Taylor x Travis: In Every Life

behind closed doors (pt 2)

a.n surprise!!! two updates in two days? what's this?
this was HIGHLY requested so i hope you guys like the part 2, i just didn't want to push back the scheduled parts so you guys are gonna get three days in a row of updates

Travis' POV

Taylor had long since curled up on her side next to me and fallen asleep, but I just wasn't able to close my eyes for more than a few seconds. I just lay facing her, the way I'd been lying as we'd talked for hours after Joe left. She'd admitted to me that she was terrified about all this, that she didn't know how things might play out with him through the breakup, and that she desperately needed to make sure the media didn't get a hold of all the dirty details. I'd known she had to work hard to keep parts of her life private, but as she'd talked, I'd wished I was a little more than just another uninfluential football player in the world. I wanted to be able to make all of this go away, to be able to tell her that she didn't have to hide, that she didn't have to be scared.

She'd frowned for a little while in her sleep but her face had relaxed now and she breathed heavily, lips slightly parted as she slept. I couldn't help but watch her, trying to memorize every single thing about her face. I'd never been this close to her, not like this, and I didn't know how long it would last. Taylor might think she was a difficult person to have a relationship with because of everyone putting a microscope on her every move, but my problems ran deep. I only hoped I wouldn't drive this girl away. This girl, this woman, she was special.

Taylor sighed, shifting a little under the blanket I'd lifted to cover her shoulders. She'd pulled on a shirt when we'd lay down, and it lay wonky over her shoulders as she shifted, high on one side and drooping on the other. Reaching out, I took the shirt and gently tugged it up to cover her shoulder properly, not wanting her to get cold. Just as I retracted my hand, Taylor's lips twitched, and she rolled over onto her back. A moment later, her soft blue eyes blinked open, peering at me like she wasn't fully coherent. Taylor stared at me for a long moment and I looked right back at her, not entirely sure she was properly awake. She looked a little out of it.

"You stayed." Taylor whispered like she was in disbelief. She swallowed, blinking a few more times. 

"Of course I did." I reached out and rested a hand on her cheek. Taylor sighed, leaning into my palm. Her eyes stared intently into mine, almost like she was trying to figure something out. "What?"

"I'm just..." She swallowed. "There's a lot going on right now and I'm not used to someone here with me." God, I hated Joe. I really, really hated him. How long had he been making her feel like this? How long had she been faking smiles and pretending nothing was wrong?

"Oh Taylor." I ran my thumb over her cheek. "I'm not leaving until the day you order me to." Tears welled up in Taylor's eyes as she looked down, her lip trembling ever so slightly. It broke my heart. "Hey." I whispered, and she looked up at me. "Come here." I wanted her to know she wasn't alone.

Taylor immediately shuffled closer, cuddling against my chest as I rested my arms around her. The way she nuzzled her soft head against my neck made warmth shoot through me and I looked down, watching as Taylor let out a soft sigh and her eyes slipped closed. I still couldn't believe I was here, with the woman of my dreams curled up in my arms. 

Taylor's POV

When I woke up, I was alone. I looked around as I sat up, pressing my lips together. There was no evidence in the room that Travis had ever been there at all. Had he left me? Through my sleepy consciousness, I recalled waking up in the middle of the night and him telling me something, but I couldn't remember what.

I didn't blame him for leaving. This whole situation was a total mess, and it was only going to get worse from here. 

With a sigh, I got up and ran my hands through my tousled hair. Once I'd used the bathroom, I stood there and stared at myself in the mirror for a long moment. I didn't feel like myself. Everything had been flipped over last night, and I struggled to figure out what to do next. I'd broken my own heart twice in the last twelve hours, which wasn't something I thought possible. First Joe; the end of a relationship that long was hard to recover from. And now Travis; who had been my friend for so long, who I'd trusted, who I'd confided in. I'd thought maybe he would stay, maybe he would be here through this with me.