right where you left me

prologue

⎯⎯ ୨ april 2023 ୧ ⎯⎯

AURELIA ALWYN WASN'T STUPID. She knew something was wrong between her father and Taylor. She heard the arguments, saw the constant tear streaks covering both their faces.

But she never expected it to come to this.

She sat, shell-shocked and frozen, her eyes wide. They were in a private room of her favourite restaurant (one she couldn't visit for months afterwards, it was too tainted with memories). The table was circular, with the three of them around it.

As the words "Taylor and I are breaking up..." came out of her father's mouth, the entire world fell silent. The distant sounds of the restaurant faded into nothingness, and all Aurelia could hear was the deafening sound of her own heartbeat.

Joe was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything. Her vision blurred with tears, and her hand instinctively flew to her chest, trying desperately to get air back into her lungs.

How could this happen? Was Taylor really leaving her...? She knew not to be selfish, that she couldn't force Taylor to stay with her dad just because of her. But she couldn't stop the hurt.

Aurelia was nine when Taylor came into her life. It had only been a year since her mom had died, and Taylor's presence filled the empty void with her kindness and her unwavering ability to soothe the grieving nine year old.

Aurelia had never been a mama's girl, or a daddy's girl- she had always been Taylor's girl.

She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see. She somehow managed to scramble to her feet, stumbling backwards. It was like the restaurant walls were closing in on her, like her entire world was crumbling to pieces.

Suddenly, a strong set of arms encircled her from behind, holding her tightly. She turned, melting into their arms as she sobbed. They lowered the both of them gently to the ground.

"You're okay, Aurelia. You're okay." Taylor repeated over and over like a mantra, holding the devastated girl in her arms. She could feel tears streaming down her own cheeks, but she pulled it together for Aurelia, the girl she cared for as her own.

Taylor, the ever-loving calm in her storm, ran her hands through Aurelia's hair soothingly, lulling her into a sense of calm. She placed a kiss to her hair, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry, honey. I'm sorry I have to leave. Your Dad and I just weren't working anymore. But I still love you, okay? You're still my girl."

Taylor looked over to Joe, giving him a nod, a signal to take the (slightly calmer, but still crying) Aurelia out of her arms.

Joe nodded back, circling around the table until he reached the two of them. He crouched down in front of them, and gently, he reached out his hand, trying to pry Aurelia away from Taylor. "Aurelia." He said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "You have to let go, baby. You have to let her go."

Aurelia cried out in protest, desperately clinging to Taylor with everything she had. She didn't want to let go. She didn't want to come to terms with losing another mother. She didn't want to acknowledge that her life would never be the same.

After some struggle, Aurelia was eventually settled into Joe's arms, still sobbing. Taylor moved closer, placing a kiss into her hair. She ran her fingers through it one last time, her own tears blurring her vision. "This isn't the end, honey. I'm still here for you, I promise." She whispered softly, before forcing herself to stand up and leave the restaurant.

a/n: just a short prologue to start us off, following chapters will be much longer!