For a guy scared of social interaction, I sure wasn't afraid of being bold when I wanted to. I just never had a reason to be bold, I guess. Had I explored friendships more, I would have found out earlier that I was the type to say exactly what was on his mind. And I wasn't ready to change the subject just yet.

"Can I be real with you?" I asked.

Taylor gave me a weird look. "Um, yeah. Of course."

I exhaled the last of my nerves away. "If you mean what you, uh, said, I have a solution that works out for both of us. I guess I...