When he came out, with a towel wrapped around his waist, the ends of his hair still dripping, she couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. He raised hid eyebrows in question when she just staired at him. She tried to clear the cotton he had pushed into her head away to think of something clever to say. Stalling a minute, she went over to him, and stood toe to toe, lifted a finger and began tracing his collar bone. She saw a drip about to fall fro, his hair, so she cought it with her finger, and ran her wet finger down his chest, with her lips parted, and looking into his eyes. He got the hint right away. When she saw the idea root in his head, she said quietly, "the sheets make good towels too." She tipped her chin up to kiss him. At first, he didn't react. She finally got him to kiss her back after she had put a hand on the back of his neck.
"I guess they are." She smiled, knowing he was good for the next half an hour. She undid the towel and let it drop to the floor.
"You're crazy," Taylor told her, laying in bed, trying to catch his breath, smiling. "And now breakfast is cold."
"That's okay, they'll be fine. And we have a microwave if you need it." He nodded, then sat up.
"Good. I'm starving now." They both got up and went over to the table after Taylor threw his boxers back on, and she was in his t-shirt. Here was where she wanted to be careful of what she said. She didn't want to really bring up the outside world. She wanted it to stay just the two of them. Then his cell rang. They looked at eachother for a minute, while it rang two more times. Then he got up and went to it.
"Hey Zac....you did? Sorry I missed it. I was probably...." he didn't know what he could have been doing. "Are we? And you think we need to practice?.......Oh." He sat down on the bed while she picked at her crepes. "Alright.....When?..........And is she......" he ran a hand over his face. "Sure. Okay......thanks......yeah.......I got it.....three thirty." Roxy looked at the clock. It was almost noon. "See you then.......kay.....bye." He closed his phone, then sighed. Roxy waited. He sat and looked out the window for a good three minutes before he made any kind of move. He sighed again, then got up and went to the table. He looked so sad, she thought. She wanted to help.
"Anything I can do?" He gave a weak smile as he slowly forked up a bite. He set his fork down and looked at her. Studied, more. She watched his eyes look into hers, search them, then wander over her face, and down to her lips, and linger there for a moment, then back up to her eyes. "Talk to me, Tay, please." He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped, and looked down at his plate. "Okay," she said slowly. "I understand." And she did. Reality was calling and he had to go back, and their fun was over. She still loved him enough to try and not make it so difficult for him. "So you get to play for the last time this evening. What's your set list looking like, so I know what to expect before the rest of the girls?" Taylor's head came up, and he gave her a grateful smile. She returned it, and listened while he told her.
He left a quarter after three, giving her a slow lingering kiss goodbye on his way out.
As he searched her eyes a final time, with the door open and his hand on the knob, she cupped his face with both of her hands. "It's been great, and you're awesome. Good luck tonight, I'll see you up there." She gave him her best smile, and let him go. Closing the door behind him, she slid down to the floor and buried her face in her hands.
Chapter Five