Listen, all I need is you
Won't you tell me what to do?
'Cause you drive me crazy
Baby, is it pulling on your heart?
Is it tearing you apart?
-"Crazy Beautiful" (Hanson)
---
November 2001
Michelle's apartment in West Hollywood
It was a fairly warm November day in Los Angeles, which isn't unheard of considering it never gets too cold in Southern California. This was a bonus for Michelle considering she was from Arizona, a state that overall has fairly warm weather. Michelle missed her home state, but despite having just moved in, Michelle was already getting used to the Southern California lifestyle.
On the rare days that she wasn't busy writing and recording in the studio, she was out surfing, or shopping. She had grown to love the "City of Angels". One of the main reasons she loved L.A. was because it's the place where she met Hanson over one year ago, which led to her opening up for them on their This Time Around tour. Which then led to her being discovered and signed by Maverick and then later on led to her doing her own tour.
Michelle would always be grateful to Taylor and his brothers for giving her the opportunity they gave her. She had such fun with them during the tour, especially with Taylor. He was unlike any guy she had ever met before. From the moment she met him, she felt an instant connection to him, it was like he could see her, but the real her and not this somewhat awkward and tomboyish girl most people see while taking a first glance at her. The fact Taylor had been able to see her beyond those perceptions was both exciting and daunting to Michelle, because to her, she couldn't understand what a heartthrob like Taylor could see in a plain and ordinary girl like her. A huge part of her, however, felt so excited that she, out millions of girls, was the one who had his complete attention right now, and she planned to enjoy every moment of it.
Lost in her thoughts, Michelle didn't hear her phone ringing until she heard a familiar voice leaving a message on her answering machine.
"Hey Michelle, it's Taylor......."
At the sound of hearing Taylor's voice, Michelle quickly ran to the counter where her phone was and picked it up.
"Hello? Taylor?"
"Hey you. Look, I just wanted to call you to see how your day is going so far?"
"It's going good so far, what about you? How is your day going so far?" Michelle replied.
"Well, it's going okay as expected. We're here in Def Jam's studio working some of the new material."
"YOU GUYS ARE HERE in L.A.!? YAY!"
"We are. We are still trying to find an apartment, but I am sure we will soon," he said.
"That song you recorded for me was so good. I hope you guys put it on your upcoming album, trust me when I say this, your fans will love that song, because they, along with your critics, will see a new side to you guys. One that they have never seen before. I think they'll love you guys even more than they do now."
"I wish our label would share your enthusiasm....." Taylor sighed.
Sensing the change in the tone in his voice, Michelle knew that something was bothering Taylor. She tried to fish out a response from him.
"What do you mean? Is the label giving you guys a hard time or something?....."
"Somewhat..."
Wanting to get more out of him, Michelle continued to hammer Taylor on.
"Come on, seriously, what's going on?"
Despite him wanting to tell her everything, Taylor realized perhaps now wasn't the best time to spill his guts out to Michelle, considering the fact one of Island Def Jam's executives was in the studio with them.
"Look, I'll tell you later, I promise okay?"
Michelle wasn't satisfied with that answer, but she decided to let go of the issue for the time being.
"The reason, I was calling you was to tell you that I'm very excited about our date....."
A smile developed on Michelle's face at the sound of hearing Taylor saying those words.
"Oh yeah?" Michelle said in a flirtatious voice.
"Yeah, it can't come soon enough....." Taylor said while smirking slyly.
Taylor saw that Isaac was motioning him to get off the phone, because they had to get back to work.
"Listen, I gotta go, I'll pick you up at your apartment around 7:00pm tonight and then we'll head out to the concert...." he stated.
"Tonight?! Okay, I'll see you at 7:00pm, bye....."
Michelle hung up the phone. She felt so content because in a few hours, she would be going out on a date with the boy she really liked.
---
Island Def Jam Studio - In West Hollywood
After finishing his phone call with Michelle, Taylor got back into business mode and discussed arrangements he believed they should change for certain songs. Taylor noticed during this discussion Zac was giving him the dirty eye, but he shrugged it off. It was typical of Zac to give him and Ike those looks when he was angry and sleep deprived.
Around 5:30pm Taylor decided to call it a night, since he had to go home and get ready for his date with Michelle.
"Hey guys, I'm heading out now...."
"That's right, it's your big date with Michelle...." Isaac said in a teasing mock voice.
Taylor rolled his eyes at Ike's lack of maturity.
"So where are you taking her?" Isaac asked casually.
"Well, I got us tickets to go see U2 tonight at the Staples Center and after that I was thinking we could get something to eat and maybe drive around a bit...."
"The fact you're taking her to see U2 means you have scored the jackpot. U2 is one of Michelle's favorite bands, you might just get lucky tonight Tay!"
"Come on Ike, you know Michelle isn't like that! Plus she is different from other girls, she has integrity and class!"
"Whatever you say, I'm just stating the facts...."
"Whatever man, I gotta a date to go get ready for....." Taylor said, as he rolled his eyes.
With that, Taylor walked out of the room and headed to the parking lot to get into his car, to drive to the temporary apartment he and his brothers are staying at before they found a permenant place.
---
Michelle's apartment
After getting out of the shower, Michelle blew dry her hair and decided to curl it to give it a bit of a wavy look. After she finished with her hair, she went into her closet to pick out her outfit for the evening. After a half hour of going through her closet and surveying every item of clothing she owned, Michelle finally decided on an outfit. She removed her bathrobe and changed into the outfit she picked out, which was a black halter top accompanied with a black leather jacket, dark blue high rise jeans and black ankle boots. Michelle seemed pleased with her choice of outfit, since the entire attire perfectly accented her figure. Michelle was in the middle of putting the last touch of her make-up when she heard the doorbell.
She got up and went to the door. She first looked through her peephole, and when she saw that it was Taylor, she opened the door.
"Hey!" She greeted him warmly, and hugged him.
"Hey....Wow, you look beautiful...." Taylor said while eyeing Michelle up and down.
Michelle blushed a bit.
"Thanks, you look great too..."
She noticed he was wearing jeans and a light blue striped dress shirt accompanied with black leather jacket as well, and black converse shoes.
"Thanks..."
They shared a smile with one another briefly.
"So, are you ready to go?" Taylor asked.
"Yeah, just let me get my purse then we can go..."
Taylor nodded his head in agreement.
Michelle walked into her bedroom and grabbed her purse and took one more look at herself in the mirror for confidence. She then walked out of her bedroom shutting the lights off, and headed to her front door entrance again.
Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Taylor turned his head and saw Michelle standing before him ready to go.
"Shall we?...." Taylor held out his hand to Michelle while smiling broadly at her.
"Let's go..." Michelle placed her hand in Taylor's and Taylor lead them outdoors to his car.
---
Staples Center - Downtown Los Angeles
Taylor and Michelle arrived at the Staples Center and walked hand-in-hand into the venue. Michelle was so stoked to see U2 play and she was even more stoked to learn that Taylor had scored them front row seats for the show.
They made their way down the aisle to their assigned seats for the show. Once they found them they sat down for a few minutes before the show started.
"I still can't believe you were able to score front row tickets for tonight's show! How did you manage to do this?" Michelle curiously asked.
"Well, let's just say that I have my "connections." Taylor said with a mischievous smile plastered upon his face.
"Oh, really?" Michelle answered back in a playful tone.
"Yeah....."
Michelle nervously bit her lip as she smiled playfully to Taylor. Taylor found her sudden shyness very cute. He couldn't help but smile at her and laugh with her.
Eventually the lights in the stadium began to dim signaling to the audience that the show was about to start.
U2 were now on stage getting ready to start the show.
Bono took his place in the front and center of the stage...
"Good Evening Los Angeles!" Are you all ready to rock?" the frontman says with such enthusiasm in his voice to the overly hyped crowd.
(Crowd goes completely insane with excitement after hearing those words)
(The band begins to play the notes to their song "Beautiful Day")
The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town
You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere
You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace
It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Throughout the concert, Taylor and Michelle sang along to all of U2's songs because, for once, they are the fans, not the musicians. It felt wonderful for them to experience the rush and excitement that a fan feels when watching their favorite artist/band play. They forgot what that feeling was like from the moment they both got signed to their respective labels. What made this experience even more gratifying to them was they were enjoying it together.
After the show was over, Taylor had a surprise for Michelle. He had arranged for Michelle to have a private meet and greet with U2.
Michelle was left speechless.
After meeting with U2 and taking pictures with them, Taylor and Michelle made their way out of the venue and into Taylor's car, and drove off to go get some ice cream.
After eating their ice cream at a small cafe in Downtown L.A., Taylor asked Michelle if she wanted to take a drive up to the Santa Monica Mountains. Michelle told him she would love that. Taylor drove them up to a secluded area of the Santa Monica Mountains, where they could have more privacy to talk.
Taylor parked the car. He looked over and noticed that Michelle seemed nervous. He gently placed his hand on top of hers.
"Hey" he said softly.
Michelle turned her head slightly, and her eyes locked with Taylor's.
"So, thanks again, for taking me to see U2. I still can't believe you managed to get front row tickets and that you arranged a 'meet and greet' with them. You're full of surprises, you know that?"
"Well, you mentioned during the tour last year how much you love U2 and that you've always wanted to see them live in concert..." Taylor rambled on.
Michelle stared at him with such wonder.
Taylor noticed that Michelle was staring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"You remember that?" she asked him with such astonishment in her voice.
"Of course. I remember a lot of things from that tour."
Michelle decided to put his memory to the test.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" she asked him in a flirty voice.
"Well, I remember you mentioned that your parents put you in vocal classes, when you were about three, after they heard you sing one of the songs from "The Sound Of The Music."
"Well, Julie Andrews is one of my favorite actresses, I love the way she sings."
"If I recall,you mentioned that too..."
Michelle scoffed playfully.
"I remember, as well, that you mentioned that your parents named you after a Beatles' song. Oh, I remember you telling me the story on how you and your manager Bob met."
"How did we meet exactly?" Michelle asked in a teasing tone.
She was now putting him to the ultimate test.
"A family friend called you to tell you that "someone from the music industry" was in Sedona and she was showing him some property as a distraction to keep him occupied until you made your way to him...."
Michelle was now fixated completely on Taylor, for she was curious to see, if he could truly recall the rest of her "discovery" tale.
Taylor continued, "The only problem was, your parents weren't home at the time and you were only 15 and didn't have a license. Plus you were babysitting your little sister at the time too, but you knew that this was your only chance to get someone from within industry to notice you. So you and your sister stole your next door neighbor's golf cart and you drove you and your sister down to where Bob was. You gave him your demo tape and he fell in love with it and he agreed to be your manager right there on the spot."
"Then you recorded your self-made debut album "Broken Bracelet". You named the record that because a friend of yours gave you a bracelet for "good luck." That friend told you not to freak out if the bracelet broke, because if it broke that meant that your dreams would come true and you would find success"
Taylor finished telling Michelle while locking eyes with her intensely.
"I can't believe you remember that...." Michelle said softly with her eyes filled with pure amazement.
"I remember more than you think...." Taylor whispered huskily.
Their eyes once again met and the sexual tension between them rose. Taylor leaned towards Michelle, their heads slightly tilted, and their lips met as they shared a kiss. Taylor wrapped his arms around Michelle and she had her hands in Taylor's hair. The kiss started off very slow and sensual, but then it quickly heated up and turned into a passionate frenzy. Before things got too hot and heavy though, Michelle gently pulled away. Both teenagers gasped heavily from the effects of the kiss they just shared.
Taylor grabbed one of Michelle's hand and clasped it in his.
"Hey" he whispered softly...
Michelle looked at Taylor and got lost in his beautiful blue eyes that penetrated through the barriers that subconsciously Michelle often put up to shield her from any hurt.
"You know, this would be the...third time, I think, we have kissed, not that I'm keeping count though..." Taylor said jokingly.
"Here, I thought you were" Michelle said back to him in teasing voice.
"In all seriousness though, I don't know about you, but that kiss meant something to me." Michelle stated with such apprehension in her voice, because she was afraid that Taylor didn't reciprocate those same feelings.
"I feel the same way too." Taylor said to her with such certainty.
"Really?" Michelle asked with such hope in both her eyes and voice.
"Yeah. I haven't forgotten about you Michelle, or the times we shared on that tour bus over a year ago. From the moment I met you, I instantly felt something towards you. I know this may sound corny, but you are unlike any other girl I have ever met before. I liked you before I met you. It was me who asked Stirling to sign you on the tour."
Michelle didn't say anything, for she was completely focused on what Taylor was going to say next.
"Like I told you a year ago before we went our separate ways, you're special. So special that there hasn't been a day that has gone by in this last year that you weren't on my mind, because you were. Every time that I got to talk to you on the phone was satisfying for me because I got to hear your voice instead of trying to remember how it sounded."
"Yes, though I have dated since we last saw each other, and I tried to give it my best to Natalie and our relationship, I couldn't, because she wasn't you. You're the one I want."
Michelle was in awe, because she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Look, I don't know how to explain this."
Taylor motioned with his hand the space between him and her.
"Attraction" Michelle whispered while cutting him off.
"Yeah..." He whispered back while gazing into her eyes.
"I don't know about you, but I'm excited to see where this goes. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you be my girlfriend?"
"Oh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear those words..."
They smiled at each other, until Michelle lost her smile and lowered her head down in sadness. Taylor gently grabbed ahold of her chin and lifted it up to have her eyes meet his.
"What's wrong?"
"What if doesn't work between us?" Michelle said with such anxiety in her voice.
Taylor was confused a bit by what she meant by that. After noticing the look of confusion upon Taylor's face, Michelle realized she wasn't clear with her words, so she went into further detail...
"What I mean by that is, how we are going to be able to have a relationship, if we live miles away from each other? Yes, you and your brothers are in L.A. for the time being, but Tulsa is your home and it always will be. Plus let's not forget that we have our own careers that will eventually lead us to our separate tours. I want to be with you so badly, but I don't know if we can be given the circumstances."
"Well, then we'll make it work somehow." Taylor said with such optimism.
Michelle still had her doubts. Sensing that, Taylor boldly asked Michelle a question.
"Michelle....." Taylor said while he placed one of his hands upon Michelle's face, gently caressing her cheek.
"Do you want to be with me?" he softly asked her.
Michelle looked into Taylor's eyes and felt the connection between them. That alone was enough to have her take a leap of faith.
"Yes, I do. More than anything...." she whispered to him.
The two young teenagers shared a warm genuine smile with one another and shared another kiss, more tender and tame than their previous one.
They spend the rest of the night talking about music and their hobbies while occasionally making out.
It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning, that Taylor finally took Michelle home.
"Sorry, I kept you out so late." he stated.
"Don't be. I had a great time. Thank you for taking me out."
"Well, you're welcome..."
Taylor leaned in and gave Michelle another kiss.
"So, I'll call you later?" Taylor asks
"Sure..." Michelle simply stated back.
"Goodnight." Taylor said to Michelle.
"Goodnight." Michelle replied back to him.
Once Taylor was out her view, Michelle went into her apartment and shut the door behind her. She leaned her head against the door and sighed happily.