𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 [t.s, t.k]

TWENTY SIX | TRAVIS

TWENTY SIX | TRAVIS
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"You know," Taylor tells me. I shift my head away from the TV, to Taylor. "I think I should go on tour. I haven't been on stage since 2018. I miss performing. And, now that I'm taking my music back, it seems like the right thing to do." As she shoves the icing off the cupcake, her lips smack together. She looks at me, "What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea," I say, pushing myself off the couch. She was bringing this to me, so it was something she definitely wanted to discuss. Based off of the way she was introducing the topic, she clearly had it thought out for a while now. "You had so much fun during Reputation's tour—at least, you did when I was with you."

"I was living my best live that tour," she giggles. "I can't believe that was five years ago."

I slide my hand across her waist, studying the sugar fest she treated herself with. "I was honestly surprised that you didn't go on tour last year after folklore and evermore."

"I wanted to," she said quietly, biting into another cupcake. "Joe didn't want me to go on tour. Really, he didn't want me to do anything that had to do with my career. So, I didn't."

I raise an eyebrow, and suddenly I go angry. "He didn't want you to go on tour?" I repeat slowly. "Why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. He didn't like the idea of me going out. He said I was being selfish because everything I did, it affected his image too."

Angrier. "That's fucking stupid," I remark strongly. I lean against the kitchen counter so I have a better view of Taylor's facial manner, so I could match her tone with her expression. "I never remember a time my public image going up in flames when you went on tour. Maybe he should have gotten a life if he was so insecure about yours."

Taylor nods, taking into consideration what I had said. "There were a lot of things he should have done but didn't. That was my life for five years."

"I'm sorry, Tay," I say sympathetically. "You deserved better than that. I wish he would've been more faithful to you. You were always so good to him, even publicly."

Taylor's blue eyes flutter up to mine. "Travis," she laughs nervously, "you don't need to act like you're sorry for me. I had that shit coming, alright? I deserved that."

"Nobody deserves to get cheated on, Taylor—"

"I cheated on him," she blurts out.

I part my lips to say something, but the words freeze mid-way. I'm cradling her lumbar and we're both standing in front of a counter with sugary snacks laid out. The room is silent. I'm staring at Taylor and she's staring at me. I'm thinking about multiple things at once. "With who?" Is all I can manage.

"You," she says with a sly smile. "The night you and I ran into each other at the bar and got insanely drunk, then I somehow ended up having sex with you," she reminds me, and I nod my head, remembering. "I left that morning because I got scared. I didn't want to go home to him, so I went to Blake's for the day. I drove home that night. Somehow, he knew about you and I and that's when shit got crazy and I called you."

"Wait," I add. I pause for a moment, recollecting the information she'd given to me. "Why were you at the bar that night—morning?"

A flare of fear soaps away her smirk. "He came home really late that night—morning I went to the bar. He was with another girl, I know that. I don't know who, but when I asked him about it, he started acting stupid, and he was clearly drunk, so—"

"Where did he say he was?" I cut in. My tone is firm, my body is stiff.

"I can't remember. He never really told me anything like that." Her voice fumbles, and her entire body goes rigid. She furrows her eyebrows together, and I am able to articulate that she's flipping through one thought to another. She's prompted to remember something. "Filming. He told me he was filming. I accused him of being out with this girl Alison. His co-star or something. I remember. He told me he was filming."

"Well he was lying," I bellow. "I was out with the team that night, at the afterparty because we'd won the Super Bowl. Maya said she'd be there, but when it was well after three in the morning, she hadn't texted or called. I knew she was fucking around with someone, but I didn't know who, so I went home and decided to wait for her there. She was in bed with him. He was at my house."

Taylor's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah." I purse my lips together, catching sight of Jason and Kylie throwing what looked like water balloons at each other. I bounce my foot against the marble tile, twiddling my thumbs. "I'm glad you cheated on him. He's a dick."

"I guess I am, too. That might have been my only way out of that relationship," she whispers.

She steps up to me, balancing herself on her tippy-toes so she could wrap her arms around my neck. I place my hand on the center of her back, pulling her into my torso. She stands on my feet, and I begin rocking us side to side.

She's wearing a pair of my black sweatpants that I'd worked out in early, along with a Nike sports bra that revealed the tanned skin of her midriff. I purposely stroke her bare skin, amorously inching my fingers down her waistline. Her head lifts up off my chest and to my eyes. Her lips curve to a soft, secure beam, one I'd been longing to see. She cups my cheeks, then pecks my lips.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four times.

Our foreheads are touching, and the hot air we blow out of our nostrils is being shared. "I love you, baby," I mumble.

"I love you, too."

We lean in for another kiss, but we're distracted by Kylie screaming, "Jason, fuck off you moron!" as we watch another balloon crash and explode into the blondes scalp.

We both laugh. "Wanna go join 'em?" Taylor asks.

"You know I do."

"I am going to make you so wet."

I moan, picking her up bridal-style. "I think I love the sound of that."