GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY
TAYLOR
Taylor pulled his pants back on and sat at the edge of the bed. He supposed this was something he was just going to have to deal with. As long as there was a bathroom, Mel would continue to lock herself inside of it. And he would be on the other side of the door, talking her off the ledge. Pregnant or not, there would be some things that would never change.
Sighing as he stood and crossed the room, he prepared himself for the obligatory begging that ultimately followed every time something like this went down. However, to have to deal with this right after sex? That was something completely new. Resting his wrist above his head against the doorway, he started the same way he always started--he wiggled the handle.
To his surprise, the bathroom door opened right up. He had apparently caught Mel off guard as he caught her looking at herself in the mirror, smoothing her shirt down, which she had now put back on her body. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at her and cock his head to the side in confusion.
She looked up at him and his expression and her eyes fell in shame. "You should have seen her," Mel said quietly.
"What?"
"Drew. You should have seen her. She looked amazing. She's always looked amazing. I could never look like her."
"Mel--"
She shrugged. "I mean, it's okay. She can't help what she looks like, right? She was just blessed that way, I guess."
"What are you--?"
"I can't promise that I'll bounce back after I have this baby, Tay. I can't promise that I'll--wear the same sizes I used to wear or--I'm already starting to get stretch marks. And they're only getting worse. And when I have the baby, they're not gonna go away. I don't know what to do about that."
Tay wasn't sure if he should be alarmed or concerned or feel for her. "You don't--you just--you just make sure you have a healthy pregnancy. That's all you need to worry about right now."
She shook her head and looked back in the mirror. "I wish it were that simple." Then she turned back around and looked at him. "I drive you insane. I know I do. I don't mean to and I try not to. I know admitting it and continuously apologizing for it doesn't really help but I just want you to know that I really do appreciate you. I appreciate you for putting up with me and sticking around and--yanno, telling me things you think I need to hear, even though they're not true. That helps sometimes."
That was it. She had lost her mind. What was it with the women in his life lately? "What--what THINGS? I don't say anything to you that isn't true. Not a single word."
She shrugged again. "You know--things. Things that used to be true but aren't anymore."
"Like WHAT?"
She sighed and looked up at him, obviously annoyed that he was going to make her say it. She mumbled it almost inaudibly. "You know, things like I'm beautiful and stuff, you know..."
He leaned into the doorway with both of his arms resting against it now, raising his eyebrows at her. "What, that you're beautiful?" He asked incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"I don't really want to talk about it."
He stepped the rest of the way into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. He was always closing the door. Force of habit. He got in the mirror behind her and reached around her for the hairbrush that sat on the counter. "Look at your hair," he said as he took her now-looser thick layers into his hand and began to brush it with ease. "Look how shiny and thick it is. It's so healthy. And it's so soft. You've always had the best hair, even when we were teenagers."
After he finished with her hair, he laid the brush back down and looked in the mirror, sweeping her hair off her shoulders. He let the back of his hand run down her cheek. "And look at your skin. Have you even felt your skin lately? It's so soft and it's so clear. You were gorgeous before, but look what pregnancy has done to you lately. You're glowing." He lifted one of her hands and held it for her to see. "Look how beautiful your nails are." Then he let go of her hand and looked back at her through the mirror. "I don't understand how you don't see what I see."
Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffed them back. He watched her eyes glance down her body and a hand rested on her stomach. He understood then how incredibly self-conscious she seemed to have become because of her weight. It broke his heart. He reached around and rested both of his hands on his stomach as he spoke to her through the mirror. "You're having our baby. Starting our family. I don't see how you could view that as anything less than beautiful."
"But look what it's doing to me," she sniffed.
"It's only temporary," he said gently. "Mel, I don't know if it's the baby, or pregnancy in general, or maybe I'm just emotionally caught up in our future together or what, I don't know. But, to me, you've never been more beautiful, ever, than you have been these past few months, carrying our child. And that's the truth. The honest-to-god truth. I wouldn't lie to you."
She sniffed and turned around, looking up into his eyes. "You really think so?"
He smiled and nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Yeah. I know so."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Anytime."
Mel took a deep breath and turned around back in the mirror, wiping her cheeks with her hands. "Okay," she said. "Let's get me dressed and let's get out of here. The city is waiting for us."
Tay grinned and left her in the bathroom, a weight seemingly lifted off of his shoulders. Maybe this time he had finally gotten through to her.
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MEL
Mel showered and dressed, trying desperately to forget the horrible way she'd embarrassed herself before and after sex and how the entire thing had just been a disaster. She could only pray that Tay would forget about it as quickly as it had happened.
If it weren't for him sometimes, she didn't know what she would do. She loved him more than anything and she vowed to make a better effort to appreciate him and treat him better. He was right. He didn't deserve the way she treated him lately. He truly didn't.
When she felt pleased with her appearance--or as pleased as she was going to get--she emerged from the bedroom and walked into the living room to observe Taylor in full suit and tie. A grin spread across her face in surprise. She loved him in a suit. He was so handsome and dashing. "Oh, it's THAT kind of night," she observed. "You look fantastic."
Tay blushed as he smiled at her. "Well, it's the Belasco, so--"
Mel's eyes lit up. "We're going to the Belasco? What are we seeing?"
He narrowed his eyes as he smiled. "It's the Belasco, does it matter?"
Mel grinned at him. "I love it when you talk New York like that."
He looked her over, his smile never leaving his face. "You're really getting into the lace thing, aren't you?"
Mel looked down at her dress in realization and said, "Hm. I dunno, I guess I am."
Just like the last date he had taken her on, she was, once again, in a knee-length, black, lace dress. This one was black with a black, lace overlay, with a lace, scooped neck and lace, three-quarter sleeves. Wrapped around the high waist was a black satin sash that tied in a bow and she wore a pair of pointed-toe black stilettos that strapped around the ankles.
Then she looked back up at him in alarm. "Why? Are you getting tired of the lace? I can change."
Immediately, she began to head back to the bedroom when he caught her arm and he smiled. "You look phenomenal. Really. Let's go, we don't want to be late."
In the cab, he had asked her what she wanted to do for dinner. She had refused dinner in favor of obscenely buttered popcorn and candy at the theatre. Shaking his head, he said to her, "I'm pretty sure they don't serve popcorn at this theatre."
"Of course they do, they all do," she said nonchalantly.
The cab had grown quiet as Tay buried his face in his phone and within seconds, he was shoving his phone in her face. "No, it doesn't," he clarified as she read the screen. "And you're not eating candy for dinner."
Mel was disappointed. "So we'll go to dinner after the show."
"You sure you don't want to stop before?"
"I'll survive, I promise." Then she side-glanced and scowled at him. "And I can eat a LITTLE candy, it won't kill me."
Out of the corner of her eye, she spied him shaking his head as he took her by the hand for the remainder of the cab ride.
At the box office, Mel watched Tay pull four tickets out of his jacket pocket and examine them intently before he gave the girl behind the glass two of them. Confused, she looked over his shoulder. "Why do we have four tickets? Who else is coming?"
"Nobody," he said, quietly, into her ear as he shoved the remainders back into the inside of his jacket. "I wanted box seats but they were sold out, so I got four tickets so that nobody would sit by us so we could be alone."
Mel's heart melted as she smiled up at him. "Tay," she squeaked. "That's the sweetest thing ever."
He blushed as she hooked her arm inside his and he led her inside the theatre.
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TAYLOR
The lobby of the Belasco was crowded. Taylor didn't expect there to be this much of a crowd that night and this instinctively made him pull Mel a little closer to him, moving his arm from in between them to around her waist. As he stole a glance at her, she seemed oblivious to the crowd as she looked around, smiling. He didn't know if she was simply seeing the sights or looking for the concession stand, but whatever it was, she was happy doing it. As long as she was smiling, life was okay.
She, then, turned to him and said, "I need to go to the restroom before we get settled. I'll be right back."
Hesitantly, Tay's eyes darted around and he hadn't realized just how protective he had become of her until that moment. "Uh, okay," he said reluctantly. "I'll be by the concession stand."
As she turned to walk away, she bumped into someone that, surprisingly, neither one of them had seen. "Melody," Gerard Cline smiled down at her. "What a coincidence seeing you here tonight, and a pleasure, at that." He hugged her briefly and then looked up at say Tay and smiled, extending his arm. "Taylor, nice to see you, how are you?"
A little confused and, accepting his handshake, Tay smiled and replied, "I'm great, I hope you are."
"Wonderful," Gerard's British accent countered. Then he glanced down at Mel's stomach and a smile spread across his face. "And what is this? You have a little one coming soon, that's excellent for you." He smiled at both Mel and Tay and exclaimed, "Congratulations to you both, I'm sure you're very happy."
Mel turned around and grinned at Tay and he smiled before she answered him. "We are. But, um, if you'll excuse me, I'm headed to the restroom. Maybe we'll catch up a little later?"
"Certainly, dear," Gerard responded. "I'm sure Drew would love to catch up."
The blood drained from Mel's face, but not before the confused expression crossed it as she glanced from Gerard to Tay and then darted off toward the restrooms. For her sake, Tay prayed she wouldn't meet up with Drew along the way.
Finding themselves alone, Gerard moved a little closer to Tay and lowered his voice. "You know, I gotta say, I have quite a lot of respect for a man like you," Gerard said.
Taylor's spine stiffened and he was now more puzzled than ever. Tay didn't know Gerard very well. Gerard was close with Jason, and even Zac kept up with him, but Tay wasn't near as familiar. So to hear that statement come out of his mouth was the last thing he expected to hear. "Um, you do?"
"Oh, of course," he said, casually. "It takes a real man to do what you're doing, raising another man's baby as your own."
Tay's eyes widened in surprised shock. He found himself completely offended at the statement and he looked at Gerard, incredulous. "Excuse me?"
"Well, I heard about your situation. Your fiancée has an indiscretion and you choose to forgive rather than--"
"Wait, wait, wait, what are you talking about?" Tay asked, lowering his voice even lower than Gerard had. "Are you trying to tell me you're under the assumption that this is Jason's baby, too?"
"I thought it was known fact?"
"No, no, no," Tay corrected him. "Absolutely not. I don't know where you, or anyone else, is getting their information, but it's absolutely not the truth. I'm the father of that baby."
"Of course you are, Taylor, and that's admirable of you--"
"No," Tay corrected firmly. "I mean, genetically. That is my child. It's physically impossible for it to be anyone else's but mine. I've been to all the doctor's appointments, I know all the math, I know the exact time we conceived. Everybody can believe what they want to about whatever pictures are out there but I can guarantee you, MY fiancée does not mess around on me. Not even with Jason."
Gerard stared into Tay's face for a moment before he shoved his hands in his pockets. "My apologies. I, in no way, meant to imply anything, I was simply going by the information that I was given."
"I know where you got your information," Tay said. "And it astounds me that even YOU can't be told the truth. No doubt it astounds you, as well."
Gerard sighed and looked around the room. "Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into, honestly."
"Well, none of us saw it coming," Tay said. "But you remain in the clear, you have that going for you."
Gerard looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but for how much longer?" At that, they were interrupted when Gerard spotted Drew from across the room and Tay made an attempt to hide his face. As Gerard and Tay went their separate ways, Tay began looking for Mel and somehow, in the mix, she ended up behind him.
"What were you guys talking about?" She inquired.
"Nothing," he responded.
"You're lying."
"It isn't really anything you don't already know."
"She lied to him, too, huh?"
Tay nodded. "Yeah." He paused and looked around and then back at her. "Look, if you don't want to stay and see the show tonight, I'll understand."
To his surprise, Mel took a deep breath and held her head high. "No. My amazing fiancée bought me tickets to a show tonight and wanted to take me out and, dammit, we're going to see a show. Nobody's going to stop me from having a good time tonight. I don't care how famous she is."
Tay grinned as she hooked her arm in his once more, making a pit stop at concessions before they found their seats.
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MEL
Climbing the stairs to get to the balcony to their seats, Mel felt Taylor behind her, both hands lightly on her waist. As he told her the seat numbers, they ended up going all the way up to the front row of the balcony, sandwiched between the floor and the second balcony above them.
Pleased with their seats, almost directly in front of the stage, Mel reached back and took Tay's hand as they walked along the balcony railing, his hand as clammy and sweaty as can be. When they found their seats and sat, Mel smiled. "You went all out tonight, sweetie, these seats are amazing."
"Uh, no, actually, THESE were an accident. Guess I just got lucky."
Mel looked at him and frowned as he crossed his legs and rested his arm along the back of her chair. He was sweating bullets. "Are you okay? We can move."
"Nope," he said, plastering an uncomfortable smile across his face. "I'm perfectly fine."
Mel shook her head and got comfortable in her chair. "I still can't understand you and heights."
"You never see me by the window on the plane, do you?"
"Hm," Mel murmured as she fiddled with the arm rest between them. Her eyes lit up when it moved and she pulled it up. "Tay, look," she grinned. Then she scooted close to him and his arm closed in over her shoulder. "This is going to be perfect."
Or it would have been, anyway. Had she not seen Gerard and Drew take their seats in the box on the side of the theatre to their right, in direct and perfect view of each other. "Oh, this is going to be just lovely. Of course they have box seats. Why wouldn't they?" Mel muttered.
"Oh shit, look at this," Tay observed as he handed Mel the Playbill. "I guess I fucked up this time, didn't I?"
Mel took the program from him and looked it over. They were honoring Drew's presence there tonight. Because an off-Broadway show she had been in was now finally on Broadway and this was opening weekend.
"How could I have been so blind?" Tay said. "I'm sorry. We can leave--"
"No," Mel objected. "We're staying. We're going to be the bigger people tonight. We can handle being in the same room as her. She's the one with the problem here, remember? Not us."
Tay squeezed her shoulder and said, "Hey." Mel turned her head to look at him and he was smiling. "I'm proud of you."
Mel blushed and grinned, her hand squeezing his thigh. "I'm proud of you, too. Sitting up here, on the balcony..."
"I was doing good until you reminded me. Why do you think I have a death grip on your shoulder right now?"
"I thought it was because you wanted me," she flirted.
"You're putting me on the spot."
"Honey, we can move--"
"No," he objected firmly. "We have the best seats in the house. I promised you a show. And you're gonna see one."
"I love you so much," she whispered.
"I love you more."
After a moment, as the theater was almost full, Mel observed, "I bet Drew's getting herself a good eyeful right now. Seeing as she has the hots for you and stuff."
"Please," Tay said. "Behave yourself. Be the bigger people, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah. But still."
As the lights flickered to signal the show starting soon, Tay gently turned Mel's chin toward him and kissed her, surprising her when his tongue entered her mouth. She broke their kiss and smiled against his lips. "What happened to being bigger people?"
He smiled back. "Yeah, sometimes I just don't care." And then he continue to kiss her until the theatre lights dimmed for the final time.
As the curtain opened for the show, Mel turned her head to observe Drew as the bright light from the stage suddenly hit her, just in time for her to turn her attention away from them and back toward the stage. Mel smiled and held her palm out to Tay and heard him ask, "What's this?"
She turned to him and smiled. "You know what this is."
He smiled knowingly and muttered, "Shit," as he returned her low five, keeping her hand in his afterward. He nudged her shoulder with the arm he had around her and half-assed scolded her, "Just watch the show and stay out of trouble."
As the couple settled in to watch the show, Mel realized she wasn't so much interested in the story as she was the actual stage show. The lights, the energy, the music, the showmanship in general--produced an energy she hadn't felt in awhile. And it felt good.
Speaking of energy, Mel suddenly straightened up in her seat and placed her hand on her stomach. Noticing her movement, Tay sat up from his position to look at her. "Are you okay?" He asked, alarmed.
Mel's eyes widened and she grinned at him, grabbing his hand and putting on her stomach. "There's a party going on in there!" She hissed, giggling.
A smile spread across his face as they both felt the activity going on in her stomach. It wasn't constant, but it was enough to keep them occupied for a few minutes. "The baby likes the music," Tay observed in her ear as he smiled. "This is amazing."
Neither one of them knew for sure if that was actually what was happening, but that was the story they decided to stick with.
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TAYLOR
At intermission, Taylor wasn't entirely keen on leaving his seat, but he was sure Mel would probably need a break. And he'd been right. Citing a restroom break, he walked with her to the main lobby and took the same stance from before, waiting on her at concessions.
After a bit, he took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time. He knew this was intermission and that the line for the restroom had likely been long, but this was beginning to be a little unreasonable. As he glanced over the crowd, his eyes narrowed as he spotted his fiancée--with Drew and Gerard.
Concerned, he made his way through and joined the trio, his arm finding itself naturally around Mel's waist. It was apparent, judging by the words Drew was speaking as he approached, that she had miraculously found it in her to deliver a very forced apology. He quickly made eye-contact with Gerard, who gave a slight and subtle nod at him and then Tay understood and fought the smile that attempted to take over his lips. Gerard had apparently let Drew have it and now Drew was eating crow. Tay had no way of knowing how sincere any of this was and a surprisingly vindictive part of him, that lay deep within, wished he'd been secretly recording the exchange for future ammo, if needed.
Shaking the thought out of his head, his main concern at this moment was Mel. Drew had already upset her once today. He couldn't risk that happening again.
"I appreciate you for making the effort to apologize or make things right or whatever it is you're trying to accomplish right now," Mel was saying to her. "But it's going to take some time to actually accept it. I hope you can understand that."
Drew nodded. "I, uh, I understand. Completely." Then she turned her attention to Taylor, much to his surprise. "And, Taylor, I apologize for, um, putting you on the spot. Putting you in the middle of a situation that didn't...necessarily...involve you. That was...that was wrong of me."
"Thank you," he replied solemnly.
Then Mel's voice rang out. "You should apologize to Jason, too. And to Zac. Especially Zac. We were all your friends. And you screwed us all. And Zac? Well, he's almost as close to me as Jason is. And you hurt him and that pisses me off."
"Mel--" Tay scolded quietly. Shit. He had to know this was coming sooner or later.
"She should," she said to Tay. "He deserves an apology. And an explanation. He and Jason both."
"I don't think Zac needs to hear her explanation," Tay muttered quietly into her ear.
Mel straightened up and clamped her mouth shut in realization. "Well, whatever," she said to Drew. "But you better tell him something."
"Okay," Tay said, addressing all three of them. "I think the show is about to start, we should return to our seats. Thank you again," he said to Drew. Then to Gerard, "It was good seeing you again. You two take care."
And with that, he led Mel back to their seats, desperate to avoid any further confrontation.
As they sat back down and got comfortable once more, Mel huffed lightly and looked at him. "I embarrassed you, didn't I?"
He shook his head, making himself comfortable again, crossing his legs and resting his arm, once more, across the back of her seat. "No. No, you didn't embarrass me."
"I'm sorry, I just--I'm so aggravated at the whole thing," she said.
"I know."
"And she just--you think she was seriously just using Zac all this time? I mean, I think that pisses me off more than lying on me or Jason--or even having a thing for you. I mean, I can't blame her for THAT."
Tay smiled and adjusted his collar confidently. "Well, you know. It's been said that I can impregnate women upon sight."
She looked down at her stomach and back at him. "You saw what happened to me."
He threw his head back and laughed, pulling her closer to him, getting settled for the second half of the show. Growing serious again, he said, "Just don't let it bother you anymore. You got about the best apology you're going to get. And as for everyone else, well, you can't do it all. All that's on her and the others involved."
Mel sighed and sat there in silence as the theatre lights flickered. Then she turned and looked at him again. "How many other kids do you have out there?"
He grinned at her. "Thousands."
Mel giggled as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose to continue the show.
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/a-bittersweet-aloha-alternate.html
TAYLOR
Taylor pulled his pants back on and sat at the edge of the bed. He supposed this was something he was just going to have to deal with. As long as there was a bathroom, Mel would continue to lock herself inside of it. And he would be on the other side of the door, talking her off the ledge. Pregnant or not, there would be some things that would never change.
Sighing as he stood and crossed the room, he prepared himself for the obligatory begging that ultimately followed every time something like this went down. However, to have to deal with this right after sex? That was something completely new. Resting his wrist above his head against the doorway, he started the same way he always started--he wiggled the handle.
To his surprise, the bathroom door opened right up. He had apparently caught Mel off guard as he caught her looking at herself in the mirror, smoothing her shirt down, which she had now put back on her body. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at her and cock his head to the side in confusion.
She looked up at him and his expression and her eyes fell in shame. "You should have seen her," Mel said quietly.
"What?"
"Drew. You should have seen her. She looked amazing. She's always looked amazing. I could never look like her."
"Mel--"
She shrugged. "I mean, it's okay. She can't help what she looks like, right? She was just blessed that way, I guess."
"What are you--?"
"I can't promise that I'll bounce back after I have this baby, Tay. I can't promise that I'll--wear the same sizes I used to wear or--I'm already starting to get stretch marks. And they're only getting worse. And when I have the baby, they're not gonna go away. I don't know what to do about that."
Tay wasn't sure if he should be alarmed or concerned or feel for her. "You don't--you just--you just make sure you have a healthy pregnancy. That's all you need to worry about right now."
She shook her head and looked back in the mirror. "I wish it were that simple." Then she turned back around and looked at him. "I drive you insane. I know I do. I don't mean to and I try not to. I know admitting it and continuously apologizing for it doesn't really help but I just want you to know that I really do appreciate you. I appreciate you for putting up with me and sticking around and--yanno, telling me things you think I need to hear, even though they're not true. That helps sometimes."
That was it. She had lost her mind. What was it with the women in his life lately? "What--what THINGS? I don't say anything to you that isn't true. Not a single word."
She shrugged again. "You know--things. Things that used to be true but aren't anymore."
"Like WHAT?"
She sighed and looked up at him, obviously annoyed that he was going to make her say it. She mumbled it almost inaudibly. "You know, things like I'm beautiful and stuff, you know..."
He leaned into the doorway with both of his arms resting against it now, raising his eyebrows at her. "What, that you're beautiful?" He asked incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"I don't really want to talk about it."
He stepped the rest of the way into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. He was always closing the door. Force of habit. He got in the mirror behind her and reached around her for the hairbrush that sat on the counter. "Look at your hair," he said as he took her now-looser thick layers into his hand and began to brush it with ease. "Look how shiny and thick it is. It's so healthy. And it's so soft. You've always had the best hair, even when we were teenagers."
After he finished with her hair, he laid the brush back down and looked in the mirror, sweeping her hair off her shoulders. He let the back of his hand run down her cheek. "And look at your skin. Have you even felt your skin lately? It's so soft and it's so clear. You were gorgeous before, but look what pregnancy has done to you lately. You're glowing." He lifted one of her hands and held it for her to see. "Look how beautiful your nails are." Then he let go of her hand and looked back at her through the mirror. "I don't understand how you don't see what I see."
Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffed them back. He watched her eyes glance down her body and a hand rested on her stomach. He understood then how incredibly self-conscious she seemed to have become because of her weight. It broke his heart. He reached around and rested both of his hands on his stomach as he spoke to her through the mirror. "You're having our baby. Starting our family. I don't see how you could view that as anything less than beautiful."
"But look what it's doing to me," she sniffed.
"It's only temporary," he said gently. "Mel, I don't know if it's the baby, or pregnancy in general, or maybe I'm just emotionally caught up in our future together or what, I don't know. But, to me, you've never been more beautiful, ever, than you have been these past few months, carrying our child. And that's the truth. The honest-to-god truth. I wouldn't lie to you."
She sniffed and turned around, looking up into his eyes. "You really think so?"
He smiled and nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Yeah. I know so."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Anytime."
Mel took a deep breath and turned around back in the mirror, wiping her cheeks with her hands. "Okay," she said. "Let's get me dressed and let's get out of here. The city is waiting for us."
Tay grinned and left her in the bathroom, a weight seemingly lifted off of his shoulders. Maybe this time he had finally gotten through to her.
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MEL
Mel showered and dressed, trying desperately to forget the horrible way she'd embarrassed herself before and after sex and how the entire thing had just been a disaster. She could only pray that Tay would forget about it as quickly as it had happened.
If it weren't for him sometimes, she didn't know what she would do. She loved him more than anything and she vowed to make a better effort to appreciate him and treat him better. He was right. He didn't deserve the way she treated him lately. He truly didn't.
When she felt pleased with her appearance--or as pleased as she was going to get--she emerged from the bedroom and walked into the living room to observe Taylor in full suit and tie. A grin spread across her face in surprise. She loved him in a suit. He was so handsome and dashing. "Oh, it's THAT kind of night," she observed. "You look fantastic."
Tay blushed as he smiled at her. "Well, it's the Belasco, so--"
Mel's eyes lit up. "We're going to the Belasco? What are we seeing?"
He narrowed his eyes as he smiled. "It's the Belasco, does it matter?"
Mel grinned at him. "I love it when you talk New York like that."
He looked her over, his smile never leaving his face. "You're really getting into the lace thing, aren't you?"
Mel looked down at her dress in realization and said, "Hm. I dunno, I guess I am."
Just like the last date he had taken her on, she was, once again, in a knee-length, black, lace dress. This one was black with a black, lace overlay, with a lace, scooped neck and lace, three-quarter sleeves. Wrapped around the high waist was a black satin sash that tied in a bow and she wore a pair of pointed-toe black stilettos that strapped around the ankles.
Then she looked back up at him in alarm. "Why? Are you getting tired of the lace? I can change."
Immediately, she began to head back to the bedroom when he caught her arm and he smiled. "You look phenomenal. Really. Let's go, we don't want to be late."
In the cab, he had asked her what she wanted to do for dinner. She had refused dinner in favor of obscenely buttered popcorn and candy at the theatre. Shaking his head, he said to her, "I'm pretty sure they don't serve popcorn at this theatre."
"Of course they do, they all do," she said nonchalantly.
The cab had grown quiet as Tay buried his face in his phone and within seconds, he was shoving his phone in her face. "No, it doesn't," he clarified as she read the screen. "And you're not eating candy for dinner."
Mel was disappointed. "So we'll go to dinner after the show."
"You sure you don't want to stop before?"
"I'll survive, I promise." Then she side-glanced and scowled at him. "And I can eat a LITTLE candy, it won't kill me."
Out of the corner of her eye, she spied him shaking his head as he took her by the hand for the remainder of the cab ride.
At the box office, Mel watched Tay pull four tickets out of his jacket pocket and examine them intently before he gave the girl behind the glass two of them. Confused, she looked over his shoulder. "Why do we have four tickets? Who else is coming?"
"Nobody," he said, quietly, into her ear as he shoved the remainders back into the inside of his jacket. "I wanted box seats but they were sold out, so I got four tickets so that nobody would sit by us so we could be alone."
Mel's heart melted as she smiled up at him. "Tay," she squeaked. "That's the sweetest thing ever."
He blushed as she hooked her arm inside his and he led her inside the theatre.
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TAYLOR
The lobby of the Belasco was crowded. Taylor didn't expect there to be this much of a crowd that night and this instinctively made him pull Mel a little closer to him, moving his arm from in between them to around her waist. As he stole a glance at her, she seemed oblivious to the crowd as she looked around, smiling. He didn't know if she was simply seeing the sights or looking for the concession stand, but whatever it was, she was happy doing it. As long as she was smiling, life was okay.
She, then, turned to him and said, "I need to go to the restroom before we get settled. I'll be right back."
Hesitantly, Tay's eyes darted around and he hadn't realized just how protective he had become of her until that moment. "Uh, okay," he said reluctantly. "I'll be by the concession stand."
As she turned to walk away, she bumped into someone that, surprisingly, neither one of them had seen. "Melody," Gerard Cline smiled down at her. "What a coincidence seeing you here tonight, and a pleasure, at that." He hugged her briefly and then looked up at say Tay and smiled, extending his arm. "Taylor, nice to see you, how are you?"
A little confused and, accepting his handshake, Tay smiled and replied, "I'm great, I hope you are."
"Wonderful," Gerard's British accent countered. Then he glanced down at Mel's stomach and a smile spread across his face. "And what is this? You have a little one coming soon, that's excellent for you." He smiled at both Mel and Tay and exclaimed, "Congratulations to you both, I'm sure you're very happy."
Mel turned around and grinned at Tay and he smiled before she answered him. "We are. But, um, if you'll excuse me, I'm headed to the restroom. Maybe we'll catch up a little later?"
"Certainly, dear," Gerard responded. "I'm sure Drew would love to catch up."
The blood drained from Mel's face, but not before the confused expression crossed it as she glanced from Gerard to Tay and then darted off toward the restrooms. For her sake, Tay prayed she wouldn't meet up with Drew along the way.
Finding themselves alone, Gerard moved a little closer to Tay and lowered his voice. "You know, I gotta say, I have quite a lot of respect for a man like you," Gerard said.
Taylor's spine stiffened and he was now more puzzled than ever. Tay didn't know Gerard very well. Gerard was close with Jason, and even Zac kept up with him, but Tay wasn't near as familiar. So to hear that statement come out of his mouth was the last thing he expected to hear. "Um, you do?"
"Oh, of course," he said, casually. "It takes a real man to do what you're doing, raising another man's baby as your own."
Tay's eyes widened in surprised shock. He found himself completely offended at the statement and he looked at Gerard, incredulous. "Excuse me?"
"Well, I heard about your situation. Your fiancée has an indiscretion and you choose to forgive rather than--"
"Wait, wait, wait, what are you talking about?" Tay asked, lowering his voice even lower than Gerard had. "Are you trying to tell me you're under the assumption that this is Jason's baby, too?"
"I thought it was known fact?"
"No, no, no," Tay corrected him. "Absolutely not. I don't know where you, or anyone else, is getting their information, but it's absolutely not the truth. I'm the father of that baby."
"Of course you are, Taylor, and that's admirable of you--"
"No," Tay corrected firmly. "I mean, genetically. That is my child. It's physically impossible for it to be anyone else's but mine. I've been to all the doctor's appointments, I know all the math, I know the exact time we conceived. Everybody can believe what they want to about whatever pictures are out there but I can guarantee you, MY fiancée does not mess around on me. Not even with Jason."
Gerard stared into Tay's face for a moment before he shoved his hands in his pockets. "My apologies. I, in no way, meant to imply anything, I was simply going by the information that I was given."
"I know where you got your information," Tay said. "And it astounds me that even YOU can't be told the truth. No doubt it astounds you, as well."
Gerard sighed and looked around the room. "Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into, honestly."
"Well, none of us saw it coming," Tay said. "But you remain in the clear, you have that going for you."
Gerard looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but for how much longer?" At that, they were interrupted when Gerard spotted Drew from across the room and Tay made an attempt to hide his face. As Gerard and Tay went their separate ways, Tay began looking for Mel and somehow, in the mix, she ended up behind him.
"What were you guys talking about?" She inquired.
"Nothing," he responded.
"You're lying."
"It isn't really anything you don't already know."
"She lied to him, too, huh?"
Tay nodded. "Yeah." He paused and looked around and then back at her. "Look, if you don't want to stay and see the show tonight, I'll understand."
To his surprise, Mel took a deep breath and held her head high. "No. My amazing fiancée bought me tickets to a show tonight and wanted to take me out and, dammit, we're going to see a show. Nobody's going to stop me from having a good time tonight. I don't care how famous she is."
Tay grinned as she hooked her arm in his once more, making a pit stop at concessions before they found their seats.
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MEL
Climbing the stairs to get to the balcony to their seats, Mel felt Taylor behind her, both hands lightly on her waist. As he told her the seat numbers, they ended up going all the way up to the front row of the balcony, sandwiched between the floor and the second balcony above them.
Pleased with their seats, almost directly in front of the stage, Mel reached back and took Tay's hand as they walked along the balcony railing, his hand as clammy and sweaty as can be. When they found their seats and sat, Mel smiled. "You went all out tonight, sweetie, these seats are amazing."
"Uh, no, actually, THESE were an accident. Guess I just got lucky."
Mel looked at him and frowned as he crossed his legs and rested his arm along the back of her chair. He was sweating bullets. "Are you okay? We can move."
"Nope," he said, plastering an uncomfortable smile across his face. "I'm perfectly fine."
Mel shook her head and got comfortable in her chair. "I still can't understand you and heights."
"You never see me by the window on the plane, do you?"
"Hm," Mel murmured as she fiddled with the arm rest between them. Her eyes lit up when it moved and she pulled it up. "Tay, look," she grinned. Then she scooted close to him and his arm closed in over her shoulder. "This is going to be perfect."
Or it would have been, anyway. Had she not seen Gerard and Drew take their seats in the box on the side of the theatre to their right, in direct and perfect view of each other. "Oh, this is going to be just lovely. Of course they have box seats. Why wouldn't they?" Mel muttered.
"Oh shit, look at this," Tay observed as he handed Mel the Playbill. "I guess I fucked up this time, didn't I?"
Mel took the program from him and looked it over. They were honoring Drew's presence there tonight. Because an off-Broadway show she had been in was now finally on Broadway and this was opening weekend.
"How could I have been so blind?" Tay said. "I'm sorry. We can leave--"
"No," Mel objected. "We're staying. We're going to be the bigger people tonight. We can handle being in the same room as her. She's the one with the problem here, remember? Not us."
Tay squeezed her shoulder and said, "Hey." Mel turned her head to look at him and he was smiling. "I'm proud of you."
Mel blushed and grinned, her hand squeezing his thigh. "I'm proud of you, too. Sitting up here, on the balcony..."
"I was doing good until you reminded me. Why do you think I have a death grip on your shoulder right now?"
"I thought it was because you wanted me," she flirted.
"You're putting me on the spot."
"Honey, we can move--"
"No," he objected firmly. "We have the best seats in the house. I promised you a show. And you're gonna see one."
"I love you so much," she whispered.
"I love you more."
After a moment, as the theater was almost full, Mel observed, "I bet Drew's getting herself a good eyeful right now. Seeing as she has the hots for you and stuff."
"Please," Tay said. "Behave yourself. Be the bigger people, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah. But still."
As the lights flickered to signal the show starting soon, Tay gently turned Mel's chin toward him and kissed her, surprising her when his tongue entered her mouth. She broke their kiss and smiled against his lips. "What happened to being bigger people?"
He smiled back. "Yeah, sometimes I just don't care." And then he continue to kiss her until the theatre lights dimmed for the final time.
As the curtain opened for the show, Mel turned her head to observe Drew as the bright light from the stage suddenly hit her, just in time for her to turn her attention away from them and back toward the stage. Mel smiled and held her palm out to Tay and heard him ask, "What's this?"
She turned to him and smiled. "You know what this is."
He smiled knowingly and muttered, "Shit," as he returned her low five, keeping her hand in his afterward. He nudged her shoulder with the arm he had around her and half-assed scolded her, "Just watch the show and stay out of trouble."
As the couple settled in to watch the show, Mel realized she wasn't so much interested in the story as she was the actual stage show. The lights, the energy, the music, the showmanship in general--produced an energy she hadn't felt in awhile. And it felt good.
Speaking of energy, Mel suddenly straightened up in her seat and placed her hand on her stomach. Noticing her movement, Tay sat up from his position to look at her. "Are you okay?" He asked, alarmed.
Mel's eyes widened and she grinned at him, grabbing his hand and putting on her stomach. "There's a party going on in there!" She hissed, giggling.
A smile spread across his face as they both felt the activity going on in her stomach. It wasn't constant, but it was enough to keep them occupied for a few minutes. "The baby likes the music," Tay observed in her ear as he smiled. "This is amazing."
Neither one of them knew for sure if that was actually what was happening, but that was the story they decided to stick with.
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TAYLOR
At intermission, Taylor wasn't entirely keen on leaving his seat, but he was sure Mel would probably need a break. And he'd been right. Citing a restroom break, he walked with her to the main lobby and took the same stance from before, waiting on her at concessions.
After a bit, he took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time. He knew this was intermission and that the line for the restroom had likely been long, but this was beginning to be a little unreasonable. As he glanced over the crowd, his eyes narrowed as he spotted his fiancée--with Drew and Gerard.
Concerned, he made his way through and joined the trio, his arm finding itself naturally around Mel's waist. It was apparent, judging by the words Drew was speaking as he approached, that she had miraculously found it in her to deliver a very forced apology. He quickly made eye-contact with Gerard, who gave a slight and subtle nod at him and then Tay understood and fought the smile that attempted to take over his lips. Gerard had apparently let Drew have it and now Drew was eating crow. Tay had no way of knowing how sincere any of this was and a surprisingly vindictive part of him, that lay deep within, wished he'd been secretly recording the exchange for future ammo, if needed.
Shaking the thought out of his head, his main concern at this moment was Mel. Drew had already upset her once today. He couldn't risk that happening again.
"I appreciate you for making the effort to apologize or make things right or whatever it is you're trying to accomplish right now," Mel was saying to her. "But it's going to take some time to actually accept it. I hope you can understand that."
Drew nodded. "I, uh, I understand. Completely." Then she turned her attention to Taylor, much to his surprise. "And, Taylor, I apologize for, um, putting you on the spot. Putting you in the middle of a situation that didn't...necessarily...involve you. That was...that was wrong of me."
"Thank you," he replied solemnly.
Then Mel's voice rang out. "You should apologize to Jason, too. And to Zac. Especially Zac. We were all your friends. And you screwed us all. And Zac? Well, he's almost as close to me as Jason is. And you hurt him and that pisses me off."
"Mel--" Tay scolded quietly. Shit. He had to know this was coming sooner or later.
"She should," she said to Tay. "He deserves an apology. And an explanation. He and Jason both."
"I don't think Zac needs to hear her explanation," Tay muttered quietly into her ear.
Mel straightened up and clamped her mouth shut in realization. "Well, whatever," she said to Drew. "But you better tell him something."
"Okay," Tay said, addressing all three of them. "I think the show is about to start, we should return to our seats. Thank you again," he said to Drew. Then to Gerard, "It was good seeing you again. You two take care."
And with that, he led Mel back to their seats, desperate to avoid any further confrontation.
As they sat back down and got comfortable once more, Mel huffed lightly and looked at him. "I embarrassed you, didn't I?"
He shook his head, making himself comfortable again, crossing his legs and resting his arm, once more, across the back of her seat. "No. No, you didn't embarrass me."
"I'm sorry, I just--I'm so aggravated at the whole thing," she said.
"I know."
"And she just--you think she was seriously just using Zac all this time? I mean, I think that pisses me off more than lying on me or Jason--or even having a thing for you. I mean, I can't blame her for THAT."
Tay smiled and adjusted his collar confidently. "Well, you know. It's been said that I can impregnate women upon sight."
She looked down at her stomach and back at him. "You saw what happened to me."
He threw his head back and laughed, pulling her closer to him, getting settled for the second half of the show. Growing serious again, he said, "Just don't let it bother you anymore. You got about the best apology you're going to get. And as for everyone else, well, you can't do it all. All that's on her and the others involved."
Mel sighed and sat there in silence as the theatre lights flickered. Then she turned and looked at him again. "How many other kids do you have out there?"
He grinned at her. "Thousands."
Mel giggled as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose to continue the show.
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/a-bittersweet-aloha-alternate.html