chapter 9

I don't know how long I have been sobbing against Tay's chest, but one thing I know for sure is that his shirt is soaked. For a moment I wished I was dead, so I couldn't relive this moment. I finally stop crying and move away from him. One thing I hate is crying in front of people.

"Are you okay?" Tay asks with a soft voice.

"Yeah, I just need to shower and go to sleep."

"Okay, um… just call me if you need anything." he says and I nod. He walks out, and I strip out of my wet clothes, take a quick warm shower, and wrap my wet body in a towel.

I dress up in my dark blue silk pajamas and walk out of the bathroom. Tay is not in the room, so I get under the sheets and close my eyes.

After a while, I hear a door opening and footsteps walking towards the bed. I keep my eyes closed and I know by the scent that fills my nostrils; it's Tay. He gets under the duvet and pulls me closer to his hard, naked chest and buries his nose in my hair. Later, he lets out a deep breath and pulls me even closer. I can't believe that I, Olivia Ferguson, even let a man in my bed, let alone touch me. I get comfortable in his arms and let sleep consume me.

****

I wake up to a smell of food. I open my eyes and find Tay in his black trouser, shirtless, placing a tray on the bed. I take a moment to take him all in his six abs. God! He is like a Greek god.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer." He says with a smirk on his face. Crap! I didn't even realise that I was gawking at him. I clear my throat and climb off the bed.

I look at my reflection in the mirror. God! I'm red like a tomato. I splash cold water on my face and dry it with a towel. I brush my teeth, fix my hair, and walk out of the bathroom. Tay has dressed up in a white shirt and black tie, talking to someone on the phone.

"Okay, I will let you know later." He hangs up and places his phone on the bed.

"Come on, we must put food in that small stomach of yours." He says, sitting on the bed next to the tray full of food. There are American pancakes, a bowl with a fresh berry yogurt parfait, and two glasses of orange juices. I climb on the bed, cross my legs, and take a fork and start eating the pancakes. He joins me and we share them.

"How did you sleep?" Tay asks, looking at me.

"Good." These days I have slept better when he was there. I don't know what it is about him that makes me feel safe.

"I made an appointment with a designer for today." Tay says.

"Designer? For what?" I ask and take a sip from my glass.

"The wedding. She is a friend of mine. I know she will do it within a week." Tay informs me.

"Okay."

After a while, I grab the bowl with fresh berry yogurt, a spoon, and dig in. Tay gets off the bed and walks towards the black chair to grab his suit jack and put it on and walks back to the bed. He leans close so that our faces are only an inch away from each other. I stop midway with a spoon full of fresh berry yogurt and stare back at him. My heart is beating so fast it feels like it's going to pop out of my chest.

What the hell is he going to do?

He scans my face, his eyes going up and down between my eyes and lips. He leans even closer, takes my hand that is holding the spoon, and turns it around. He opens his mouth and puts the spoon in his mouth, still maintaining eye contact. He releases the spoon from his mouth, grabs his phone, and walks out, saying nothing.

What just happened?

I finish my breakfast and put on a light grey sweater with black joggers and white sneakers. I pull my hair into a ponytail. I walked out to find my room clean. Nana must have cleaned it. I walk out of the room and pad down the staircase.

I find Andrew in the living room typing on his laptop. He closes his laptop as soon as he sees me.

"Morning." Andrew greets.

"Morning." I greet back and sit next to him.

"Where is Nate?" I ask.

"He went to practice. He has a big match after the wedding. Apparently, there will be some sort of big dogs to watch the game so, he wants to make a good impression," Andrew informs.

"I'm sure he will get in. So, what does Nate like?" I ask.

"Likes?" Andrew asks, confused.

"For his birthday. You know he will turn eighteen soon, don't tell me you forgot!" I say and grab the TV remote.

"Forgot! We are talking about Nate here. How can I forget when he keeps damaging my eardrums every day about it?" Andrew says, shaking his head like he just saw something horrible. And I let out a laugh just thinking about Nate talking non-stop.

"How are the wedding preparations going?" Andrew asks.

"Good, Tay made an appointment for me with a designer friend of his." I tell Andrew.

"Future is good at what she does, you will love her work." Andrew says with a bit of sadness in his tone but recovers quickly. There must be a history between him and this Future.

"Anyway, I got to run, I will see you later." Andrew holds his laptop and walks out.

I make my way to the kitchen and take out a small container of ice cream, grab a spoon, and walk back to the living room. I decide to binge watch a series. After a while, my phone vibrates next to me and I look at the caller ID.

Rachel.

I swipe to answer.

"How is my favorite author doing today?" My lips form a smile.

"Rachel?" I know she didn't call to just ask me how I am doing.

"Okay, have you thought about what we talked about? Are you continuing with Olivia's story?" Rachel asks.

"Honestly, I haven't thought about it at all." I say truthfully.

"Please consider it. Your readers want more, and I think it will be a big success like the first one. Just think about it, you can give me the answer after the wedding, okay?" Rachel suggests.

"Fine, I will think about it, but I'm not promising anything," I tell her.

"I know, I guess I will see you at your wedding."

"What if I don't send you an invitation?" I ask.

"Honey? I don't need an invitation to come to my best-selling author's wedding." Rachel says, and my lips form a smile yet again. I hear voices shouting behind me before I can reply to Rachel.

"Something just came up; I will talk to you later." I tell Rachel and end the call before she can say anything.

Ria walks into the living room with Nana following from behind.

"Ria?" I exclaim

"You did this." Ria shouts, pointing a finger at me.

"Tone it down, will you?" I say calmly. The last thing I want is to send her back to the hospital.

"Don't fucking tell me to tone it down when you have been a bitch in this story?" That's it, I have had enough.

Nana stops me before I could punch her.

"She's not worth it." Nana says, and I lower my fist.

"Just get out Ria." Nana tells her, and she storms out. I grab my phone from the couch and dial Tay's number.

He answers on the first ring.

"What the hell did you do?" I ask.

"Is that a way to greet your future husband over the phone?" he asks with a playful tone.

"Tay I am not playing. What did you do to Ria?" I ask, pronouncing every word slowly.

"I told her to fuck off." he says like it's not a big deal.

"Are you crazy? Why would you do that?" I ask.

"Because I already have a fiancée, well soon to be a wife and I intend to make it my life long goal to make her the happiest woman alive." He says, and my heart skips a beat. His words had me completely numb and I hang up.

****

After half an hour the door opens and I get off the couch to look. A girl in her early twenties walks in carrying what I think is a folder and a small bag. She is wearing black ripped jeans, a red shirt, and small heels.

"Hi, you must Olivia?" She asks, extending her hand.

"The one and only." I say, and she chuckles.

"I like you already. I'm Future. Silly me, I'm sure you know that already." Future says with a bright smile on her face.

"Take a seat." She places her stuff on the coffee table.

"Can I get you anything?" I ask.

"No, thank you," she says, and I take a seat next to her.

She grabs her bag and takes out a notepad. "So, what kind of dress do you want?" Future asks.

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't even wear the damn dress, but my mom would make a scene and I don't want that. So, I will go for a simple dress without those things people put on their wedding dresses. A simple plain white dress will do the trick." I tell her, and she nods.

"I know what you mean. You differ from Emily." I remember Tay calling me by that name.

'Who is she?'

"Who is Emily?" I ask.

Future doesn't know what to say by her expression, "Um, no one... About the dress, I think I have the one for you!" she changes the subject in one, swift motion.

What is up with this, Emily? Now I'm curious.

I watch Future's designs; "I'm going to get us some drinks, keep looking." she says and rushes to the kitchen. I let my mind be consumed by her designs.

We spent the rest of the day with Future, telling me about herself, how she ended up being a designer. By the time she finished, it was around six in the evening. I walked her outside and waited until I couldn't see her car anymore.

While taking a shower, my mind takes me back to Future, talking about Emily. Why no one ever talks about her here? I guess I have to ask Tay. I wrap my wet body with a towel, dry my hair, brush my teeth, and look at my reflection in the small mirror. I look different. I don't know if I should be happy or sad? I let out a sigh and dress up in white shorts and a black t-shirt. I leave my hair hanging down over my shoulders and walk out of the room.

Nate is lying on the couch, all sweaty and breathing heavily.

"What's with you? You look like you just got back from running a Marathon." I joke.

"I feel like that, sister-in-law. If I want to get into that scholarship program, I have to be perfect during the game." Nate says through his breaths.

"I get that, but you will become a vegetable by the time the game comes. You will kill yourself exercising like this!" Nate lets out a small laugh.

"It's good to know that you care about me," Nate says and walks towards me.

"Don't even think about it, Nate Payne! You stink and sweaty, get away from me," I say, getting away from me.

The next hour I spent with Nate chasing me around the living room, because he wants to hug me. I laugh so hard that my stomach aches. It was like I was letting out the laugh I have been holding for the past four years. Tay shows up out of nowhere and I hide behind him.

He lets out a laugh, looking at the scene in front of him. "Oh, hell no! I swear to God, Nate, if you touch me, I will break your bones." Tay let out a warning.

"Always the fun breaker," Nate whines, and I let out a laugh, looking at him acting like a kid. He grabs his phone and runs towards the staircase.

I throw myself on the couch; Tay lifts my head, takes a seat, and places my head on his thighs. He runs his fingers through my hair and I shut my eyes close, welcoming the feeling of his fingers caressing my hair.

"Tay?"

"Yes?"

"Who is Emily?" His fingers stop as soon as he hears the name. I guess I was right; there must be something about this, Emily.

"No one important." His voice has a bit of coldness in it. I decide to just let it go; if he wants to tell me, then he will at his own time.

"So, how did things go with Future?" he asks. His voice has now changed to a happy tone.

"Good, I like her and her ideas." I tell him with my eyes still closed.

"That's great," he says. After that, we stay silent just listening to each other's breaths.

"Food is ready, you two." Nana's voice says and I open my eyes.

Tay leads me to the dining table, holding my hand. I have never been in a relationship before and this is all confusing. I feel like Tay just changed overnight.

I take a seat and fill my plate. Nate and Andrew walk in, laughing at something on Nate's phone.

"What's so funny?" Tay asks. The two brothers look at him with a look that says 'none of your business.'

The rest of the dinner goes by, with the three brothers going for each other's throats around the table. I help Nana clear the table.

"Olivia? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Tay's voice asks from behind.

"Um Sure." I wipe my wet hands with a cloth and walk towards him.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Um, can you maybe sleep in my room tonight?" Tay asks and rubs the back of his neck. He looks nervous as hell.

"Sure." I say before my mind can even process what I just said. I might as well go with the flow and see where this will lead me.