Match Maker | T. Swift x OC

Chapter Thirteen

November, 2016

"Is she okay now?" Inez asked Taylor who shrugged in response.

"I don't know," the blonde murmured.

"You don't know?"

"I don't know."

Mallory had sat as far away from Taylor as possible on the flight to New York. Once they had gotten Lexie, Mallory shut down again. In the car ride, the brunette slept the entire four hours, cuddling into her cat. Then, once at Holiday House, Mallory collapsed back asleep on Taylor's bed and hasn't moved since.

Mallory had accidentally taken up the whole bed, lying like a starfish with her face in Lexie's fur. The cat purred, wiping her nose on Mallory's. Taylor found it cute, but at the same time, Mallory had been asleep for twelve hours and it was starting to scare her.

The Girl I Fell For: bathtub talk?

Taylor jumped at the message, not realising Mallory had woken up yet.

The Girl I Fell For: bring wine?

Taylor Smith: are you OK??

The Girl I Fell For: being okay is subjective

Taylor Smith: which bathroom are you in

Taylor watched the three dots come and go before a mere:

The Girl I Fell For: idk
The Girl I Fell For: The one that we hid from Hiddleston in I think ?
The Girl I Fell For: Bring a cowboy hat please

Taylor ventured through the house, finally arriving at the right bathroom. Mallory heard the door open, but didn't move, lying down with her feet against the wall and her back on the bottom of the bathtub.

Taylor slipped into the tub next to her, cautiously holding her hand. Mallory relaxed slightly, shuffling closer to Taylor.

"So, I haven't been completely honest with you," Mallory started.

"Do you actually have a family of seven children in an Australia?" Taylor asked quickly.

Mallory sat up properly, giving her a look of bewilderment. Taylor shrugged as Mallory reached for the bottle of wine, unscrewing the cap and taking a large gulp. The blonde watched as Mallory drowned her worries in wine before they decided to turn back to back.

The brunette let out a loud sigh, trying to compose her thoughts into a coherent story, before beginning. Taylor listened intently with a frown.

It took a minute, but Mallory finally found her words, "When I told you that I had cheated on Natalie, I was lying. Partially. I didn't... I was being manipulated, groomed. The other woman kept on drilling hurtful phrases into my mind and making me believe that no one would love me like she did. I believed it, for the most part. I mean, my parents didn't, why would my girlfriend?"

Taylor sucked in a harsh breath, heart aching for Mallory.

"I let her do what she wanted to me, because that's what I thought love was. I thought love was letting your partner do what they wanted with you because they did so much for you. It wasn't until I went back and realised that my siblings and Natalie knew that I figured out that it was wrong. I tried to love Natalie again, but her words just repeated in my head over and over.

"Natalie didn't- doesn't- know the whole story. As far as she's concerned, I got myself a summer girlfriend and came back to school, acting as if none of it happened."

When she heard Mallory hiccup, she turned to see the brunette's shoulders shaking.

"Mal," Taylor whispered, placing a hand on the latter's shoulder. The brunette flinched and shook her head, making Taylor drop her hand.