The silence on the other end of the line would worry him, usually.
Would make him pause what he's doing, listen intently, gently probe with a soft voice as to why she wasn't making any noise.
But this time, he knows why.
He knows the silence isn't anger, or frustration, or anything directed at him.
It's sadness, relief, grief, happiness... All mixed up in a confusing whirlwind of emotion that words can't really describe. So he lets her take a beat, or two, before taking a deep breath.
'Tay, sweetie? You still there?'
He hears her then: the intake of breath, the sigh, the slight tremor in her voice. 'Hey, yes, I'm still here. I'm here, Trav'.
'How are you feeling?'
'Tired, sore. Relieved, I think, to be over. A little sad, I guess'.
'You're allowed to be all of those things, baby. It's been such a big part of your life for two years now. You're allowed to be sad'.
She pauses, and he can hear the noises around her: Scott distinctly talking in the background, a booming laugh he recognises as Kameron's, a whisper that 'the party will start in 10' directed at her that he would bet money on comes from Tree.
'I am...but... Can I tell you something?'
Travis chuckles softly, sitting back more comfortably against the couch cushions. 'You can tell me anything, Tay'.
'I feel a little guilty. That I'm not more sad. Everyone around me is crying, and I just... Don't have it in me. When I think about what comes next, that's what makes me excited'.
He can hear, then, the shift in tone: the tell-tale signs that Taylor is excited, happy, giddy over something she's thinking about. She speeds up, the words tripping her tongue in an effort to get them out, her voice higher as she speaks into the phone, huddled in the corner of the restaurant they'd rented in Vancouver, speaking to him.
'Like, Trav, you realise we have so much time, now? I mean, you have football, obviously...and I want you to be busy with that until February, no question. But the thought of having all that time, to just be, well us... It makes me excited. The future, with you - that's what I'm looking forward to. When we were closing the show, and the confetti was falling, I knew it was the end of a chapter, but the start of such an amazing one. I'm rambling, I know, but...'
Travis cuts her off in the middle of her sentence, the smile on his face he's sure matching her own. 'I know exactly what you mean, baby. God, how amazing is it that we can plan for the future together now? Not that you don't know I think you killed it on this tour, Tay. But waving you off each week....or being apart at the end of the summer... God, it killed me. Now, we're walking forward together, baby. I love you'.
'I love you so much, Trav. And without the tour, I wouldn't have you, so I'll always be extra grateful'.
Travis surprises her with laughter, and she crinkles her eyebrows in confusion, even though she knows he can't see her. 'The universe would have found a way to bring us together, sweetie. 13 + 87, it just works, right?'
'Right', she laughs back, before feeling a tap on her shoulder, Tree's face indicating it's time for her to go, to host the leaving party they had planned. 'I have to head on now, baby. I love you. See you tomorrow'.
'See you tomorrow, sweetie'.
He throws the phone down on the couch beside him after signing off, grinning like a giddy little kid on Christmas morning. Looking around, he can't help but see Taylor's influence everywhere in their home - from the furnishings to the books on the coffee table, the framed pictures of them on the wall, even the stylish whiskey glass he cradled in his hand. Sure, he had bought the house himself, but even from then it was theirs - their very first home together, the place where they lived life together, planning for the future and working out the bumps along that road.
