TNT Short Fics

Wreck my plans - Part 2

Hopes

Of all the places or times she's thought they'd have this conversation, Taylor never would have guessed it would be hungover on the portico of Holiday House after a rowdy party for Travis's 35th birthday.

They have barely slept. The fun of last night, bleeding over into their middle-of-the-night laughter and sneaking out to skinny dip in the pool in the uncharacteristically warm fall night after everyone else had finally gone to bed. They might still be a little drunk but food, electrolytes, and the fresh air Travis has suggested seem to be helping to sober them up. But with that comes the dull throb behind her eyes.

Yet the wind off the ocean and the warm autumn air feel amazing. And it helps that it's an overcast day. They are tucked up in the corner of the outdoor sofa. He's cozy in the PJs he never slept in last night and she's swallowed up in a Super Bowl t-shirt and a pair of his boxers that shrunk in the wash. She's fully laying on him, and they are just soaking up their last day before they head back home to KC. Back to the season and soon, back to the final leg of the tour.

When she asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday this year, he only suggested getting friends together. However, his bye week being the week after, meant they could do something bigger if he wanted.

"No vacation?"

"Nah, I just want all my favorites in one spot," he'd said. "And you're at the top of the list."

She's taken it a step further. A few days tucked away in Rhode Island the weekend after his birthday to recharge. A more central location for his friends and their family. Away from prying eyes that would judge whatever they were doing against what they thought should and should not happen in a football season. It's been the best time and feels like the final space they needed to merge their life together.

He's lost in thought, playing with the ends of her hair, so she tips her head up with her chin on his chest to ask, "What are you thinking about up there?"

"Hmmm?" he asks, returning from wherever he's gone.

"You're miles away. Reliving last night?"

He blushes and tips her off to pay closer attention.

"I um, I wasn't..." he looks hesitant to share but then goes ahead. "I was thinking about what comes next."

"Next year?" she asks.

"No, just next. Thinking about my birthday, about this year. It's been the best year of my life, you already know. Winning another Super Bowl, traveling with you, Us," he pauses, looking out across the lawn towards the water. "I'm not saying I wouldn't want something like that again this next year. I just...I'm thinking about other things too. More."

He looks down at her and smiles the smile he seems to have just for her. The one that always makes her feel just a bit more safe and loved each time she sees it. He runs his hand across her hair again.

"I love my job, my work. But I'm ready to start work towards other things than just football. I got lucky, we got lucky. You and I, we just...found each other. But there are other things I want...things I hope we want to work towards together."

He looks at her closely and she begins to understand what he means. They have been talking about the future more and more since he put a ring on her finger this summer. And they've started to map the work they want to do next year as Taylor irons out what comes next after the Eras Tour.

Still, there are some things that have stayed firmly couched in the hazy "sometime in the future" column of their plans. Things they absolutely know they want and are on the same page about, they just haven't pulled them down off the shelf to examine exactly when.