love in the mix - a tayvis au <3

19 - dinner invitation

It was a quiet Thursday afternoon when Taylor found herself at the local supermarket, pushing a cart with an unsettling squeak as she made her way through the aisles. She wasn't used to shopping alone anymore. Emma had been staying over at Liam's more often than not, and while Taylor loved her son, the house felt far too quiet without the usual teenage banter. With everything going on between Liam and Emma, and the occasional awkward silences between her and Travis, she had grown accustomed to a different kind of chaos.

She sighed as she reached for a large bag of cat food, struggling to lift it into her cart without dropping her purse. Just as she was about to give up and leave the bag on the shelf, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Need a hand?"

She turned sharply, her heart skipping a beat. There he was—Travis. He stood there in casual jeans and a fitted jacket, looking annoyingly put-together for a guy who, if rumors were to be believed, had just gone through a breakup. His warm smile threw her off guard, and for a split second, she felt her pulse quicken.

Taylor forced a smile and shook her head, even though her arms were straining. "No, no, I've got it. I can handle it."

Travis raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Taylor, you're about to drop everything. Just let me help."

There was a moment where she almost wanted to protest further, stubbornly refuse because, well, she could handle things on her own, couldn't she? But something in the way he said it, with that mix of teasing and genuine concern, made her relent.

"Fine," she muttered, stepping aside as Travis easily lifted the heavy bag and placed it into her cart with a bit too much grace. She rolled her eyes, half-amused. "Show-off."

He chuckled softly, brushing his hands together. "What can I say? Helping damsels in distress is what I do."

Taylor shot him a playful glare. "Don't push your luck."

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence between them, the kind that didn't need to be filled with pointless small talk. They hadn't been alone like this in months—not since everything had gone down with the kids and their own, unresolved situation. Seeing him now, Taylor felt the awkwardness creeping in, a mixture of unresolved tension and years of shared history that they had both chosen to ignore for too long.

As they walked toward the checkout, Taylor cleared her throat. "I, uh, heard about you and Natalie."

Travis's expression didn't change immediately, but she saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to bring it up, especially not so casually. "Oh, yeah? Word travels fast, I guess."

Taylor offered him a sympathetic look. "Are you okay?"

Travis shrugged, his hands resting in his pockets. "Honestly? Yeah, I am. It wasn't going anywhere serious. I think we both knew that." He glanced at her, almost as if waiting for her to say something more. "It wasn't like I was... y'know, heartbroken or anything."

Taylor couldn't help but smirk. "I didn't like her anyway."

Travis's eyes widened slightly, and then he burst into a laugh. "Oh, really? I never would have guessed." His voice was thick with sarcasm, but there was something else there too—a playful, teasing edge that hadn't been there in so long. For a moment, it felt like old times.

Taylor laughed along, feeling the tension ease just a little. "What? She just didn't seem like your type."

"Oh, and you're an expert on my type now?" Travis teased, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, something more serious behind the banter.