She is Taylor, his Taylor. He declares as he stares at her.
His eyes cannot be playing tricks on him, can they? He knew he didn't even have much to drink compared to other days, he just had a few bottles, but if he's seeing things, then that means he's doomed, lost without recovery. He prays that it will not be like one of the many dreams of Taylor he's had to wake up from in the past years, how frustrated he had been then.
Longing for her, craving her, but not having her, he'd wake up some night certain what he'd seen was real, but only to be reminded of the reality that it wasn't. Those were his nightmare, his hell and his torture, being genuinely happy only to be thrust back into a world where only sadness exists.
But here she is now, standing in his office and he quickly shakes his head and pinches himself.
Yes, this is completely real.
He is certain he's gawking at her like a predator staring at its prey from a distance before lunching at them, but he can't really help it. She's in a red long-sleeved top exposing just a little of her cleavage and a red short skirt reaching a little above her knee and she is on a black four heels and making her legs longer. Her makeup is moderate, her face sharp with the foundation and powder and a fading blush making her look gorgeous as hell and her lip is red and shiny and Rory wants nothing more than to capture them between his lips.
Apart from the fact that she's Taylor, she is also looking breathtaking as well. She's grown into a different woman and if he didn't know her well before, he wouldn't have been able to recognize her now.
'It has been four years right?' He thought to himself, 'Wow, how times fly.
Her eyes as he recalled used to be sky blue but now are grey, her straight blonde hair is now in a brown and curly form and there also is a huge difference in the appearance of the Taylor he uses to know which is the fact that she is no longer using her glasses, which was one of the things he adored about her. Nevertheless, he thinks she still looks beautiful and amazing as always.
These last four years seems to have built her up in sense of body curves, she is rounder, and her curves are full and visible even in her red skirt which because of the colour, highlights her perfect and long legs in her high heels making her look like a real badass.
My eyes can't be deceiving me again, can they? He thinks to himself. All these features in Taylor seem too good to be real.
He pinches himself again, hoping this time would further confirm that he's not dreaming.
And he's not!
She is Taylor alright, but maybe a different Taylor and the fact that she still looks amazing beyond imagination is a bonus to her perfection.
She's staring at him, not in a friendly manner, not even in a happy way. She's just staring at him, her emotions almost extinct as though staring at a brick wall and not a person.
He, on the other hand, knows he's going to go crazy if she keeps staring at him and says nothing at all.
"You can stop staring at me like I'm some damn clown, Mr Gate." She orders, rolling her eyes in irritation and stepping further into the room and he can't help laughing this is.
She is still she Taylor he uses to know, straightforward and not caring about stepping on boundaries, the Taylor that had him tied down the past four years waiting for her to return to him. She was the Taylor he met at the hotel for the first time and he felt drawn to her charms and wit, the Taylor he met for the second time who called him an arrogant son of a bitch. This is the Taylor he loved!
And maybe the Taylor he use to know and who used to love him still exists in there.
"I'm just overwhelmed." He admits honestly and covers his face up with both of his palms and after a minute of solemn silence, he asks, "What are you doing here?" his brow rises curiously at her, he might be a little drunk, but he certainly was not dumb.
What happened between them may have been the best thing he ever had, but they had a very messed up and nasty end and there were tears, hurt and pain, the tears and pain mostly coming from her. He doesn't like to think about how terrified she was of him during those terrible times and those were times he wished he could rewrite, but he couldn't.
So after everything that had happened between them, he knows she'll not just come to pay, him a visit out of the goodness of her heart.
No one is that pure in heart.
Her eyes dim a little, but she shrugs, "Ask Mrs Melinda Gate."
His eyes darken and his brain goes blank a little as she says those words. What did that evil monster do to bring Taylor over now? "What did she do this time?" he blurts out before stopping himself.
"She asked for my help to save the company from crashing since that's what you're planning for it." She replies without even stressing herself to think, her eyes not wavering from him.
He should have known better, Taylor couldn't have come from the goodness of her heart, and thank God he didn't even consider that possibility. "So the wicked witch thought you'd do better at saving it then?" he asks, in a challenging tone, his temper rising.
She doesn't answer and he takes it as a yes. "Since my mother has talked to you then she might have told you that I'm mentally not stable too."
"Yes, mentally unfit to be precise." She corrects almost immediately, and her reply does hurt him like hell.
He looks into her eyes which are staring into his as well and he asks, "Do I seriously look like a mentally unstable man?"
She studies him with scrutiny, her eyes squint for a moment as she looks at him. He does look like a sane man and if she didn't search and keep tabs on him, she wouldn't have believed he was mentally unstable. He looks decent with his clothing, an expensive black suit, tie, fashionably styled hair trimmed beard, red lips, green eyes. Yeah, he is handsome and without effort, she admits to herself, he's always been blessed with that factor, unlike a few men.
She casually shrugs, "Looks can be deceiving at times, Mr Gate."
He sighs defeated and get up from his seat and move away from his desk towards her. "And here I was thinking you came to pay, me a visit."
She gives him a ridiculous look, "Mr Gate, don't be rid-"
Not wanting to get shut down by her words, he asks instead. "Why are you here?"
"To meet my business partner and to be able to create a good working relationship between us." She replies and confidently strolls into the office and he can't seem to help or ignore the way her hips sway as she walks towards his desk opposite where he's standing. She stares down at the files on the desk then up at him, "can I expect a good working relationship from you, Mr Gate?"
'You'll get a relationship alright; I'm just not sure it's going to end in the office.' He thinks to himself. "Well, that's if I can expect the same from you as well."
The curve of her lips lifts and a dubious smirk appears on her face. "Rest assured you will." And with that, she begins to walk out of his office and his heart clench in his chest and the air around him gets thinner. He can't just let her go, not just yet.