Stolen Memories [Tayvis Fanfiction]

EUPHORIC

Nine Days Later
August 31st; 2024
Taylor Swift's Point of View
The afternoon sun spills through the window, casting long shadows across my living room. It should be peaceful, a perfect opportunity to unwind after a whirlwind week. Yet, the silence feels heavy, punctuated only by the distant wail of a police siren and the nagging guilt in my gut.

Joy, is spending the night at my brother Austin's. Their zoo trip photos flooded my phone earlier, filled with Joy's infectious laughter and Austin's goofy grin. A pang of longing shoots through me. Sometimes, I hate the life I lead. There are places I can't take her, experiences I can't share with her because the spotlight always finds me. The memory of being a social pariah, ostracized and ridiculed, still stings. I can't bear the thought of that happening to Joy.

There's a knock on the door, making me jump. Maybe it's Joy, forgetting something? Or worse, Austin deciding to "check in" after their zoo adventure. I take a deep breath, smoothing down my clothes before cautiously approaching the door.

But when I open it, there's Travis, a hesitant smile playing on his lips. He holds a pizza box in one hand, a brown paper bag clearly housing a bottle of wine in the other. "Hey," he says, his voice a welcome break from the quiet. "You said you might be up for some company?"

I can't help but grin. Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all. "Come in," I step back, gesturing him inside. "I was just...debating what movie to torture myself with."

He raises an eyebrow, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Torture? Sounds intense. How about we skip the pre-screening and head straight for the pizza?"

Travis steps inside, the aroma of pepperoni and peppers instantly banishing the heavy silence. His gaze sweeps the room, taking in the remnants of my not-so-relaxing afternoon - puzzle pieces scattered like colorful landmines across the coffee table, a book abandoned mid-page on the couch.

"Looks like you were having some quality 'me-time,'" he says, amusement lacing his voice.

I shrug, a sheepish grin tugging at the corner of my lips. "Something like that. More like quality 'avoiding-my-problems' time."

He chuckles, setting the pizza box down on the table. Reaching into the paper bag, he produces a bottle of red wine with a flourish. "Well, consider your problems temporarily tabled. Pizza and wine are excellent problem-solvers, wouldn't you agree?"

"The most scientific of solutions," I agree, a playful glint mirroring his. "Though, I wouldn't discount the therapeutic effects of a good cinematic meltdown."

"Fair enough," he concedes, popping the cork with a satisfying pop. "But hey, let's save the meltdown for tomorrow. Tonight, we focus on the pizza, the wine."

A wave of guilt washes over me, cold and unwelcome. Travis brought pizza and wine, offering a haven from the storm raging inside me. But the storm itself, the reason my reality feels so overwhelming, is him. I'm drowning in a sea of unspoken affection, a secret so big it threatens to swallow me whole.

I force a tight smile, the warmth in Travis's eyes turning into a scorching fire under my skin. "Thanks, Travis. This is...really nice of you."

The air crackles with unspoken words. A million thoughts swarmed my head, each one a variation of "I can't do this." He deserves honesty, but confessing the truth would shatter the fragile peace we'd built. It will break him, and the thought rips a fresh wound in my already fractured heart.

The silence hangs heavy, thick enough to choke on. Travis sets down the wine glasses, his smile flickering a little under the strain of my expression. "Everything okay?" he asks, concern lacing his voice.