CHAPTER 5: Taylor

They went inside the restaurant and were assisted by a booth. They were asked for their orders and Taylor chose their specials for tonight. They are going to have a long drive and she’s sure he does not want to get hungry while on the road. 

They went back to the inn where they were staying and just took their things, settled their bill and were about to go in Taylor’s truck when she saw the couple again. They were heading out of the neighboring inn and it looks like they are going to take a night walk. The night seems young and the breeze is cool, it is indeed a good time to walk around the quiet neighborhood.

“T, do they look familiar to you?” she asked as she got in the truck and tuck herself with the seatbelt.

“Who?”

She nodded at the couple who were walking towards the truck.

He took a while to respond but then he smiled. 

“They were also at the berry farm where we saw that little kid,” He answered with a smile, clearly remembering how the little kid announced that they were on a honeymoon. 

She laughed lightly at the idea. 

“So this is the end of us being honeymooners, huh?’ He jokingly winked at her

“Well, we could do this again next time, Mr. Drumfeeld.” She smiled at him. 

“I’ll keep that in mind, Mrs. Drumfeeld.” He agreed before stepping on the gas. 

Although she really wanted to keep Taylor company while on the road, she couldn’t help but fall asleep. 

Taylor on the other hand, just kept his focus on the road and sometimes looked at the girl beside her. He still couldn’t understand what had happened that changed her mind. There is something that he would like to know but he wanted to make sure she is safe. 

First was seeing her in the club alone and wildly enjoying the song that night. It was the first time he saw her dance that way and it seemed to him that she was having a really bad day, the way she finished her glass shot. She looked different that night, as if she was a different person, but he did not take it negatively, after all they have not seen each other for almost five years now and there definitely must have been a lot of changes. 

That night, when he saw how she swallowed the glass of alcohol, he knew she needed someone to be with her. He didn’t see anyone with her that night and he wanted to make sure she’s fine. He saw how different she was from the friend he knew. She did not seem to care about other people that night, she just wanted to have fun, she kept swaying to the tune of the music the DJ was blasting on the speaker and would only go back for a drink. 

He was content just watching her until some guy started approaching her and he took it as a queue. He walked toward her and held her shoulders, she was startled at what he did. She looked at her and was about to slap him when he called her name. Then he let her sit on the stool, asking her how things are with her and that he missed her but she seemed out of place. She was just staring at him but as if she was not seeing him. She must have been really surprised and he gave her a moment but she did not say anything. 

“Kei, are you okay?” He tapped her shoulder as if to wake her up and that’s when she looked at him. 

“T?” She said and looked around her surroundings, the look on her face was of utter surprise and he couldn’t understand why. 

“You okay?” Still holding her shoulders as she tried to stand up though she swayed a bit due to being drunk.

“Huh, uh, yes, yes I’m sorry.” The way she reacted upon seeing him and the fact that she seemed surprised to see where she was made him really concerned about her but she looked better when she came back from the ladies’ room. 

She seemed okay when he dropped her off, she knew her way around the house but what surprised him was the shoes of a man at the door. He didn’t know she was married, and she was not wearing a ring. He didn’t even think that she must be in a relationship when he saw her, maybe that was the reason she was different that night. They must have had a big fight and being Kei, she wanted to forget about it a little then sleep it off but she couldn’t so she decided to have fun alone. He bet she would have called Jane or Ara if there was a chance, maybe even him. He felt disappointed somehow but knew there was nothing he could do about it. 

He left and did not expect to hear a call from her the next morning. When he heard about her muffled cry on the phone, he knew he needed to get to her as soon as possible. She was a strong person and he never heard her say awful things about her life. She was content and took everything as a challenge and she was a good girl. Thinking that someone has done something wrong to her made his blood boil, he went to her without thinking twice and let her stay with him. 

There were times that she seemed out of it but he didn’t think negatively of it since she must be thinking about the problem she had run away from. She would sometimes zone out and there was even a time that she looked as if she didn't know him.