The Chief's Mastermind

Will You Stay?

Becs's POV

I had spent most of the before party in my room. It's not that I don't want to see anyone, it's just I don't do well in big crowds. So lucky Lizzy had called me at the perfect time so I didn't really have to lie to mom about my eating.

I talked to Lizzy for about an hour or so, just catching up but then she had to go because her boyfriend was there to pick her up. I was never able to get a boyfriend but I didn't care, I wanted to focus more on my studies instead of relationships. When I got off the phone, I picked up my journal that I wrote my poems in and just started to write. I tend to get lost in my own words, whether that is stories I made up or poems I write about my own life, it helps me understand the world a little better.

After a while, I heard Travis's voice call my name and I got out of bed to wish him luck. After he left, I decided to stay downstairs for a little bit and talk to the people in the house but every person asked the same questions: How is college? How are your grades? How many friends have I made? Are me and my roommate friends? Do I have a boyfriend yet? After about the tenth person I was done with people so I walked back upstairs to find Taylor on the top of the staircase holding her neck.

"Hey Taylor, what are you doing up here?" I asked seeing the worry in her eyes

"Do you by chance have any concealer? I forgot mine in New York and I need to...ummmm...reapply my makeup." She stumbled on her words and gave me a hint on what was really going on.

"Hickey?" I asked. She looked up at me confused on how I figured it out.

"Oh come on Tay, I am a college kid with a roommate who has a pretty serious boyfriend. I always put two and two together." I said "I do have some concealer plus some extra red lipstick that you need to reapply as well, I will meet you in Travis's bathroom with everything."

"Thanks Becs, I really appreciate it." She said getting up and walking towards Travis's room. I grabbed my stuff and went to the bathroom to find Taylor scrubbing off the rest of her lipstick so she could just reapply.

"Here you go, everything you should need is here in this bag." I said placing the bag on the counter.

"Perfect, thank you again!"

"Of course! Anytime! This happens to my roommate, Lizzy, more than you think so I always have makeup on hand for her." I explained as I sat on the toilet seat cover next to her.

"Do you ever have to cover up a hickey on yourself?" She asked and I knew what she was doing. She was leading into the boyfriend question that everyone always asks.

"I have never had a boyfriend, I don't really need guys besides, I am too busy with baseball and homework." I said quickly but soon realized that the tone I used sounded really defensive.

"Sorry, I have been hearing that question plus many others all night."

"It's ok, I get it, believe me. One time I went years without dating anyone because the media made me out to be this person who has to have a boyfriend at all times. So I wanted to prove them wrong but every interview I went on, they asked who I was dating or if I liked anyone. It was so frustrating, I couldn't get away from it. So if there is anyone who understands just a little of what you are going through it's me." She said with a soft smile as she turned back to the mirror to finish hiding her hickey.

As I looked at her, I realized I saw her as Taylor, my brother's girlfriend and my friend, not Taylor Swift, the superstar that sells out stadiums three nights in a row every weekend.

"Hey, Taylor?" I asked.

"Yea?"

"Are you going to stay?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, turning her whole body toward me.

"I really like having you around but I don't want to get used to it if you and Travis break up." I knew my trust issues had taken over but I had to know. She put down the makeup brush and knelt down in front of me.

"We are not breaking up any time soon, like I told you the first day we met, I love him and that has only grown everyday."

"You probably said the same thing about Joe. Why should this be any different?" I said on the verge of tears, trying to hold them back. I had never brought up Joe before because I had a feeling that she didn't want to talk about him. Although, my emotions had taken over at this point and I didn't think before I spoke. I could tell that she was a little taken back by what I said and took a moment to think about it.

" Oh, sweetheart." She said with comfort in her voice, pulling me in for a hug. We sat like that for a moment and tears fell down my cheeks in rapid motions. I don't know why I was crying so much but it felt good to get everything out of my system. After a few minutes, I broke out of the hug to wiped my eyes and Taylor got me a tissue that was near the sink.

"Sorry Taylor, I didn't mean to bring up your past relationship. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Girl, there is no reason to apologize, it's a valid question. Joe and I-"

I cut her off before she told me anything that she didn't want anyone else to know.

"Taylor, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

"Becs, I trust you, just promise me that this will stay between us girls."

"Ok, Tay"

"Ok. Well, for starters, Joe and I met during one of the roughest points in my life and he gave me everything I needed at that time in my life. Then Covid started so he moved in with me so we could quarantine together and everything was great, perfect even. We wrote songs together and had all these inside jokes to the point where we were always laughing. Then the 2021 Grammys hit and I asked Joe to be my plus one since we both worked on folklore together. I also thought it would be a good time to make our red carpet debut since we had gone to the golden globes together but never walked the carpet as a couple. Well that turned into a whole debate about how public our relationship should be and then it turned into a fight and so on. We had made up a little by the time of the Grammys and I even thanked him in my speech but that even turned into an argument. After that both of our personalities shifted and we just weren't happy anymore but there was still love there so we tried sticking it out. That was until things started to open up again and the world started to go somewhat back to normal when it just went downhill after that. I wanted to go out and show the world what I had been working on, see my fans again and everything I used to do and before the year I got "canceled" but Joe wanted to stay hidden which led to a lot of fights and miscommunication. He moved out towards the end of that year after a fight about marriage and that's when I found out he never wanted to marry me. We were then off and on during 2022 until that November after I put out midnights. I wanted to go to award shows, talk shows and be out in the world again without worrying about what Joe would think so I ended it. Of course it broke my heart because I did love him and he was there for me when the whole world was against me but it needed to be done. I needed to find myself again and move on from a man who never saw a future with me because of my job and lifestyle."

As Taylor told me all of this, she never broke eye contact and I could see the heartbreak in her eyes as she spoke almost as if this was the first time she had thought about it in a long time.

"I am so sorry Tay. Have you told this to Travis?" I asked. I didn't really know what to say. As a swiftie, I thought they were going strong until April of 2023 but now I know that is completely wrong.

"Yes Travis knows everything and more. I told him pretty much everything on our third date. I wanted him to know what he was getting into." Taylor explained still not breaking eye contact. She pulled me into another hug and this time, I waited for her to be the first one to let go.

"So to answer your previous question, I am not going anywhere. Everything I feel for Travis is so much different then anything I have ever felt with anyone. He is my man and by the end of the day, everyone will know that." Taylor said as she pulled out of the hug and cupped my face in her hands as she brushed some of my dry tears away from my cheek.

"Good, I like having you part of the family." I said as I stood up and went in for another hug.