Try And Stop Me (Girlxgirl)

Twenty-Six

The cafe they went to was a little ways up the street from the cemetery. Taylor remembered it well, it was the first time she and Michelle had an actual conversation. They'd shared a red velvet cake and Michelle had slipped Taylor her number. It had taken Taylor at least two months to get up the nerve to even think about calling her. It was one of the best decisions she ever made, closely followed by the decision to make Michelle her wife.

They got a booth and Taylor and Michelle sat on one side, Talia sat on the other. Her eyes were still red and puffy from all the crying as she looked at the menu.

Michelle wrapped an arm around Taylor's and leaned into her. "We should split a cake." She suggested. Taylor smiled and nodded. "Okay." They ordered their drinks and cake, Talia ordering a black coffee with two shots of espresso.

She sat back and looked between Taylor and Michelle, noticing their linked arms and smiled tightly. She had to stifle down her dislike for Michelle and her jealous feelings. "So, congrats, by the way, on the engagement."

"Thank you, " Taylor said while blushing.

"How did you two meet?" She asked, leaning forward. She looked interested in getting to know about them. Michelle didn't like that at all. She leaned forward too. "We met right here in Exeter. At the cemetery, actually." She turned to Taylor and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It was after your funeral." Taylor quickly added in. Talia's eyebrow went up. "Directly after?" Michelle nodded. "Its funny, actually. I was there visiting my parent's graves, and Taylor chased me down like a madwoman."

"I just thought she was beautiful, " Taylor said, squeezing her fiance's hand tightly. She didn't want her to tell Talia how she thought Michelle had been her. She didn't think it was appropriate, or important. The two couldn't be anything less alike.

"We came to have a coffee here, and the rest is history." Michelle smiled up at Taylor. "So you guys have been together for five years?" Talia asked. "Yeah. It's been a long five years." Michelle told her. She just wanted to make sure the girl knew she had years of experience on her. Taylor was more Michelle's than Talia's.

Taylor was purely uncomfortable, wondering when this coffee had become a chest match between Talia and Michelle.

"I'm sorry about your mom, and you're stepdad," Taylor told her sincerely. Talia looked down at her lap. "She died a year after I woke up, about. I could tell she was holding on to make sure I was alright. The last few months of her life were excruciating. It was hell for us, to see my mom fading away like that. My stepdad, he was devastated, I don't think he was ready to lose her. He started drinking and lost his job, ate himself to death, basically. My brother, he's been bouncing around a few relatives houses. They all decided they didn't want to take care of him. When I got down here for the funeral, my great aunt on my stepdad's side contacted me and told me she couldn't keep my baby brother, said I should take him. There isn't a reason why not to...I...I love him, I just, I can barely take care of myself."

"So you came out of hiding for your stepdad's funeral?" Taylor asked. It made a little more sense now. "It's been years. I thought it would be safe to come out for the funeral. I've been staying in Germany for the last few years, and I missed my hometown and my little brother, I figured I could come and go and in a weeks time I'd be back in Germany."

"You want to go back?" Taylor questioned. Talia nodded. "I have a semi-life there. I've got my cat, Fran, my goldfish, Joe, and my flat. My job isn't half bad, either, I'm a receptionist at a gynecologist's office, "

"What about your brother?" Michelle asked, persistently. She felt strongly about kids who had no one. Had always told Taylor she wanted to foster a few kids, just to make sure they got proper love and care. Taylor loved her for that, loved that she knew the importance of family in a child's life. Talia sighed and scraped her hands down her face. "Well, there are schools in Germany, but that's a commute. I only have one bedroom, but I could sleep on the couch, if I really wanted to. I work a lot to afford my flat, I do not know who would be there to get him to school on help with homework, I don't even cook much, I just order out most night. Plus a lot of glass and breakable things I'm not willing to part with quite yet."