Walking up to Taylors front door, Travis couldn't believe the way his entire body over reacted.
She wasn't going to want him there, he knew that, she would refuse to speak to him about anything that had been going on, he knew that too, the worst that could happen was she wouldn't let him in or engage with him at all so why was his entire body in panic mode?
Raising a large hand he knocked gently, not wanting to startle her with the noise, remembering how she had hidden under the table the day before when afraid
"Taylor it's Travis, can you open the door and let me in please? I have something for you"
He had expected to wait longer, argue more but in no time he heard the door open and a tiny person dressed in a huge black hoody stood before him, her face stained with tears and her bottom lip sucked between her teeth
"Are you okay?" He asked gently and she shook her head "Will flan make it better?" He asked holding up a white paper bag and watching as her eyes get wide and her teeth released her lip and allowed it to smile
"Flan makes everything better" she finally spoke whilst opening the door to allow him in
"What will he say when he sees I changed the lock?" Travis asked, genuine concern flooding his chest as he pushed it shut behind him and then locked it, just in case of any unwanted returnees
"I don't know. Can I have the flan now please?" She turned quickly to look up at him and he was briefly reminded of her as a younger girl, the fire in her eyes, the mischief on her mind and he missed her so much his heart physically hurt for the person she no longer was, the person that had been taken away from her and there and then he made a promise to himself that he was going to find a way to give her that part it Taylor back
Taking the bag, Taylor moved slowly to the kitchen where she found a small white plate and then a fork and she moved to the table and sat down "May I eat it now please?" She asked, her voice almost childlike
"Eat it whenever you like, I brought it for you"
"Can I eat it all?!" She asked in surprise
"Feel free, you look like you could use all the calories you can get"
Without another word Taylor began shovelling the flan into her mouth as though she was afraid it would be taken away from her and Travis knew then that eating freely was another basic right that had been taken from her
"Can I talk whilst you eat?" She nodded her response "I'm worried about you Taylor, what's going on here isn't right. You aren't the same girl I knew"
"Everyone changes Travis" she answered through a mouthful of dessert
"Not like this"
"You don't know my life, you have no right to judge it" she finished the flan and then brought the plate to her mouth and began licking the remnants
"I'm not judging you, I just want to help you"
"I don't need help"
"Taylor please..."
"I'm happy Travis, I'm sorry if it bothers you to know I'm happy without you but..."
"But you don't look happy. You look lonely and scared and damaged and I know you didn't get those bruises from a fall"
Dropping her gaze to her plate, Taylor suddenly felt the burn of guilt, she had eaten the entire slice of flan...
Travis has brought her a treat just to make sure she would be punished and then he could laugh and say he had been right all along
"You did it on purpose..." She accused whilst pushing the plate towards him and standing up "You brought me that because you knew I would eat it"
"I hoped you would eat it"
"So I would get fat and Jared wouldn't want me anymore"
"No..."
"I don't eat desserts, I put on weight too easily"
"Tay..."
"I want you to go"
"No, Taylor you're wrong, I brought you it because I know it's your favourite and I wanted to see you happy"
"How happy do you think I will be if I turn so fat that Jared leaves me, just like you did and I'm all alone again? Hu?! Is that what you want for me to lose the only man that will ever love me?! I'm not easy to love you know Travis, I should be thankful that I found Jared in the first place and I wont let you or anyone else take him away from me" Suddenly her hands were on his shoulders, pulling at him, trying to force him to stand up "Get out! I want you out of my house!"
"Taylor please..."
"GET OUT! GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!"
***************************************
Travis Kelce walked the long pathway to the large black door, his heart pounding at what he was about to do and his thoughts as to what Taylors reaction would be to it.
He was only half way down the path he had walked hundreds of times when the door flew open and a tiny female ran towards him, speaking words he didn't immediately understand
As she wrapped her arms around him he could almost feel the emotion that poured from her
"Oh Travis!" She cried as she grabbed his face
"Mama" he replied, feeling his own throat constrict
"You're home, I'm so glad you are home" she wrapped her hand in his and pulled him into the house, the familiar smells and memories of this home almost knocking him off his feet "Is it my Taylor? Have you seen her? Is she okay?!"
Travis struggled to find a starting place as she pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and almost forced him down in to it
"Talk to me, please!"
"Well I have seen Taylor..."
"You have?!" Her hand covered her heart as a tear spilled down her cheek "How is she?!"
"What do you know?"
"Just that I never see my daughter anymore. I'm not welcome at her house, she never comes to mine. I don't know what I did Travis, we were always so close I never thought she would just disappear from me like this"
Travis ran his free hand over his forehead as Andrea Swift clung to his other one
"What did I do Travis? Please tell me what I did and I will fix it"
"Nothing! Please believe that it's not you. Look I'll be honest I'm just home, I don't know everything"
"But you know something and that's more than me so please... whatever you know" the older woman's eyes bore into him, begging him for answers
"It's... Taylor has a new boyfriend"
"Jared? I met him... lovely boy"
"No. Not a lovely boy, an abusive boy"
Andreas eyes went wide as she dropped hold of Travis' hand
"I saw her mama, that is not the Taylor that I knew"
"She's been busy..."
"She's been isolated"
"She calls me but never says anything anymore"
"She's afraid"
Andrea shook her head gently from side to side
"She would tell me if something was wrong"
"He's in her head... he's convinced her every thing is normal and everything is fine... Mrs. Swift I promise you, everything is not fine"
"You saw her Travis? Spoke to her?"
Travis nodded, not wanting to get into what it was he saw, hoping Andrea Swift would trust him enough to go along with his plan
"Mama I need you to help me"
"Anything, I will do anything for my baby"
"Then I need you to trust me"
