. She went and I didn't."
There was a pause on the other end. Then realization took over Zac's voice. "Ike..."
Isaac's nostrils flared and he took in a long deep breath. "So help me god, if I drive by his house and his truck isn't there, there will be hell to pay."
"Ike, you can't--you can't do anything like that. Okay? Listen, there's no way to know if he actually went with her just based on the fact that his truck might not be there. He could be anywhere, you don't know."
"You and I both know, Zac, I'm not an idiot and neither are you. How the fuck does he just--how does he just always swoop in like that? I don't get it."
"In his defense, he was there first," Zac said quietly.
"Except that she likes ME."
"They're friends," Zac said. "That's it. Nothing more."
"He loves her. It's written all over his face, all the damn time..."
"Then why don't you--why don't you just leave it alone, then? Let him--I mean, just let him have her."
"Because, dammit, I like her and I'm already invested."
"You haven't slept with her yet, have you?"
"That's not the point."
"Ike--don't do this. If you wait around just to get the opportunity to sleep with her, you're going to get yourself hurt..."
"It's not even like that. Not anymore."
"Um--uh...YOU'RE not falling for her, are you?"
Isaac paused for a second. "No. No, I'm not--I'm not falling anywhere, I just--she likes ME, dammit. She goes out with ME, she dates ME, she spends the night at MY apartment. Not his. He can love her all he wants to, but she doesn't feel the same about him. I know it."
"Why don't you come to my house tonight? Have dinner here, the kids would love to see you. They miss you."
Against his better judgment, Isaac decided the distraction was exactly what he needed. But not before he sent one last text message.
"Are you with her?" He texted Taylor.
Moments later, the reply. "Yes."
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Once the awkwardness of the phone conversation had subsided, things seemed to go back to business as usual. The rest of the ride to Oklahoma City seemed to fly by. Taylor and Winn were having too much fun. Between laughing at each other's lame jokes, finding crude songs to play for each other on their phones, and trading stories about old family Christmas traditions, Taylor almost wanted to drive right past the city and stay on the highway just to make it last longer. Instead, he drove right into the city and straight to the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown. "I can't believe your party is at Skirvin," he remarked.
"Why?"
"It's, like, this huge, historic hotel--they say it's haunted."
Winn's eyes lit up. "It's almost like they picked this place just for me."
Taylor chuckled. "Is there anything that doesn't excite you?"
She thought for a second and shook her head. "Not much, no."
Minutes later, he was parking the truck and they were hauling their overnight bags into the hotel.
Taylor's palms were soaked and his heart rate was through the roof by the time they opened their hotel room door. Relief washed over him when he saw two double beds and he made himself at home on one of them. Winn wasted no time hauling her suitcase on the other bed and opening it up. "I hope you don't mind," she said. "But it's gonna take me a bit to get ready. If you haven't noticed, I have a lot of hair."
He glanced at the thick, red locks that flowed nearly to her waist. Of course he noticed. He noticed every day. "You can't just change? You look fine the way you are."
She smiled and shook her head. "Uh, no. No, no. I need my hair to be fresh. Which includes shampoo and a hair dryer. Might as well make yourself comfortable. It's four hours till the party and it'll take me at least half that to be ready."
"It's gonna take you two hours? What do you do on a regular basis?"
"I don't go to parties every day, for one thing. And secondly, when you grow this much hair, we'll revisit this conversation."
"Just do what I do and cut it off."
She scowled at him as she headed for the bathroom door. "You watch your mouth, how dare you blaspheme like that?"
He chuckled as she disappeared into the bathroom. Then he did as she advised and made himself comfortable. Frantically, he flipped the channels on the TV as to keep the painfully obvious off of his mind--just feet away, behind a single wall, Winn was naked. And wet. And Taylor was losing his mind.
Within the next hour, she shower had turned off, the hair dryer was going at full speed, and he prayed there was enough hot water left for him. The novelty of Winn naked in the shower had worn off long ago and his mind had drifted to the single text message he had received from his brother. In spite of himself, Taylor found himself feeling a little guilty. Had he done the right thing, offering to accompany Winn to the party that Isaac had stood her up for? He felt like, as her friend, he had done the right thing, but was he betraying his brother at the same time? Was it a betrayal when the girl wasn't actually Isaac's girlfriend? He knew he was riding a fine line, the problem was, he didn't know what exactly was crossing it. There was also a part of him--a small part that he noticed was beginning to make itself more and more omnipresent--that kind of didn't care how Isaac felt about any of it at all.
As Taylor sat up against the pillows of the bed, ankles crossed at he end of it in front of him, he heard the bathroom door open. His eyes immediately darted in that direction and he felt the blood drain from his face as he watched Winn walk out with one of the dangerously short hotel-issued towels wrapped around her body. Her freshly blow-dried red layers flowed down her back like a waterfall and she walked to the end of the other bed and rooted around her suitcase as if he wasn't even there. When she'd found what she was looking for, a medium-sized, quilted bag, she retreated back into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Taylor was dying.
Twenty more minutes and the bathroom door opened again. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Thankfully, she had dressed herself in a t-shirt and shorts, and had emerged armed with a hair dryer in one hand, curling iron in the other, and a makeup bag tucked under her arm. "If you need to get in the bathroom, I can do my hair and my face out here. No biggie."
He was silent for a second. Really, he just wanted to watch her get ready. That was it. He wanted to watch her apply her make up and curl her hair. But he really did need to hop in the shower. So he took her up on the offer, gathered his own belongings and headed into the bathroom. Taking care of himself while he was in the shower made his life ten times easier.
By the time he got out, towel-dried his hair as best he could, pulled on his slim, black dress pants and dark blue button-down shirt, he stepped out and was relieved to see that he hadn't missed too much of the show, as only half her hair was curled. She hadn't curled all of it, just soft, loose curls enough to make a difference. Shamelessly, he parked himself at the end of the bed she was closest to and he watched her while he buttoned his cuffs and pulled on his socks.
She narrowed her eyes at him through the mirror. "What are you doing?"
"This kind of stuff always kinda fascinated me. I like to watch the transformation happen, it's interesting."
"Transformation? Are you saying I'm ugly without makeup?"
"No! You're beautiful, I just--um--" He'd caught what he'd just said and hadn't had time to recover before she spoke again.
"Can I ask you a question without offending you?"
"Of course. You can ask me anything."
She held the curling iron in her hair and stared through the mirror in thought. "Are you gay?"
Taylor's eyes widened and he saw his own jaw drop in the mirror beyond his control. "What? No! No, I'm not gay, I'm straight as a--well--there's really no good analogy for that, but no. I am very much NOT gay."
"Oh. Um. Okay, um. I'm sorry."
"Did you think I was?"
"Well, no, I just--I mean--well, it crosses my mind every now and then..."
He couldn't shake the shock. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or not. Part of him wanted to. "Do I...do I come across gay?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Then why did you ask?"
"You said you wouldn't get offended."
He nodded. "You're right. You're right, I did say that. And I'm not, I'm just a little surprised is all."
"It was just a question."
"There's a reason why you asked it."
"I got my answer, does the reason matter now?"
"I guess not..."
She released a curl and started a new one, biting her lip in shame in the mirror. "Did I just make things weird?"
"Little bit, yeah."
"I didn't mean to." She stopped and picked up a can of hairspray with her free hand. "Here, will you spray my hair? Don't soak it, just spray gently."
He did as she asked him to and as he concentrated on her hair, he muttered, "Just so you know, this doesn't make me gay."
Suddenly, she burst out laughing and he couldn't help but laugh with her. Just like that, with something as simple as a laugh, the tension had left the room.
Another forty-five minutes had passed and Winn had disappeared into the bathroom again. Taylor was straightening his gray, cotton blazer and buckling his brown belt when Winn emerged from the bathroom and he nearly fainted. It wasn't as if her dress was anything sexy or fancy, but it was the way she wore it that took his breath away. Her dress was simple. Painfully simple. Gray and thinly knitted that dropped to mid-thigh with long, slender sleeves that nearly covered her hands. The dress itself was slim and clung to her comfortably with a wide neck that barely covered her collar bone and a low waist that wrapped right around her hips marked by a thin band of gray, metallic material. On her legs she wore sheer, black panty hose and her feet boasted black suede platform ankle boots with a slightly chunky heel that laced up the front. They were almost reminiscent of hiking boots and, somehow, she managed to make them look almost elegant.
Her thick, red curls flowed over her shoulders and down her back as her long bangs were swept to the side. Her makeup was different than normal, he supposed she applied it differently according to the event, as her thick black mascara and eyeliner, paired with the brown shadow she wore on the corners of her lids created a dangerously sultry smoky-eye that made Taylor weak at the knees. He hadn't realized how hard he'd been staring when her voice brought him back to attention. "Look, we color-coordinated tonight," she observed, smiling. "How convenient."
He looked down at himself and smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess we did. You, uh, you look fantastic."
"Thank you," she smiled again. "So do you, I love that blazer." She glanced at herself in the mirror and frowned. "I think I'm underdressed. Maybe I should change my shoes. This hotel just seems so much fancier than than the ones I'm used to..."
"Your shoes are perfect. You don't need to change. If it makes you feel any better, I feel like I should have worn a three-piece suit, so. If anyone should feel awkward here, it's me."
"I DO feel awkward..."
"Then we'll both just be awkward together. No big deal. It's what we do best anyway, right?"
"Be awkward?"
"Yeah."
She smiled at him. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is."
He glanced at his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. "Well, you ready to head down? Maybe grab a good table? Is it in good taste to be right on time for these things?"
She shrugged. "Back home I used to try to be at least thirty minutes late, but the truth is I'm starving and I'd rather get at the food while it's still fresh."
"Now you're speaking my language. Shall we?"
Closing the door behind them, Taylor walked next to Winn down the hotel hallway and toward the elevators. His nerves were at an all-time high.
That overcast Saturday afternoon, Taylor stepped out of the front door of 3CG with the intent of grabbing some lunch down the street when he spied Winn standing against her car across the street. He knew her current work schedule, she was supposed to be gone over an hour ago. He knew she tended to work over but today was Saturday, and the sight of her standing outside in the cold outside her office after hours was a little unsettling. Was she having car trouble? If she was, why didn't she call him? Or just come across the street?
He pulled his coat a little tighter around him. "Winn!" He called as he trotted across the street, looking both ways as he went.
She straightened up off of her car and looked around in shame, looking down at her cell phone one more time. "Hey," she said, her heart not in the greeting.
"What are you doing out here?" He asked as he slowed to a stop.
"Waiting for your brother. But I see you out here, so that must mean you're finally done. I figured he'd text me if you guys were running over or something."
He narrowed his eyes at her, confused. "I'm the only one in there. Zac had plans with his family and I haven't heard from Ike all day..." Suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "Why?"
Winn looked devastated and Taylor's heart broke in an instant. "Are you serious?" She finally creaked out.
He nodded slowly, hating himself for it. "Yeah," he said gently. "Did you, uh, did you have plans?"
She pressed her lips together and her eyes darted around. Her nostrils flared and the blood rose in her cheeks. It was obvious that she was fighting tears and Taylor immediately wanted to beat the shit out of his older brother. Winn nodded. "Yeah," she finally said, her breath filling the cold air. "He's supposed to go with me to my company's Christmas party in Oklahoma City. They got us all rooms because they're serving alcohol. I don't know if the idea of an overnight trip freaked him out or not--though I couldn't imagine WHY..." She rolled her eyes and then she sighed. "It's okay, though, I guess. I don't mind going alone. My staff will be there and I'm going to be meeting a lot of others from my district, so it's not like I'll be alone or anything, I just--can't believe he'd do that...I've been waiting over an hour."
Taylor shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Um, you sure you're supposed to meet him here?"
"Yeah. He said he was gonna be in the studio for a few hours and to just hang here after I got off work. Except that I've been off for almost two hours now and nothing."
"Have you called him?"
She huffed and scowled at him. "Of COURSE I've called him." Then she sighed and looked around, preparing her car key in her hand. "Oh, well. I'm not waiting any longer. I gotta hit the road. According to my GPS it's an hour and a half away and I need time to get checked in and get ready for the party." She shook her head and looked up at him. "I really thought better of him, Tay. I thought--I guess I thought things were different. Anyway, thanks for checking up on me, I appreciate it."
He watched her open her car door and prepare to get in when an impulse decision hit him out of thin air. "Winn, wait!"
She stopped in her tracks and turned around.
Taylor swallowed the lump of nerves that had now formed in his throat. "Look, I can't speak for Ike right now. Really, I can't, because like you, I have no idea where the hell he is. But, uh--I'll go with you. I'll go to your party with you."
Her eyes widened for a moment before she smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to make up for your brother. It's okay, really. I don't mind going alone."
"But I mind you going alone."
"Tay, that's sweet, but I know you have work--"
"Nothing I can't do later. I understand you wanted to go with Ike. I know you like him. But if it were up to me, we'd be checking into that hotel right now instead of standing here talking about it."
She searched his eyes and then she smiled. "You'd--you'd really go with me? I mean, it's an overnight trip...bunch of people you don't know..."
Taylor shrugged and smiled. "Yeah. It's what friends do. Here, I don't live far from here, okay? Go to your house and wait for me. Give me a few minutes to throw a bag together and we'll take my truck."
He saw the hesitance in her face before he added, "I'm not gonna stand you up. I promise. I'll call you when I get there, when I'm on my way..."
Winn laughed and shook her head. "That's not necessary. You're just--you're an amazing guy, you know that? I still don't see how you're still single. Anyway, let's hurry this along, I should have been on the road an hour ago."
"Right. Give me half an hour."
She raised her eyebrows. "Half an hour?"
"Don't question it, just meet me at your place."
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Taylor's nerves were shot when he pulled up to Winn's house. He wasn't kidding when he said give him half an hour. It was a wonder he didn't get pulled over, or worse. He had no idea what to pack to wear, so he threw a few pieces together and hoped he wouldn't embarrass her. And then there was the spending the night part. Holy shit, had he not been able to forget that, hard as he tried. Tonight was about the party. Nothing more, nothing less. He respected Winn. He would dress for bed, though that was something he hadn't done in years. He prayed for separate beds. He would sleep on the floor of their room had a single bed. He could barely handle sharing a bed with her awake with the planetarium on, much less in pitch darkness and dead silence. He would die.
Winn had changed clothes since he'd seen her last. Now she sported tight jeans, a long, white sweater, and brown, suede boots. She looked incredible. It was no wonder she preferred the cold weather. It was almost as if she was born for fall.
As she stepped outside and down her steps, Taylor helped himself to the suitcase in her car. He wasn't sure what it was lately, but he was just comfortable around her. They didn't really ask each other for anything anymore. They weren't totally awkward, they didn't wait for the other one to make a move. It was like they'd known each other for years. She picked food off of his plate and he helped himself to her cabinets. It was great.
Except for that big, white elephant in the room. That big, white, blood-related elephant.
"You really don't have to drive," Winn said. "It's my party, you don't need to go to the trouble."
"Nah, don't be silly," he said, hauling out her suitcase and plucking the dress bag off of the hanger in the backseat. He headed back to his dark gray truck and opened up the small back door. "I've only been to Oklahoma City a million times. I could do this drive in my sleep. Actually, I think I have a couple times...anyway, just tell me where to go and I'll get us there." He secured both his and her items in the backseat and then he closed the door and looked at her. "Okay. We ready? Clock's ticking."
She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Uh, yeah. Let me just lock up and I'm ready."
A couple of minutes later, she stepped up into the truck and closed the door. He couldn't help but notice how good she looked in it. She could sit in his passenger seat for the rest of her life if she wanted to. She would always look great sitting there. She looked over at him and smiled as she buckled her seatbelt. "If you had any idea what this means to me. Seriously. You don't have to do this, you can back out now."
He smiled as he backed the truck out and turned it around. "Nobody's backing out of anything there. And nobody's trying to. I mean, sorry for being forward and inviting myself, but I'm happy to go. If it's important to you, it's important to me."
"Tay..."
"It's what friends do," he repeated, for the second time. It was almost as if he had the need to convince himself. If he kept saying it, that's all it would be.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Taylor drove them down the highway, Winn's phone vibrated in her pocket. She considered not answering but she couldn't chance missing a call from a family member since she lived so far away now. So, momentarily, she broke conversation with Taylor to answer it.
Her blood boiled when she looked at the screen. It was Isaac. She didn't feel that answering now was a good idea, but she felt the need to let him know how unhappy she was with him. She couldn't let him get by with standing her up. She couldn't let him walk all over her.
So she answered.
"Winn. I'm so glad you answered," Isaac said.
"You're lucky I answered, that's what."
"You're pissed. I know. I get it. Look, where are you now? Let's go out tonight, let me make it up to you."
Winn couldn't help but glance over at Taylor, whose eyes she felt on her as he attempted to focus on the road. She shouldn't have answered. She didn't need to have this conversation in front of him. "Go out tonight?" She hissed quietly into the phone. "We were already supposed to go out tonight. But you bailed. You blew it, Ike, there IS no going out tonight."
"Please don't say that. Don't say I blew it. Just--just let me come over--"
"No. There is no coming over. I'm not home. We're on our way to Oklahoma City right now."
"You went anyway?"
"Of course I went anyway. It's MY damn company Christmas party, why wouldn't I go? I was gonna go with or without you anyway. Obviously, I didn't need you."
"Winn--you're kinda hurting me right now--"
"Well YOU hurt ME." Winn glanced over at Taylor again, ashamed of herself. He didn't need to hear this. She wished he would turn up the music or something.
Isaac let out a slow breath into the phone. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I am really, truly sorry. But, I--I got cold feet, Wynn. I just--I thought about it and going on an overnight trip together just seems like kind of a big deal and I don't--I don't know if I'm ready for that. I just--I need you to be patient with me."
She scowled into the phone, turning her head into the truck window. In a low voice, she spat at him, "Do you REALLY want to have the conversation about being patient when it comes to doing things people aren't ready for?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you. You have every right to be upset at me. I should have called, I should have talked to you about this. I should have put more thought into it when I agreed to go. I just--Winn, you're so different from any other woman I've ever met and I just--I want so badly for you to like me as much as I like you, but I have things I have to work out with myself, too."
"That's just it, Ike. I DO like you. I like you, and all the while you're giving me every reason in the world not to. There's a reason I won't commit to a relationship right now. And you just seem to keep helping that right along."
"I'm not ready for a relationship, either. I thought we had an understanding about that?"
"We do. I'm just letting you know how it is on my end."
"I do like you, though. And I want to keep seeing you. And I want to make this up to you. Just give me another chance."
"I don't know, Ike, I just--I'm really upset with you. And disappointed. I thought you were better than that. I understand that you got nervous and that's fine. But not calling and not cancelling was not cool. That was disrespectful and I don't like to be around disrespectful people."
"I'm so sorry..."
"So am I."
Isaac paused for a second on the other end before he spoke again. "Winn--who's we?"
"What?"
"You said 'we're on our way to Oklahoma City.' Who are you with?"
"I'm carpooling."
"Oh..."
"I have to go now. This wasn't the best time to have this conversation."
"Call me."
"Let me sleep on it."
"Please."
"Don't beg, Ike. It doesn't suit you."
Moments later, she terminated the call and stared quietly out the window. The truck was silent for several minutes before Taylor spoke. "Why didn't you tell him you were with me?"
She looked over at him, her anger still boiling. "Because it's none of his business."
Seeming to accept the answer, Taylor turned his attention back to the road.
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Isaac woke up to daylight flooding his bedroom. He was topless, the comforter pulled over his chest. He looked over and saw the raven curls on the pillow next to him. He looked up at the ceiling and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Shit," he muttered.
He had gone out with his buddies the previous night. He knew he'd had quite a bit to drink, but he didn't think he'd had THAT much. He barely remembered the woman next him and he certainly didn't know her name. For the first time in quite awhile, he had actually gone out without the intent of picking up a woman. He was proud of himself. However, old habits died hard and he had apparently brought one home anyway.
Turning over on his side, he retrieved his phone from his bedside table and looked at it. He didn't know which part was worse. The missed calls and texts from Winn or the fact that it was almost three in the afternoon and he was supposed to have already been in Oklahoma City with her by now. He sighed and hung his head in defeat. Surely this wasn't happening.
Turning back over, he gently shook the sleeping woman. Thank god she was attractive, that was all he had to say about it. "Hey," he whispered as he shook her awake. She turned her head and she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Sweetheart, you gotta go," he whispered at her.
Her smile quickly faded and he shamelessly didn't feel bad about it. After all, he had no real recollection of the night and he certainly hadn't brought her home in his right mind.
Without a word, and within minutes, the woman dressed herself and let herself out of his apartment. Pulling on a pair of pajama pants and helping himself to a breakfast of whiskey on the rocks, he called Winn and prayed for an answer.
When he got one, the conversation hadn't gone well. She was undeniably extremely pissed and she wasted absolutely no time tearing him to shreds over it. She had no qualms about telling him exactly how she felt and illustrating every way he had done her wrong. Words like 'disappointed,' 'disrespectful,' and 'hurt' littered the conversation and he felt like a dog over it.
By the time he hung up with her, he felt like a complete bastard. He was going to have to make this up to her in a huge way. The fact that he actually wanted to was startling in itself. And as fun as it would have been to brainstorm his options at the moment, more pressing issues suddenly crossed his mind and he couldn't seem to shake something she'd said in their conversation.
Swigging his whiskey, he held his phone in his hand and dialed his younger brother. "Zac," he said. "What's Tay doing tonight?"
"Doing?" Zac sounded puzzled. "I wasn't aware that he had plans. Why?"
"I just--I couldn't get ahold of him, that's all..."
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in Oklahoma City with Winn right now?"
"That fell through."
"So what are you doing instead?"
"Nothing. She went and I didn't."
There was a pause on the other end. Then realization took over Zac's voice. "Ike..."
Isaac's nostrils flared and he took in a long deep breath. "So help me god, if I drive by his house and his truck isn't there, there will be hell to pay."
"Ike, you can't--you can't do anything like that. Okay? Listen, there's no way to know if he actually went with her just based on the fact that his truck might not be there. He could be anywhere, you don't know."
"You and I both know, Zac, I'm not an idiot and neither are you. How the fuck does he just--how does he just always swoop in like that? I don't get it."
"In his defense, he was there first," Zac said quietly.
"Except that she likes ME."
"They're friends," Zac said. "That's it. Nothing more."
"He loves her. It's written all over his face, all the damn time..."
"Then why don't you--why don't you just leave it alone, then? Let him--I mean, just let him have her."
"Because, dammit, I like her and I'm already invested."
"You haven't slept with her yet, have you?"
"That's not the point."
"Ike--don't do this. If you wait around just to get the opportunity to sleep with her, you're going to get yourself hurt..."
"It's not even like that. Not anymore."
"Um--uh...YOU'RE not falling for her, are you?"
Isaac paused for a second. "No. No, I'm not--I'm not falling anywhere, I just--she likes ME, dammit. She goes out with ME, she dates ME, she spends the night at MY apartment. Not his. He can love her all he wants to, but she doesn't feel the same about him. I know it."
"Why don't you come to my house tonight? Have dinner here, the kids would love to see you. They miss you."
Against his better judgment, Isaac decided the distraction was exactly what he needed. But not before he sent one last text message.
"Are you with her?" He texted Taylor.
Moments later, the reply. "Yes."
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Once the awkwardness of the phone conversation had subsided, things seemed to go back to business as usual. The rest of the ride to Oklahoma City seemed to fly by. Taylor and Winn were having too much fun. Between laughing at each other's lame jokes, finding crude songs to play for each other on their phones, and trading stories about old family Christmas traditions, Taylor almost wanted to drive right past the city and stay on the highway just to make it last longer. Instead, he drove right into the city and straight to the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown. "I can't believe your party is at Skirvin," he remarked.
"Why?"
"It's, like, this huge, historic hotel--they say it's haunted."
Winn's eyes lit up. "It's almost like they picked this place just for me."
Taylor chuckled. "Is there anything that doesn't excite you?"
She thought for a second and shook her head. "Not much, no."
Minutes later, he was parking the truck and they were hauling their overnight bags into the hotel.
Taylor's palms were soaked and his heart rate was through the roof by the time they opened their hotel room door. Relief washed over him when he saw two double beds and he made himself at home on one of them. Winn wasted no time hauling her suitcase on the other bed and opening it up. "I hope you don't mind," she said. "But it's gonna take me a bit to get ready. If you haven't noticed, I have a lot of hair."
He glanced at the thick, red locks that flowed nearly to her waist. Of course he noticed. He noticed every day. "You can't just change? You look fine the way you are."
She smiled and shook her head. "Uh, no. No, no. I need my hair to be fresh. Which includes shampoo and a hair dryer. Might as well make yourself comfortable. It's four hours till the party and it'll take me at least half that to be ready."
"It's gonna take you two hours? What do you do on a regular basis?"
"I don't go to parties every day, for one thing. And secondly, when you grow this much hair, we'll revisit this conversation."
"Just do what I do and cut it off."
She scowled at him as she headed for the bathroom door. "You watch your mouth, how dare you blaspheme like that?"
He chuckled as she disappeared into the bathroom. Then he did as she advised and made himself comfortable. Frantically, he flipped the channels on the TV as to keep the painfully obvious off of his mind--just feet away, behind a single wall, Winn was naked. And wet. And Taylor was losing his mind.
Within the next hour, she shower had turned off, the hair dryer was going at full speed, and he prayed there was enough hot water left for him. The novelty of Winn naked in the shower had worn off long ago and his mind had drifted to the single text message he had received from his brother. In spite of himself, Taylor found himself feeling a little guilty. Had he done the right thing, offering to accompany Winn to the party that Isaac had stood her up for? He felt like, as her friend, he had done the right thing, but was he betraying his brother at the same time? Was it a betrayal when the girl wasn't actually Isaac's girlfriend? He knew he was riding a fine line, the problem was, he didn't know what exactly was crossing it. There was also a part of him--a small part that he noticed was beginning to make itself more and more omnipresent--that kind of didn't care how Isaac felt about any of it at all.
As Taylor sat up against the pillows of the bed, ankles crossed at he end of it in front of him, he heard the bathroom door open. His eyes immediately darted in that direction and he felt the blood drain from his face as he watched Winn walk out with one of the dangerously short hotel-issued towels wrapped around her body. Her freshly blow-dried red layers flowed down her back like a waterfall and she walked to the end of the other bed and rooted around her suitcase as if he wasn't even there. When she'd found what she was looking for, a medium-sized, quilted bag, she retreated back into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Taylor was dying.
Twenty more minutes and the bathroom door opened again. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Thankfully, she had dressed herself in a t-shirt and shorts, and had emerged armed with a hair dryer in one hand, curling iron in the other, and a makeup bag tucked under her arm. "If you need to get in the bathroom, I can do my hair and my face out here. No biggie."
He was silent for a second. Really, he just wanted to watch her get ready. That was it. He wanted to watch her apply her make up and curl her hair. But he really did need to hop in the shower. So he took her up on the offer, gathered his own belongings and headed into the bathroom. Taking care of himself while he was in the shower made his life ten times easier.
By the time he got out, towel-dried his hair as best he could, pulled on his slim, black dress pants and dark blue button-down shirt, he stepped out and was relieved to see that he hadn't missed too much of the show, as only half her hair was curled. She hadn't curled all of it, just soft, loose curls enough to make a difference. Shamelessly, he parked himself at the end of the bed she was closest to and he watched her while he buttoned his cuffs and pulled on his socks.
She narrowed her eyes at him through the mirror. "What are you doing?"
"This kind of stuff always kinda fascinated me. I like to watch the transformation happen, it's interesting."
"Transformation? Are you saying I'm ugly without makeup?"
"No! You're beautiful, I just--um--" He'd caught what he'd just said and hadn't had time to recover before she spoke again.
"Can I ask you a question without offending you?"
"Of course. You can ask me anything."
She held the curling iron in her hair and stared through the mirror in thought. "Are you gay?"
Taylor's eyes widened and he saw his own jaw drop in the mirror beyond his control. "What? No! No, I'm not gay, I'm straight as a--well--there's really no good analogy for that, but no. I am very much NOT gay."
"Oh. Um. Okay, um. I'm sorry."
"Did you think I was?"
"Well, no, I just--I mean--well, it crosses my mind every now and then..."
He couldn't shake the shock. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or not. Part of him wanted to. "Do I...do I come across gay?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Then why did you ask?"
"You said you wouldn't get offended."
He nodded. "You're right. You're right, I did say that. And I'm not, I'm just a little surprised is all."
"It was just a question."
"There's a reason why you asked it."
"I got my answer, does the reason matter now?"
"I guess not..."
She released a curl and started a new one, biting her lip in shame in the mirror. "Did I just make things weird?"
"Little bit, yeah."
"I didn't mean to." She stopped and picked up a can of hairspray with her free hand. "Here, will you spray my hair? Don't soak it, just spray gently."
He did as she asked him to and as he concentrated on her hair, he muttered, "Just so you know, this doesn't make me gay."
Suddenly, she burst out laughing and he couldn't help but laugh with her. Just like that, with something as simple as a laugh, the tension had left the room.
Another forty-five minutes had passed and Winn had disappeared into the bathroom again. Taylor was straightening his gray, cotton blazer and buckling his brown belt when Winn emerged from the bathroom and he nearly fainted. It wasn't as if her dress was anything sexy or fancy, but it was the way she wore it that took his breath away. Her dress was simple. Painfully simple. Gray and thinly knitted that dropped to mid-thigh with long, slender sleeves that nearly covered her hands. The dress itself was slim and clung to her comfortably with a wide neck that barely covered her collar bone and a low waist that wrapped right around her hips marked by a thin band of gray, metallic material. On her legs she wore sheer, black panty hose and her feet boasted black suede platform ankle boots with a slightly chunky heel that laced up the front. They were almost reminiscent of hiking boots and, somehow, she managed to make them look almost elegant.
Her thick, red curls flowed over her shoulders and down her back as her long bangs were swept to the side. Her makeup was different than normal, he supposed she applied it differently according to the event, as her thick black mascara and eyeliner, paired with the brown shadow she wore on the corners of her lids created a dangerously sultry smoky-eye that made Taylor weak at the knees. He hadn't realized how hard he'd been staring when her voice brought him back to attention. "Look, we color-coordinated tonight," she observed, smiling. "How convenient."
He looked down at himself and smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess we did. You, uh, you look fantastic."
"Thank you," she smiled again. "So do you, I love that blazer." She glanced at herself in the mirror and frowned. "I think I'm underdressed. Maybe I should change my shoes. This hotel just seems so much fancier than than the ones I'm used to..."
"Your shoes are perfect. You don't need to change. If it makes you feel any better, I feel like I should have worn a three-piece suit, so. If anyone should feel awkward here, it's me."
"I DO feel awkward..."
"Then we'll both just be awkward together. No big deal. It's what we do best anyway, right?"
"Be awkward?"
"Yeah."
She smiled at him. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is."
He glanced at his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. "Well, you ready to head down? Maybe grab a good table? Is it in good taste to be right on time for these things?"
She shrugged. "Back home I used to try to be at least thirty minutes late, but the truth is I'm starving and I'd rather get at the food while it's still fresh."
"Now you're speaking my language. Shall we?"
Closing the door behind them, Taylor walked next to Winn down the hotel hallway and toward the elevators. His nerves were at an all-time high.