Oh you probably won't remember me
It's probably ancient history
I'm one of the chosen few
Who went ahead
And fell for you
I'm out of vogue
I'm out of touch
I fell too fast
I feel too much …
-Jann Arden, “Insensitive”
Isaac stroked Taryn’s hair as she slept. Her head
was on his chest, and he thought about how he just wanted to lay there and hold her forever.
Isaac had been thinking for a long while about what he was going to do about the long-distance thing. And he had come up with plan. If Mohammed wasn’t going to come to the mountain, Isaac theorized, the mountain obviously had to come to him.
He had almost decided that he was going to apply to NYU for the fall semester. He figured that he and his brothers would be almost done with the new record by that time, and it was his plan to tour and record in the summers while he spent the school months in New York. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to work it; he certainly didn’t have enough of the kinks worked out to share the idea with Taryn or with Taylor and Zac. But he had been thinking about it for a while.
Taryn stirred, and woke up.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Almost four,” Isaac replied. “Go back to sleep.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I’m busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Making memories,” Isaac said. “I’m burning into my brain what you look like, sound like and smell like so I can save it until the next time we’re together.”
Taryn smiled. “You’re nuts.”
“Yes I am.”
“Would you like one more memory to take home with you?” Taryn asked coyly.
Isaac smiled. Yes, he thought, NYU is looking better all the time.
Taryn had come down with the flu later that morning. She and Isaac had taken a cab from the hotel to the Mathews’ townhouse, where Isaac was getting Taryn situated in her own bed.
“God, Isaac, I’m so sorry,” she had said. “I was fine all night. This hit me like a ton of bricks.”
“It’s okay,” Isaac said soothingly. “This is probably why you got sick night before last. You’ve just got a bug or something. Maybe you should see a doctor.”
Taryn nodded miserably. “I really wanted to see you off at the airport,” she said.
Isaac smiled. “You just concentrate on getting better, and call me after you’ve seen the doctor. I can get on a plane by myself; I’ve done it lots of times.”
Isaac leaned down and kissed Taryn’s forehead.
“You know I’d stay if I could.”
“I know.”
“I love you very much.”
Taryn managed a weak smile. “I love you too.”
Isaac kissed her on top of her head.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
