Sitting at the coffee shop, Natalie rolled her eyes and listened to her two kids arguing. "Josiah and Kennedy, please stop arguing, Mommy is trying to do her online college courses."
"Natalie," a voice spoke and Natalie looked up, raising her eyebrow. "Taylor?" she questioned staring into a familiar set of blue eyes. She hadn't seen him since high school. The day after graduation when they decided to part ways. He was going to stay in Tulsa and work at his father's garage and she was heading off to Nashville, where she still lived, to be a country singer.
Taylor nodded and chewed his lip, "Mind if I sit down?" he asked looking at the two childern who were sitting beside her. There was no denying they were hers. They had her hair and eyes. The rest though, he couldn't place and he was sure that came from their dad. Whoever the lucky man was.
"No, sit down," Natalie smiled as she looked away from her computer. So much for homework getting done.
Taylor smiled when she said for him to sit down. Sitting down beside the girl, he looked from her kids to Natalie again. "It's hard to believe I haven't seen you since high school. You're still the beauty that I remembered. Gravity hasn't yet taken a toll on you. I bet your rich as hell now? I mean you left to become a country singer."
Natalie shook her head, "The country thing sort of fell through after I met their dad," she told him as she pointed to her kids. Josiah is five and Kennedy is three. Their dad left me two years ago," she informed him, frowning at the thought of their dad. He sure wasn't the guy she had left Tulsa with. She had left with Zac but they had drifted apart and broke up a year before she met the man who would become her husband. "It's good to see you left Tulsa. I know that town always kept you down on your knees."
"Oh," Taylor said after she spoke. "So there dad, is he, is it Zac?" he asked figuring that she had went on to marry him. They had always been so in love in high school. They had even won best couple in the superlatives.
"No," Natalie answered. "I haven't seen him in years. How about you? Are you still with Kathryn?" she asked referring to the girl who Taylor had dated the last two years of high school. Kate had always swore that she was going to marry him one day.
Frowning at the mention of Kate, Taylor just looked down, "No, but I hear she is in Queens. She is dating a man who she swears is the man of her dreams. She thinks they are going to get married soon."
Natalie reached a hand out and put it on top of his. "If it makes you feel better, she used to say the same about you," she shrugged, hoping to maybe cheer him up some. It was obvious talking about Kate was still a sore subject for him. At least with Zac and her ex-husband, she had, had time to move on. Get over it.
Natalie knew Taylor was different though, he always had been. It took him ages to get over something.
"You'll never guess who I saw last year," Natalie said deciding to change the conversation. "Remember Isaac?"
Taylor took a sip of his drink and laughed, grateful for the conversation change. "Remember him?" he asked playfully. "He was practically my best friend and like a brother to me."
Natalie just laughed having forgotten that. After that question they got into a longer conversation, catching up and filling each other in on their lives more.
Hearing her phone ring, Natalie frowned, "Just a sec," she told Taylor as she reached for her purse and fished her phone out. Seeing her ex-husband's name on the screen she pouted and answered it. Hanging up after awhile she looked at Taylor.
Taylor watched as Natalie hung up and he knew she had to go. "Let's do this soon again," he told her as he stood up from the seat so her daughter could get up.
Natalie stood up as well and watched as Josiah stood up and went to get beside Kennedy, taking her hand. "Ten years, is that how long it's been? It's hard to believe how time flies," she laughed at the thought. It seemed like just yesterday since she had been a teenager.
"You know," Taylor started as he looked down at her, "leaving you makes me wanna cry," he sighed before pulling her into a hug. "I'd like to fix it all for you," he whispered knowing her life was far from where she had hoped it would be.
Hugging Taylor back, Natalie felt tears sting her eyes at his words. "I'd like to fix you too."
Taylor just pulled away from the hug and shook his head, "Please don't fix a thing, whatever you do," he smiled as he reached down and handed her laptop to her.
Natalie nodded and took the laptop from him, soon putting it in it's case. "It was good letting you in again."
"It was good letting you in again as well," Taylor said honestly. "Just know, you're not alone in how you've been," he smiled before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "Everybody loses, we all have bruises," he smiled more before turning and walking away.
After Taylor had walked away, Natalie just stood there for what felt like forever, her heart breaking just a bit. Taylor had left her life again just as quickly as he had came back into it and she wasn't sure when she'd see him again. Hopefully not ten years from now.
"Come on mommy, lets go," Josiah whined as he walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "I want to see daddy's new house."
Natalie laughed at her son and held his hand, letting him lead her and Kennedy outside to the car. Tomorrow she'd come back to the coffee shop, in hopes that maybe, just maybe Taylor would be there again.
"Natalie," a voice spoke and Natalie looked up, raising her eyebrow. "Taylor?" she questioned staring into a familiar set of blue eyes. She hadn't seen him since high school. The day after graduation when they decided to part ways. He was going to stay in Tulsa and work at his father's garage and she was heading off to Nashville, where she still lived, to be a country singer.
Taylor nodded and chewed his lip, "Mind if I sit down?" he asked looking at the two childern who were sitting beside her. There was no denying they were hers. They had her hair and eyes. The rest though, he couldn't place and he was sure that came from their dad. Whoever the lucky man was.
"No, sit down," Natalie smiled as she looked away from her computer. So much for homework getting done.
Taylor smiled when she said for him to sit down. Sitting down beside the girl, he looked from her kids to Natalie again. "It's hard to believe I haven't seen you since high school. You're still the beauty that I remembered. Gravity hasn't yet taken a toll on you. I bet your rich as hell now? I mean you left to become a country singer."
Natalie shook her head, "The country thing sort of fell through after I met their dad," she told him as she pointed to her kids. Josiah is five and Kennedy is three. Their dad left me two years ago," she informed him, frowning at the thought of their dad. He sure wasn't the guy she had left Tulsa with. She had left with Zac but they had drifted apart and broke up a year before she met the man who would become her husband. "It's good to see you left Tulsa. I know that town always kept you down on your knees."
"Oh," Taylor said after she spoke. "So there dad, is he, is it Zac?" he asked figuring that she had went on to marry him. They had always been so in love in high school. They had even won best couple in the superlatives.
"No," Natalie answered. "I haven't seen him in years. How about you? Are you still with Kathryn?" she asked referring to the girl who Taylor had dated the last two years of high school. Kate had always swore that she was going to marry him one day.
Frowning at the mention of Kate, Taylor just looked down, "No, but I hear she is in Queens. She is dating a man who she swears is the man of her dreams. She thinks they are going to get married soon."
Natalie reached a hand out and put it on top of his. "If it makes you feel better, she used to say the same about you," she shrugged, hoping to maybe cheer him up some. It was obvious talking about Kate was still a sore subject for him. At least with Zac and her ex-husband, she had, had time to move on. Get over it.
Natalie knew Taylor was different though, he always had been. It took him ages to get over something.
"You'll never guess who I saw last year," Natalie said deciding to change the conversation. "Remember Isaac?"
Taylor took a sip of his drink and laughed, grateful for the conversation change. "Remember him?" he asked playfully. "He was practically my best friend and like a brother to me."
Natalie just laughed having forgotten that. After that question they got into a longer conversation, catching up and filling each other in on their lives more.
Hearing her phone ring, Natalie frowned, "Just a sec," she told Taylor as she reached for her purse and fished her phone out. Seeing her ex-husband's name on the screen she pouted and answered it. Hanging up after awhile she looked at Taylor.
Taylor watched as Natalie hung up and he knew she had to go. "Let's do this soon again," he told her as he stood up from the seat so her daughter could get up.
Natalie stood up as well and watched as Josiah stood up and went to get beside Kennedy, taking her hand. "Ten years, is that how long it's been? It's hard to believe how time flies," she laughed at the thought. It seemed like just yesterday since she had been a teenager.
"You know," Taylor started as he looked down at her, "leaving you makes me wanna cry," he sighed before pulling her into a hug. "I'd like to fix it all for you," he whispered knowing her life was far from where she had hoped it would be.
Hugging Taylor back, Natalie felt tears sting her eyes at his words. "I'd like to fix you too."
Taylor just pulled away from the hug and shook his head, "Please don't fix a thing, whatever you do," he smiled as he reached down and handed her laptop to her.
Natalie nodded and took the laptop from him, soon putting it in it's case. "It was good letting you in again."
"It was good letting you in again as well," Taylor said honestly. "Just know, you're not alone in how you've been," he smiled before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "Everybody loses, we all have bruises," he smiled more before turning and walking away.
After Taylor had walked away, Natalie just stood there for what felt like forever, her heart breaking just a bit. Taylor had left her life again just as quickly as he had came back into it and she wasn't sure when she'd see him again. Hopefully not ten years from now.
"Come on mommy, lets go," Josiah whined as he walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "I want to see daddy's new house."
Natalie laughed at her son and held his hand, letting him lead her and Kennedy outside to the car. Tomorrow she'd come back to the coffee shop, in hopes that maybe, just maybe Taylor would be there again.
