again | taylor swift au

chapter 2

It's only a few days after Taylor's album release, on the eve of what's meant to be a big snow storm hitting New York City. Taylor's sitting, fiddling around on the piano, when Gracie enters the room. She's holding her phone in her hand. "Tay."

"What's up?" she asks, looking up at her friend. She does notice that Gracie looks a little giddy, like she's fighting back a smile.

"Jayden just texted." That explains it. "He's throwing a house party tonight... nothing huge, just some people coming over for some drinks and stuff... so I'm going over... do you want to come with?"

Taylor sighs. She doesn't really want to do that, not particularly. "What about the storm?"

"It's not hitting until 2:00 in the morning. We'll be home by then, promise."

Taylor bites her lip. She really can't come up with a reason to not go. "Fine, fine. But seriously, home before the storm."

"Pinky promise," Gracie nods. "Come on, you'll have fun. I know it."

Taylor knows she probably will too. She just doesn't quite see the appeal of getting dressed in a skimpy little outfit given the current temperature in New York. But seeing as Gracie's from sunny Los Angeles and doesn't seem to mind, she really doesn't think she can complain.

Soon, they're getting dressed and ready to go.

"You think Jayden will like this?" Gracie asks, playing with her hair in front of the mirror. She is dressed in a mesh white top layered over a black bra, black jeans, and Docs. Her dewy makeup look brings out the natural glow in her skin and her hair is falling down, framing her face.

Taylor nods, looking her friend up and down. She reaches out and rubs Gracie's arm encouragingly. "He'd be stupid not to." Gracie has been crushing, hardcore, on Jayden for a bit over a month now, and it's pretty safe to say that the feeling is mutual. They're not quite "official" yet, but they've got all but the label. Gracie deleted the dating apps off of her phone three weeks ago, only two weeks after their first date.

Gracie takes a deep breath. "Alright. I'm ready."

Taylor takes one final look in the mirror. In the bottom of her drawer, she found a black, long-sleeved corset top that she paired with ripped jeans with fishnet tights peeking through. She feels content with the outfit that she picked out, and is glad that it's a little warmer for the cold January night. "Let's go," Taylor says. She sticks her phone in her pocket and the two head out of their apartment.

Much to Taylor's surprise, there really aren't that many people at Jayden's apartment. She really did think she'd be walking into a much larger and louder scene than she does- something which is pleasantly surprising to her. She can't help but giggle to herself. Jayden wouldn't have invited them to a small gathering like this unless Gracie was pretty special to him. She doesn't know why he won't just make it official, put a title on it... unless that's what he's planning on doing tonight.

She sees the way that his eyes light up from across the room as they walk in. The way he anxiously pushes his hair out of his face and takes a deep breath before instantly walking over to them. "Hey Gracie."

"Hey Jayden," she says. Taylor can't help but feel like she's watching a sixteen-year-old, about to ask his crush to the prom. There's an air of awkwardness between the two, but only because of how much they both like each other. This is their first time really in a social situation. So far, they've only been on dates, just the two of them. Jayden and Taylor, they've never actually and officially met, but she's sure that he knows exactly who she is, as she does with him. Still, Gracie realizes that she should probably give a formal introduction. "This is my best friend, Taylor. Taylor, this is Jayden."