Sequel: White Lilies ›
Black Roses
Part Eighteen
Taylor wandered outside into the garden. She sat on the bench, vodka and coke clutched in her hand.
It was 11:45pm…15 minutes until midnight, everyone was inside laughing and joking while Bob kicked Frank’s ass on some racing game.
“Happy New Year Aunt Tammy,” she whispered, raising her glass and looking up to the star filled sky.
Quarter to 12 and Taylor had gone missing.
Haley sighed and sipped her drink. She couldn’t believe Taylor was being like this, she hardly knew anyone in the room and her cousin just upped and left.
She missed her Aunt too.
The empty space next to her on the couch dipped, she looked up to see the cute guy wearing glasses and a gorgeous smile had sat next to her.
“Hey,” he greeted, pushing a strand of his dirty blonde hair out of his beautiful dark eyes.
“Hi,” she shrugged.
“Sooo…” he started, looking for a conversation. “You like pirates?”
She laughed. “How’d you guess?”
“Frank you’re crap at this game,” Bob joked as Frank crashed his car for the 7th time. “Next victim!” he called as ‘Game Over’ flashed up on the screen.
Frank laughed and got to his feet. “Haley, you know where Tay is?” he asked interrupting Haley and Mikey’s in-depth conversation on if pirates still ruled the seas.
“I’m not sure,” she shrugged turning back to face Mikey.
“Aimee?” she also didn’t know “Charlotte? Ella?”
Ella managed to drag herself from Gerard for a couple of seconds “I think she went outside.”
Frank frowned and checked his watch. 11:55. “5 minutes people!” he smiled making his way to the back door. Bob turned the video game off to watch the countdown to midnight and the fireworks on MTV.
“Taylor?” Frank called stepping out of the warm and into the cold suddenly getting the urge to have a cigarette.
“Over here,” a small voice to his left answered.
He glanced over to the direction it had come from to see Taylor shivering on the bench.
“You okay?” he asked sitting next to her.
She looked up at him, tears lining her eyes. “I miss her.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and she buried her face in his neck. His stomach filled with butterflies as he thought about what he’d been planning ever since they had put the past behind them.
“Come on,” he whispered wiping the tears off her cheeks “Lets go inside, there’s only a few more minutes until a brand new year!”
Looking up at his goofy smile she managed a laugh and stood. “What would I do without you Frankie?”
Ella was sitting on Gerard’s knee, Aimee had her head on Ray’s shoulder, Mikey was staring at Haley thinking no one had noticed, Charlotte and Bob were sat on the floor and Frank was seated on the arm of the settee with Taylor stood between his knees.
“I love New Year,” Frank grinned as he watched the presenter on MTV announce Green Day would be performing ‘Basket Case’ in exactly 50 seconds when it was 12am.
“Me too. That’ll be us in a few years time,” Gerard said as Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool flashed on screen setting up their instruments.
“Stop dreaming Gee,” Mikey laughed throwing an empty plastic cup at his older brother.
“Have faith Michael,” Bob smirked.
They all fell quiet as the MTV presenter began the countdown.
“5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Ella and Gerard, Aimee and Ray, Charlotte and Bob and even Mikey and Haley went into their own worlds. Making out to ‘bring in the New Year’.
Taylor rolled her eyes and turned her head to face Frank. His hands now on her hips and her arms around his neck.
“Do I get a New Year’s kiss?” he asked smiling shyly. Both their hearts pounded in their chests.
She leant forward to peck him on the cheek as they always did…instead he moved his head so their lips connected.
“Happy New Year Tay,” he whispered when they parted.
It was 11:45pm…15 minutes until midnight, everyone was inside laughing and joking while Bob kicked Frank’s ass on some racing game.
“Happy New Year Aunt Tammy,” she whispered, raising her glass and looking up to the star filled sky.
Quarter to 12 and Taylor had gone missing.
Haley sighed and sipped her drink. She couldn’t believe Taylor was being like this, she hardly knew anyone in the room and her cousin just upped and left.
She missed her Aunt too.
The empty space next to her on the couch dipped, she looked up to see the cute guy wearing glasses and a gorgeous smile had sat next to her.
“Hey,” he greeted, pushing a strand of his dirty blonde hair out of his beautiful dark eyes.
“Hi,” she shrugged.
“Sooo…” he started, looking for a conversation. “You like pirates?”
She laughed. “How’d you guess?”
“Frank you’re crap at this game,” Bob joked as Frank crashed his car for the 7th time. “Next victim!” he called as ‘Game Over’ flashed up on the screen.
Frank laughed and got to his feet. “Haley, you know where Tay is?” he asked interrupting Haley and Mikey’s in-depth conversation on if pirates still ruled the seas.
“I’m not sure,” she shrugged turning back to face Mikey.
“Aimee?” she also didn’t know “Charlotte? Ella?”
Ella managed to drag herself from Gerard for a couple of seconds “I think she went outside.”
Frank frowned and checked his watch. 11:55. “5 minutes people!” he smiled making his way to the back door. Bob turned the video game off to watch the countdown to midnight and the fireworks on MTV.
“Taylor?” Frank called stepping out of the warm and into the cold suddenly getting the urge to have a cigarette.
“Over here,” a small voice to his left answered.
He glanced over to the direction it had come from to see Taylor shivering on the bench.
“You okay?” he asked sitting next to her.
She looked up at him, tears lining her eyes. “I miss her.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and she buried her face in his neck. His stomach filled with butterflies as he thought about what he’d been planning ever since they had put the past behind them.
“Come on,” he whispered wiping the tears off her cheeks “Lets go inside, there’s only a few more minutes until a brand new year!”
Looking up at his goofy smile she managed a laugh and stood. “What would I do without you Frankie?”
Ella was sitting on Gerard’s knee, Aimee had her head on Ray’s shoulder, Mikey was staring at Haley thinking no one had noticed, Charlotte and Bob were sat on the floor and Frank was seated on the arm of the settee with Taylor stood between his knees.
“I love New Year,” Frank grinned as he watched the presenter on MTV announce Green Day would be performing ‘Basket Case’ in exactly 50 seconds when it was 12am.
“Me too. That’ll be us in a few years time,” Gerard said as Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool flashed on screen setting up their instruments.
“Stop dreaming Gee,” Mikey laughed throwing an empty plastic cup at his older brother.
“Have faith Michael,” Bob smirked.
They all fell quiet as the MTV presenter began the countdown.
“5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Ella and Gerard, Aimee and Ray, Charlotte and Bob and even Mikey and Haley went into their own worlds. Making out to ‘bring in the New Year’.
Taylor rolled her eyes and turned her head to face Frank. His hands now on her hips and her arms around his neck.
“Do I get a New Year’s kiss?” he asked smiling shyly. Both their hearts pounded in their chests.
She leant forward to peck him on the cheek as they always did…instead he moved his head so their lips connected.
“Happy New Year Tay,” he whispered when they parted.