The Lucky One (2) - Taylor Swift

47

On the night of the very last show, Taylor collapsed into Grace's embrace in the quiet of the hotel room and sobbed for a long while. She was overwhelmed with emotions, it was the last time she would perform that set list with those people on that stage. It was hard to shut a door on a chapter of life that she worked so hard to claim as her own.

Grace was there to help her through the feelings and to draw little shapes on her back as she did. There was also the loss of the election that had Taylor in a fleet of emotions. It has been a hard couple weeks but hopefully with a hint of downtime and rest once they got back to the United States, it would be okay.

Grace had never been so proud of someone. She thought it might just consume her soul for all eternity. She knew everything about Taylor would sooner or later.

On the walk back from her first AA meeting in Tennessee, where they would be staying for a few weeks at least because sadly, Andrea was going through a round of chemotherapy, Grace needed to find a flower shop. Taylor had gotten scared that night and tried to break up with her again, it was a little exhausting.

She put her finger over Taylor lips, mumbled something about being in love with her and that she needed them both to sleep and gestured for Taylor to cuddle in. By the morning, Taylor was wrapped around her sleeping soundly and Grace was wondering what had triggered that reaction.

After finding a flower and gift boutique and picking up thirteen roses, she attached a card with a sweet message and bought a coffee from the shop next door to take up to the penthouse with her. It took her a moment to read the labelled keys and find the right fit, but she unlocked the door as her cheeks warmed up and placed her shoes beside the door neatly.

Taylor was still asleep, it was nearing eleven. Grace wanted her to be awake but she couldn't bring herself to disturb someone who looked so peaceful with her hair in a mess across her forehead and Olivia in the little gap behind her legs. She placed the items on the dresser and went back downstairs to make something to eat.

When Taylor did come down half an hour later, she tangled herself around Grace's backside at the stove and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What was it about?" Grace asked as she put her palm over Taylor's forearm to return the embrace while not letting her recipe go to waste.

"I just got scared you would want a quiet, normal life like Michael has and not all this crazy stuff," she admitted weakly. Her voice was still deep with a sleepy sound, "You know? Peace."

"I want you," Grace replied surely, "You. Only you. This you, whichever you want to be. I don't care as long as it's you. Cameras outside or not."

"So you're not scared?"

"Of course I am, Taylor, but that hasn't stopped me from buying a r— buying a bouquet of flowers and telling you that I love you, now has it?" Shit, that was really close.

"You stuttered... what did you buy?" Taylor asked as she removed herself from the embrace and shifted to Grace's side to look at her face. Grace was so careful with her words so that was unusual unless she was upset, and she didn't sound that upset.

"A coffee and a card and a bouquet of flowers," Grace inhaled as quietly as possible with the hope the oxygen going to her brain would allow her to seem convincing of that statement.

"Okay," Taylor nodded hesitantly but then she decided to play it off, "For a second it kind of sounded like you were about to say ring."

"Ha!" Grace tightened her grip around the spatula until her knuckles were white, "Do you want some of this?"

"Oh my god, you bought a ring," Taylor's mouth fell open. Grace avoided her eyes and held the pan towards her to wordlessly ask if she wanted some to eat again, "Is it here? How long have you had it? Shit! I'm totally ruining things, aren't I? Now you'll never want to marry me."