Safe and Sound

6

*July 9th 2012*

Ashley sighed quietly as she stepped off of the elevator in the tall apartment building. She was on the top floor which didn't bode well for her fear of heights, especially with the full length window to her right. She tried not to think about it as she walked up to the apartment door, hugging the wall on her left and keeping her eyes trained solely on the door she was headed for. She swallowed as she stopped by the white painted front door, taking in the hallway for a moment. It seemed to have the same square footage of her own apartment, maybe even bigger. Photo frames lined the wall of the New York skyline which Ashley had not wanted to look at as it reminded her of how high up she was. Averting her gaze, the red headed Scottish girl admired the paint work on the wall and the oak wooden flooring, polished to perfection, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling illuminating the hallway. One word came to the forefront of Ashley's mind. Posh.

Ashley wasn't normally one for architecture, the subject bored her to tears and often, if she was feeling dramatic, death but had to admit that the hallway was beautiful, breathtaking. She turned on her heels, her shoes making a squeaky sound on the polished floor, and lifted her hand to knock on the door, clearing her throat and brushing her hair down against her head in an attempt to tame it as she waited. Ashley had just come from a busy shift at the cafe and hadn't had time to go home and freshen up before heading to Taylor's apartment. One customer had refused to leave until he finished his book and his coffee so that made her run late for getting to Taylor's apartment. But as she stood there in the hallway by Taylor's door, Ashely completely understood why Taylor chose to vacation here, not the city but the apartment. It was exquisite, in a world of its own.

Even for a vacation home, this place was stunning and put Ashley's place of residence to shame. Part of Ashley, a very minuscule part that she was able to bury, envied the fact that Taylor could afford her own vacation home in New York City and maintain a comfortable life in Nashville too. The door opened dragging Ashley from her thoughts. Taylor stood before her in her silk red pyjamas. Taylor had invited Ashley over for a quiet night in for Ashley's twenty-first birthday. It had only just dawned on Taylor that Ashley had been drinking illegally the day she'd met her. "Happy birthday!" The blonde singer said in a sing-song voice, reaching out to take Ashley's hand and pull her into the apartment, closing the door.

Ashley gave a soft grunt and a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's just another day." She shrugged casually. "Please don't make a big deal about it." She begged, meeting Taylor's eyes. Ashley had never admitted it out loud but she hated her birthday with a burning passion. She took in the apartment as though it had been the first time she'd been here even though she'd been in this apartment multiple times before, the open floor kitchen, dining and living room. The bathroom was off to the left just by the front door, the two bedrooms were off to the right from the dining room area in the centre of which was a large mahogany table, varnished to perfection. She admired the large fireplace across the room with the line of four Grammy awards on the mantelpiece above the fire which was lit and illuminated the room with a warm, welcoming orange glow and the various other awards, Country Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, multiple American Music Awards. Even the Moon Man from the MTV Music Awards from the time when Kanye West stormed the stage and declared that Beyonce should have won the award not Taylor. Ashley knew that was a sore subject for Taylor so never bought it up and never asked. Taylor didn't keep her awards in Nashville? Ashley found this curious but never asked. She just assumed Taylor did not wish to flaunt her accomplishments at home. The apartment was decorated with neutral colours, very Taylor-esk and homely with a large window overlooking the city. Ashley felt at home and comfortable in Taylor's apartment, she relaxed in Taylor's presence.

"I'm not." Taylor said in a high voice, holding her hands up in surrender. "It's not a big deal, that's why it's a quiet night in." She gestured to the bottles of wine on the counter top in the kitchen. "Now that you can legally drink." She elbowed Ashley playfully in the wide and gave her a cheeky Cheshire-Cat smile and a wink.