I Know Places (Taylor Swift Imagines) (GxG)

Okay, What!?

"Eli?" you call softly as you walk into your son's room.

He's crying on his bed with the covers pulled up to his head.

You can't help but feel bad for him. He had transferred schools just before the end of the year, and he has a lot of trouble making friends. He invited all thirty-two of his classmates to his birthday party today, and not a single kid came.

You saw his face fall when three PM struck and no one walked through the door, and it broke your heart in two.

"Go away, Amma," he says from beneath his blanket, your heart melting a bit, as it always does, when he calls you that, which stemmed from his slight hearing issues, which he has since gotten surgery for. "I'm sad."

You sigh as you pad across his room and sit on his bed beside him. "I know, sweet boy," you whisper, gently rubbing his shoulder and arm. "I'm so sorry."

Eli peeks out from under the covers, his eyes red and puffy. "Why did no one come?" he asks with a teary pout as he sits up and crawls into your lap.

Your arms wrap around him, and you cradle him close, whispering apologies and sweet nothings as he cries.

You two stay like that for a few moments more before your phone suddenly rings, and you fish it out of your pocket.

Eli starts to force himself to calm down, thinking this might be important, but you're just about to decline the call when you see it's Taylor--your girlfriend of four years, who Eli has met and is very attached to.

"It's Taylor, E, look."

Eli sits up a bit straighter to look at the screen. His eyes light up, and he taps the answer button, brightening immediately as he sees Taylor's face on the screen. "Tay-Tay!"

Your heart warms at the nickname, and Taylor's beam is alight. "Hi, Eli! Happy birthday, sweet boy!"

Eli smiles shyly, his earlier tears momentarily forgotten. "Thank you," he whispers, rubbing his eyes. "But no one came to my party. They don't like me."

Taylor’s expression softens with empathy, her eyes filled with concern. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry to hear that. But you know what? I think they just didn't know what a cool party they were missing out on. I mean, anyone would be lucky to be your friend."

Eli shrugs, still looking a bit downcast. "I guess . . ."

Taylor smiles, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Well, I have a little surprise for you. Can you do something for me? Can you come outside with Amma? Just for a minute?"

Eli glances at you, uncertain. "Why? There's no one out there."

You gently nudge him, giving him a reassuring smile. "Let's just see what Taylor has in mind, okay? Maybe it'll make you feel better."

Reluctantly, Eli nods, sliding off your lap and slipping his hand into yours. You stand up and lead him out of his room, Taylor still on the phone, her excitement palpable even through the screen. As you make your way down the hallway, you can't help but wonder what she's planned. Taylor is always full of surprises, but you wouldn't expected her to go out of her way, especially on such short notice.

When you reach the back door, Eli hesitates, his grip on your hand tightening. "I don't want to go outside," he says, his voice small.

"It's okay, E," you assure him. "I promise, you'll like this."

Taking a deep breath, Eli lets you guide him through the door. The moment you step outside, a chorus of voices erupts, shouting, "Surprise!"

Eli’s eyes widen in shock as he sees the backyard filled with people--Taylor's tour crew, some of your close friends, and even Taylor's celebrity pals. Streamers hang from the trees, a table is piled high with presents, and a large cake sits in the centre, decorated with Eli's favourite cartoon characters. The crowd parts, and Taylor steps forward, holding a brightly wrapped present in her hands.

"Okay, what!?" Eli squeals, bouncing slightly on his feet, and you gently nudge him forward, smiling in delight at the gleefully shocked look on his face as he takes the present, which instantly weighs him down, and Taylor has to help him support it over to a table.

You follow them to the table, greeting friends along the way.

You can't help but wonder what could possibly be in that present from Taylor, but you don't want to know. Eli is happy--that's everything that matters right now.

After a hearty, loud lunch and a very enthusiastic song and cake cutting, Taylor's arms are wrapped around you waist as you two watch Eli jumping around with the Haim sisters in the bouncy castle. The Reynolds also accompany the four, their kids playfully tackling him as he laughs out loud.

"Thank you for doing this, baby," you whisper to Taylor, turning your head slightly to press a kiss to her cheek.

"He deserves it," she returns as her grip tightens on you. "He looks so happy."

You smile as your eyes fall on your son again, who's now pretending to be a dinosaur and 'scaring' Alana and Danielle. "He is."