Just Love

24. Friday Is Forever

‘Taylor, for the love of god.  Please stop! I can’t breathe!’ Maddi cried out in between peals of laughter. 

‘Say that you’re sorry and I’ll stop.’

‘For what?!’

‘For nearly killing my BlackBerry!’

‘Well, your BlackBerry seemed lonely without pings!’

‘It wouldn’t stop spazzing for twenty minutes, cheeky monkey!’ Taylor maintained the tickle fest with Maddi, who tried to crawl to the other side of the wrought iron bed. 

It was four o’clock in the afternoon in Italy.  Everyone had collapsed in their rooms – it looked like a room out of a Pottery Barn catalogue.  Fully furnished with one loveseat, a Pottery Barn dresser and chest of drawers and a wrought iron bed - around half-past nine the previous day, the time when Rome was at its busiest during weekends. 

All of us woke around midday, our bodies still recovering from jet lag as well as accustoming to different time zones.  The rest of Saturday was a wet and sinister day, most of it spent indoors in Stephanie’s beach villa. 

‘But we had loads planned!’ Ariel grumbled, her arms folded in front of her as she glared out at the drops of rain that slid down the windows.  She was curled up in a ball in her owl pajamas on the long yet somehow comfy black futon, her hair wrapped up in a fishtail braid.  She really looked forward to the shopping trip in the streets of Rome. 

‘What do you want me to do? Ask Mother Nature for rain to go away and come back again another day?’ Stephanie stipulated, flicking through the channels on the huge flat screen TV.  She was seated opposite her, holding a steaming cup of cocoa in her hand, the marshmallows bobbing in the chocolate liquid.

‘That would be amazing, Stephanie.  While you’re at it, ask the gods if they could have revolutionary sales here in Rome,’ Ariel gushed.  Stephanie gave her a withering glance before turning her attention back to the news that was broadcasting in Italian.  Upstairs, a cheery, breathless laugh radiated along the hall. 

‘I’m sorry – okay?! Now please – for my sake – stop tickling me or else I’ll die!’ Maddi gasped, curling in a ball on the floor. 

‘Aww – I’m sorry, but you know I had no choice,’ Taylor murmured, crouching down so that he could cup Maddi’s face in his hand.  She intentionally averted her eyes, giving the sort of vibe that she was pissed off at him.

‘C’mon, I know you’re not pissed off at me.  I know the difference between your pissed off face and your I’m-just-playing-with-you face,' Taylor said in a coaxing voice. 

After more than a few seconds of receiving the cold shoulder, Taylor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.  Without warning, he lithely plucked Maddi up in his arms, her legs dangling on either side of his body.  He carried her over to the bed, dropping her on the plump pillows.  She tucked her legs underneath while Taylor crawled on his knees before taking her face in his hands, his fingers feeling the soft touch of her hair.  He could still taste the apples that she ate for brunch.  Feeling her lips mash against his, he gently pried her mouth open so that their tongues were almost touching. 

‘Knock knock!’ Micah bounded into the room, Tita trailing close behind her.  Both of them were wearing crop tops and short shorts underneath what seemed to be like bikinis, towels hanging off of their arms.  Immediately, Maddi pushed herself out of Taylor’s lap - performing a back-roll and landing perfectly on the wooden floor - so that Micah wouldn’t tease Maddi about her nearly having sex with Taylor for the rest of her life.

‘Nice trick.  Anyway, all of us are going swimming in the indoors pool - not the outdoors pool, since it’s obviously still raining outside – want to come join us?’