Planting the Seed

By Ashley Mechling

This is a fictional romance, inspired by a true story. Taylor, a young girl who is a senior in high school, falls in love with a mysterious bad boy, who just moved back home from dropping out of college. Jonathon and Taylor spend six months together, as she falls more in love with him. But, just before Taylor moves off to college, a surprising turn of events impacts their relationship. Will they end up together? Or will Taylor move on with someone else?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098374433

Book preview

1

Chapter 1

I walked through the swinging door out of the break room and into the front lobby. The air was cold, but the room was well lit. The floors were made of grey tile, and the black counter tops separated the registers from the lobby filled with arcade machines. I approached the register, clipboard in hand, flipping through the packet of paperwork when I looked up. The clipboard fell from my hands and onto the floor, and my breath caught in my throat as I looked upon him. A young man was sitting at a table across the lobby from me; his brown eyes were dark, and he had chocolate brown hair. He wore a black t-shirt that raised up slightly on the sleeves, exposing a dragon tattoo on his left bicep. His smile was inviting as he spoke to the other man sitting across the table from him. After shaking the other man’s hand, he stood from the table and turned to leave the building. I bent down to grab the clipboard off the floor before our eyes could meet. When I stood back up on my feet, he was gone.

I spent the rest of my first day at work lost in thought of the stranger I saw sitting across the room. I didn’t even know his name, but I hoped that we’d meet again one day.

As the weekend passed, each day I went into work, I continued to look for the man, but he never showed again, and my heart filled with disappointment. As Monday arrived, I went back to school as normal at Olentangy High School where I could go back to the normal life of a senior, just trying to pass her classes. I walked through the long white hallway of the school, with my bookbag on my back and my blonde, straight hair falling on my face, as I looked back and forth at the passing faces of the students pushing by. I found myself looking for the stranger’s face in the crowd of students. A small smile formed at the corner of my lips at the thought of his eyes. But my daydream was quickly interrupted by the call of my name.

Taylor! Taylor Marie! Shouted a young brunette with shining green eyes and a smile that welcomed you. I smiled at her as I crossed the busy hallway to meet her by her metal blue locker.

Good morning, Sage, did you have a good weekend? I asked.

Oh, it was so good. She said smiling with each word; she was always such a happy and bright light to have around. My boyfriend Charlie and I got a dog together this weekend! I could hear how excited she was in her tone. Sage and Charlie had been going out since freshman year and were more in love than any other couple in school.

Oh, my gosh, that’s so exciting! I exclaimed. What did you name him? I asked, as she showed me a photo of her new Australian shepherd puppy.

His name is Oliver, isn’t he so cute!? She squealed.

I nodded and smiled in reply, and before either of us could say anything more, the morning bell rang, and we started walking to class.

I spent the morning of the school day lost in thought about the man I saw at work. The visuals of his smile were on an endless loop in my mind, distracting me from my teachers in class.

When fifth period arrived, I headed to the cafeteria to meet Sage for lunch. As I walked around the cement corner to get into the food line, I collided into a familiar face and fell onto the floor, dropping my bookbag, phone, and keycard along the way down.

Oh, shit, sorry, didn’t see you there. He laughed. I looked up and locked eyes with Markus, the school’s best athlete and the number one popular boy who knew he looked good. He reached out his hand for me and helped pull me up off the floor.

Thanks. I said shyly. I’m sorry, that was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention. I explained.

No worries, it was my fault too. He smiled, his bright blue eyes looking across my face for a response. My breath fluttered in my throat as I tried to find the right words to say.

Ok, well, see ya around. He walked away into the lunch line, tall and strong, and calling out to his friends. I couldn’t help but gaze after him.

After getting my food, I walked over to the lunch table where Sage and Charlie were sitting, waiting for me. Sage’s eyes lit up eyes as I approached her. We sat and talked about our classes and the latest gossip of Markus and the head cheerleader.

After lunch, I spent the rest of the school day stuck in daydreams, counting down the hours until I could go back to work on the weekend, hoping to see that man again.

When the final bell of the school day rang, I gathered up all of my belongings from my desk and stuffed them into my bookbag, heading out of the classroom and into the hallway. I met Sage back at my locker where she talked to me about how boring her English literature class was. I laughed along with her as she told stories of the way her teacher Mr. Luck spoke; he was monotoned in a way that put the whole class to sleep. She always fumbled with her gold cross necklace as she spoke, a gift her grandmother gave her when she was a child. I grabbed my coat from my locker, and we made our way out of school and out to the chaotic parking lot. The air was freezing, and the ground was covered in snow. I could see Sage’s breath exhale from her mouth as she spoke. Students were pushing left and right trying to get to their bus on time, while other students, like Sage and I, were trying to get to our cars.

When we finally reached our cars, I found mine covered in snow and the door frozen shut.

Sage, help! My car is frozen shut. I frowned. She rolled her eyes and, with a smile, came over to grab onto the car door handle.

Ready, one, two, three! On the count of three, we both pulled on my car door with all our strength. Slipping on the ice beneath our feet, we fell down onto the cement as the door gave way. Both Sage and I both screamed with laughter as we fell backwards on the snow. After laughing for several moments, we helped to pull each other up back onto our feet.

Thanks for the help, Sage. I laughed.

No problem, She giggled, I’ll text you when I get home. Drive safe. She replied.

I smiled back at her as I climbed into my car turned on the engine with a hum and the heat on full blast to melt the ice on my windshield. Once my car was finally warm, I pulled out my iPhone to find a song on Spotify to listen to on my drive home. As my speakers filled my car with music by Flyleaf, I put my car in drive and headed home.

When I pulled into the driveway at my house, I paused and looked upon the large, red brick home, perfectly decorated in snow. I sighed an exhale of relief to be home after a long day at school. I pulled my car into the garage and grabbed my bookbag out of the back seat to head inside. I could hear my dog barking for me inside the door. I let myself inside the house and was welcomed to a fluffy golden retriever, wiggling his whole body in excitement as he cried for me to give him attention. I set my bag down on the kitchen counter and sat down on the hard wood floor as my dog climbed into my lap still wiggling and began to lick my face.

Hi, Tucker, I missed you too. I giggled. I sat on the floor with him for several minutes cuddling and petting him, procrastinating from starting my homework. However, the cuddle session ended sooner than I hoped when I heard my phone ding from my bag. I lifted Tucker off my lap and got up off the floor to retrieve my phone and my homework. I sat down at the kitchen table with my books and checked my phone to find a message from Sage.

‘Hey girl, did you make it home safe?’

I smiled at her thoughtfulness and replied –Yes, I did, did you?

I set my phone down while I waited for her reply and started on my homework. Tucker lied down on the floor under the kitchen table by my feet and began to quietly snore as I worked.

As the afternoon sun began to set and the five o’clock shadow began to show on my kitchen table, the sound of the garage door opening woke Tucker from his sleep. He jumped up and headed toward the door to greet my mom and stepdad as they both came home from work at the same time.

Hey, Taylor! My mom called.

Hey, mom. Hey, Brian. I replied to them both. I only called Brian by his first name; he was a nice man, but after my dad died three years ago, it had been hard for me to have a close relationship with him.

The evening passed by, and we all ate dinner together at the table. I finished up my homework and said goodnight. I headed up to my room where I felt most comfortable and relaxed. It was dimly lit with a white strand of Christmas lights the hung from the ceiling and against the maroon-red walls above my bed, and a small chandelier that hung above my desk. The walls were covered with printed photographs of Sage and I over the summer; with a tie dye tapestry hanging on one wall. I laid in bed awake that night, thinking of the guy I saw at work, wondering what his name could be. Until I fell asleep and saw him in my dreams.

The following days went by in a state of repetition-going to school, seeing Sage, coming home, and repeating. I tried to find excitement in books such as After by Anna Todd, a series of romance and betrayal, hardships and heartache. I also enjoyed painting places I wanted to travel to, like Italy or France. Sage always teased me for being in a fairytale state of mind.

After spending all week at school, the weekend finally arrived, and I was so excited to go to work, I didn’t even sleep the night before. I hoped out of some form of fate that the man would be there again.

Filled with excitement and anticipation, I walked into work almost fifteen minutes early. I walked straight into the back room and set down my things.

Hey, Taylor, called out Nina. Did you have a good week at school? She asked.

I turned around to find my coworker and friend Nina standing by the door smiling with a clipboard in hand. Her uniform of dark washed jeans and black t-shirt was perfectly pressed and her shoes spotless. We went to the same school, but she was a year younger than I was.

Hey, Nina, it was fine, same as last week. How was your week? I asked.

Boring, I mean good, but boring. She laughed. I gave her a reassuring smile and then followed her out of the employee break room and to the registers. The sound of tokens clinking together and the sirens of arcade machines filled the cool air. We walked over to the counter where I grabbed myself a clipboard and the packet of paperwork I needed for my shift. I leaned against the back counter, fumbling through the paperwork as the other employees passed by in a hurry, helping customers and handling children. I was reading the papers in hand when I saw a figure standing in the corner of my eye.

I looked up from my clipboard and turned to find the man, standing in uniform across the concessions from me, observing the room in front of him. I gasped in disbelief. Was that really him? I wondered if he was really there. I turned slowly back towards him; we locked eyes and my heart sank into my stomach. It was him.

Chapter 2

I bit my lip as I leaned against the counter, gazing at the handsome stranger across the room from me. He was tall, muscular, and strong. I was afraid to blink incase I’d miss him. He stood still, watching the room unfold before him of loud children laughing and screaming, and parents trying to contain them. He surveyed the room until he turned and looked over at me. Our eyes met, and I felt my breath choke and my heart flutter; he smiled a side smirk at me, and I could feel my cheeks flush. I turned to walk out from behind the registers and out into the lobby to work, feeling his eyes hot on my back as I walked away. Throughout my work shift, I found myself scanning my surroundings, looking to see if he was nearby, but I only saw quick glimpses of him passing by into other areas of the arcade.

At the end of my shift, I walked into the break room to gather my things and found Nina having a slice of pizza.

Hey, Taylor, are you headed home? Nina asked.

"Yeah, I want to try and get home before the snow gets any