The next few days passed as though in a dream. Taylor and I were together every chance we got, which actually was more than I would have expected, given his recording situation. The days when I did not see him, he called me in the evenings. He always managed to be the person taking Avery to Capital on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I had also recently started coaching a class at Capital on Wednesdays, and Taylor was always there watching, silently supporting me. The only thing spoiling this living dream was the realization that it would not, could not, last. The album was nearly finished. Taylor would be leaving at the end of May. But I did not think about that; I concentrated on the time I had with Taylor, rather than complaining about the time I would not have with him.
It was Saturday, a week after the prom. I was reading, waiting for Taylor to call me like I knew he would, when sure enough the phone rang. I hurried to answer it; of course, it was Taylor.
"Hi, Moni," he said.
"Hey Tay, what's up?"
"Oh, not much." He was quiet for a moment, and I knew there was something he wasn't telling me. Then he said, "Hey, why don't you come over?"
"Okay, be there in a minute. Bye!"
"Bye!" he said, and hung up.
I hung the phone up and quickly left the house.
I pulled up in front of the Hanson house a few minutes later. After ringing the doorbell, I was quickly let in by Taylor. He led me through the house to the room he shared with Isaac and Zac. As usual, it was a mess. There were clothes and shoes all over the floor, the beds were unmade, and there were music papers spread out on the desk. But I didn't mind the mess; my own room was hardly any neater.
As we entered the room, I noticed Isaac and Zac at the desk, apparently looking at some papers. Taylor took my hand and led me over to where they were.
"Hi, guys," I said. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, hey Monica," said Zac, looking up. "We're trying to decide where to go on the upcoming tour."
Taylor said quietly, "Ike's trying to figure out where he really wants to go, if you know what I mean."
I knew exactly what he meant. "Jamie, right?"
He nodded. "He says the dreams are getting worse. He just needs to find her, that's all."
At this point, I had a major dilemma. Did I just let them puzzle through, and risk Isaac never finding Jamie, or did I suggest St. Louis, and risk them figuring out that I knew more than they did? I decided that I couldn't just let it be; I had to help however I could.
"Hey, Ike," I said cautiously.
"Hmm?" he said absently, not looking up.
"Do you have any ideas where she could be?"
"I just don't know, Monica. She could be anywhere, for all I know! I'll never find her," he moaned, dropping his head into his hands.
"Well, I have an idea," I said.
Isaac quickly picked up his head. "Really? What is it?"
"I'll name some cities. If I say the one where she lives, I bet you'll be able to tell. Do you want to try it?"
"Nothing else has worked. We might as well give it a try."
So I began listing some cities. "Dallas...New York...Los Angeles...Philadelphia...Houston...Chicago..." He perked up a bit at the last one, but then shook his head again. I took a deep breath and said quietly, "St. Louis..."
At that, I saw a smile appear on his face. "St. Louis...that's it! I don't know how I know, but that's gotta be it!"
I smiled, too. "So, when are you going to go?"
"Oh, I don't know. Zac, what's our last stop so far?"
Zac glanced at the paper. "As a matter of fact, it's Chicago, on November 16th. We could go to St. Louis...hmm...around the 19th?"
"That would be great," Isaac said gratefully. "And then we could just end the tour in Tulsa, or we could come back down here. Of course, I know Tay wants us to come back here," he said slyly. Taylor and I both blushed.
Taylor turned to me and said, "Moni, I have something to tell you...privately."
"Okay," I responded, following him to the living room, where we sat on a couch.
Taylor took my hand. "Moni, I was talking to Mom the other day."
"And..." I prompted.
"Well, we were talking about the tour, and I had something to ask her..."
"Okay..."
"I asked her if you could come on tour with us, and she said yes!" he said excitedly. "Won't it be fun? We'll see the world together."
I didn't know what to say. "Oh, Tay...it sounds wonderful...but...I don't think I can."
"Oh, we can talk your parents around. I'm sure they won't mind."
"That's not it, Taylor. It's just...I can't. I have other things. I have gymnastics, and I'm coaching now, so I have a responsibility. Plus, I have to go to school."
"But you're about to be out for the summer."
"But the tour won't be over by the time school starts again."
"Mom said you could homeschool with us."
"I just don't know, Tay." I stood up. "I just wish you'd asked me first, before you talked to your mom."
"I'm sorry. You're right." Taylor stood up and walked me to the door. "Just think about it, okay?"
"Okay, I will. I'll see you later, Tay. I love you."
"I love you, too, Moni."
As I drove home, I thought about what Taylor had said. Maybe I could go, after all. It would be a lot of fun...seeing the world, watching as Isaac and Jamie finally met (I knew they would this time), and of course, being with Taylor the whole way. Maybe I could go on tour with them, after all.
Chapter 46
Love Takes Time
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