The Seven Husbands of Taylor Swift

47

TAYLOR SWIFT
It's been two weeks, and the silence from Alice is suffocating. Every day feels like an eternity. I've paced the floors so much, I'm sure I've worn down the wood. Travis tries to stop me, tries to pull me back into the present, but I can't focus on anything else. All I can think about is how badly I screwed everything up.

It's early—too early—and I'm lying on my back, staring at the ceiling fan as it spins endlessly in slow circles. I feel like I'm stuck in the same loop, my thoughts circling around Alice, guilt, and all the things I could have done differently.

I hear Travis stir beside me, his voice breaking through the stillness of the room. "I know you're awake, Taylor. You should try to go to bed."

"With your snoring? Yeah, right." I force a laugh, trying to cover up the cracks in my voice. I don't want him to hear how broken I feel, how terrified I am that I've lost Alice for good.

"You can't control Alice, honey," he says, his voice gentle but firm. "She'll come back when she's ready."

I bite my lip, staring up at the fan again, watching it spin as if it holds the answers. "What if she's never ready?" The question slips out before I can stop it, the fear choking my words.

Travis shifts closer, his hand finding mine under the covers, squeezing it lightly. "She will be," he says, his voice steady, full of certainty I don't feel. "She just needs space."

I want to believe him. I want to believe that Alice is just taking time to process everything. But deep down, I can't shake the feeling that I've messed up too badly this time. What if I pushed her too far? What if she never forgives me for lying to her for all those years?

"I've already lost her once," I whisper, my throat tightening. "I can't lose her again, Travis. I can't."

He pulls me into his chest, his warmth grounding me, but it doesn't stop the panic that's been clawing at me for days. "You're not going to lose her," he says, his voice a low murmur against my hair. "You just have to give her time."

But what if time isn't enough? What if all I've done is drive her further away?

I close my eyes, trying to hold back the tears, but one escapes, slipping down my cheek. Travis wipes it away without a word, just holding me tighter, as if he can hold together all the broken pieces of me too.

"She'll come back," he whispers again, but the silence that follows is deafening.

I sigh, turning my head to glance at Travis in the dim light of the room. He always knows what to say, but right now his words don't comfort me like they usually do.

"I should've just told her the truth from the beginning," I murmur, my voice cracking. "I've had so many chances, and every time I blew it."

Travis shifts closer, resting a hand on my arm. "You were scared. That doesn't make you a bad person. Just human."

I close my eyes, feeling the weight of his hand, but it doesn't stop the guilt that's been gnawing at me since the day Alice walked out. "I just wanted her to be happy. And now I've ruined everything."

"You didn't ruin everything," Travis says softly. "She's processing it. It's a lot to take in."

I pull the blanket tighter around me. "What if she never forgives me? What if she never wants me in her life?"

Travis sighs, his thumb brushing soothing circles on my skin. "Then you keep showing her you're here, no matter what. That's all you can do."

The doorbell rings, slicing through the silence like a knife, and confusion washes over me. It's almost five in the morning—who the hell could be at the door at this hour? I exchange a glance with Travis, and we both groan as we reluctantly pull ourselves out of bed.