Benefits of a Broken Heart

Chapter 4 Dinner and Dessert

---Taylor's POV---

I stare at Austin as he crosses the room wiggling his eyebrows at me, making my face heat up.. I know this isn't possible for me.. but I can't help but feel like he is hitting on me. But he came here because of Michelle and I know there is no way he is choosing me over her. I mean come on.. look at her.. I'm trying to be pessimistic, just being honest with myself at this point.. There is no point in getting excited or getting my hopes up.. That's something that wouldn't ever happen.

I watched the door close behind him as I stood up and threw the cake into the oven to cook before setting the timer.. Then heading straight for the fridge to collect the pre-made salad along with dressings to set out. I walk to the table to set the rest of the food out as I glanced up and saw Austin looking irritated, which is sad because his smile was so beautiful. I can't hear what is being said but he is shaking his head before flipping the people off, then getting ready to walk into here before Michelle stops him by pressing her tiny body into his.. He doesn't stop her, which doesn't surprise me. She is half my size, I swear.. we are about the same height but my one thigh is as big as her, so no wonder.. I would pick her over me too. I can't help the tinge of pain that hits my heart at that idea alone because he was acting kind of like he liked me.. but like I said.. He couldn't have been hitting on me.. this is why I can't get attached.. because there is no way I would get picked.. like he said I look nothing like them.. he obviously came here for Michelle.. That's fine with me.. I have my career to get started and I should be proud because I talked to him on my own for the most part and that's something I don't normally do.. I couldn't be happier about that brave step for myself.

I look up again as I watch him shake his head as he walks past them, but with everyone standing up and following him inside. He sends me a small smile as I reciprocate it for him, but that look is followed by a glare from Michelle, then the rest of the girls.. great.. what happened now?

I sit down at the corner of the table but what suprises me is that Austin sits right next to me but Michelle is right by him as well. Once everyone is sat down at the table, Austin is the first one to say, "Thank you Tay for making this meal. It looks amazing." I smile at him as Michelle scoffs. "I can't have all this because of my diet.. it was too fattening.. I know you don't care what you eat Tay but I do." She spats at me as I don't say anything in response, but Austin quickly replies. "Well, that's probably good because I'm going to eat my share and probably yours because this is so good." I smile again as one of the guys looks at me from across the table, then winking at me, making me blush. "Soooo.. Tay.. how did you out of all people become friends with these girls?"

My eyebrows scrunch, before I reply. "Not sure what you mean by that, but Michelle and I were paired as dormmates at the college.. and when they moved out into this place they asked me to come along and I agreed." This guy nods before glancing back and forth across the table to everyone around, before Sierra speaks up in a playful tone. "Yea she is more like our stray that we took in." The girls laugh as I flip her off but send a small smile her way. "Well from this angle it looks like you guys are the strays if she is the one cooking for you." Austin says sounding almost defensive over me and I don't know why I would think that.. It must have just been a late night or something.

I hear the oven ding loudly letting me know that I have to pull the cake out. I stand up from the table, walking into the kitchen, pulling out the cake and setting it out to cool.. I can't help in this moment, feelings like eyes are on me and to tell you I'm uncomfortable is an understatement. I turn around as I slowly sat back down at the table, saying softly to the prying eyes. "I made a chocolate cake for dessert if anyone wants any after this.." I see them nod as the girls roll their eyes again.

"So.. Tay.. tell me.. what sport did you play to keep your thighs so lusciously thick.." The guy from across me asks bluntly, catching me completely offguard. My mouth drops open as Austin glares at him but Amanda replies. "She eats all the cake she wants." the girls laugh once more at my expense as I flip them off again. I looked at the guy across from me saying softly. "I was in private dance classes for years.. My mother taught them as well.. so I was helping teach after years with her."

"Very cool.. I love dancing." Austin says to me as I smile at him, but not saying anything in response, especially since I can see Michelle's hand caressing over the top of his leg as she glares at me. I don't know what to think about all these people throwing these looks and actions towards me.. I know my friends invited me to be here too, but I can't help but feel unwelcome right now. I quickly stand up and make my way to the sink, to start cleaning the dishes being left one by one, stacking them up for me. "You shouldn't be doing the dishes Tay.. you cooked." Austin explains as I shyly state. "I don't mind I swear."

"Yeah she doesn't mind, so maybe we should all go hang out on the patio again now that dinner is done." Michelle tells him as she grips tight to his arm. "I'm not leaving until I have a piece of that cake.. then I'll head outside.. did you want one?" He asks as Michelle quickly replies, "No I don't." He shrugs his shoulders before looking at me and saying "I figured she wouldn't, that's why I was asking YOU if you wanted a peice Tay?" My mouth open and shuts in shock with Michelle glarring daggers at me right now so I shake my head and keep washing the dishes. I think he can tell this but I'm not looking up to find out. I can tell from my peripherals that Austin moves away from me, but from the sounds of it, I would say he is getting a piece of cake.

I hear murmurs and whispers behind me as I just keep washing the dishes, until I can feel a presence behind me. I can feel breath feathering over my neck as I hear whispered into my ear for just us to hear. "So Tay.. We should go hang out later tonight and you can tell me all about cooking or whatever boring thing you like.. or better yet we could take some cake with us to really enjoy it together.. privately.." I can feel the goosebumps being sent across my skin from his comment. I glance back and it is the same guy that was sitting across from me.

"I don't even know you.." I state as if it should be obvious why I'm shutting down his advances. "I'm Lewis.. and let me tell you Tay.. I want to eat a piece of cake off of that ass of yours." My mouth drops open as I see him wink before chugging the rest of his beer in his bottle with his hand now on my hip. I turn back around, not even giving him an answer. I keep washing the dishes as he leans in and whispers in my ear. "That wasn't a no.. so maybe later." sending more chills across my body as I glance back at him with his eyebrows still raised and smirking my way. I blush again, looking back to the dishes as I heard the rest of them heading outside. It's dead silent in here besides me scrubbing the dishes with the accompaniment of water splashing. The music gets turned up louder as I let out a breath. I didn't even know I was holding in.

"So why would you let those girls talk about you like that?" I hear from beside me, getting my attention as I glanced over at him even though I already recognized his voice. Austin with his muscular broad frame, leans against the counter eating my cake, making it look better than it even did before. He is handsome in every sense of the word, but I'm sure he knows it with all the women throwing themselves at him. "They have always joked with me like this.. they are my friends." He scoffs at that comment. "Why would you ever want friends like that?"

"Why would you? You came here to be with her and them too.. You knew what you were getting into and you still came, so why am I any different? I'm sure I won't shock you with this, but I don't have lots of friends.. so who cares if they say something every now and then.. I know they don't mean it and I have had this happening to me all my life.. When it's not one person making fun, then it's another.. it's not a big deal." I spat without even thinking about it like a huge amount of word vomit because I surprisingly felt comfortable around him.

"Honestly, I was tired of her asking me out all the time, so I was hoping if I did this, just hanging out and was still just nice to her in class, that she might calm things down around me. But that doesn't matter because they don't talk to me the way they talk with you.. If they ever talked to me like that, then I would say something.. that's why I have been." He states, throwing his hands in the air as if he is lecturing me towards the end and I somehow feel like I'm in trouble, or did something wrong.

"Why would anyone every make fun of you?" He asks sounding almost baffled as I burst out with a fake laugh. He has got to be kidding, right? I look at him and his stoic face says he is serious right now. I look away as I say under my breath, with little, to no confidence, "Because like you said before.. I'm nothing like them.. I mean come on.. look at me.."

"I don't know what youre talking about." He answers without hesitation. I can't tell if he is serious or not, so I cautiously answer, "Already mixed colors is something a surprising amount of people don't like.. But I'm bigger than those girls in everyway besides height.. and we will just say in a nice way that people would rather be with a girl like her than a girl like me any time of day.. she is tiny and just oddly perfect.. and no matter what I do, I just don't fit into their idea of what beautiful is and it's ok..." He scoffs at that, acting almost bothered or irritated by my comment as he shifts his feet. "She is perfect to who? You?"

I shrug my shoulders, drying my hands as I turn around and say. "Yea of course she is gorgeous.. and everything I wish I was.. Instead of the curvy, mixed-colored nerd, who just reads, cooks, and goes to school.. I'm a lonely geek and nothing more.. She is the kind of girls that I read about in my novels and wish I was. Of course, people would want her over me.. The only way they wouldn't is if they didn't have working eyes." He scoffs with his empty plate in hand, as he washes it then retorts, "I have eyes that work just fine.. You're gorgeous.. and I bet everything you have is everything they want and that's why they treat you like this. Michelle is as flat as a board, and as sophisticated as one too." I instantaneously lock gazes with his as we stare for a moment.. What do I say to that? He thinks I'm pretty and all I can do is stare like an i***t. "thanks." I say to him so quietly that I don't even know if he heard it. "Tay.." He says scooting across the counter, slowly getting closer to me as my heart rate increases for ever milimeter closer he gets to me. But I don't move a muscle. That is until I hear the door open as Michelle runs over grabbing Austin's arm, pulling him away as she exclaims. "We are making a campfire, come on! Lets go!" He stares at me as he walks backwards away from me. But not objecting to her idea either. I just wish I could have heard what else he was going to say.