Stay - Taylor Swift

Chapter 44

February was gone and in came March, the same month the girls would celebrate their one year anniversary as a couple. Taylor had packed her bags for a week-long trip to London with Grace, and was now impatiently waiting at the front door.

She had a hat pulled over her growing-out blonde hair (she considered bleaching it and cutting it short again but Grace vetoed it, saying she would regret it later), and a thin but warm button-up coat surrounding her frame, knee high boots and gloves. Parker had already sent the luggage down with Greg to the car that would be taking them to the airport.

They had decided to spend their anniversary in London, the paparazzi weren't as bad there and Taylor finally wanted to cash in on that tour Grace had promised months back. They figured a little getaway wouldn't hurt, especially because they could walk around the city without feeling like they were going to get mobbed every five seconds.

Glancing at her watch, Taylor sighed. Grace said she would only be a minute, ten minutes ago.

"Babe! Are you coming or not?" Taylor called up the stairs, setting her hand on the railing as she leaned to peek and see if Grace was even nearby.

Another minute passed as Taylor waited for the brunette. Grace was generally on-time and Taylor had come to expect it from her. The singer looked at the cat carrier set by the doorway, seeing Olivia staring at her.

"What's your mom doing up there?" Taylor asked the four-legged friend, squatting down in front of the animal and petting her head through the opening. She wouldn't risk opening the door and the cat getting out. It had taken her forever to get the cats in there in the first place.

"Sorry Tay, Will called and I got sidetracked. Ready to go?" Grace said as she quickly bounced down the stairway.

Taylor nodded, picking up the cats and waiting for Grace to put her coat and boots on. It was still chilly in New York, Spring not rolling around anytime soon.

The blonde leaned in and kissed Grace's cheek before opening the apartment door and watching Grace lock it behind them. They walked down to the car and got in, thankful for the back exit the paparazzi seemed to be oblivious to.

According to a recent TMZ article, Taylor hadn't left her apartment in the weeks following her announcement that she would be taking a break from music. Meanwhile, the couple had been sneaking out often, sometimes multiple times in one day and going on secret adventures around the city. Parker was starting to feel useless.

The townhouse that no one knew about had quickly become a safe haven for them. There were many nights spent dancing barefoot in the kitchen and cuddling in front of the fireplace. Taylor would always treasure the night they decided to turn the living room into an arena, each making their own fort and throwing paper-snowballs at one another.

They laughed so hard Taylor fell to the ground in tears and Grace ran over, placing her last snowball on the singer's forehead gently and proclaiming her victory.

Knowing that Parker wasn't going to walk in on them making out on the couch or that they were being followed around by another car had really opened them up to new level in their romance. They had become completely open to each other, sometimes blurting out even the most minuscule of thoughts just so they felt heard. They were honest, they didn't keep secrets and they had never felt so confident in their relationship.

They knew they would be caught out and about eventually, it was inevitable. However, the nice thing about them having such a strong friendship in the eyes of the media was that pictures of them driving around New York City and people watching in mall parking lots could easily be brushed off as hanging out.