As the song played, Taylor and I danced across the floor together. He whispered in my ear, "Should we make this our official song?"
I clung tighter to him. "Yes," I replied. "Every time we hear this song, we'll remember this night."
"And even when we're apart, when you hear this song, think of me, and I'll do the same."
"Do you have the song on a CD or a tape?" I asked.
"No, but I intend to get it tomorrow."
I continued, "Then after you get it, I think we should make it a tradition to listen to that song every day at a certain time, so each of us will know that the other is listening to the same song and thinking of them."
He hugged me tightly. "I love it." We were silent for the rest of the song.
When the song ended, we were even closer than we'd been at the start, if that was possible.
Taylor and I remained on the dance floor as long as the music was playing. After several hours of dancing, the music finally trailed off as the head of Mercury Records stood to make a speech. He said a bunch of stuff about how the millenium was ending, and how he hoped Mercury Records would do as well in the new millenium as it had in the old. Then he pointed to a huge clock on the wall, which read 11:59. As the second hand moved around, someone started a countdown which everyone joined in. "20...19...18...17..."
As the last ten seconds ticked by, Taylor and I simultaneously stopped counting. He looked into my eyes as I looked into his. We leaned in closer and closer. Finally, as the last second of the millennium was passing, our lips were about to meet when I turned away from Taylor.
I didn't hear the cheering for the new millennium. The only thing in my head was the look on Taylor's face. He looked at me and asked, "Monica, what's wrong?"
"I...I just can't do this yet. It's too soon."
"Oh, Monica," he said softly. "There is nothing wrong with that. The only reason I tried to kiss you was because I thought it was what you wanted. I'm so sorry."
I smiled. He was so sweet. "It's okay, Taylor."
He took my hand and led me back to where Isaac, Michelle, Zac, and Anne were waiting. "Is everyone ready to go?" Isaac asked.
When all of us said we were, we headed back out to the parking lot. I was a little apprehensive about seeing the reporters. Taylor noticed this, and whispered to me, "Don't worry about the reporters. I won't let them bother you."
"Thank you, Taylor," I whispered back. We all walked right by the reporters without a word. Taylor especially ignored the questions about me until I said to him, "Taylor, if we don't clear things up now, they'll think we've been going out for a long time, and lying to your fans. I don't want them to think that; I don't want you to lose fans because they think you lied."
So Taylor turned to the reporters and said, "I am going to say one thing. Monica is my girlfriend. I just asked her out tonight. We have not been hiding anything from anyone."
Taylor's announcement was greeted by the reporters with gasps. As we left them behind and followed the other four people, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Chapter 28
Love Takes Time
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