My breathing grew quick and hard as I ran up the stairs to my bedroom again. I needed paper and pens to write for him. As my eye caught a piece of wine coloured silk slipping out of my closet the phone rang, I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath. All I wanted to do was have a flawless, undisturbed night with him, I still needed to get candles, and the silk was giving me an idea. Wincing with annoyance, I reluctantly picked up the receiver.

"Hullo." My voice came out a little too husky and patient than I had wanted it to.

"Lane?" It was Miles, I hadn't spoken to him for a couple days.

"Yeah, it's me." My voice resumed it's tone.

"You called."

"I did?" My voice was rushed, then I remembered how I'd tried to call him the night Taylor came back. "That's right, I did. Hey, how're you doing?" There was a certain sort of quietness on the line. I felt something had really gone quite wrong with him, and this was big.

"Okay." Short and a total lie, his voice was hiding a lot.

"Hey, what's wrong? Wait a second, what time is it over there?"

"Three in the morning."

"Where are you?"

"Mac's."

"Where's Jess?"

"I don't know, I don't care. She's having an affair." I stopped breathing.

"Are you sure?"

"She wants to separate."

"Oh God. . . Miles."

"Yeah." We didn't speak for a while. A pain in my chest began, I felt his hurting. He'd really loved this girl. I thought about what I would do if I was being left for someone.

"You're coming home, you're staying with me for a while."

"I can't leave the paper."

"Fuck the paper, you can correspond with fax and email. I don't want to not be there if you need me."

"I don't know."

"Miles, you can't go up against this alone, I'm not going to let you. Get a flight here tomorrow and call me back."

"I can't just leave like that Lane."

"Why not?"

"Partways because it was mutual. A lot more on her part, but.. nothing was stopping the fighting. She didn't want to try." I began to softly hear classical music creeping up the stairs from downstairs. Mozart. He had put in Mozart, I had Taylor waiting downstairs for me.

"I have to tell ya something too, I have a visitor at the moment. He might become permanent."

"He?"

"Yeah, I don't think you want to hear about it now though."

"Who is the bloke?"

"Taylor. He found me." I began to become uncomfortable to where this was heading, telling a friend about your new love, while his had just left him wasn't a good topic to speak of at the moment.

"Taylor? Oh man... I can't believe this."

"Weird huh? After all these years."

"That is strange, I can't believe it... I can't stay with you." The short, staccato tone came back.

"Why?" I grew a little annoyed, I didn't like to be turned down.

"I'm not going to be able to see two people like you guys and not be bitter about that ..." His voice trailed off, it'd be a week before he would start to call Jess obscenities, right now the wound was too fresh. I didn't know what to say, I wanted to have Miles with me. He was my closest friend, we'd stuck together for almost ten years, I placed him above boyfriends, lovers, and relatives. Now he was hurting, and I knew I had to be with him, no matter what it took.

"I'll come then." My voice wasn't nearly as strong as I wanted it to be. Silence. "When?"

"Now. I'll call you back." I hung up the phone before I could realize what I had just said.

I wrapped myself in my silky wine coloured robe, and started down the stairs on weak legs. My fingers grappled the banister for support. What had I done? What was going on? I raised my eyes, and Taylor's met mine at the foot of the staircase. I knew what I needed to do.

"I missed you, were you on the phone?" he had lit the room with my regular candles and the glow of soft light made his hair a deep, rich gold. It fell lightly on his shoulders, I stared at it, feeling my tears of frustration well up. He saw them, and in an instant his smile faded. Losing my idea of what I thought I should do next, I slumped to the stairs, leaning against the railing, and began to cry at the sight of him. I cried for Miles, his ended love for Jess, I was crying for myself, my rash selfishness. I was crying for Taylor, I wanted to prove that I could deal with staying with someone after five years of random relationships and lovers. When I felt his warm arms and his soft cotton from his shirt I leaned against him. He held me, rocking me, not trying to question my tears, or what had caused them. I found myself in the same position that Miles had held me when I had left Taylor, then I knew. I needed this being for the rest of my life, I wanted to open to him. I wanted to give him something back. My sobs lessened, and I looked up to him. His lips kissed my forehead and his voice shhed me.

"I have something to say." My voice was weak and congested.

"It's okay." I looked into that endless dark blue, honest and unwavering in their gaze.

"I want you to marry me."