Famous Most Wanted

When Johnny surfaced mid afternoon the next day, he stood and looked around their new home, much like he did their second day at the cottage. The kitchen was open plan, much like the cottage, so once again, Taylor observed Johnny and wondered what was going trough his head. Only this time she felt comfortable asking him.

'I Don't like it,' was his reply. 'This place just don't feel right.'

'I'm sure you must have a place like this yourself,' commented Taylor.

'I do,' he nodded. 'But there was something about Wales that felt better. Like a fresh start almost. Being here, in this flat that looks pretty much like every flat I've ever owned, just feels too much like reality.'

'Maybe that's what we need,' said Taylor, sipping from her mug. 'A reality check. We've been living in a bubble for the last two months. It felt far too much like a holiday. That's probably why we were caught so off guard with the break in.'

'I can't even go outside,' he muttered moodily, like a child. Taylor remembered his temperamental mood swings and prepared herself for a bad one.

'Good,' she said. Johnny glared at her. 'What? You need to be safe, Johnny.' He said nothing and stormed back into his room, slamming the door behind him. Taylor sighed and put her mug in the sink after she'd finished her tea.

Taylor was sat in her own room when the phone in her bedside table began to ring. Taylor yanked the phone out the drawer, half of her dreading answering it and half of her willing good news.

'Hello?' she asked quickly.

'Taylor,' smiled Vinny's voice from the other end.

'What's happened?'

'Nothing,' he answered. 'Just wanted to see how you were settling in.' Taylor sighed and relaxed on her bed.

'Things are alright,' she nodded. 'The flat's nice. Very modern. Johnny's being moody,' she sighed. 'He can be so difficult sometimes, I could strangle the bloke.' Vinny chuckled.

'Want to get out the house for an hour?' he offered.

'I am I allowed?' she wondered.

'Of course.'

'What you got in mind?'

'How about we get that coffee? Or tea? Maybe even a proper drink?' he added. Taylor smiled.

'Yeah, y'know what? That sounds great. Where should we meet?'

'How about The White Swan? It's closest to you and maybe we could get a bite to eat?'

'I don't think I should leave Johnny alone for too long, but a drink would be great. Thanks, Vin.' Taylor froze and held her breath. She hadn't called him Vin since they were an item. But when he replied he didn't sound awkward or annoyed.

'No problem. See you there in 10 minutes.'
They hung up and Taylor debated whether to take the phone with her. She decided to risk leaving it. One number was programmed into it and Taylor hated the idea of Johnny not having access to the phone if trouble arose.

She shut her bedroom door and knocked on Johnny's. No reply. She knocked again. She didn't want to go in cause then he'd see she'd put nice clothes on and get suspicious. She didn't want him questioning her.

'Johnny, I'm popping out for a bit okay?' No reply. 'I shouldn't be too long.' Still no reply. She heard the sound of his guitar. He was stubbornly ignoring her. Well at least she knew he was still alive in there. Taylor sighed and left the flat. She didn't have a car this time so she walked.
It was two O'clock, and when she entered The White Swan, Vinny was already sat at the bar waiting. He smiled when he saw her and stood, pecking her cheek.

'What you having?' he asked her.

'It's fine, I'll get it,' Taylor insisted.

'Taylor,' urged Vinny. 'What are you having?' Taylor smiled and looked behind the bar at what they had.

'Rum and coke?' she asked.

'Rum and coke please,' Vinny asked the bartender. They took their drinks and went to sit upstairs by the window.

'So how have you been?' Taylor asked. 'We didn't really have time to catch up.'

'I've been good,' he nodded. 'How are you coping with Carolina?' Taylor was surprised by Vinny's detached tone, then she remembered that he didn't like Johnny. She couldn't understand how anyone could dislike him.

'He is what he is,' shrugged Taylor. 'He's an arrogant rock star, but he's not so bad sometimes. Occasionally he can be really down to earth.'

'I don't like you doing this,' Vinny muttered, gazing out the window. 'I don't trust him.'

'He's fine, Vinny. Johnny's harmless,' Taylor scoffed. Vinny shook his head, eyes still outside.

'I just don't trust him with you.'

'Why?' commented Taylor dryly as she took a sip from her glass. 'It's not like you have a reason to care so much about me.' Vinny glanced up at Taylor. He looked regretful, much to her surprise.

'Don't say that. I care about you, Taylor. I never stopped.'

'So why did you do that, Vin?' she questioned. 'I'm not clingy, you know that. All I wanted was to see you outside of work but you made that impossible in the end. I don't understand why. Things were going great and then suddenly you drop me like a stone? I don't get it. We were happy. But you were just avoiding me. How can you avoid and ignore your own girlfriend, Vinny? What did I do wrong?'

'Nothing!' he interrupted. 'You did nothing wrong.'

'Don't give me that “It's not you, it's me” bullshit.' Taylor rolled her eyes away from Vinny.

'I fell in love with you,' he said. Her eyes snapped back to his and he lowered them. 'I was scared. I panicked and bailed and I've regretted it since.' He lifted his eyes to Taylor's. She chewed on her lip nervously. Several months ago her heart would have sung to Vinny's words, but now? Now they just complicated things.
In Taylor's head, Vinny was the obvious choice. The sensible choice. Like-minded, funny, charming, normal. So surely there was nothing stopping her from leaping into his arms right there?
A single thought flitted across her mind.
Johnny.

Immediately, her heart tugged stronger in his favour. He did things to her. He could quicken her heart with a single glance. Vinny used to do that. But Vinny had hurt her. She wanted to trust him, but he had really hurt her.
Taylor tried to Reason that so had Johnny, that, unlike Vinny, he was more than capable of doing it again. She wanted to believe so bad that Johnny could ever be good for her, but any way she spelt it, it still kept coming up bad.

'Taylor, I miss you,' Vinny tried, reaching forward and putting his hand on hers. She looked down at it and shut her eyes as her head and heart fought nail and tooth to be the victor.
Taylor slipped her hand out from under Vinny's.

'I don't know,' she whispered, shaking her head. 'I need to think about this.'

'What's to think about, Taylor?' whined Vinny. 'Is it him?' he asked. 'Has he tricked you in to falling for him?'

'I haven't fallen for him,' snapped Taylor, standing. 'Thank you for the drink, but I need to get back now.' Vinny caught her hand and she looked down at him. He looked calm again.

'Just think about it, yeah?' Taylor swallowed and nodded.

'I will,' she said sincerely.

Taylor unlocked the door to the flat and stepped in. She sighed, her mind elsewhere as she dropped the keys onto the kitchen counter.

'Where were you?' asked a voice as cold and as hard as stone. Taylor snapped around and spied Johnny on the sofa. His eyes matched his tone. Taylor rolled her eyes and turned her back. Johnny grunted and stood, pacing towards her.

'Where were you?' he repeated.

'Look Johnny,' Taylor sighed, rubbing her head where a dull ache had begun. 'I'm not in the-' Johnny span her around and she gasped. He held her up against the kitchen counter.

'You smell like the pub,' he observed. Taylor frowned. She wasn't even in there 10 minutes. How could she have picked up a scent?

'I've been in enough pubs to know what they smell like,' he explained, reading her mind.

'Johnny, don't be a dick.' Taylor pushed against his chest to get away but he pushed against her harder.

'You were with him, weren't you?'

'Why is that any of your business?' Taylor asked guardedly and frustratedly. Johnny also looked frustrated.

'Well, were you?' he urged.

'Yes! I was!'

'Why? The guys a arse.' Johnny was getting angry now.

'Oh, yeah. And you're Prince bloody Charming, aren't you?' Taylor got angry back. She shoved against his chest and he staggered back. 'You don't get to dictate my life to me!'

'Yet you're happy to dictate mine,' he spat back.

'Leave then, Johnny! Go on. Be my guest. Keys are there! Lock the door on your way out!' She charged past him and he yanked her back around by her arm. Taylor collided into Johnny and his lips sealed over hers. Memories of that night crashed over her like a wave and she found it impossible to stay afloat. Johnny was overwhelming, like always.

She kissed him back as his hands knotted into her hair. She wanted him so bad and hated herself more and more each time she imagined herself with him. He was the arse, not Vinny. Well, maybe Vinny was a bit of an arse, but not as much as Johnny. But since when was it a choice between the two? Who said she had to pick either of them? She could have a totally different man if she so chose. But Taylor knew deep down, it would always be Johnny. She was too far gone and for that reason, she hated him.
Taylor shoved Johnny off of her and marched into her room, slamming the door behind her.

She didn't hear a peep for 10 whole minutes and with a pang of sadness, she thought he'd actually left. There was a tap on her door and she sat up with surprise. So he hadn't left?
The door opened a moment later and Johnny shuffled in, watching the floor. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

'Can I sit down?' Taylor nodded and he perched on the bed. Both were silent for an unbearable minute.

'I hate it when we fight,' admitted Johnny, chancing a glance at Taylor. For a moment she felt like they were truly a couple, having another row. Was this really what was in store for her if she chose Johnny?
Taylor shook her head.

'I'm glad we did,' she said. Johnny blinked and watched her carefully. 'It was the reality check I needed.' She looked up at him. 'Look, Johnny. I don't know what you think's going to happen with us, but it's not going to. We're far too different and I'm not able to live the kind of lifestyle you live. I'm not happy not knowing when you'll come home or if you'll come home at all. I'm not happy knowing that if you did come home you'd be stone cold drunk and that we'd fight like this everyday. Cause you know we would, right Johnny?' she asked seriously. 'We'd fight all the time and I don't want to live in fear of you leaving and not coming back. I need stability. I need something built to last and, well, you're neither.'

'But I'm so much more,' objected Johnny. 'I can give you so much more than he can.'

'And with that comes the dread of everything I just said. I can't cope with that.'

'Don't get with Vinny,' groaned Johnny.

'Vinny loves me,' objected Taylor, wrapping her arms around her legs.

'He loves the idea of you. He had you once. He blew it. My turn.'

'It doesn't work like that,' said Taylor, shaking her head.

'He doesn't love you, Tex. He loves the chase. He wants what he can't have and he loves that he has to fight me for it.'

'And how would you know?' scoffed Taylor.

'Cause I'm exactly the same,' sighed Johnny. 'We're not so different me and him, but at least I'm decent enough to admit that to you.' Taylor glared into her knees.

'So what you're saying is, you don't want me, but you will if it means he can't? It's a competition?' Johnny rolled his eyes.

'I think we both know you're more than sport to me. I really do care about you, Tex. I'll be the first to admit I don't love you, and I'm sure you'd be worried if I did. But I don't wanna see you go back to him and get hurt when you could hold on just a little longer and be happy with me.' Taylor looked up at Johnny. She wet her lips.

'But do you really think we could be happy?' she whispered. Johnny nodded.

'You just need to give me the chance to prove that to you.' Taylor nodded, falling victim to Johnny's ways once again. He wanted to make her happy, who was she to deny him that opportunity?

'We have to be happy, else I'll be writing some angsty fucking songs.'