Pitch Perfect Harmony

Don't Touch It

Until Paris, the time felt like it was stretching with each day. Taylor had a hard time coming home to an empty apartment and only calling Travis for two hours at most each day because they both had to sleep enough to get their work and practice done. She even felt herself slipping more and more toward a depressed state but she was able to fight it for the most part. Having friends over on days she had the time to did help her head. After some replanning, Taylor also planned to visit Travis for a weekend before she'd fly to Paris. He was excited that she could make it work to meet before her journey to Europe but he also had something to confess.

Before she arrived at his place, he called her. "Trav, I'm almost there", she giggled excited to see him soon. "Ahm, yeah. I just wanted to... warn you, I guess", he said sounding insecure. She immediately became serious and listened closely. "I... You know, I had some friends over yesterday?", he reminded her. "Yes, you told me. Ross and Pat and so on", she said. "Yeah, and we got pretty drunk in the evening... so, ahm... I'm so sorry and I will do everything to fix it but...", he stuttered making her all worried. "Trav, what happened?", she wanted to know. "I... I fell into your guitar. It was still in the living room and we were kinda messing around and I didn't do it on purpose! Of course not!", he rambled on. "Are you okay?", she asked. "I am, but...", he said and got interrupted instantly: "Is the guitar okay?" He hesitated and already answered that way. "No... is it... is it bad?", she mumbled worriedly. "I think so", he admitted. "Listen, I'm so sorry and I'll do everything to have it fixed! I promise!", Travis tried to tell her but Taylor was almost at his place now and just wanted to see it with her own eyes.

"I'm there now", she just told him and ended the call to get out of the car. He opened the door for her and without really acknowledging him, she rushed inside. "Where is it?", she asked. "I put it on the dining table", he mumbled watching her running over to her instrument. The guitar looked really bad. A football player had fallen into it and that was visible. The neck was broken off, strings lying around it ripped apart, and the body consisted of at least three different pieces now. Taylor gasped her eyes watering immediately. Every one of her instruments was special to her in its own way and seeing her guitar destroyed like that left her almost in disbelief.

"I'm sorry. I... If there's anything I can do", he started taking a part of the instrument. "Don't touch it!", she immediately yelled out of reflex slapping his hand so he let go. "Tay, I...", he stuttered not knowing what to do. He expected her to get sad and angry but she looked at him as if he had hurt a living being. It seemed to feel like that for her and that made Travis feel even worse about it. "Do you think there's anything to repair?", he asked carefully. But Taylor just looked at him like she was going to murder him for even asking this. She picked up what was left of her instrument and he tried to help but she again told him to not touch it and ran off to one of the guest rooms with her guitar locking the door behind her. She put down the pieces on the bed and couldn't stop herself from crying. The pure shock of seeing her guitar like that had her crying for a couple of minutes and then anxiously sitting down on the bed and looking at the broken wood.

"Tay? I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break it! I can try to find someone to fix it!", Travis started talking against the door. That he really thought there was something left to fix bothered her more than it needed to. "Fuck off!", she screamed trying not to cry again. The only thing that he could've done that would be worse was hurting her cats. Or herself. But he wouldn't do that. Or would he? What if it had been on purpose? What if he had been mad and had chosen her guitar to let it out on? Taylor's anxiety bubbled up more and more but she was able to breathe the irrational panick away and work through it on her own.

Travis walked back to the living room pacing up and down. He had fucked up and he knew that since the second he had noticed the broken instrument beneath his body the night before. That's why he had called her earlier. He didn't want her to come home happy to see him only to then find her destroyed guitar. He picked up his phone when it lit up but the message from Pat wasn't interesting right now. He opened the chat with Jason instead. "I fucked up", he wrote not knowing what he was expecting from his brother now. "In what case?", Jason answered surprisingly quickly. "Taylor", he wrote back only to get a call from his brother seconds later: "What the fuck have you done? You said you wouldn't screw it up! You know what you have with her!", Jason immediately started. "I know, I know", Travis mumbled silently.

"I accidentally broke her guitar. Like... really broke it", he explained. "The one she had left at your place? Oh god, how did you manage to do that?", Jason rolled his eyes. "I was drunk and fell into it", his little brother admitted honestly. "You... Can you get it repaired?", Jason wanted to know. "She doesn't sound like it", Travis said. "She knows already?! What happened?", his brother caught on to what was going on more and more. "She yelled at me not to touch it, stormed off to the guest room, and when I tried to talk to her she told me to fuck off. Believe me, I know I screwed up but...", Travis didn't know what to say and just sighed. "Oh, Travis", Jason sighed too. "What?", he asked annoyed. He had expected help from his older brother, not a useless sigh. "You fucked up", Jason just repeated what Travis already knew. It was silent after that. "Does she believe you that it was an accident?", Jason finally asked. "I... I hope so. I'd never do that on purpose!", he said. "Fuck, I hope she knows", Travis added now thinking about what could be going through her head. "I gotta tell her again, I guess", Travis decided. "Don't rush! Just give her the space and time. The worst thing you can do is pressure her to talk", Jason warned him. "Thank you", he just mumbled and soon ended the call.

A deep breath later, he walked back to the locked door his girlfriend was behind. A careful knock had her look up from the guitar to the door. She had been lost in her thoughts. "I just want to say that I really didn't do it on purpose. I promise, Tay. You can ask Ross or Pat or something. I didn't mean to... hurt you", he told her through the door not expecting an answer. He knew that he, as the big man he was, could be intimidating and she had now seen what he'd be able to do. Maybe she was scared. Travis was about to go back to the living room when he heared steps. So he waited and a moment later, she opened the door. He stepped back a little making himself smaller. "I'm sorry", he repeated when she looked up at him. It was obvious that she had been crying not long ago and it hurt so much that it was his fault.

"You just fell into it?", she mumbled. "I... Pat and I were messing around pushing each other and I was too drunk to hold balance. I should've just put it away for the night or not drink that much or whatever", he explained hoping she would believe him. "I know I fucked up. I just don't know how to make it right", Travis added still holding himself back from getting closer to her in any way. She seemed so vulnerable. "Did I scare you?", he finally decided to just ask. A little confused, she looked at him. "No, I... I mean I got a little anxious earlier but... I know you'd never hurt me", she told him making him breathe out a sigh of relief. "Can I hug you?", he asked silently making her smile a little. Taylor nodded and leaned into his arms a second later. "I love you. I'm so sorry and... If I can do anything to make it okay... I... I'll do it", he told her combing through her hair with one hand. She had closed her eyes calming down more and more. "I was just really shocked. My guitars... I have a couple but... they're all special and...", she tried to explain but he shook his head to silence her. "You don't need to explain yourself. I fucked up and you have every right to be mad", he said still not letting go.

"I'll leave it here. You can... see what you can do with it. But I don't think there's much to fix and I'd like the pieces back at some point", she mumbled into his chest still sounding hurt. "I'll try. And of course, you'll get it back!", he assured her. Another sigh left his lips. He was glad to hold her again. "I missed you", he let her know. "I missed you too", she answered before looking up to kiss him. "Order dinner?", he suggested too tired to cook. Taylor agreed and so they soon had dinner and went to bed after. "I really struggled with missing you", she whispered. "I know. You seemed tired. Sad. Should I have asked more?", he wanted to know. Taylor shrugged. "What do we do when we can't see each other for longer?", she asked. "I don't know", he admitted pulling her just a little closer. "But we'll figure it out. It's not gonna kill us", he was certain kissing her head lightly. "Speak for yourself", she sighed dramatically making him chuckle. "I love you, Tay", he just said. "I love you too. A lot. Maybe too much", she answered with an adorable giggle in the end. "You know that if you really need me, I'll cancel whatever I'm doing and come to you", he repeated a promise he had already given her. "And I'd do the same for you. And if stadiums of people will wait for me, I'd come to you", she answered. It felt good to have the reassurance even though they both had already known that. Travis kissed her head again. "Good night, Allie", he decided that it was time to sleep. "Good night, Trav", she mumbled and soon they both were asleep.