I Know Places (Taylor Swift Imagines) (GxG)

What Can I Do?

part iii to Never Acting At All (it's my first time ever writing something like this - if you don't count You're My Lover from Album and It's Nice To Have A Friend)

Your boyfriend's in the bathroom and I'm holding your hand.

As soon as Taylor's boyfriend leaves to go to the bathroom, you lace your fingers with Taylor's as you lean back against your couch. She doesn't pull away or even look down, just continues on watching the movie.

I wonder if he notices the things that I can.

You turn your gaze to Taylor instead of the TV screen. Your eyes trace over the curve of her nose, the wrinkling of her eyes when she smiles, the perfect sharpness of her jawline.

You take mental notes of the jokes from the movie she laughs at, the lines at which she frowns, the actors and actresses her eyes light up at the minute they show up on screen.

You wonder, vaguely, if her boyfriend does the same. If he also gets distracted from what he's doing the minute Taylor walks in, if he also stops everything just to talk to her, if he admires her beauty as much as you do.

You don't even get it, no, you don't understand.

"Oh, what?" Taylor giggles, a bright smile on her pretty lips as she catches you staring. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

You smile back, trying to mask your feelings with a casual shrug. "Just thinking about how you're way more interesting than this movie," you say, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Taylor's cheeks flush slightly, and she glances back at the screen. "You're just saying that," she murmurs, but there's a softness in her voice that betrays her appreciation for the compliment.

"I mean it," you insist quietly, your voice earnest. "You're... amazing, Taylor."

She looks at you again, her eyes searching yours for a moment that feels like forever. The unspoken emotions between you are so strong, it's almost overwhelming. "You're pretty amazing too," she whispers, a hint of sadness in her voice.

I want you, but I know I'm only one of your friends.

The weight of her words settles heavily in your chest. You try to keep your expression neutral, but the intensity of your feelings threatens to break through the surface. You know your place in her life: just one of her friends, nothing more. And yet, the way she looks at you right now, with a mixture of longing and resignation, makes you wish things could be different.

"Just one of your friends," you say under your breath, ensuring Taylor can't hear, as if saying it aloud could somehow lessen the sting. "I guess I'll have to settle for that."

Taylor's eyes flicker with something you can't quite place - regret, maybe? But before you can analyse it further, her boyfriend returns from the bathroom, plopping down on the couch beside her and draping an arm around her shoulders. The moment between you and Taylor is abruptly shattered.

She shifts slightly in her seat, her hand slipping out of yours as she turns her attention back to the movie. You try to do the same, but it's impossible to focus. The warmth of her hand still lingers in yours, a ghost of what could have been.

I know all about you, all your favourite things.

Risotto. Friends. Cats. The Bleachers. Guitar. Piano. Kaleidoscope. Polaroids. Cinnamon. Autumn. The Great Gatsby. Bruce Springsteen. Painting. Baking. Cooking.

Taylor's favourites.

Again, as you sit in your lavishly lonely bedroom, you wonder if Taylor's boyfriend knows this basic information. You know, deep down, he doesn't.

But what say do you have in her life?

I listen to your stories, all your wildest dreams.

You listen with rapt attention to Taylor as she tells you about her dream of traveling the world, exploring new cultures, and tasting exotic cuisines. Her eyes light up as she talks about wanting to visit Paris in the spring, the cherry blossoms in Japan, and the vibrant markets of Marrakech. You hang on to every word, storing away these details like precious treasures.

"And then," Taylor continues, her excitement contagious, "I'd love to spend a few months in Italy, learning to make authentic pasta and just soaking up the atmosphere. Doesn't that sound amazing?"

You nod, a smile spreading across your face. "It sounds incredible. You'd make the perfect Italian chef."

Taylor laughs, the sound musical and warm. "Maybe someday. For now, I'll just have to stick with my little kitchen experiments."

Every time she talks about her dreams, you can't help but feel a mix of admiration and heartbreak. You want to be the one who helps her achieve them, the one who stands beside her through every adventure. But you know that for now, you're just the friend who listens.

And you go on for hours, say he's not what you need.

You've been on the phone with Taylor for a few hours now. She'd called you early in the afternoon, asking if she can open up.

You're always so excited to talk to her, and so, as per usual, you said yes.

And now she sounds like she's been pacing her room for an eternity as her anger slowly rises.

You silently wish she'd finally realise what you've been wanting to say for so long -

You know you're too good for him. But if it were me...

I'd give you everything.

You sit, crying with your knees to your chest, on the rug in your living room.

sorry I cut this off here... I swear part iv is coming, I just really rushed to update because I haven't updated in so long. I love you all, thanks for bearing with me <3

Hugs and kisses,

Z