hits different - Taylor Swift and Travis kelce

makeup

-Travis's Pov-

I've been playing like shit at practice today. I'm just so agitated after the fight with Taylor yesterday. It's not like me to let that slide into my professional life, but this time I can't help it. it's not that I'm actually playing bad, but my head isn't in it, I'm giving the bare minimum and I hate myself for it.

"yo bro, what's up? What's crawled up your ass today" Pat says in the locker room after we took a shower. One would think that sixty naked men get awkward pretty quickly in the showers and locker rooms, but most of us don't give a fuck. We are tired after a workout and just want to get home, no one cares about someone seeing your junk. I'm not a prude at least. Not to mention I know I'm packing a good size, nothing to be embarrassed about here at least.

"fight with Taylor" I grumble as I pull on a pair of boxer shorts. I feel bad about the whole situation yesterday, with the confrontation and how I might have reacted in a way that reflects badly on her and us as a couple. I'm just too proud to admit that I'm wrong. I don't think I was in the wrong to defend her, even though I also know that it's not a good look for her to be put in those situations. She gets the majority of the blowback even though she didn't engage in the argument it falls on her.

I've seen some of the stuff people have been saying about her today and I feel like shit about it. I just couldn't help it at the moment than react to the shit that was thrown towards her, the disrespect. I will admit I already saw red when he laid a hand on her, you don't lay a hand on a pregnant woman. You don't lay a hand on any woman without consent but certainly fuck not a pregnant woman. There are standards in the world, at least there should be some common sense out there. Even in jail, they keep their distance from pregnant women for god's sake, and this was at a fucking charity gala.

But then I already saw red and couldn't stop myself from defending her. He crossed a line several times, and from what Taylor has told me about their relationship this was totally out of character for him. It made my claws stand out even more knowing that this wasn't the Joe she knew. From what she has told me he was a quiet mouse that enjoyed the shadows, but this guy last night didn't care that he was making a scene at a huge gala.

"About last night?" Pat asks, dragging me out of my thoughts. "yeah, she isn't happy with how I handled it" I sigh. I'm not proud of how I acted, but I don't think I was in the wrong either. I think I was right to defend her, especially when she was too uncomfortable to do it herself. She leaned into me, counted on my strength, and I showed it. but then she got all pissed about it after, yelling about not wanting our kids to go into arguments when it's the right thing to walk away. I'm all about avoiding confrontations when you can because nothing good usually comes from them, but sometimes there is a right and a wrong and you need to stand up for yourself.

I want my kids to be secure enough in themselves to stand up for what's right, not just run from conflict. Sure, don't add fuel to the fire, but don't cower either. If you cower you will never gain the respect of your peers, and I know Taylor knows that. She isn't one that cowers either, she is a strong independent woman and I know she agrees with me. I think last night was just too much for her.

"I mean, you did get into a confrontation with her ex in public. It's not a good look for her" Pat argues, and I know that, even though I still think it was the right thing to do. if we would have just left and let Joe have the last word he would have won. "yeah, but I couldn't just let him get a pass either. The guy was in the wrong. He touched her, held her arm hard for god's sake."

"yeah, but sorry man, it's her ex, not your fight. If she wants to leave it, that's on her. Because in the end it's her it's going to reflect on, not you. try to see it from her side, the bad publicity she is getting because of it. they're all going after her, not you or Joe or whatever his name is, the two people that actually got into a confrontation. It will always reflect on her, whenever you do something, it will reflect on her. That's the way it is when she is on that level. I know the need to protect your partner, but sometimes it does more harm than good" he rationalizes, and I know he has at least a few good points.

I haven't thought about it like that, that no matter what I do, a headline is going to reflect on her. It might be the sexist nature of our society, that the woman is the one to blame, or just that her stardom is so big that anything related to her gets blamed on her. Probably a bit of actually if I'm being rational about it. the headlines, at least the ones I saw this morning, made her the center of it all. Sure it was about her, but she didn't actually participate. Regardless they made her the problem, her the center, her the one that needed a man to fight her battles. It made her look bad; I made her look bad.

Damn, now Pat has made me feel bad about it all. I was so confident that I was in the right, and I still do think that defending her was the right thing, but I can see where he is coming from as well. I can see the other side of things if I actually sit down and think about it.

"not gonna tell you what to do man, but I would do something to make it up to her. She is the one taking the heaviest burden of this all. Remember that" he says before walking out of the locker room, probably heading home to his wife and kids.

Make it up to her? Now how do I do that? do I buy her flowers? Or is that too cheesy, too predictable? Oh, I know what to do.

***

Armed with a mountain of apology gifts I enter our house. It's quiet at first but the closer I get to the living room the more sniffles I hear. Is she crying? Now I definitely feel bad. "Taylor, beautiful?" I say as I head into the living room and set down the shopping bags.

My girl is curled up on the couch, with her legs tucked awkwardly into her bump in a way that can't possibly be comfortable. She is crying so I rush over and kneel in front of her. "what's wrong?"

"you hate me that's what's wrong. And now I'm going to lose you and be all alone" she whimpers, and I bring her into my arms. "my beautiful sensitive woman. I'm not going to leave you over a little fight. We are a couple, and couples disagree and fight sometimes. And for the record I know I was in the wrong, at least I think I know. I should have known about the consequences it would have for you, and for that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" I tell her and kiss her lips tenderly.

I slide down on the couch next to her so I can properly wrap her in my strong embrace. I didn't expect to find her crying when I got home, it hit me hard in the chest. Has she been crying for long? I hope not. It pains me to see her in pain, so much so that our argument seems silly at this point. The last thing I would want is to hurt her, or stress her, so much that I make her cry.

I don't know what kind of pressure and stress she carries on her shoulders about all of this media stuff. It's impossible for me to truly understand since it's never been a part of my life like this before. She has to think about things that don't make sense to me, and I know I should be more sensitive and listen to it. I just felt that in the moment I was in the right.

But now it's not about who was right, it's about making things right. An argument doesn't always need a winner and looser, it needs to be resolved so you can move past it. the issue can be fixed without blaming someone, or viciously proving the other that you're right. Especially when it comes to relationships that have no place.

"I've got you, Taylor. and I'm so sorry that I didn't listen and leave when you wanted to. I don't understand what it's like for you, the burden you carry, but I want to understand. I want to understand and learn so we don't end up in the same situation again. That's all I can do, try to learn from what went wrong. I still think it was right of me to stand up for you, and in any other circumstance I might be right, but it was the wrong place and wrong time" I go on a rant while she wipes her tears.

"no, I'm sorry. I overreacted. Not to blame the babies but I'm blaming the babies for overreacting. I just... there are things that come with being with me that we might not have talked about yet. That includes how the media operates with this stuff" she says after wiping under her eyes with her sleeve.

"then tell me. we have the rest of the day and forever for you to tell me all about it."