Perfect

8. Vulnerable

C h a p t e r E i g h t

B E F O R E Xander came to work, he dropped by at the studio to see if Taylor was there. He was worried about him last night for letting him go home alone and he didn't picked his calls also. Xander felt like Taylor was avoiding him.

Chester last night was angry because Taylor left him without telling him. Xander thought Chester might cry and thrashed but he just sulked around which was a relief. He even kept on murmuring that he wouldn't talk to Taylor anymore and Xander was glad because Joshua was there to distract him.

The door chime sounded when Xander pushed the door open to the lobby. It was still eight o'clock in the morning and two girl costumers were seating at the couch, waiting.

"Xander." Macy called him.

"Hi, Macy. Is Taylor already there?" He pointed the door leading to the studio.

"Not yet." She said.

There was a possibility that Taylor might ordered Macy and all his employees to cover for him.

"Can I come in?" Xander said.

"Yeah, sure." Macy said without hesitation.

"Thank you."

Xander was expecting Macy to panicked and convinced him that Taylor wasn't there, but Macy didn't. Xander went inside the studio and saw Kenneth doing his job as a photographer with a couple. The girl was seating in the sofa and the man was on her back standing. Kenneth nodded when he saw Xander and he did the same.

Xander went inside the dark room which was not really a dark room since lights were turned on. He saw Max in front of a computer and raised his head up when he heard the door opened.

"Hey!" Max greeted and waved his hand at him.

"Hey!" Xander said and roamed his eyes around the room. No Taylor.

"Looking for Taylor?" Max stood from his chair and went to the other side of the room to fetch something, a paper.

"Yeah." Xander searched the area and looked for places where a person could hide.

"Maybe he's still at his unit, he came here sometimes—a lot in fact, before noon or ten in the morning is the earliest."

° ° °

N E X T stop was Taylor's unit. Xander entered the passcode and welcomed himself in. It was empty and quiet. He walked to the kitchen and saw nothing. Then he stopped to Taylor's bedroom door and knocked before he twisted the knob. It was unlock. He went inside and saw Taylor wrapped around a blanket sleeping facing his back to Xander.

He walked near the bed and frowned when he saw a different shade of hair. He saw a copper brown hair instead of black hair.

Did he dyed his hair without me noticing? He turned around to look who was it.

He recognized the intruder immediately. He was the man from that day. He wasn't sure what was the relationship between that man and Taylor. And how did he end up sleeping there?

He pulled his phone from the pocket of his pants and dialed Taylor's number. Seconds later, he heard a phone ringing at the living room. Xander ran outside the room and searched where the ringing phone was and found it in the sofa. It was Taylor's phone.

Xander picked it and ended the call. He placed his phone back to his pocket and looked at Taylor's phone. His wallpaper was Chester holding a cup cake laughing and Taylor was smiling and a white clothe were knotted around his forehead says 'birthday boy'. Both of their faces were full of white and skyblue icing. They were cute together.

He tried guessing the pattern but failed. He left it at the sofa and knocked at Ella's room. He waited for a few second. There was no responce.

Xander went outside the unit wondering where the hell was Taylor when he saw the person he was looking for meters away from him. He looked different. He looked more manlier. Taylor just cut his hair. Xander was breatheless.

"What are you doing here?" Taylor stopped in front of him.

"I came here to. . . check you." Xander said honestly.

"Why would you check me?" Taylor dug half of his hands in his pockets.

"I was worried. Last night, you didn't answered my call."

"Oh! Yeah." He didn't sound surprised, he sounds tensed. "I'm sorry, I forgot to call you back. I had a guest last night." Taylor avoided Xander's eyes and pursed his lips. He always does that when he lies. He was lying.

"I saw him." Taylor looked him in the eyes for a second and looked right away. The door to Taylor's unit suddenly opened and the stranger came out wearing a long black coat.

"Hey!" The man walked past to Xander. "Oh God! Your hair! I'll praise it later. By the way, Louis called me, he was angry. I've got to go. . . ." Xander didn't heard the last part when the stranger leaned at Taylor's ears and Taylor jabbed the man on his side with his elbow. The man laughed and turned to looked at Xander. "Nice meeting you, Xander. My name's Clinton."

° ° °

X A N D E R went inside the unit with Taylor. Never mind about work.

"Well, one of the reason why I'm here because I. . . um, the deal?" Xander leaned on the door frame of the kitchen. He left the house without eating breakfast.

"You mean the p*****t? I haven't paid half of it." Taylor opened the refrigerator and grabbed some eggs. "Don't complain because I'm just cooking eggs."

"I won't." Xander smiled and sat on a chair.

Taylor made sandwiches with the scrambled eggs and coffee.

"Chester was angry last night." Xander said picking one of the sandwiches.

"I know he would. Did he cry?" Taylor sipped his coffee. They were seating opposite to each other.

"No, he didn't. He was sulking. He said he won't talk to you."

Taylor smiled. "That's so him. I thought he would cry because he always does when I left him before. But the last time I saw him cried was when we were on the bookstore." Taylor chuckled.

"Why? Because you didn't bought him a book?" Xander said curious.

"No. He cried because he can't afford the book that he liked. He even cut his piggy bank and used his savings."

Xander stared on the sandwich and thought about Chester. The only kid he knew who cried over a book because it was expensive. His kid. And he was proud of him. It was so rare for kids these days to switched books over gadgets.

"Really?" Xander said surprised. Taylor nodded. "I never cried over a book."

"Because you can afford it but I also never cried over a book either. I remember when I was a kid, I cried because of a marble." Taylor chuckled. "It was so lame."

"I can't imagine you crying." Xander said who frowned and smiled at the same time.

Then the silence followed. They ate silently and it felt so awkward. Xander glanced at Taylor and their eyes met. He knew there was something that he didn't know about Taylor.

"What are you eating?" Taylor jumped when Ella popped at the kitchen entrance. Ella switched her glances from Xander to Taylor. "Did I disturb you?"

"No." Taylor and Xander said in unison.

° ° °

X A N D E R invited Taylor for dinner but he refused his invitation. Taylor said he has something to do that night.

They went to a restaurant where all the foods were being grilled. His mom, dad, Sandra and Bernard went there first and Xander and Chester followed.

The streets were busy when they arrive since that area were famous for bars, hotels, restos and even casinos.

Xander parked to a vacant parking slot near a short boarder separating the Jhonny's Grill and a bar called Hot 'n Cold. Then he couldn't believe what he saw. He saw Clinton went outside that bar wearing those waiter uniform. The world was so small.

Xander followed Clinton with his eyes. Clinton pulled someone who was hiding in a car and guess who? It was Taylor.

So Clinton's the reason why he can't come to dinner with us, Xander thought.

"That's uncle Clint!" Chester said and fought not to cover Chester's mouth with his hands. They might see them.

"Uncle?" Xander frowned.

"Yeah, he's my uncle."

"You're related?"

"No, that's what I call him because he used to be with papa." Chester said.

Xander went confused. Used to be with? "What do you mean?"

"Dad," Chester said as if he was running out of patient while scratching his nape. "Clinton was papa's ex-boyfriend."

Xander frowned and paused to think. Ex-boyfriend. "Ha!?"

"I guess papa didn't told you. He likes guys more that he likes girls." Chester said.

Xander was amazed of Chester. He talked about it like it was just a ramdom thing to say. And about Taylor being gay and that Clinton was the ex-boyfriend, it was too much for his brain to process.

"What are you doing Alex?"

Xander jumped in surprised when he heard his mom called for him. Xander glanced back where he saw Taylor and Clinton but they were gone already.

° ° °

T A Y L O R met Clint at the parking lot of the bar where Clint work, Hot 'n Cold. Xander invited him for dinner but he refused him because he was meeting with Clinton and even if he wouldn't met Clinton that night, Taylor would still refuse the offer because he didn't want to be out of place.

Taylor was leaning on a car when he saw Clint went out of the bar and smiled when he saw Taylor.

"That hair! I love it. It suits you!" Clint touched Taylor's hair carefully and Taylor slapped his hand.

"Shut up." Taylor said annoyed. Clint chuckled.

"Let's go and talk inside." Clint lead the way.

It was almost a year maybe when he last entered that place and it already changed a lot. Someone was playing Here Without You at the stage. Every Sunday was an acoustic night in that bar and few bands were there to play something there.

A lot of people still went there and Taylor's glad because the bar wasn't loud or playing any electric musics. Thank you acoustic night, Taylor thought.

He sat at the counter and he saw Clint emerged from a door were there was a sticker says Employees Only.

"Hey, good evening handsome." Clint said placing an empty stemmed glass in front of Taylor. Taylor just rolled his eyes. Clint pulled one of those displayed bottles of alcohols and wines and walked back in front of Taylor. "Here's your kiddie drink." Clint said while pouring a alcohol free red wine in his glass.

Taylor smiled. "You remember."

"Of course, you're the only person I know who doesn't drink alcohol. Here." Clint dragged the glass to Taylor. "It's on me."

"Thanks."

"Wait. Ain't that Xanderella?" Clint said looking at the entrance.

Taylor's heart raced when he saw Xander who looked like he was looking for someone. Taylor unconciously stooped down the counter and crawled to the most crowded area of the bar where people were slow dancing.

What the fvck is he doing here? Taylor thought.

Taylor felt like he was running from a dept collector. Then he asked himself why was he running? What if it was just a coincedence.

"What are you doing?"

Taylor froze when he heard Xander's voice. Please let it not be Xander, he chanted over and over on his head. Taylor slowly lift his head up and saw Xander staring down at him.

He stood abruptly. They were standing between those slow dancing couples.

"I dropped something and oh! You're here!" Taylor said as if sounding surprised. Xander just stared at him. Taylor felt so pathetic and just stayed silent. He knew that 'he drop something' would not work.

The music changed and the same artist sang Vulnerable by Secondhand Serenade.

"Share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in because it's cold outside—"

Xander wrapped one of his arms on Taylor's waist and pulled him closer. All of Taylor's hair stood and he shivered.

"Share with me the secrets that kept in, because it's cold inside. . ."

"What are you doing?" Taylor tried to summon his voice. This is not happening, he thought. It is a dream.

"And your slowly shaking fingertips shows that you're scared like me so, let's pretend we're alone. . ."

"I'm just going with the flow." Xander grabbed his hands and placed it at his shoulders. Taylor didn't resist and didn't pulled away or pushed Xander. He felt like it was the rightest thing to do. They just stared at each other's eyes in confusion until the whole song ended.

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