It had been a year that Misty and Taryll had been together now, and they had grown so much closer. Taryll had finally gained Misty’s trust and Misty had learned to move on. They had decided they would get an apartment together, as both TJ and Taj had left the house as well.
It had been tough separating each others stuff but they finally got it organized and learned to love it there. Taryll had enough room to put his equipment and writing area, it was the first thing to be put into place. The both of them were just now starting to realize how hard it was to keep a love staying strong. The next week or so would test their strength...
Misty woke up to the sun shining in her face. She wouldn’t usually get up this early but it was Taryll’s day off from work and she wanted to surprise him with breakfast. She stretched then looked to her right as she did every morning.
She just loved waking up next to Taryll and seeing him so peaceful. Not hovering over a guitar or paper trying to reach a deadline that was almost impossible to reach. He worked so hard. His low tolerance for flaws in anything was apparent in his face, that looked older than his 22 years."
His bare upper body glowed as the sunshine from the window poured down on him. Slowly she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Then she got up and shut the blinds so the sun wouldn’t wake Taryll up.
Slowly she slipped out of the room and headed for the kitchen. She got out all the stuff she needed to make breakfast then put it in the oven. She kinda chuckled as she glanced down and saw what she was wearing. She was wearing one of Taryll’s long shirts and a pair of his boxers. Definitely a sight to see!
As she took the hashbrowns out of the oven and put them on the counter she kinda jumped as Taryll came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Watcha fixin’?" he says kissing her on the neck.
"Hashbrowns, pancakes, and whatever else you want.." Misty says grinning and linking her hands in his.
"Hmm..." Taryll says grinning and kissing her neck again, "Can I have you..?"
Misty giggles and says, "Taryll Adren! You shouldn’t say such things..heh" then she fixes him a plate and puts it at the table for him. She turned around to get her own plate and was astonished as she always was when seeing Taryll like this. He looked great walking around in his PJ pants and bare chest. Smiling she grabbed her plate and joined him at the table.
"I was going to try and let you sleep longer. You need some rest." Misty said.
Taryll swallows some food and says, "It’s okay. I wasn’t that tired anyway."
Misty says, "What do you plan on doing today? It is your day off you know."
"Well, maybe I’ll work on some songs..." Taryll starts...then he sees Misty disappointed look. " Or spend some time with you." He finishes.
Misty smiles, "I don’t want you to feel like you have to be at my every beckon call but you’re going to make yourself crazy working so much. Everyone deserves a break. Even you, Taryll."
Taryll finishes his plate and sits back in his chair crossing his arms. His eyes stared back into hers and he had a huge grin on his face.
"What?" Misty says grinning also.
"C ‘mere..." Taryll says motioning for her to sit on his lap.
Misty kinda laughs and goes and sits on his lap. He takes her in his arms and kisses her softly. "You’re always telling me what to do..but I know you do it because you worry about me. Sometimes though...you have to let me go . What I do is my job and I am very serious about it. We talked about this before we started getting into any of this serious stuff..." Taryll says stroking Misty’s arm and linking his fingers with hers.
Misty squeezes his hand, "I know Taryll, and I promised to give you space. It’s just I do worry about you a lot. You’re all I have, and I don’t want to lose that..."
Taryll smiles, "You have more than you think Misty, but if you feel like I’m working too much...I’ll take a break today and spend some time with you okay?"
Misty smiles hugging him, "Okay.."
She gets up and puts the dishes in the sink and goes and takes a shower and changes clothes. When she gets out Taryll is already changed and is watching a wrestling match on TV.
"Oh come on! Pin him, man!" he shouts.
Misty walks over and sits on the couch, " I don’t see how you get into this. I mean...it’s so fake! A whole bunch of big guys threatening to whoop each others butts...and making a fool of themselves in front of everyone.." Misty says.
Taryll turns his head and looks at her, "So you are saying wrestling is fake, huh?"
Misty says, "Yeah..."
Suddenly, Taryll picks Misty up in his arms and puts her over his shoulder. Misty screams, "Taryll!! Put me down!!"
Taryll just laughs, spinning her around then putting her down and pinning her to the floor. "Still think it is fake?" Taryll says grinning down on her.
Misty says..."Maybe..what are you going to do about it?" Then, she somehow gets him on the floor as she pins his hands to the ground sitting on his stomach.
Taryll laughs, "Whoa!"
Misty grins and leans down kissing him softly. Then suddenly Taryll’s beeper goes off. Misty’s grin turns to a frown and she slowly gets up and sits on the couch glum. Taryll sighs and looks to see who it is. He goes to the other room to call the person.
A few minutes later Taryll comes back and starts putting on his coat. He walks over to Misty and leans to give her a kiss but Misty dodges him. "Just go Taryll..." Misty says.
Taryll gives a surprised and sad look then walks out the door without saying a word.
Misty picked up a pillow and threw it across the room! Why did he always have to go when she wanted him to be with her? It was tough enough not seeing him when she was at college and doing other things, but he was always being paged or called in for something. This past month they had started to drift apart.
Taryll drove up to a big house that he had been used to seeing for a while. He had been going there quite often because he was working on a project with Cal Devons, who was a well know producer.
He walked up the steps and rang the door bell. Taryll was used to being welcomed by Cal when he arrived but this time he was greeted with a different face. She was tall, nice figured, and had a great smile.
"Hi. You must be Taryll. My dad has told me a lot about you. I’m Marie.." she says putting her hand out. Taryll reached his hand out and shook her hand gently.
"It’s nice to meet you ,Marie.." Taryll says.
Marie smiles and shuts the door leading Taryll to the couch and sitting down. Taryll sits down too trying to figure out what is going on.
"My dad wanted me to go over these papers with you. He’s doing business and couldn’t be here. " Marie says handing him some papers.
Taryll takes the papers and says, "Does he go over these papers with you often then?"
Marie nods, "I’m learning about this whole business as I go along."
Taryll grins, "Oh , I see. I bet your father is a great teacher."
"Yes, he is. He says the same about you though." Marie says almost flirting. She crosses her legs showing a bit of her thigh as her skirt rises. Taryll acts like he doesn’t notice and tries to keep the talk going.
"So how old are you? I mean you have to be pretty old to be helping out with this stuff." Taryll says.
Marie grins, "How old do you think I am...?"
Taryll just smiles...not saying anything...
Seeing that he wasn’t going along with her flirting she says, "I’m 19 and VERY good at what I do."
Taryll grins, "Yes, I’m sure you are. Listen..I should go. I have these papers and I’ll look at them at home. Ill talk to you later." He gets up and starts to leave.
"Taryll..wait!" Marie says, " Dad wants to meet you at the park downtown in 2 hours."
Taryll says, "Okay..." then he walks out the door. As he drove he thought to himself. The park? Why would Cal meet him at the park? To kill time he drove around town.
When two hours had gone by he went to the park and waited on a bench. He was suddenly joined by Marie. "Hi Taryll.." she says.
"Um ..Hi.." Taryll replies. "I thought Cal was going to meet me here.."
Marie smiles, "He couldn’t make it..so I am here."
She takes off her jacket which reveals her toned arms and figure. "I was hoping we could just talk."
"What is there to talk about?" Taryll said. Starting to notice that Marie was up to something.
"Well ...like...do you have a girlfriend?" Marie says grinning menacingly.
"Yes, I do. " Taryll says.
Marie looks disappointed .."Oh.."
Misty decided she’ll go for a walk while Taryll is gone, and the park would be a great place so she heads off to the park .
When she gets there she looks at all the trees...the little animals. Everything looked so pretty. Then suddenly she noticed Taryll sitting with another girl. Who was she?! She looked closer and suddenly she saw the girl lean over and kiss Taryll.
Misty’s heart sank to the ground and her first instinct was to cry, but she held it in and ran back home furious!
Taryll pushed her away, "Marie! You can’t do that!"
Marie smiles, "I just did.."
Groaning, Taryll gets up and says, "I don’t know what all this is about but I think it would be best if I don’t do business with you anymore. Take care." Then he gets up and walks away.
When Misty got home she ran straight to their room and fell on the bed crying. Was this why he was so busy?? Because he was with this other girl? After all the promises he made not to hurt her and to trust him? How could he?
Not knowing, Misty fell asleep tired from all her crying. She was awaken as she felt Taryll’s body slide into the bed next to her. She didn’t say a word and kept her eyes shut not knowing what to say to him.
As soon as she closed her eyes she was in another place. The place was quite familiar but she couldn’t make it out just yet. She was stepping out a door and she saw someone sitting on a couch. She walked over to get a better look and her heart leaped.
Her father was there with a beer in his hand and suddenly he threw it across the room. He was yelling muffled words to her and stood up throwing her to the floor. She fought him but he continued to hit her over and over. It hurt so bad and she just kept screaming. She fought so hard...he was shaking her now!!....
Suddenly the scene changed and she was back in her room but there was a tight grip on her arms. "Stop!" she screamed! "Daddy, please stop!! You’re hurting me!"
"Misty, calm down! It’s me, Taryll! I’m not your father, baby please calm down..."
She started to come out of the dream and stopped fighting and tears rolling down her face. She buried her face in Taryll’s chest shaking.
"It’s okay , baby. It was just a dream...try and calm down." Taryll said trying to comfort her.
She was still shaking and was clinging on to him for dear life. The dream seemed so real and it had been so long since she had had to relive that.
Taryll rubbed her back slowly and rubbed her arms. "Shh...it’s alright. He can’t hurt you and I wouldn’t let him anyway."
Finally she stopped shaking but was still kinda afraid. Then the visions of what happened earlier on that day played back in her head. She pulled away and stared Taryll down.
Taryll looked at her worried, "What’s wrong?"
Misty started to cry again, "Taryll..who was that girl today at the park?" she said choking on the words.
Taryll’s heart sank, she had seen them. "It’s not what you think. Her name was Marie and she is Cal’s daughter.."
Misty cut him off, "His daughter?! Taryll, I can’t believe that you would do something like this! You kissed her Taryll!!"
Taryll reached out to bring her closer and calm her down, "I didn’t kiss her Misty. She kissed me and I promise you that.."
Misty pushes his hand away and gets off the bed standing up. "Don’t lie to me Taryll. You promised me that you would never hurt me. That I could trust you and you would be loyal to me. You could have pushed her away but you didn’t!"
Taryll stands up too and walking towards her trying to stay calm, "Baby, it was too sudden. I guess I may have seen it coming but I didn’t think that she..."
"Don’t come closer to me Taryll! You lied to me!" Misty screamed..her face soaked with tears.
"Misty, you’re just shook up from the dream. You need to calm down and go back to sleep." He says moving closer.
Misty picks up a pillow off the bed and throws it at him, "I don’t need sleep! I need loyalty! Having you been lying to me this whole time? Have you been using me Taryll?!"
Taryll catches the pillow surprised and his temper is starting to show its true colors. He says a little sternly, "Misty! This is getting way out of hand. Calm down! First of all, I have NOT been lying to you. The whole thing with Marie is not my fault! Secondly, never in my life would I dream of using you. You mean too much to me..."
Misty stares into his eyes, "Don’t try and use sweet words to mislead me Taryll. I’m too strong and I can see right through them.."
Taryll starts, "Misty, please just listen.."
"No! I don’t want to hear about it!" Misty says.
Taryll tired and upset that they are arguing says, "Fine! I won’t tell you then! I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you but I can’t believe we are fighting like this!" Then he grabs a pillow and storms out of the room shutting the door hard behind him. Misty collapses on the bed crying into a pillow.
Taryll meanwhile gets a cover out of the closet and makes him a bed on the couch. What was wrong with Misty? Usually she was so understanding but now...for some reason she didn’t believe him.
Why had Marie done this to him anyway? Why had he not been more defensive..suddenly he fell asleep.
Misty woke up the next morning and looked to her right out of habit, but Taryll wasn’t there. Then she remembered last night. She hadn’t meant to be so outspoken but something inside her snapped.
She got up and walked into the living room hoping to find Taryll there, but he was gone. No note..no nothing. What had she done? Had he left her? No..all his stuff was still here and there was no we he would leave it here if he planned on being away for a long time.
She sat on the couch and pondered over what to do. Maybe she should call his brothers and see if he had been there. Yeah, she would do that. Picking up the phone she dialed Taj’s number.
"Hello?" he answered sleepily.
"Oh Taj, I’m sorry. This is Misty. Did I wake you up?" Misty says.
"Yeah , but it’s okay. Whatcha need?" He says.
"Well , um I was wondering if Taryll might be there." She said.
"Nope. Why would he be here?" Taj says a little more awake and concerned.
"We had a little ...well a BIG argument last night. I woke up this morning and he was gone. I don’t know where he went and I am worried." She says.
"Hmm. Well I don’t know where he is at. If he comes by though I’ll have him call you okay? Till then don’t worry okay? I’m sure he’s fine." Taj says.
Misty sighs, "Okay, thanks Taj. Sorry I woke you up. Bye." Then she hangs up and dials TJ’s number. Maybe he would be there.
"Hello?" TJ answers a little tired too.
"Hey , Teej this is Misty. Is Taryll there?" she says.
"Taryll? Nope, he isn’t here." TJ says.
Misty groans, what had she done?
"Well, if he comes by could you have him get a hold of me?" Misty says.
"Sure thing." TJ says.
"Thanks." Misty says, then she hangs up.
What could she do from here? She finally reached the conclusion that she would just have to wait and see what happened.
Taryll walked into his favorite spot to go when he needed time to think. It was a coffee shop that was Downtown. He ordered some coffee and took a seat by the window. He had so much to think about.
First off, why had Misty been so out of it last night? She usually trusted him but she seemed so tense. They had slowly but surely been drifting apart this last month or so. It was so hard to keep their relationship going when there was so many obstacles in the way.
Now there was a new one to work around. Marie. Why had she been so flirty with him when she knew that he had a girlfriend? Why hadn’t Cal been there like he said he would? Something really strange was going on and he was going to find out what it was.
Till he could do that though, he had to let Misty cool down and have time to think things over as well. Maybe they could talk about all of it tonight. He really missed being alone with her.
He took a drink of his coffee and the hot liquid went down his throat smoothly. It was the only thing that really helped on these early mornings.
*********************************************************************
Misty sat on the couch staring out the window. It was now 9 P.M. and the day seemed to just waste away. Each second seemed like an eternity.
Slowly, Misty got up and walked to her room and changed into some PJ’s. As she walked by her dresser, a picture caught her eye. It was a picture that her and Taryll had taken the day they went to the mall. Taryll had seen a photo booth and insisted they get a picture. Suddenly she started thinking about all the things they had done when they first started going out.
She remembered the time Taryll took her to that mall to go shopping for some new clothes. They had played tag in a toy store and everyone had thought they had lost their minds! That was also the first time that Taryll had ever kissed her.
Misty closed her eyes reliving it all again. She couldn’t even describe how she had felt. Then after things had gotten less hectic and her father had been put in jail, Taryll started spending a lot of time with her. They went to Disneyland, parks, clubs, and sometimes just stayed home cuddling and watching movies. Then things started getting serious and they got an apartment together.
Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe they should have waited. It had been a year, but maybe it was still too soon. Misty sat down on the bed putting a pillow in her lap and holding the picture in her hand. All of a sudden she started to cry. How long had it been since they had just sat and watched a movie holding each other? Or went out somewhere together alone?
Then she noticed the ring on her finger. She kinda smiled through the tears and took it off examining it. It had Taryll’s name engraved in it on the top. He had it specially made for her after they had been going out for 6 months. It was on Valentine’s day in fact that he gave it to her.
She had come home and found a note taped to her door. It was a clue to a treasure hunt, and after a bunch of reading and searching; she found Taryll waiting for her in the backyard with a dozen roses and the ring.
She started to cry more thinking about it and, suddenly, the bedroom door slowly started to open. Taryll walked in with his hands behind his back not saying a word. He looked at her almost afraid. He probably thought she was a monster after last night.
Misty looked up at him and slid the ring back on and wiped her eyes. "Your home..."
Taryll walks towards her, lays some roses on the bed, sits down taking her hand in one hand and wiping her tears with the other. "Misty...I’m so sorry about everything. About last night...about Marie, but I swear to you that I have not been using you or lying to you. Will you at least listen to what I have to say about what happened?...please?" Taryll says calmly.
Misty holds Taryll’s hand in hers and rests her head on his chest. "Okay , I’ll listen." She says.
Taryll holds her in his arms and says, "Okay, you see, yesterday I went to Cal’s house after he beeped me. When I got there, Cal was nowhere in site and his daughter, Marie, said he was out on business. I didn’t think much of it and looked over the papers and stuff with her. After a while though, she started to get flirty and I backed off and said I had to go. She said Cal wanted to meet me in 2 hours at the park. So after 2 hours I went to the park and Cal wasn’t there once again. Marie showed up...and that’s when SHE kissed ME. I told her I didn’t know what she was doing but she had to stop. Then I left and went home then you totally went off on me."
Misty looks at Taryll and says, "Taryll..I..I just..I didn’t want to have to hear that maybe you were seeing her or something."
Taryll takes Misty’s hand and brings it to his lips. He kisses it softly then runs his thumb over her ring. "Misty..you see this? As long as you where this I belong to you. No matter where I am even if I’m way over across seas, I’m still yours and only yours..."
Misty sits up and looks Taryll in the eyes, "Taryll..I know, but it’s so hard with you being so busy all the time. I can’t even remember the last time we’ve been alone together and had time to talk. I thought yesterday would be a great time to do just that but then you left. It seems like you always do that. I miss you so much..and I feel like we’re drifting apart...are we?" she says.
Taryll kisses her softly, "We’re not drifting apart Misty. We’re getting closer, but we don’t know it. Things like this make people stronger. Tell you what..tomorrow my brothers and I are going to be participating in an auction. It’s just for fun and for charity. The highest bidder gets to have any one of us for 3 days of total servitude. I want you to come with me so we can be together." He says.
Misty kinda smiles, "Well...what if you get a lady that is triple your age and she wants you to go club dancing with her? Heh"
Taryll laughs, "I’ll just have to remember that it’s for charity, and I’ll imagine that she’s you.."
Misty smiles.."Okay, I’ll come. I want a chance at this 3 days of nothing but you doing what I want! It sounds pretty good..heh."
Taryll smiles kissing her softly and pulling her close to him. "I really do love you Misty.."
"I love you too, Taryll." Misty says. Then they both fall asleep in each others arms.
Misty wakes up not sure why but, when she becomes fully awake, she sees Taryll stroking her face. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." He says smiling down on her.
Misty grins and says, "Good morning." She yawns and sits up. Both of them were in the same position they fell asleep in and Taryll still had his clothes from the day before on. She looked at Taryll and said, "I just want you to know that everything that has happened....I think it’s mostly my fault. I’ve been so stressed out because of college, you being gone, and I’ve been having dreams about my father a lot. I’m not sure why..but I think it’s just because of all the stress..."
Taryll reaches out for her hand and brings it to his lips then says, "Misty...it’s not your fault. It’s just something that happened. No one is to blame...and the dreams will go away in time."
Misty smiles and kisses him softly, "I hope so." Then she gets up and searches through her drawers for something to wear. "What time do you have to be at that auction?" she says.
Taryll stretches then gets up too, "Oh, in about 3 hours actually. I think I’ll go take a shower." Then he goes and disappears in the bathroom. Misty sees the roses still laying on the bed and picks them up, bringing them to her nose and breathing in. They smelled so good.
She quickly changed and got ready then put the roses in some water, setting them on the table. Then she fixed Taryll and herself, some bagels and orange juice.
Soon afterwards Taryll came out all dressed and practically ready. He came and sat down at the table grinning. "You look beautiful." He says.
Misty grins, almost blushing, and says, "You look pretty good yourself handsome..heh. You smell pretty good, too."
Taryll just smiles then the both finish their breakfast. Suddenly the phone rang. "Hello?" he answered.
"Hey, Bro!" Taj said, "So are you all ready?"
Taryll says, "Yep, sure am. So is Misty. She’s going to come with us."
"Good idea. I take it everything is better than it was yesterday huh?" Taj asks.
"Don’t be nosy, man.." Taryll says. Then he laughs, "No, I’m kiddin’. Everything is much better."
Taj says, "That’s cool. Well, TJ and I are gonna come pick you guys up. It will save us some time. We’ll be there in a few okay?"
"Sounds good." Taryll says, "Cya!" Then he hangs up and walks over to Misty who is brushing her hair. He takes the brush from her and says, "Let me help you with this..."
Misty kinda laughs but lets him.."Thanks.."
He brushes her hair slowly and says, "Taj and TJ will be here in a bit to pick us up."
Misty says, "That’s good. How long is this auction suppose to last?"
"Oh, I’m not sure really. It doesn’t matter really. As long as I get to spend time with you." Taryll replies.
Misty grins and Taryll stops brushing her hair, turning her around and getting her coat for her. Misty puts it on and Taryll gets his as well. Just then, Taj and TJ pull up in Taj’s car and they step out the door and get in.
"Hey guys!" TJ says with a mouthful of food.
"Oh come on Teej! Spare us will ya? We just ate..." Misty says laughing.
TJ laughs too, trying to keep the food in his mouth. Once he swallows he says, "Quick morning. I had to grab something for the ride, and don’t get smart with me, young lady!"
Taryll laughs, pushing TJ a little, and says, "Young? Yeah, you should be talkin’, and don’t YOU get smart with MY lady! "
TJ puts his arms in the air and says, "Hey , hey..I’m sorry..heh"
Taj says, "Hey you guys cool it. Don’t make me pull over and give you all a spanking. I can turn this car around right now...." Then he bursts out laughing.
Misty gives a puppy dog face and says, "Okay, Daddy...we won’t do it again. We promise...heh"
Then they pull up to the local exhibition center, where the auction is being held. They all get out and go in taking their seats in the front row. Taj says to TJ, "So how far do you think someone will bid on you? 1, 2, maybe 3 dollars?"
TJ frowns, "I’m thinking a little higher...but that’s the digits YOU will be seeing!"
Misty says, "Oh..Taj I’ll bid for ya."
Taj smiles, "Thanks!"
"Oh I see...just leave me out in the dust." TJ says.
"Okay I’ll bid for you too. Wouldn’t want little TJ to feel left out..heh" Misty says.
Taryll rolls his eyes and says, "I think it’s starting."
The announcer steps up and says, "Okay ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to welcome you to the auction being held tonight. All money collected tonight will be donated to the Young At Heart Children’s Hospital here in a LA on behalf of the Heal The World Foundation and MJJ Productions. Here are a few things you could bid on tonight. A private studio visit with Brownstone, backstage and concert passes to Men of Vision’s next concert, a shopping day with Rebbie Jackson, and to top it off ....3 days of servitude with 3T!"
The crowd goes wild and 3T just sit in their chairs, smiling.
"Well, lets get this thing started!" the announcer continues. The things for Brownstone, Men of Vision, and Rebbie Jackson go really fast. Then it’s time for 3T to go up and do their thing.
"Okay, first up is TJ!" the announcer says.
TJ grins and walks up to the stage and waves to the crowd. He was wearing some kinda baggy jeans and a white tank top...the girls were loving him!
The announcer continues and says, "TJ is the youngest member of 3T , but that doesn’t make him any less loved by the fans. He’s got a keen eye for bussiness and he loves to write music on his own as well as with his brothers. TJ is very athletic and loves basketball and soccer. He could have gotten to college on basketball but he chose music for his career.
This boy’s dream is to have that perfect girl. Maybe one of you lucky ladies are one of them? As TJ’s girl he would....well...TJ what would you do for your girl?"
TJ grins and walks to the announcer taking the mic and sings, "I would do anything, girl anything for you..."
The crowd screams and whistles and shows they are definately impressed!
"First bid...." the announcer says. " $2000 a girl from the crowd says. Hands shoot up everywhere and the announcer takes all the bids. Finally they come to a final bid!
"Sold!" the announcer says. TJ , still grinning, walks over and gives the girl that bid for him a hug. "So what’s your name?" he says.
"My name?..um..well ...it’s Emily." She says.
"Well, Emily..I look forward to 3 days with you. We’ll have a lot of fun..." TJ says. Then he walks back to his brothers.
"Okay..next is Taj!" the announcer says. Taj smiles and gets up walking to the stage. He was wearing black Adidas pants and a white T-shirt. When he got up to the stage a girl screamed out.."I love you Taj!!" Taj giggled and said, "I love you too.." back.
"Taj is the oldest member of 3T.." the announcer starts. "He loves video games, computers, books and yes....of course...girls! He loves music but guess what....the guys a little shy! So maybe during these 3 days you can turn Taj into a brand new man girls! Hah..So what would you like to say to the girls out here Taj?"
Taj walks up to the mic and says, "Give me all your lovin’ girl , give me all of you..."
The crowd gets excited again!
"Alright..let’s get started. The floor is open for bids.." the announcer says. Once again , just like TJ, hands shoot up calling out amounts of money. Eventually Taj is sold and the bidding stops.
"Sold!" the announcer says.
Taj goes over and meets the girl that bid for him as well. "Hi.." he says, "What’s your name?"
The girl smiles and says, "Shauna..."
Taj puts out a hand and says, "Well, it’s nice to meet you. I think we’ll have a wonderful 3 days!" Then he walks back to TJ and Taryll.
"Okay...last but not least..we have Taryll!" the announcer says.
Taryll gives Misty a kiss on the cheek and says, "See ya in a bit." Then he gets up and walks to the stage. He was wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt. Misty couldn’t help but watch him as he made his way to the stage.
The announcer says, "Taryll, the middle T, is the songwriter of the group and definately the bussiness man. With his high, smooth voice adding to his brothers harmonys, he makes every girl surrender to him! Now Taryll has a girl..but during these 3 days he’s gotta make an exception. So Taryll how often will spend time with the lucky girl that gets you?"
Taryll grins and winks at the audience, "24/7 I’ll be right here waiting for you..." he sings.
"The floor is open for bids.. " the announcer says.
Millions of hands shoot up and even Misty attempts to do some bidding on her man. Eventually it starts to come to an end and it looks like Misty will be getting him, but suddenly the phone rings. It is an anonymous caller and their bid is higher than Misty’s. Misty can’t go any higher though..so she is forced to lose to the caller.
"Sold!" the announcer says.
Taryll grins and comes back to Misty sitting down. "At least you tried..hehe" Taryll says.
Misty laughs, "Yeah I did..but I wonder who the caller is."
Suddenly both Taryll and Misty’s mouth drop open. "I’m here to pick up what I made a bid on.." Marie says.
"What are you doing here?" Taryll says.
"I was the caller, " Marie says grinning, "3 days of servitude...I can’t wait."
Misty gives Marie a kinda nasty look , "Listen here okay? I trust Taryll with all my heart. I know that he is only doing this because it is for charity. I hope that I can have the same trust in you and won’t have to doubt you."
Marie just says, "Thanks for the pep talk. I’ll meet you at my father’s house in a few Taryll." Then she walks off.
Marie walks away and Misty looks at her with disbelief. "Taryll, you’re not going to go through with this are you?"
Taryll looks at Misty and says, "Baby, I have to. It’s only for 3 days. Besides she did bid a lot of money. You know you can trust me right?"
Misty smiles and kisses him softly, "Yes Taryll, I know I can trust you. I just don’t trust HER."
Taryll smiles and says, "When I get back I promise that I’ll spend all my time with you. No matter what comes up."
Suddenly, TJ and Taj come up to them. "I think what we’ll do is drop Misty off at your guys’ house then I’ll just take you all to each of the girl’s houses." Taj starts, "If there is any problems we know Poppa T’s number."
TJ says, "Oooh I’m sure I won’t have any problems..heh"
Misty laughs, "TJ, you’re such a flirt."
Taryll just shakes his head, "Okay , sounds good to me. "
Then Taj leads the way to the car and they all pile in.
They reach Taryll and Misty’s apartment and Taryll gives Misty a hug. Misty starts to walk off but Taryll suddenly yells.."Hey, Misty!"
Misty turns around....
"I love you.." Taryll says grinning.
With a grin Misty says.."I love you too. Have fun.." then she walks in the house.
Each T is dropped off at each girl’s house. Taryll takes a deep breath and walks up to the door. He pauses before knocking....*Knock* Knock*
Marie opens the door and says, "Taryll! I’m glad to see you! Come on in."
Taryll walks in cautiously and Marie leads him to the couch handing him a drink and sitting down as well.
"So how did you know that there was an auction being held?" Taryll says trying to start a conversation.
Marie smiles, "Lets just say...I have some sources. Besides it’s charity right?"
Taryll tries to smile, "Yeah, that’s true, it is...."
" Was that girl sitting next to you your girlfriend?" Marie says taking a drink.
Taryll kinda fiddles with his glass and says, "Yes, it was. Her name is Misty..."
"Misty...hmm..are you all serious?" she says eyeing him down.
"Yes, we are very serious..." Taryll replies.
"And she’s okay with you being here...alone...with me, for 3 days..?" Misty says.
"We trust each other very much. I trust her and she trusts me. " he says.
Marie puts her drink down and scoots closer to Taryll, crossing her legs. " Do you trust me Taryll?"
Taryll looks away and says, "I don’t know. It’s kinda hard to after what you’ve done already."
"Hmm...3 days of solitude. What does that contain...would I have gone too far if I asked you to have a little candle light dinner with me?" Marie asks.
"I suppose not..." Taryll says.
Pulling Taryll up Marie says, "Okay, follow me." She leads him to the dining room and sits him down at the table. The table is filled with food and is lit by candles. Suddenly Taryll sees the lights get dim and he starts to feel a little uncomfortable.
Marie sees this and says, "Taryll, please trust me okay? I’m not going to do anything that your going to feel uncomfortable with."
Taryll relaxes a little bit and begins to eat. "Hey, this is pretty good. Did you fix it yourself?"
"You bet! I don’t usually cook a bunch but I decided to be daring today, heh." Marie says kinda giggling.
With a laugh Taryll says, "It’s really good."
After they have eaten, Marie says, "I’m gonna go take a shower and change into my night clothes. If you want you can watch TV or something. I’ll be out in a bit." Then she runs upstairs and takes a shower.
Meanwhile back at Misty and Taryll’s house, Misty is sitting on the couch worrying about Taryll. She trusted him but she was not at all going to trust that Marie girl. Just meeting her once almost made her lose her cool.
She changed then got into bed..hugging the pillow where Taryll usually laid. She would have to try and get through the night not thinking about them. This would be 3 nights of total stress.
Taryll ended up watching TV and after a few minutes Marie came back downstairs. He turned when he heard something and that’s when he saw her. She was wearing a silk, almost see through, nightgown. He quickly turned around and glued his eyes to the TV.
"Hey handsome.." Marie said sitting next to him. "What are ya watchin’?"
Taryll suddenly tensed up and said nervously.."Oh..um..just some music videos."
"Is that so..." Marie said stroking Taryll’s arm and kissing it.
"Marie, please.." Taryll said.
Marie sighed then pulled away. "Your room is upstairs across from mine. Take your stuff up there and if you need anything you know where I am." Then she gave him a sad look and went back upstairs to her room.
Taryll turned off the TV then ran his fingers through his hair. This was going to be so tough. Slowly he gathered all his stuff and went to his room. He changed into some PJ pants and didn’t even bother with a shirt. Then he collapsed on the bed and started to think about Misty.
Taryll woke up the next morning with something warm and quite good smelling, in his face. He squinted a little then tried to get awake, sitting up.
"Good morning.." Marie said.
Taryll took the plate that was in front of him and said, "Good morning...*yawn*. It looks good but aren’t I the one that is suppose to be serving you?"
Marie grins, "Yes, but I figured you’d need some energy to do all that. I’ll be downstairs when your done." she says. Then she goes back downstairs.
Taryll eats the breakfast then takes a shower and gets dressed. After he is all done, he grabs the plate and walks downstairs. He puts the plate in the sink and looks around for Marie. "Marie....? Marie..where are you?" He couldn’t see her anywhere.
Suddenly, he felt something jump on his back and cover his eyes. "Guess who!" he heard a squeaky voice say.
"Um..oooh...a monkey?" Taryll said giggling.
Marie jumps off and laughs saying.."No, silly! It’s Marie.."
"Oh, same difference..." Taryll says jokingly.
Marie gives a tough look then playfully punches him in the stomach. "I can play this game too!" Then she says, "How about we play a game?"
Taryll says, "Like what kinda game?"
"Like Twister!" Marie says.
"Oooh no..I’m not real good at that game." Taryll says.
"Then I guess I’ll just win all the time..’ Marie replies.
"I don’t think so! You’re on girl, let’s go!" Taryll says.
Marie gets the Twister board out and they begin playing twister. They both get really tangled up after awhile and they eventually get into a position where Taryll can’t hold himself up no longer. He suddenly falls, landing on top of Marie.
Marie looks up into his eyes in suprise. She really loved his eyes and they made her feel so comfortable with him.
Taryll stared down at her feeling a bit awkward, but for some reason there was something about her that he liked. He was kinda in a dream state for a moment but then, just like a brick, the fact that Misty was his girl hit him! He quickly got back to his feet and said. "Um..enough of this game.."
"Yeah....your right." Marie says putting the game away.
They both sit on the couch and decide to watch TV. Through out the day they watch a lot of TV, and listen to music. Then they go to sleep and wake up the next day. They do about the same things that day and when it gets to be about 7 at night Marie says, "I hear there is a scary movie on tonight. We could turn out the lights, get some popcorn, watch it. What do ya say?"
Taryll says,"I’m for it, but I bet you’ll get scared!"
Marie giggles, "I will not!"
"We’ll see..."Taryll says.
Marie goes and makes popcorn and they sit in front of the tv watching the movie.
Meanwhile, Misty is at home sitting on the couch as well. She was thinking about calling over to Marie’s house and seeing what she is up to. She knew something was up but she didn’t want to let Taryll know that she was there. After all, she did say she trusted him.
Finally, she decided she would just go down to the house and look to see what they were doing. It wouldn’t be spying..it would just be checking up on them. So she drove to Marie’s house.
Back at Marie’s house Marie was practically pulling Taryll’s arm off hiding her face in it. "Come on ! I thought you weren’t going to get scared" Taryll says.
"I’m not scared..." Marie says.
"Yeah right! Then why do you have your face buried in my arm?" Taryll asks.
"Um..cuz....heh" Marie says.
"Uh huh....I see haha" Taryll says.
Suddenly, Taryll feels Marie’s lips on his arms. He didn’t think much of it..maybe she just accidentally brushed them on his arm. Then he felt it again..but it was a kiss. He knew he was getting in deep now. She continued and eventually moved her lips to his neck.
"Marie..I can’t.." Taryll starts. But Marie puts a finger to his lips and starts kissing his chin then goes to his lips. Taryll is trying really hard to hold back, not even kissing her back at all. She continues though..and moves herself on his lap, kinda wrapping her legs around him. She finds his hands and moves them up her legs, up to her thighs, and up her skirt. Pressing herself against him she runs her hands up his shirt..that was it!
Taryll’s will power was gone and he started to return all that Marie was giving him.
Misty arrived and slowly walked up to the window. She would only peek then she would leave. Her mouth dropped open as she saw Taryll and Marie on the couch. Tears built up in her eyes and it took all she had not to scream. How could he be doing this?? Did Marie really make him that happy?
She quickly got back in the car and drove home. She walked in the house and burst out crying more. She trusted him not to do this and here he was doing it anyway. What was she going to do?
After a few minutes Marie pulls away and says, "Let’s not go too far, Taryll. Your girl might get mad.."
Taryll, totally awestruck by this all, just sits there then says.."We’ve already gone too far." He gently pushes Marie off him. "I think it’s best if we both go to bed now. I’ll leave in the morning."
Then he walks upstairs sitting on the edge of the bed. What had he just done?! He had tried so hard but there was just something about her that made him lose it. Should he tell Misty? He knew he SHOULD..but he didn’t know if he could.....
He had a hard time sleeping that night. He seemed to be waking up every hour on the hour. He had betrayed Misty and he knew it. He also knew that Misty wasn’t going to take this well at all. How was he going to explain this to her?
After what seemed like forever, morning finally came. He got up and took a shower then got dressed. He packed all his things then walked downstairs. As he walked down the stairs he saw Marie sitting at the table and tried to avoid her glaring eyes.
"So who’s better Taryll? Me or that Misty girl?" Marie said in a sassy way.
Taryll gives her a look and says, "Don’t even try and play mind games with me Marie. You’ve already done it once and I won’t let you this time. Misty means more to me than you ever will."
Marie looks at Taryll, astonished. Then Taryll goes outside and sits on the porch waiting for his Bro’s to pick him up. After about 15 minutes of sitting they finally show up. Taryll puts his stuff in the trunk then gets in.
"So...wanna hear about my 3 days?!" TJ says as soon as Taryll gets in.
"Oooh, no! Not again TJ!" Taj says giggling.
"Taryll hasn’t heard yet!" TJ says grinning.
Taryll says, "Not now TJ..maybe later."
Taj looks at him worried and says, "What’s up?"
"Nothing..." Taryll says.
TJ says, "Come on...I know how you work. Just tell us what’s wrong..."
Taryll cuts him off, "NOTHING is wrong!" Taryll shouts.
TJ kinda draws back surprised, then sits back in his seat the rest of the ride.
They drop Taryll off at his apartment and drive off. Taryll takes a deep breath then walks in. He doesn’t see Misty anywhere....
Putting his stuff on the floor he says, "Misty...are you here?" There was total silence. So he walked back to his room and then he saw Misty there. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and was crying. But why? She couldn’t have known yet.
Taryll sat down next to her rubbing her back trying to comfort her. "Baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"
Misty looks up into his eyes. Taryll could see that she had been crying for a long time. Her eyes were blood shot and she had tear stains all down her face. Slowly, she puts her hand to his face and says, "Taryll, do you remember the first day we actually realized we were meant for each other?"
Taryll, a bit confused, says, "Of course, I remember. I took you to the mall to get some new clothes...and we played tag in the store. Then we kissed..."
Misty with teary eyes says, "Exactly, and we’ve been together a long time now. We’ve enjoyed some good times together and I wouldn’t change anything we’ve done." She pauses...."Taryll, I love you more than anything in the world. I admire how you helped me out the first time we met. You have tried so hard to make me happy and in return I have done the same. You know that I would do anything for you. Even if it meant giving up a part of my life to make you happy. Taryll, you are that part and I want you to be happy. I saw you and Marie the other day..and you looked so happy with her. If she makes you that happy...I will let you go..."
Taryll is taken a back and can hardly speak. He found it so hard to believe that she was willing to give up everything just to make him happy. By now Misty was really crying and Taryll was trying to comfort her.
Misty tries to push him away but can’t and just breaks out, "Oh, God Taryll!! I don’t want to lose you! I swear!" She holds on to him as if for dear life. She was literally shaking.
Taryll wrapped his arms around her tight close to tears himself. She seemed so fragile right now. "Misty.." Taryll starts, "I really don’t know what is going on with me right now. I’m so confused...I don’t even know if I really have feelings for Marie or not. I don’t know what caused me to do what I did, but I really do love you."
Misty pulls away and picks up some bags she already packed. "I think it’s best if I give you space. It will give you time to think..or choose rather. " Then she walks out the door.
Taryll sat on the bed with his head in his hands. What was he going to do?! She had saw them and now he felt so bad. He decided he would call his brothers and try and get some help.
After he called them they both agreed to come over. It wasn’t that long before they both were there and everyone sat in the living room.
"So what’s up ?" TJ says.
Taryll takes a deep breath then says, "Okay...while I was at Marie’s...she made a lot of moves on me. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and I gave in. Misty happened to stop by and saw us. She got really upset and when I came back today she was crying and she told me we should separate for a while."
"Bro’..oh my gosh.." Taj says.
"But what should I do you guys? I mean..I like Marie..I think..but I don’t know." Taryll says.
TJ says, "You’ve goofed majorly Bro.’"
"You think I don’t know that?!" Taryll says.
Taj says, " Taryll, I’ve been in a situation kinda like this before. You have to kinda find out the good and bad qualities of each girl. You gotta find out who means more to you."
"Yeah, it could just be a one time thing and Marie won’t mean as much later. Maybe you just kinda missed doing that stuff with Misty while you’ve been gone.." TJ says.
"Yeah, maybe..." Taryll says. "Even so..I did what I did and I can’t change that. Misty doubts me now and I’ve been trying all this time to gain her trust."
"Well, what are the things that attract you to Misty?" Taj asks.
Taryll says, "So many things, Taj. At first I really didn’t know what it was. Then I noticed that there is just always something that clicks between us. We’ve been together a long time and we’ve been through so much together now. She’s beautiful, smart, and just so great. On the other hand..she doesn’t have very much self confidence anymore. She’s always questioning me and doubting me..."
"Uh huh..go on.." TJ says.
"Marie well.." Taryll starts, " She’s definitely beautiful and we share a lot in common, and there is just something about her. But she forces herself on me all the time and I know she’s up to something."
Taj says, " Listen, I think this is going to be something you’ll have to deal with yourself. We’ll be here if you need to talk, but you’ll have to decide yourself what you feel for the both of them."
TJ says, "We’ll see ya later." Then they both go home.
Misty sat at the bus stop in tears. Why were things between her and Taryll suddenly becoming so hard? How did things get so far? Deep inside she really didn’t want to leave Taryll, but if that is what made him happy then she would do it. Perhaps, Marie was better than him?
The bus pulled up and she paid the driver then took a window seat. She closed her eyes and started thinking about memories of her and Taryll again. He had saved her life and she owed everything she had to him, but there wasn’t much more she could give him right now.
The bus stopped and Misty got off. She was going to go to Janet and Rene’s house to stay a few nights. She walked up to the door and knocked. Rene came to the door and said, "Well, if it isn’t little Miss Misty.."
Misty looked up with her tear filled eyes and said in a cracky voice, "I..Is...Janet here?"
Rene gave a worried look and took her bags, motioning her in. "Misty, are you okay ? Do I need to call some one?"
Misty shook her head and Rene helped her to the couch. "I’ll get Janet. Just sit here..."
It wasn’t long till Janet came down and was sitting next to her. "What’s wrong, girl?"
Misty looked up at her and said, "Taryll and I are having major problems. I left...and..I don’t know if it was the right thing, but I just don’t know what to do!" She bursts out crying and Janet lets her lay her head on her lap.
"Oh..Hun..why did you leave? What did he do?" Janet says.
In between sobs, Misty says, "There was an action and all 3 of the T’s got to go to 3 girls houses for charity. It wasn’t anything bad..but the girl that made a bid on Taryll and won, is totally bad. I got worried and kinda spied on the two of them..and I found them making out on the couch...."
Janet shakes her head, "Misty, you know just as much as I do that Taryll wouldn’t hurt you like that. He wouldn’t do that unless he had no way out. Maybe Marie had a big part in this too you know. You said she was bad..."
Misty wipes her tears and sits up, "Yeah, maybe..but he’s always gone and I hardly ever get to see him anymore. Maybe I wasn’t good enough for him and.."
Janet cuts her off, "No, Misty. Don’t you even say that. Maybe you are forgetting about the time he saved you and did everything he could to make you trust him. Have you forgotten that you are as much his life, as he is to you? He wouldn’t waste it all away for a one night stand. Do you understand?"
Misty plays with the ring on her finger and says, "I could never forget, Janet. But sometimes I wonder if he has forgotten..."
Janet kinda rubs Misty’s back and says, "Tell you what. You go upstairs and take a hot bath. We’ll talk about this some more when you are done."
Misty nods and goes up to the bathroom and takes a bath.
As soon as she is up there, Rene comes around the corner and says. "So what’s the scoop?"
Janet says, "Her and Taryll are having some problems in their relationship. Can you hand me the phone?"
Rene hands her the phone and says, "What do you plan to do?"
Janet says, "I’m gonna call my nephews and see if they know anything about this. I think this all is about a misunderstanding.." Then she calls Taj.
"Hello?" Taj answers.
"Hey Cutie. Um..you wouldn’t happen to know anything about what is going on between Taryll and Misty would you?"
Taj kinda sighs, "Actually , I do. Is she there?"
Janet says, "Yeah, she is. You see, I was hoping maybe we could do something about it. "
Taj says, "I’ve been thinking, Aunt J. What if some how we got them together at the same spot. Like..TJ and I could tell Taryll that we had to meet someone at the place we choose, and you could tell Misty that you were going to take her out to cheer her up or something. Then they could talk about this..."
Janet says, "That’s a great idea. What time do you want to meet and where?"
Taj says, "Hmm..well how about in 2 hours at the convention downtown. I’m sure no one is there right now."
Janet says, "Okay. Meet you there. See ya.."
Taj says, "Bye." Then hangs up.
After a few minutes, Misty comes back downstairs after her bath and Janet says, "Hey I was thinking. How about we go out later and have some fun. You need to get out."
Misty says, "Okay, I’m for it."
Janet smiles and says, "Rene is fixing something in the kitchen. How about we go find out what it is." Then they go in the kitchen and Rene says, "Nothing too special hehe. Just pasta and some fruit."
Janet says, "Well, we’re hungry so it doesn’t matter..hehe"
Rene just laughs and gives them both a plate and sits down with his plate as well. After they finish eating Janet realizes that 2 hours is almost up and she says. "Misty and I are going to go somewhere. We’ll be back in a few hours."
Then they both get up and go to her car. As they drive, Misty says, "So where are we going?"
Janet says, "You’ll see..."
Meanwhile....TJ and Taj show up at Taryll’s house. They knock..
Taryll comes to the door looking really depressed and says, "What are you two doing here?"
TJ says, "We just got a call from the studio and they need us to stop by."
Taryll sighs and says, "All right..." Then they all head to the convention center.
The Ts get there first and Taryll says, "Come on guys..this is NOT the studio."
Taj says, "Hey TJ..I just remembered I forgot something in the car. Why don’t you come help me out."
TJ says, "Okay.." and follows Taj.
Taryll knew something had to be up.
Janet and Misty show up and the walk in. As soon as they walk in Taj and TJ meet them at the door and say, "Hey Misty, someone wants to talk to you. They are over there. Then the point to a place to the right of them.
Misty says.."Uh..okay.."
Janet says, "Don’t worry; I’ll wait."
Misty walks over to the place they pointed out and then she sees Taryll. He had his back to her and she really thought about turning around and going back, but something made her stay. It wasn’t long before Taryll turned around and saw her.
So this was why he was here. This was what his brothers were up to. He had no idea what to say to her. His mind froze and so did his body. For a long time both of them just stood there apart from each other. Eventually, Misty broke the silence.."I think we were set up.."
Taryll looks at his feet and says , "Yeah, I think so.."
"So, what do we do now" Misty says.
Taryll looks up at her. He starts to walk towards her but stops. Everytime he had tried to walk to her she would scream at him.."Can I come closer?"
Misty realizing the same thing, that she always yelled when he came closer, says..."Yes.."
Taryll walks over to her and takes her hands in his, "Misty, I’ve thought about everything. I remember what I said to Marie before I came back home..I said that you would mean more to me then she ever would. So I know that what we were doing was wrong. I realized that what I did with Marie was just because I missed doing all those things with you. I was thinking of you when I reacted..."
Misty says, "Taryll, it just seems like you are always gone. I miss ...cuddling with you and joking around...."
"...and talking." Taryll continues, "I miss all those things too, Misty. I know that all of this is my fault. I didn’t realize how much it hurt you."
Suddenly, Taj and TJ walk up to them with some music equipment. TJ whispers something in Taryll’s ear and hands him a mic. Taryll smiles and nods then says, "Misty, I want to try and make this up to you.."
Taj pulls up a seat for her and she sits down wondering what he is going to do. Taj stands behind a keyboard and starts to play the intro to a song...TJ sits behind some drums...then Taryll stands with the mic in his hand and starts to sing to Misty...
"Everybody needs a little time away, I’ve heard her say, from each other..Even lovers need a holiday, far away from each other.."
Misty was taken aback..it had been a long time since she had heard Taryll sing and it always got to her, and this song described everything perfectly.
Taryll continued... "Hold me now..it’s hard for me to say I’m sorry, I just want you to stay, and after all that you’ve been through I will make it up to you, I promise you.."
Misty could tell she was going to cry again..but not because she was sad, but because she was happy that Taryll was doing this. He really did mean every word he was singing..
He steps closer to her and bends down on one knee stroking her face..." And after all that’s been said and done, You’re just the part of me I can’t let go, Couldn’t stand to be kept away, Not for a day from your body, Wouldn’t want to be swept away..far away from the one I love.." He doesn’t finish the song..but puts a hand out to make his brothers stop playing. Then he pulls Misty up and takes her hand in his. Then he speaks the words from the song... "I really wanna tell you I’m sorry, I could never let you go, And after all that we’ve been through I will make it up to you, I promise you...."
Misty looks deep into his eyes and suddenly wraps her arms around him and says, "Taryll, I never wanted to go, but I felt like that would make you happy. You don’t have to be sorry for the things you’ve done.."
Taryll cuts her off and tilts her chin up to him.."I do have to say I’m sorry Misty, and I will make it up to you in every way that I can." Then he leans down and gently kisses her lips. "I love you more than anything in this world, Misty." Misty hugs him and says, "I love you too, Taryll."