The car pulled into the Hanson driveway and all of the little kids cheered at being home. Zac had fallen asleep and Ike was sitting so far away from Taylor that Tay was sure he would fall out. Taylor was sitting calmly only thinking about seeing Erica and being with her. When the car stopped Taylor leapt out and looked across the street at her house. There was a girl out front that had her back turned to him and looked like her. He started to jog across the street.
"Taylor could you help with the bags?" Mrs. Hanson asked.
Taylor looked from his mother to Erica's house and reluctantly went back to help with the bags. As soon as he was done he started to jog back again.
"Erica!" he yelled.
The girl turned around and looked at him. That wasn't Erica. He walked up to the girl.
"Hi, I'm Taylor" he stuck out his hand," and you are?"
"Karen" she shook his hand, "nice to meet you."
"So...where's Erica?" he asked seeing no reason to beat around the bush and make small talk with this Karen person.
But she didn't answer that. Instead she said,"The Taylor that has been writing her?"
Don't you know how to answer a question? Taylor thought bitterley. He decided to humor her,"Yeah but she..." he stopped when he heard her voice.
"Karen, I could only find Pepsi and Dorit..." she cut off mid-sentence when she saw Taylor. Erica dropped the cans of Pepsi and the bag of Doritos.
"Oh my God, Taylor." she was in complete shock. So was Taylor. Karen looked back and forth at them.
"I gotta go...uh...clean my refrigerator, bye Erica." Karen said.
"Yeah okay." Erica said barely breaking her concentration from Taylor. Karen left and Erica put her hand on her forehead.
"Wow you're back uh..." she grabbed for words. Then she broke into a smile and ran up to him and threw her arms around him. Oh my God! Taylor thought and wrapped his arms around her too.
"Your hair got longer." she said when they pulled away.
"Yeah," he ran his hand through his hair," but look at you...you're...gorgeous."
She blushed. He meant it though. Her hair was down, something he rarely saw her do, and she had on make-up, something he never saw her do, and she had on a, hell he didn't know what it was, a strappy shirt thingy, all he knew was that it showed her bra strap. He blushed when he realized that. She looked so grown-up. She had hips and breasts, how was it that she did so much growing up in that short while? That also made him feel sad. He realized with his new lifestyle he wasn't going to be there all the time and that killed him. They were best friends and there was no way they could stay as close as they were and there was no way they could watch each other grow up from across the country.
"Come on inside. We have a lot of catching up to do." she said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the house.
Taylor pointed to the dropped chips and sodas," The mess?" he said grinning.
Erica blushed, "Help me pick it up."
"It's nice to now I was missed this much." he joked sighing as he bent down to collect the cans.
Erica playfully shoved him, "Seeing your face was enough for me to drop all that."
"I know cause it's such a great face." he said giving her a cheesy grin.
Erica smiled. It was great to know that nothing changed.
After they picked up the mess they went into the kitchen.
"Let me get two sodas that haven't been tormented by me yet." she said gaining a laugh from Taylor in the process. She put the other two back and got two more and two glasses to pour them in. He watched her turn towards the counter and he came up behind her. He ran his one hand from her side across her stomach and grabbed his arm with his other hand and put his chin on her shoulder.
"Taylor I can't pour soda with you hanging on me." she laughed. But please, if there is a God, let him hang on me. Let him never ever let go! Wait! Did I just think that?
"I can't help it I missed you so much." he said not letting go, "I thought I would die if I didn't get to see you soon."
She placed her arms on top of his and stood there for awhile, "I missed you too Taylor. I thought about you every day."
"Really you never wrote?"
"What?" she pushed him off of her and turned around,"yes I did. I wrote back to every letter I got."
Taylor furrowed his brow for a moment and then realization slowly dawned on him,"So that Erica that wrote me...that was you? The whole time...the whole time it really was you!! I was going crazy waiting for a letter but I always got one!"
He picked her up and started dancing with her throughout the kitchen.
"Taylor," she was hysterical laughing,"please we are going to break something!"
He put her down. "Wow, I guess you really did miss me." she finished pouring the soda and they went to hang out in her room. They talked about everything going on in their lives while the other was away. He just could not get over how much she had changed. He had such an urge to just wrap his arms around her and kiss her as she rambled on about how he probably had a much better time in California than she did in Tulsa. He hated to interrupt her but he had to before he lost his nerve to ask what was running through his mind.
"Erica, this time apart really opened my eyes." he said.
"Me too." she said not quite sure where this was going.
"And," this was hard, "I think that I really like you."
He stopped to see her reaction which was simply a blank face, then continued," I think we should go out." he finished.
"Where do you want to go?" she was confused.
He laughed. "No, be boyfriend and girlfriend," he said. He reached out and grabbed her hand.(Authors Note: Reach out and touch somebody's hand! You know for that phone commercial? that's what it reminds me of. Oops sorry keep reading it gets good!)
"What do you think Erica?" he looked into her eyes. They revealed nothing. She put her soda on the table and got up. She still clung onto his hand. She faced him and he expected the worst. I killed our friendship he thought.It's dead.
"Yes Tay, I will." she said.
"Really for real?" he asked.
"No for fake...yes for real!!!" she smiled.
He smiled back. He jumped up and threw his arms around her. "Let's go for a walk." he said.
"Okay"
Back
Back Home
Go To Chapter 6