the stars in your eyes | t.s. one shots

normal thing

Taylor and Travis are all snuggled up on the sofa as the evening is slipping away from them. She's been resting all day after finishing up her shows in Dublin. Travis had shown up halfway through her concert last night, the best surprise in the world. She'd been expecting to meet him at the hotel after she was all finished up. As soon as she left the stage last night, she ran right into Travis's arms. Basically, that's a spot that she hasn't left since.

This morning, they flew back to Taylor's house in London, where they're meant to spend a quiet few days resting- something which Taylor really cherishes. Though London isn't even close to a place she considers a home anymore, she's been glad to have her house here, a place of her own where she can go between her shows on her European leg of tour. Having Travis around has also helped to erase any bad memories that she has here. She's done some remodeling since breaking up with Joe- gotten mostly new furniture, new carpets... a few things to help freshen it all up. The biggest game changer was when she changed the scent that she puts into her essential oil diffuser. She always used a blend of vanilla and cinnamon when she was living in London full time. Now, she's changed it up to a blend of lavender and citrus. It's made everything feel brighter and cheerier. Like long overdue sunshine after a difficult winter.

When Taylor's phone vibrates with a text, she picks it up from the side table to glance down at the screen. Noting who has texted, she unlocks her phone to read the message.

Gracie: Could I call you? I need someone to talk to and... well, it's something you'll understand.

Taylor sighs. She had honestly had a feeling this was coming. She has limits on her phone's social media usage- fifteen minutes per app per day, and then they're completely locked. It's best for her mental health. Still, even in her short time on Twitter this morning, she'd seen the images of Gracie that were floating around.

"Trav," Taylor speaks up, lightly rubbing his thigh as he looks up from his video game. "Do you mind if I speak to Gracie for a little bit? She asked to call me and I think she needs some help right now."

"Of course, sweetie." He lightly rubs her cheek before pressing a kiss into her soft skin. He knows how Taylor adores Gracie Abrams. She's a sort of little sister to the singer. They got really close last summer, when Gracie opened for more of the United States Eras Tour dates than not, and Taylor can't wait to have her back on tour in the fall to play a longer set. She's going to kill it, no doubt. Taylor has helped her to navigate every step of her journey and rise to fame, and while it's not a regular occurrence, it's not the first time Gracie's called to ask Taylor's opinion on something or hear her advice.

So, Taylor pulls up Gracie's contact and dials her friend. She picks up on the first ring, clearly having been anticipating this call.

Gracie's sitting in her hotel room in London, her knees hugged to her chest as she holds her phone to her ear. Her hair is hanging down in her face and her heart has dropped so low that it may as well be in her stomach. She's just so... confused.

"Hi Taylor," she says into the phone, her voice quiet.

"Hey Grac," Taylor says. Gracie doesn't have to see her face to know she's speaking with a warm smile. That's just how Taylor is. She's so caring and has really taken Gracie under her wings. Gracie is just so thankful for her mentorship. "How are you doing?"

"Have you been on Twitter today?" she asks. Taylor hesitates, unsure of how to answer that question. But the silence is all that Gracie needs to hear to know that it's a yes. She asks her next question already knowing what the answer is. "Have you seen it?"

From the other end of the line, there's a sigh. "If you mean the pictures, yeah. I have."

"There's nothing else I could mean," Gracie says, her voice breaking as she speaks. "It was our first date, Tay. And I don't know what the fuck to do about it."