Taylor x Travis: In Every Life

the fine line

Travis' POV

There's a fine line between love of a friend and proper love, and I always thought I knew what that line was. 

Taylor and I grew up together, went to school together, smoked our first cigarette and decided we hated it together, drank for the first time together, told each other everything about every part of our life. We'd been best friends ever since we were babies, nothing more than just best friends. People had made comments that we might as well be dating, but we'd never felt anything like that.

But as I sat at the table in the restaurant, in the middle of Taylor's twenty-seventh birthday dinner, surrounded by her friends, I realized I hadn't known that line. It had hit me so suddenly. Taylor had been sitting next to me in a little green dress her Mom had bought her that morning, laughing at something Selena had said. I'd been laughing along as well, Taylor had looked at me, and something had changed.

She was no longer the girl I'd been best friends with my whole life. I looked at Taylor, and she was suddenly everything I'd ever wanted, suddenly someone I craved to have, to call my own. The feeling had swept over me so suddenly that I hadn't known what it was, and I'd fallen silent as I'd processed it.

And now I sat there in the realization that I'd fallen in love with my best friend, watching as she stood at the bar, flirting with the bartender who'd wanted to have her number. Taylor had been single for two years after her last boyfriend had cheated on her and had taken some convincing from her friends to go and talk to this guy, but she'd done it. She'd done it just in time for me to realize I wanted her to want me, not that guy she was talking to. 

"So?" Selena asked when Taylor came back, falling into the chair next to me.

"His name is Joe, we're going out next Friday." Taylor grinned. "I can't believe I let you talk me into that!" She laughed. "Aren't you proud of me Travis?" 

"Nice work Tay." I nodded, faking a smile. She winked at me, turning to Selena as she was asked another question.

How had it taken me so long to realize I was in love with my own best friend? We only hung out multiple a week, texted almost every day, talked on the phone a lot. We knew absolutely everything there was to know about each other, and I loved her. I loved her smile, her laugh, her eyes, everything. I hated it.

"Alright, bye Travis!" Taylor hugged me tightly when we finished at the restaurant. "And thank you so much for my present, I love it." She touched the delicate silver diamond that hung around her neck.

"You're welcome T, happy birthday." I kissed her cheek like I often did, but this time, it was tainted with everything I wanted but couldn't have. 

Taylor waved as she headed off to Selena's car - who had brought her in - and my smile dropped as I sighed, turning to mine. I got in, sitting back and letting my eyes slip closed. What the fuck?

Why did I have to love her all of a sudden? Two hours ago she'd just been my best friend Taylor. Now she was the woman of my dreams, the one I craved to kiss properly, to tell her I loved her, to date and marry and have a life with. I knew I wanted these things with her, and I despised myself.

What was I going to do?

I sat there for a good ten minutes, thinking before I moved.

"Fuck." I sighed, turning my car on. I knew what I was going to do.

I drove away, sitting in silence for half an hour as the road slipped away underneath me. The whole time, I thought about all those times Taylor had fallen asleep in my bed, or I'd fallen asleep in hers, all those times we'd cuddled up together to watch a movie, shared a casual kiss on the cheek, danced together, sang together. Never had it ever meant more than friendship, but when I looked back, I was probably in love with her this whole time and never knew it.