handprints on my soul - jaylor oneshots

sparkling nights (part 2)

Smiling a little at the irony, Taylor knew why her parents had requested she stay away from him. "So you got the reputation of the black sheep because you don't actively care for the fancy things," she clarified.

"And when you have a suffering reputation, people enjoy knocking it lower," Joe said with a bitter smile.

"I like reckless," Taylor told him, and moved closer, their legs only an inch apart now. "I don't care so much about the fancy things either. I think that's why my parents don't want you around me."

"Since we both don't care for it?" asked Joe, raising his eyebrows.

"My parents want me to care. I care a bit. It just bores me, so much of the same old, same old," Taylor said.

"I'm really gald I came back here tonight," Joe said. "I really enjoyed talking to you alone earlier, and since it got cut short, I wanted to make up for that lost time."

As a memory from earlier slid into the forefront of her mind, Taylor bit her lip, furrowing her eyebrows a bit. "I don't know if we were alone earlier," she said unsurely.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked, extremely confused.

"In the garden earlier... something in the bushes moved. Remember?" said Taylor.

Frowning, the memory resurfaced in Joe's head, a moment he hadn't thought about at all since it happened. "What do you suggest?"

"I don't know. It was weird that my parents knew I had been with you, though. I only talked to you for a moment inside, hidden in the crowd," Taylor pointed out.

Joe's eyes darkened slightly, growing more suspicious. The night was silent, and the pair just looked at each other, ideas hatching in their minds.

Suddenly, there was the snap of a twig. Taylor nearly screamed, instead gasping in suprise and jumping into Joe, her widened eyes looking in the direction that had come from.

"We definitely aren't alone," Joe breathed. It wasn't even odd to be holding Taylor so suddenly, instead it felt as if she was just a missing puzzle piece.

"I should get back to my room," Taylor said hastily, and she and Joe stood up together, using the other for support. "Thanks for coming by. It was really nice to talk to you again."

They were walking back to the mansion now, holding hands. "I'll come by again soon, I promise you," Joe told her, and put his other arm around her body as they hurried away.

"I can't wait. I'm so sorry about all this," Taylor told him.

"Don't worry. We don't know... anything for sure yet," Joe told her. They reached a spot just outside of the light, right at the edge of the shadows. Joe stopped, as did Taylor. "I'll leave now," he whispered.

"Stay a moment," Taylor breathed. She looked into his eyes, and then fluttered them shut as she leaned her head forward, gently connecting her lips with his. They held it for a while, needing nothing more than it.

"Flawless," she breathed into the nighttime air, never breaking her gaze with his blue eyes.

"I'll be seeing you soon," Joe whispered. He tucked her hair behind her ear before turning around and disappearing into the shadows.

Taylor was on an emotional high as she walked back to the house. She felt like a little kid, wanting to sing and dance and scream in joy at the kiss she had just experienced.

"Taylor."

At the strict voice of her father, Taylor stopped abruptly in the middle of the entryway.