Isn't That Sweet? | Tayvis Stories

Let It Once Be Me (1/2)

Note: I meant to have this out before my vacation, but found myself having some trouble getting words on the page. I'm not super proud with how this turned out, but I would've kept writing forever if I didn't give up and post. I still hope you all like it! This was inspired heavily by "The Prophecy," so I recommend giving it a good listen before reading ;)

She looked at her reflection in the vanity mirror, letting her eyes trace slowly over her own face. Tendrils of her hair were frizzing in a halo on the top of her head, and she tried to flatten them down to no success. Her eyeliner wasn't particularly even, and she blamed her shaky hands. She took a deep breath. You look fine. You're just nervous.

It was an impulsive decision, inviting him to New York. It wasn't the first time in the past few months that she had done something without really thinking it through.

"You should come to New York soon. We should meet in person." She interrupted abruptly, rather unenthusiastically. He paused in the middle of his sentence, and she could see how confusion flickered in his eyes, even through the phone screen. She swallowed hard, ready to backtrack, when he spoke.

"Okay. What day works best for you?" He asked it in the same manner she posed her statement, like they were just having a mundane conversation about the weather and not planning out their first meeting after almost three weeks of tension and flirting.

She stopped to actually consider what she was doing for a moment, feeling a flash of fear shoot through her before she stifled it down. "I'm going to Mexico later in the week, so Monday or Tuesday would probably work best. Which one of those days is better for you?"

"I film the podcast with my brother on Mondays, but I can definitely be there on Tuesday." Even though he was trying to keep his tone even with hers, she could tell he was excited, which made her perk up ever so slightly.

"Good. You can come over to my place. It'll give us the most privacy." That was the biggest concern: privacy. The word had started to gain such a negative connotation in her life, and for a moment, she thought using it again might jinx what she had tentatively built with the man on the phone.

But as if her worries transferred through the phone, he immediately jumped to ease them. "That sounds great." He looked like he was thinking hard for a moment, and then shyly asked, "Is there any, um, procedure I should be following?"

She laughed loudly, more at the way he posed it rather than the question itself, and saw his face turn slightly red. She composed herself enough to say, "Don't worry about it, I'll handle everything as long as you can catch a flight."

He nodded, "I can definitely do that."

Her phone buzzed beside her, and she tore her eyes away from the mirror to glance down at the lit screen. He was on his way. Her heart started to beat rapidly, and she typed out a quick affirmative before glancing back up at herself. Her red lipstick started to wear off her bottom lip from where she had been anxiously biting it, and she considered reapplying it, before changing her mind and wiping it off completely in favor of a more neutral color. Already second guessing myself, how wonderful.

She walked downstairs, passing by the room where she could hear the cats scratching against the door she hid them behind, preferring the night to go without interruption. As she reached the kitchen, she noticed how dry her throat was, filling up a glass of water and sipping it slowly. Her hands were clammy and cold, though the rest of her body felt hot. The little black dress she had specially chosen was suddenly tight and restrictive. It's just first date jitters, nothing to be concerned about.

She wasn't sure if it was a first date. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to be. She was reminded of how the year had gone before this, and the cold flash of panic rushed up to her head, making her feel dizzy. She leaned against the counter, tipping her head back and closing her eyes, letting the film reel of memories play.