Brooklyn - Taylor Swift

Part 31

The following day, sunlight filtered through the curtains, gently nudging me awake. The golden rays spilt across the room, creating patterns on the walls as if the universe was painting a new day.

I blinked against the brightness, the previous day's events gradually coming back to me like fragments of a dream, slowly piecing themselves together. The memories were vivid, from the tense introductions to the raucous laughter around the table to being left alone with Taylor's father, who definitely doesn't like me.

A glance at my phone, which is the reason I am now awake after only falling asleep forty minutes ago, showed that the inessive buzzing from the bedside table was, in fact, me getting a call. Checking the time, I couldn't help but groan. If Lanie is calling me at five am, she has either forgotten I am in the States, or shit has hit the fan, and she needs me to deal with it as soon as possible. Due to the fact I have been staying in the States so much lately, I am inclined to think shit has happened.

What a great way to start my Thanksgiving morning. Not.

Slipping out from under Taylor as gently as possible because waking her is not worth the headache; Taylor is not a morning person. I grab my phone before sneaking out of the bedroom, biting back a laugh when Meredith immediately takes my place on the bed, turning to face me with a smug look as I close the door behind me—that bloody cat.

"What the hell, Andy?" Lanie's voice erupted from the other end, a mix of concern and frustration that was uniquely hers the second I answered the phone. My feet padded down the hallway as I headed to Taylor's music room, knowing for sure that I wouldn't accidentally wake Taylor up in there.

"Did you get into a bar brawl or something? Your face looks like you wrestled with a wild animal!" She continued, irritation and mild concern coating her words. I'm glad we are just on an audio call because I can picture what her face would look like right now, and that's just plain scary.

I sighed, my fingers rubbing at my temples as if I could massage away the tension that had built up overnight. I may or may not have spent all night wide awake stressing over Thanksgiving today with Taylor's family.

"It's not that dramatic, Lanie—just a little accident. Taylor's cat and I had a disagreement about getting in the travel backpack. Meredith won, in case you couldn't tell. What I want to know is how you know about this? I was only kidding when I told Taylor I was going to ring you so we could sue the cat," I replied, my voice carrying a hint of weariness from the restless night.

"A disagreement? You look like you got into a full-on battle," Josh's voice chimed in, a tad more worried than angry. "Dude, it's on all the tabloids here already, and I am sure the picture will be all over the American tabloids by nine a.m.," He continued. I didn't even know Josh was on this call; a bit of warning would have been nice.

Their concern reached through the phone lines, wrapping around me like a warm embrace. And yet, it was also overwhelming, like a spotlight that magnified my discomfort. "It's honestly not a big deal. Meredith scratched my face. I should have known better than to try and put her in the backpack. It's just Tay was mad at me, and I thought if I did what she asked, she would be less mad. And she was less mad. I just got a little damage along the way," I admitted, realising how trivial it must sound considering the current state of my face.

"Is this about Thanksgiving?" Lanie's voice softened, her empathy a soothing balm to my frayed nerves. "You can't let the Swift family get to you like this. You know they mean well, even if they're a little intense. Did you sleep at all last night? You don't sound like you slept," she continues, clearly worried, which makes me feel bad. I hate how I make her concerned about me all the time lately.