Call it what you want - jaylor story

christmas with the Alwyns

-Taylors Pov-

"Taylor" there is a voice calling me out from my sleep, but I just groan and turn around and pretend that I don't hear it. "Taylor" the voice, that I recognize as joe repeats and I lean into his touch and burrow my head into his chest "No, let me sleep" I groan by he just laughs and runs his hand up and down my arm. "Merry Christmas my love" he repeats, and I can feel his lips pressing into my forehead.

We are laying in his childhood bedroom because his family insisted that we spend the night here so we could all wake up together on Christmas morning. This is the first Christmas joe and I are spending together and I'm nervous but also really excited. Choosing to spend the holidays with someone you're in a relationship with is a big deal, it's a step that I am kind of nervous to take but it feels so right. The pace of this relationship is slow and fast at the same time. We take steps in our own pace, but it doesn't feel rushed even though we have taken big steps in just the matter of like three months. I think that when you fall in love with someone for real there is no rulebook on how your supposed to progress it. In the past I've tried that, take steps according to when society thinks we should but that's not a real relationship in my books. When you're in love there is no rules on how you're supposed to do it, it's just what works for you and your partner.

Eventually I dare to open my eyes and look up at joe who is smiling gently at me and letting me take my time waking up. "Sorry to wake the sleeping bear at like 9am but Patrick knocked on the door telling us to get our asses out of bed and downstairs to open presents"

"But it's so cozy in your arms" I groan and kiss his bare chest and he laughs "I love nothing more than holding you close, but he is going to kill us if we don't get up. He also said that mom has made a full English breakfast, we usually eat before presents actually" he says and gently sit us both up in bed and I stretch my limbs as I untangle from him and stand up.

"Well, we should get dressed and not make Patrick wait then" I say with a groggy morning voice. "Oh, and merry Christmas to you too baby" I say and grin at him and quickly peck his lips before putting on some fuzzy socks. We are wearing matching pjs that Liz got us last night, another family tradition that they wanted to include me in. joe took his shirt of for bed but put it back on now before we walk hand in hand down the stairs after brushing our teeth.

It's so nice that they're including me in all these family traditions like I'm a part of their family. It doesn't feel like I've only known them for like two months, it feels like we have known each other for years which is nice. Everyone treats me like an ordinary person and not like the elephant in the room with a public job. That's something that doesn't go unnoticed by me, I really like the sense of normalcy when I'm with joe and when we are with his family. I can just be Taylor and don't have to put on the act that everyone expects of me.

"The lovebirds have arrived" Patrick says excitedly as we walk into the kitchen where everyone is getting things ready for breakfast, actually they're done and just waiting for us and tom. Apparently, we aren't the last people out of bed. "Now all we need is tom" Patrick states and joe and I slide down on two chairs next to one another. We greet everyone and exchange merry Christmas to everyone. The atmosphere is so quiet and peaceful, it feels so normal. It's strange to feel on that aspect because my life has had little sense of normalcy for years, and I really appreciate the little things that makes me feel more like a person and less like a reality star.

Joe wraps his arm around my shoulder and rub them lightly with his thumb and I look over at him and smile, God I love this man. He is just something else, I can't even put it into words. You would think I was good with words since I dream up lyrics, poetic language and metaphors all the time, but I just can't seem to make regular conversation stand out the same way. I feel like it's easier to express myself through a creative medium.