Alone Together

Rae, Taylor decided, was in fact a scheming leech. The black haired bassist smirked evilly the moment her feet crossed into the movie theater and her eyes recognized the man who was now somewhat her boss. Patrick stood close by her, sending curious glances between her and Taylor, who was standing a bit away from the group with her arms crossed and her face down.

“You guys ready?” Joe asked excitedly, bouncing on the heels of his feet.

Andy rolled his eyes. “Joe, not everyone is as excited about this stupid movie as you are,” he huffed.

“Hush, you whore. You’re just mad because they let me pick the movie instead of you,” Joe lisped, whipping out his ticket and skipping down to the ticket taker. Andy shook his head sadly and followed, his pockets rustling with the hidden sweets he was sneaking in.

Patrick bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck. “Alright then, let’s go,” he shrugged, turning to face the others. Pete and Taylor ignored him; they were both too busy trying not to stare at the other. Rae’s ears perked slightly and she tore her gaze away from the couple to look at Patrick, grinning.

“Lead the way, monsieur,” she smiled, linking her arm with his and following the path Andy and Joe had taken. She threw one glance back at Taylor and shook her head sadly.

Pete rubbed the toe of his shoe against the ugly carpet. “We’d better catch up,” he murmured, looking up at her through his lashes. She nodded and moved to follow their friends.

Pete turned with her, resting his hand softly on the small of her back. She gasped and shrank away, the pain and embarrassment of her shower flooding her mind. Pete instantly recoiled. “I’m sorry,” they spluttered at the same time, looking away with deep blushes. Taylor quickly sidestepped him, her hair whipping his shoulder as she hurried after the others. Pete sighed when the scent of roses filled his nose.

--

Patrick huffed and glanced at his watch, shoving his other hand in the pocket of his pants. “Taylor, we’re going to be late if we don’t leave right now,” he called, pacing her living room in annoyance. Evan and Hailey’s wedding was in a few hours and he had been assigned as Taylor’s “date.” Joe was bringing one of the girls from the band’s tech crew, and Andy was flying solo; Pete and Ashlee were meeting everyone there as well.

Taylor bit her lip and stared at the mirror, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “This dress…” she muttered, shaking her head sadly. Rae had bought it without her permission, claiming Taylor took too long deciding and that this dress would be perfect anyway. It did look good, Taylor would admit that…but it was just too much.

“Taylor!” Patrick called again, knocking on her door as he passed. “C’mon!” He rolled his eyes when he heard her muffled reply and stepped back to straighten out his ruffled jacket. His head jerked up when he heard her door click open. “Finally—“

His jaw slacked and he stared like a boy looking in the window of Willy Wonka’s first chocolate shop. “Tay, you look—“

“It’s too much, isn’t it?” she cut in, wiping her palms on her sides. “I thought it was, but Rae told me to wear it. I have a jacket I can wear over it—“

“No! Don’t! It looks…really good. You look beautiful, Taylor.”

She blushed and looked down at her feet, wiggling her black toenails. “You don’t have to say that Patrick,” she whispered. The dress wasn’t flashy or anything. Just a plain, pink dress. No biggie.

Patrick grinned and reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Ashlee’s going to be jealous,” he beamed. “Pete won’t be able to take his eyes off you all night.”

--

Patrick was right. Even during the ceremony Pete stared at the back of Taylor’s head, his attention on her instead of Hailey and Evan as they said their vows. His heart thumped in his chest as she sat down at their table at the reception in the seat across from him. Ashlee noticed his stare and let her eyes wander over Taylor’s innocent face, her eyes narrowing when she blushed and looked away when Pete caught her glancing up at him through her lashes.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Ashlee announced, reaching across the table and offering her hand. “Ashlee Simpson. Pete’s girlfriend.”

Everyone else quieted and Taylor stared at Ashlee’s hand. She caught her breath and looked up into her rival’s face, forcing a smile as she raised her own hand. “Taylor Barrie,” she said quietly, “Patrick’s landscaper.” Ashlee let her hand fall limp just before Taylor could touch it and retreated further into her seat.

“Oh. How nice,” she smiled, obviously forced. Her hand crept onto Pete’s thigh and he sucked in a deep breath, lowering his eyes away from Taylor’s face in shame. Taylor bit her lip and pulled her hand back, digging her nails into her palms and sitting back into her chair. Patrick patted her shoulder sympathetically.

Evan and Hailey made a grand entrance into the reception, with everyone cheering and wooting loudly and the deejay playing a party song, quickly switching it to the song for their first dance. They wrapped their arms around each other lovingly as they swayed under the lights and their loved ones stares, and everyone clapped when Evan placed a soft kiss on his new bride’s lips.

Taylor sat stoically in her seat as the night progressed, watching helplessly as Ashlee dragged Pete out for dance after dance after dance. He had barely gotten a chance to say hello to her. Patrick had whisked Rae out onto the dance floor and Taylor cracked a smile. They were dancing very close, grinding their bodies every which way in time to the music. They were having fun.

Taylor was not.

She sighed and took a small sip from her champagne glass, glancing over at Andy every once in a while. He had snuck in some comics and was trying to read them in the limited lighting. “You want to dance, Andy?” she asked quietly, aching to get on the dance floor.

He glanced up, looked at the people near the deejay, shook his head, and returned to his superhero world. Taylor sighed and nodded, resting her chin on her palm and turning to watch Ashlee violate Pete in her deep red cocktail dress. She groaned and closed her eyes, unable to wipe the image from her sight.

“Katie?” Gerard’s voice made her jump and she spun in her chair to face him. He smiled warily, rubbing his hands together nervously. “Uh, I’d like you to meet someone, sweetie,” he said quietly, looking back and motioning for someone to come forward. “This is Sylvia.”

She was gorgeous. Her hair was chestnut, like Evan’s, and her eyes were brown and full of warmth. She was somewhat short, a little plump, but obviously quite a happy woman.

“Katherine, you’re even more gorgeous that your father described you,” she said, and Taylor was surprised at the thick New York accent. She’d never really heard one before. “I’m so pleased to finally meet you. I can’t tell you how pleased I was when Evan told me you agreed to come. I remember telling Gerard—“

“Babe, I’m going to the bathroom,” Ashlee giggled, raising her voice so Pete could hear her over the blaring music. She adjusted her top, which had slid down during her grinding, and pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. “Be right back,” she winked, and sauntered off.

Pete sighed and slid away from the sweaty bodies, grunting when Jane danced by, totally solo and not even caring. His tired feet led him towards his table and he froze when he noticed Taylor was still there, her father and another woman with her. The woman was talking nonstop, her lips moving a mile a minute, and it looked like Taylor needed an escape.

“Excuse me,” he interrupted as he approached, smiling his famous smile. “I was wondering if I could bother Taylor for a dance.”

Her eyes shot up to his face, wide and alarmed before darting quickly around the room. Gerard beamed and patted Pete on the back. “Oh, go ahead Katherine. We’ll all catch up more later,” he winked. She opened her mouth to protest but the minute Pete’s hand touched hers he had all her attention and she followed willingly.

“Ashlee?” she whispered when the music paused as the deejay switched songs. She looked around once more, trying to see if the blonde was about to appear and tear out her throat.

Pete smiled and placed a hand on her cheek, gently turning her face back to his. “I don’t care,” he whispered back, slowly moving his hand down her body until it rested on her lower back. His other hand enclosed around one of hers and she instinctively wrapped her free arm around his neck. "You look amazing," he breathed. The music changed to a slow ballad, and the room was full of dancing couples. They were enclosed amongst the dancing people, and couldn’t even see the table anymore.

She wanted to say something, anything. They shouldn’t be so close. Ashlee would get mad. Andy said he would dance with her, he didn’t have to do this… But her thoughts evaporated in the air the moment their eyes locked and soon it was just Pete and Taylor, swaying to the sweet music, pressed together intimately.

His eyes grew bigger as his face got closer and he lowered his forehead against hers. Her breath became shaky and her eyes flew shut. Her heart hurt her chest, pounding wildly against her ribcage with each feeling of his breath on her face.

“Pete,” she finally whispered, forcing her eyes to open and focus on his face, still so near hers. His face tilted and his nose brushed against hers; his lips parted and his eyes started fluttering closed. She blinked back tears and leant forward slightly, shaking in his hold…

The soft music boomed loudly into the next song and they jumped apart, tearing away from the others arms and staring blankly at the other. Her eyes were damp and her lips quivered, aching for him to be that near again. His breathing was faster than the tempo of the song and his hands shook at his sides.

He took a step forward. “Taylor—“

“Don’t,” she pleaded, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Please, Pete, don’t.”

He froze and his expression was torn. She looked at him and shook her head, firmer this time. “Don’t do this to her,” she demanded. “Don’t do this to yourself.”

And then he stood alone, bouncing people all around him, hiding him in his shame.

--

Rae smirked at Taylor and nudged her shoulder. “I saw that,” she noted.

“Saw what?” Taylor asked tiredly.

“That little close dance you just shared with PLKW there. Looked nice.”

Taylor snorted. “Huh. And what about that dance with you and Patrick? That looked more than nice—that looked not at all innocent.”

Rae’s smirk widened. “Oh, it was not at all innocent,” she agreed. “That man is a hell cat when you give him a few drinks.” She brushed her hair forward, hiding her neck. “Two months and I still can’t get over how passionate he is,” she sighed.

Taylor scrunched her nose. “Ew. I don’t want to hear about you and my best friend having sex.”

“Sex? Who said anything about sex? I just said he was passionate.”

“Bouquet time! All the ladies round up!” the deejay drawled over the microphone. Giggling girls all stood up and hurried round to where Hailey stood, Evan standing a while away smiling wickedly with the garter he’d just removed from her thigh spinning around his fingers. Rae laughed and tugged Taylor up towards the rest, despite her protests. Hailey spun around, counted loudly to three, and threw her roses behind her.

The girls all squealed and reached up, cursing as it flew by and out of their grasps, and right into Taylor’s hands. She stared down at the pink roses and blushed, a faint voice in her head echoing, “Perfect happiness…”

Next it was time for the men to catch the garter. With a reassuring wink from his stepfather Evan howled with laughter and flung it into the crowd—right in Pete’s face.

The crowd all hooted their approval and supplied a chair in the middle of the room, dragging the blushing catchers out to it. Taylor felt herself being pushed onto the chair, the bouquet ripped from her hands. Pete was pushed to kneel in front of her, chants of “Put it on her!” echoing around the room. His fingers toyed absent-mindedly with the lace of the garter, and he slowly brought his gaze up to meet hers.

“Do it! Do it!”

“C’mon!”

“Do it!”

Everyone had delighted in the free liquor supplied that night, and it showed through their drunken shouts. Taylor nervously grabbed at the material of her dress, the softness doing nothing for her nerves. She watched as Pete swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and one of his hands slowly reached for the hem of her dress.

His hands were cold and she gasped as he hooked the garter around her ankle, slowly bringing it up. His eyes never left hers as his fingers stroked her leg, stopping right at her mid-thigh and slowly creeping back down. The crowd cheered when his hands reemerged and only one fuming blonde was not hooting her approval.

Pete smiled softly and stood up, offering his hand. “Was that perfect happiness, Tay?”

--

Her hands shook as she tore the garter from her leg, mumbling sweet curses when she nearly fell into the toilet. “Crum buckets,” she cursed, running her fingers through her hair and bending down to adjust the strap of her shoe. She’d have to face everyone sooner or later, she thought, so with a small sigh she unlocked her stall and stepped out into the bathroom.

The other women were polite enough not to stare at her as they tended to their business; adjusting their hair, washing hands, fixing their straps. She bit her lip and shoved the garter into her clutch, brushing back her hair one last time before pushing past the door to head back into the party.

Jane was waiting by the door for her. “Hey, Taylor!” she smiled pleasantly, matching her pace to Taylor’s as they headed to her table. “Crazy earlier, huh?”

Taylor forced a smile and faked a small laugh. “Insane,” she agreed, avoiding Ashlee’s glare from the dance floor. She shakily sat down in her seat and blew her bangs away from her face. “Guess I didn’t really make a new friend tonight.”

“She’ll get over it,” Jane sighed, rolling her eyes and flicking her short bangs. “It’s not as if you’re the first girl he’s ever felt up.”

Taylor blushed and stared down at the table, lifting up her hand to trace the delicate tablecloth. Andy was still sitting in his seat reading his comics and seemed unaware of their presence. Seemed being the key word; his ears twitched when Jane called his name, but he ignored her.

“Men,” Jane snorted, rolling her eyes again and smirking at Taylor.

“Yeah,” she choked out a laugh and bit her lip, glancing back out on the dance floor. Ashlee was swaying her hips and head side to side, with her back turned to the table. Pete stood in front of her, awkwardly bouncing along and straining his neck to look past her. When his eyes met Taylor’s they both looked away quickly. Ashlee noticed she was losing his attention and grabbed his face, pulling it close and causing those nearby to chuckle as she pulled him down into a distracted, heated kiss. Taylor’s heart sank and she started poking at the table cloth again.

Jane noticed. She smiled softly and reached over, poking Taylor lightly on the forearm. When she gained her attention, she grinned, “I’m going clubbing tomorrow. Just something I do, nothing weird, but I want you to come. You look like you need to get out some.”

Taylor opened her mouth to protest, but Jane cut her off. “No, I really think you should. Hailey and Evan will be on their honeymoon, Milo won’t go with me anymore, and Rae has plans with Patrick.” She sighed and glanced over at her three band mates, scattered throughout the room. She turned back to Taylor with a grin. “I think it’d be fun.”