Taylor x Travis: In Every Life

i'm here

November 27th
Travis' POV

"Man she has got you so whipped." Patrick clapped me on the shoulder as he passed where I was standing by my locker, staring down at my phone. Then he paused, clocking the expression on my face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." I sighed, placing my phone down. "I just haven't heard from her in a little while."

I knew Taylor was busy finishing with her weekend of Sao Paulo shows, but she'd been even vaguer than usual these last couple days. She'd responded to my texts eventually, but she didn't sound like herself. Maybe she was just tired, but she was acting funny. 

"I'm sure she's just busy." Patrick shrugged, and I nodded.

Trying to forget about it for now, I got dressed and packed up my things. I said goodbye to the guys and went out to my car, tossing my things in the back. As I got in, my phone started ringing. Hoping it was Taylor, I picked it up and paused for a half second. It was Andrea.

My first thought was that something had happened to Taylor, and my heart skipped a beat. I swallowed, answering.

"Hi Andrea, how are you?"

"Hi Travis honey, I'm doing good." Andrea sounded a little tired. "I was just wondering if you've heard from Taylor?"

"No, not really." I frowned. "I thought you were with her on tour at the moment."

"I am." Andrea sighed. "Oh Travis, she's not doing well."

"What's wrong?" I asked, knowing I didn't want to hear the answer but knowing I needed to.

"I'm not sure. She says she's fine, but she's absolutely exhausted." Andrea sighed, and my eyes slipped closed. Taylor was always so careful about not doing more than she could manage, so she must be really stressed out right now. "She's doing too much and I can't get through to her. I'm scared she might faint during a show." I opened my eyes, glancing at the clock. "I think she needs you Travis. You've been so good for her. I know it's a lot to ask you to come all the way over here, but..."

"No." I cut her off. "No, I'll come. I'll take the next flight out." I had so much going on, but Taylor was more important than all of that by a million miles. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

I called the airport on my way home, managing to secure a flight out for that same evening. Glad for the luck of the universe that they had seats left, I booked one. Once I got home, I packed a bag and texted Andy to let him know I'd be away for a few days. He might be a little annoyed, but I knew he'd understand. He knew how much Taylor meant to me.

I landed in Sao Paulo at five in the morning after trying to sleep as much of the flight as I could. Andrea had let Taylor's security know I was coming so they'd sent a car to pick me up and were waiting outside. It took half an hour to get to the hotel she was staying, and they let me go up by myself. 

Knowing she was probably fast asleep after last nights show, I very gently eased the hotel room door open after scanning the key card I'd been given. The room was dim; only a thin sliver of early morning light peeking through a crack in the curtains. I placed my bag down quietly as I closed the door, stepping out of my shoes as my eyes drifted to the bed.

Taylor was curled up in a ball like a baby in the middle of the double bed, breathing heavily. I looked over, pressing my lips together when I saw a container of uneaten food sitting on the table. She hadn't been eating. 

As I looked around, Taylor let out a groan. I glanced back over to her, watching as she rolled onto her back, her face screwing up like she was in pain. 

"No." She whimpered, her head tossing from side to side. "No, no!" Her voice rose as she thrashed a little, obviously having a nightmare.

"Taylor, hey." I rushed forwards, gently resting a hand on her shoulder and shaking gently. She screamed, jolting awake and scrambling back on the bed as her eyes swiveled around wildly. "Baby, hey, it's me. I'm here." I murmured.

"Travis?" She released a breath. 

"Hey." I rested a hand on her ankle. "You okay sweetie?"

"What are you doing here?" Taylor mumbled, but she shuffled closer and climbed into my lap, burrowing against me. She looked wrecked, and her shoulders slumped as she cuddled close.

"Your Mom called me, said she was worried about you." I kissed her temple as I wrapped my arms around her. "She asked me to come and see you."

"She fusses too much."

"I think she was right this time; you don't look good sweetheart." 

"Thanks." Taylor muttered. "That really helps."

"Sorry." I rubbed her back. "But what's going on baby? Talk to me." 

Taylor just shook her head, and I got the hint. She didn't want to talk about it right now. And that was okay. It was still really early, and she was exhausted. She'd probably want to sleep longer before talking. I shifted, keeping Taylor in my arms while lying her down so she could go back to sleep. She nuzzled her face into my neck as I started to stroke her hair, knowing it soothed her and might help her go back to sleep.

I stayed awake as Taylor drifted off, stroking her hair slowly as she breathed. I dozed off after a little while, drifting in and out of sleep as a few hours ticked by in fragments. Eventually, just after eight, Taylor let out a little sigh and blinked, her eyes fluttering open. She stared up at me blankly for a moment before seeming to remember that I was here.

"Hi." She mumbled.

"Hey sweetheart, you feeling okay?" I tucked a strand of hair out of her face. "And tell me the truth, otherwise I'll bug you until you do."

"Mhm." Taylor managed a small smile. "I'm okay." I raised my eyebrows and she sighed. "Alright fine, maybe I'm not doing so good."

"Talk to me." I whispered, and Taylor cast her eyes down.

"I just..." She blew out a breath, shoulders slumping slightly. "There's so much to do all the time. There's this big expectation I have to meet every day, and I'm so fucking exhausted. I was handling it, but then I met you and suddenly there was so much more - and that's not a bad thing." Taylor quickly tacked on. "I just wish sometimes I could get rid of all the other stuff so I could be with you."

"You can." I pointed out. "Sweetheart, this is your life. Your career. Your empire that you built. You can do whatever you want. Cut back a little if it's too much. We can't help you if you don't ask for it."

"I know." She mumbled. "I just...I want to make everyone happy."

"Oh I know you do sweetheart." I rubbed her back gently, pulling her closer. "But you need to make sure you're happy as well or none of this is worth it." I knew she got sucked into it sometimes, and that was expected. She just needed someone's hand to take to help her out of it, and I'd extend mine a million times over if that's what she needed. Taylor nodded, resting her head in the crook of my neck and sighed, her shoulders relaxing.

"I can't believe you came all this way just to check on me." She mumbled. 

"Of course I did sweetheart." I kissed her hair. "I was worried about you."

"You could have just called."

"Would you rather I hadn't come?"

"No." She sighed. "Just...you went to a lot of trouble just for me."

When would she see that she was worth all of this trouble times a million? It was like she didn't expect anything from me, nothing at all. I had noticed that over the last few months; how grateful she was for the bare fucking minimum. It made me hate every one of her ex-boyfriends for thinking she didn't deserve more, and it only made me try harder. She had to see how extraordinary she was, how much I could give her, how much she deserved to have.

"You're worth any trouble Taylor, but I wanted to come." I told her. "I knew you needed more than just a phone call."

"Thank you." She whispered, and I rested my cheek against her hair as she shifted even closer. She was tired, worn down, but she'd be okay.