Camgirl | tayley ✓

fourteen

"Taylor, it is very nice to see you," spoke Mark Hoppus, who happened to be one of the top prosecuting attorneys in all of Tennessee. Though Hoppus happened to be years younger than Taylor's father, they knew one another all too well due to the countless amount of cases they were both involved in.

"Hey, Mark. It's good to see you too," Taylor said in response as he shook the older man's hand.

"And who's this?" He asked once he noticed Hayley standing awkwardly behind Taylor. He extended his hand towards hers, shaking it firmly.

"Hayley. My girlfriend," Taylor answered simply, quickly nodding his head. Mark smiled.

"Glad to see you're settling down with a nice lady. Now come, sit down," Mark said, leading the two of them to the two perfectly placed chairs across from his desk.

He took his seat behind his desk, typing away at his computer for a few seconds. He looked up at the door, watching it swing open. One of the firm's interns entered the room without a word. He took a seat, opened his laptop, and began to type.

"So, Taylor, and...I'm sorry, Miss, what was your name?" The attorney asked Hayley.

"Hayley. Hayley Williams," she reminded him with a nod.

"Got it. Alright, tell me what's been going on. I see that your arm is in a sling, Taylor, and I'm also assuming that the reason for that sling of yours is related to why you're here."

"Yes, that's correct," Taylor answered. He and Hayley had already decided that Taylor would do most of the talking, considering he knew how to be professional around others within the same line of work as him.

"Well, tell me," the attorney requested, sitting back in his leather chair. The creak of the chair was the only noise that filled the room for a few peaceful seconds.

"This guy, his name is Josh...Farro? Was that his last name?" Taylor asked his girlfriend. Hayley nodded.

"Josh Farro. He came into my apartment. With him, he brought a gun. I mean, I'm lucky he didn't hit me in any spot that would be critical. But he shot me. So I don't want him getting away with this without being sentenced to jail time."

"Wow, that's a lot to take in. But I'm definitely going to need more details. I never like cases like these. Not that I'm against them, I signed up for this line of work, after all. It's just that I cannot believe these criminal defense lawyers are willing to defend such vile human beings. It disgusts me. So, Taylor, is there any reason for him to have attacked you? Any motives?"

"Yes, definitely. He and Hayley were in a serious relationship years ago. Though they broke up quite a while back, he seemed to still have feelings for her. That would be an understatement, really. Hayley and I began dating not too long ago, which he found out about. The night he discovered what was going on between us, he came to Hayley's apartment, where we were at the time. All he did was hit me. Luckily, he left before doing much damage. Fast forward a few weeks, and we're at my apartment. The only time Hayley has been over to her place since that night is to grab some clothes of hers or retrieve her mail. Otherwise, we've been at my apartment. It was that way after the initial incident. And then," Taylor paused and gulped, needing to take a moment to regroup.

Hayley reached over, taking his hand into her own. She gave him a look that told him "it's okay." And he knew it was. He knew he was okay.

"I heard a knock on the door. I went to go see who it was. When I opened it, Josh was standing there. I was immediately nervous. He started talking about how he wanted Hayley back. I just told him to leave, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't leave. And then he pulled a gun out, and...I'm sorry. I just can't believe any of this happened, you know? But, uh, then he started to threaten us. Fortunately for us, Hayley had already managed to dial emergency services. He didn't realize it. He continued to hold the weapon up to us until a knock met the door, and the police announced their presence. He told me to not open the door. But I did. I don't know why I did, that was so stupid of me to do. But I did it, and he shot me. Twice. I don't know if he was aiming for my arm, but he looked like he had held a gun maybe once in his life before then. Anyway, there were witnesses at the scene. Not just Hayley, but there were also my neighbors and police officers nearby who had to have heard the gunshot."

Mark was speechless.

"Wow. I can imagine the experience was traumatizing for you two. I'll be looking further into this case for more information. Do you know who is defending Mr. Farro?" Mark asked.

Taylor looked down. He still was in disbelief over the fact that his very own father was defending the man who injured him.

"Actually, I do know. It's my dad," Taylor spoke softly. So softly that it was as if he hoped speaking it quietly enough would result in it not being real. He knew it was real. It was all too real.

A silence filled the room for a moment. Everyone was speechless. Even the intern stopped his typing, eyes wide as he stared at the back of Taylor's head.

"Damn, I'm really sorry to hear this. I'm not going to let this guy get away with this, understand? And don't worry about paying for this consultation session, Taylor. It's on me."

Both Hayley and Taylor nodded.

"Thank you," Taylor whispered just before they left.

⿲

"Can I talk to you about something?" Hayley asked nervously as she and her boyfriend entered the male's apartment. In response, he tilted his head to look at her.

That was a question he never enjoyed being asked. It caused his anxiety to instantly spike and his mind to race with the most absurd of thoughts.

"Of course," he answered weakly, nervously.

She sat him down on the couch of his living room, slowly pacing the room.

"As you know, I haven't been putting on my shows or anything for the last few weeks. But, well, I think I want to get back into it," she admitted, taking a seat beside him on the couch.

He went silent.

"No," he replied simply.

She raised a brow. "So you are in control of what I do? Is that what this is?"

Taylor rolled his eyes and let out a scoff.

"No. That's not what I was saying. What I am saying is that it's unfair to me for you to be showing your body off to other men. To be showing your body off to people who don't care about you. If you so badly want to return to this, then don't be with me. I don't want to be cheated on."

"It's not cheating, you know I don't even care about these guys."

"Oh yeah? So you didn't care about me? Is that what you mean?"

"No, that is not what I was saying. We had something different, and you know that, or else we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I need money, T."

"That doesn't sound like a very valid reason to me. I have money, Hayles. Not only do I make a damn good living off of the money I directly make from working for my dad, but I can do just about whatever I want with his money. It's not a problem. I can take care of you. I'll be happy to take care of you, baby."

Hayley looked up at Taylor with the hazel eyes that the male had looked into so many times before. This time, they were not filled with the same joy they often were. They appeared tired, upset.

"I...fuck. I shouldn't say this. I know I shouldn't. But I love you. I know we haven't been dating too long. But I've never been in a serious relationship before this. I know we haven't even known each other too personally for the longest time, but I think I love you, Hayley."

Hayley was momentarily speechless. The reality of the words that had come from Taylor had begun to feel more like the reality they were. He loved her.

She felt lost when it came to love. The only person she ever loved was Josh, and Josh loved her. Though she had come to the point of feeling complete hatred for her ex lover, she could not lie and act as though there never were strong feelings.

That was the only man she had ever thought so highly of. She couldn't believe it, but she felt confident that such feelings were returning – only for a new, better man.

She moved forward on the couch, arms coming around her boyfriend's lower stomach. As she pressed the side of her face against his chest, she whispered, "I love you too."

"Just don't hurt me, okay? Please. I'm sorry, I'll stop with webcamming. I know how much it hurts to be treated so terribly. I never want to hurt you, and I'm sorry. I really am. I'm the worst. I love you. I'm not going to hurt you like that," she promised. And Taylor believed it. He knew that she meant it.