Take Me Home [sapphire]

Taylor pushed the door to the coffee shop open, making her entrance known through the door chimes ringing pleasantly in the air. Smiling, the daughter of Khione glanced at her watch and saw that she was exactly a minute earlier than the rendezvous time. She hated latecomers with a passion, so coming even just a few minutes late seemed like a huge crime to the girl. Feeling a little proud of her punctuality, Taylor confidently strode across the tiled floor to the familiar blond boy.

"Hey," she greeted, smiling, just as she wrapped her arms around Zach and leaned closer to give him a small peck on the lips. "I'm right on time. You didn't wait long, did you?" She hoped he didn't, because she'd feel like crap if he arrived some twenty minutes or more before she did. Taylor never liked to keep the others waiting, seeing as she hated the feeling herself.

Taylor stepped back slightly, stumbling a little because of her heels. Yes, Taylor was wearing heels. "Damn these things," she muttered darkly under her breath, grabbing hold of Zach's arm to steady herself. They weren't even that tall, only being at around two to three inches, but wearing them already felt like hell. That was saying much, considering that Taylor had already ventured to hell and back. "I got dared," she explained simply, looking up at Zach with a grimace. "I wore them to shut Alex up."

Besides the heels, Taylor didn't wear anything else out of the ordinary. The rest of her outfit comprised of red-and-black striped shirt snugly fitting her figure and a pair of skinny jeans. Her auburn hair was brushed up in a ponytail as usual, though some stray strands fell by the sides of her face. She looked casual, much like Zach, with the exception of the heels. A little part of her was already regretting giving in to that dare, wishing that she had her comfy sneakers on instead.

Taylor didn't miss the smirk that rose to Zach's lips when she stumbled on the heels from hell. "Don't laugh!" she said, though she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Or smirk... or whatever... Don't get used to it. I'm never wearing them again. Ever." Pausing a little to grumble something about how dangerous heels were, Taylor let her fingers interlock with Zach's and she chuckled softly at his compliment. "Thanks, Tarzan. You're looking pretty handsome yourself."

Taylor swallowed thickly, but it wasn't directed at Zach's lack of plans. Well, she did have a plan, but now didn't seem like a good time to voice it. As if to prove her point, a soft grumbling sound filled the air at that precise moment. "It's fine. Let's grab a quick dinner first," she suggested, grinning sheepishly. Yep, food first, then she'll tell Zach. That sounded like a good idea.

"Nervous? Why would I be?" Taylor asked, a little surprised, though the words left her lips a little too quickly. She wasn't nervous, was she? She took a deep breath. Go, Tay, you can do this, she encouraged herself. "Maybe it's just the battle some ages ago," she told Zach, managing a small smile. Because there was simply no way that Taylor should be nervous now... right?

Taylor smacked her lips as they entered the pizzeria. Yum, pizza. "Make it three - wait, never mind. One will be enough," she quickly caught herself. Normally, Taylor would order a whole box or something, but with her so-called plan, she didn't think it would be a good idea to order that much food.

The daughter of Khione's hand went to her pocket, pulling out a crisp twenty dollar bill. "I'm paying," she announced quickly. "I don't even remember how much I even owe you."

When Zach refused to take the money, Taylor opened her mouth but closed it without saying anything. She looked down on the bill, staring at it for a few moments before stuffing it back in her pocket. Fine. Let him pay for now. She should've just went straight to the counter and ordered them the pizza without giving him a chance to pay. Making a mental note to do that in the future, Taylor walked up to the nearest booth, trying to ignore the irritating clicking noises her heels made. Drumming her fingers across the edges of the table (the motion either a product of her ADHD or just her nerves), Taylor let her lips twitch up into a smile as Zach came back with food. That had to be the most awesome sight ever. The love of her life and pizza together. She cracked a grin at the thought.

"Thanks," Taylor said, biting into the slice. After allowing herself to savor the taste of it on her tongue, she turned to Zach and sighed. "You know, you should let me pay sometime," she suggested, chuckling a little.

Crossing her legs under the table, Taylor looked out of the window and watched cars pass by. "So... seeing that we don't have much of a plan right now, want to come over to my place?" she asked, pausing to glance once at Zach before fixing her gaze back to the window. Only then did she realized how awkward it sounded, and she cleared her throat before continuing, "I mean the place I lived before I got to camp. Just an idea, since you already brought me to your house once, so I figured I'd repay the favor." As she talked, her fingers drummed across the surface of the table at a faster rate, but she didn't realize. She was too preoccupied with waiting for Zach's answer.

"Fine, I'll just wait until you're broke. Then I'll finally get the chance to pay you back," Taylor said with a small smirk, finding the idea brilliant.

Taylor tensed, her fingers ceasing to move altogether as she caught a glimpse of the pinkness on Zach's cheeks. Color rose to her cheeks as well. Okay, time to drop the act. Zach already figured it out. Stuffing her mouth with pizza to spare her from speaking, Taylor continued to gaze at the car headlights as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Of course she knew that talking was inevitable, but nonetheless, she purposely drew out the time she spent chewing the pizza. Once she was done, Taylor mustered up the courage to finally look up at Zach.

"Well, I'm alright with it, but if you don't think it's the right time..." she trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed with what she had just suggested. "Er... if you don't want to, we can just forget I said anything," she said, shifting uncomfortably on her seat. Gods, how embarrassing.

"Okay," Taylor said with a slight nod. Her face still felt hot and it was just so unnerving because she was more accustomed to a lower body temperature as a daughter of Khione. She stared at Zach for a few moments, her lips already curling up into a smile, when she had an intriguing thought.

Taylor didn't get how nonchalant Zach seemed. He looked a little nervous but that was it. "You have... er... experience?" she asked tentatively just as she finished her pizza. She didn't realize that her heart already started racing, just proving her nervousness even more. It didn't really matter to her if he did, but she was honestly just curious.

"Oh," Taylor could only say. The answer had been something she expected, given Zach's not-so-clean track record. "Okay, at least one of us isn't new to this..." Having finished her drink, Taylor set the plastic glass down and threw it away with her now empty plate. She sighed deeply, slid off the booth and offered Zach her hand. Though she didn't realize it, her skin felt a little colder to the touch than normal.

"Let's," she said, voice fuller than before. Taylor was still as nervous as heck, but some of that feeling had already dissipated. Besides, what should she nervous about anyway? With that in mind, Taylor allowed a grin to form on her lips. "It's a little far from here. We're taking a cab."

Shaking her head but smiling all the same, Taylor pushed Zach away to lean toward the driver (who was rolling his eyes at them, by the way). After telling him the address, Taylor noticed the man's slight surprise as he twisted on his seat to throw her a weird look. "Just take us there," she said, and the man shrugged to himself before hitting the gas.

The car ride was long and rather uneventful. Taylor had her eyes on the window, the sense of nostalgia washing over her as she realized that she recognized some of the sights. The last time she saw them was four years ago when her father drove her to camp. Ignoring the hollow feeling she got at the thought of her late parent, Taylor turned away and leaned back against Zach's chest, finding the steady beat of his heart rather reassuring.

It was a full forty five minutes until the car finally slowed into a stop. Before Zach could do anything, Taylor quickly pulled out some bills from her pocket and handed it to the driver. Smirking triumphantly at Zach, she gave him a slight push to get him out of the car before following herself. As the cab sped away, Taylor took Zach's hand and led him to the door, quickly unlocking it with a key she fished out of her pocket. It was the same key her father gave her long ago when he told her to come in case there was an emergency.

Thankful that the locks haven't been changed, Taylor pushed the white door open and led Zach in. The sight stunned her a little. It looked surprisingly well-kept. "Uncle Jazz must be sending someone to clean every once in a while," she mumbled, letting her eyes wander around. "So, what do you think? The place is technically mine now, ever since... yeah."

"You're just saying that because you know that I'll kick you out if you say anything bad about it," Taylor said jokingly, raising her eyebrows at Zach as he drew closer to her. She relaxed in his hold, letting her own arms entwine around his neck. The feeling was nice. It spoke of being safe. It brought her a sense of security that she wouldn't admit that she needed. Only Zach can give her that.

A shiver ran through Taylor's spine at the ticklish sensation from the feel of his breath against the shell of her ear. If Zach wanted her to change her mind, the gesture certainly wasn't helping that cause. Rolling her eyes, Taylor leaned up on the tips of her toes and used a hand to tilt his face close to hers. She met his lips with her own, the kiss soft and tentative. Seconds later she pulled back a little, her eyes still closed and her nose touching Zach's. She only breathed her next words. "What do you think, Tarzan?"