delicate (tayvis one shots)

the road not taken looks real good now

The first breath of cold air hit Taylor Swift as she stepped out of the black SUV, tugging her woolen coat tighter around her body. Snowflakes cascaded lazily from the sky, drifting down in perfect silence. She hadn't been back to Nashville in ages, not like this. The holidays were an excuse, an annual tradition she hadn't quite let go of, but the familiar streets made her stomach churn with memories she had long buried. She had thought she could escape it all by leaving this place behind—except for him.

Travis Kelce.

It had been years since she'd last seen him, years since their paths had crossed in the hazy golden days of their youth. The town was small enough that it seemed impossible they could have avoided each other for so long, yet both had managed. He had his football career, his own life that was miles removed from her world of sold-out arenas and flashing cameras. But the holidays had a way of pulling you back. And so, Taylor found herself in this moment, teetering on the edge of nostalgia and something more dangerous.

She closed the door to the SUV and glanced at the modest, wood-paneled house that stood in front of her. Her parents were waiting inside. But she hesitated.

It was 'tis the damn season, wasn't it?

Taylor fumbled for her phone, her fingers trembling more from anticipation than from the cold. A familiar number sat in her contacts list. She hadn't deleted it, hadn't dared. For years it had sat there, untouched, but ever-present, like a ghost. Her thumb hovered over it before she finally gave in, pressing "Call."

The phone rang once. Twice. She almost hoped he wouldn't answer, that this moment could remain suspended in time forever. But then, his voice broke through the static.

"Taylor?" The sound of his voice was all at once familiar and foreign. He sounded surprised, as if he had never expected to hear from her again. Maybe he hadn't.

"Hey," she said, her breath misting in the cold air. "I, uh—I'm in town."

A beat of silence stretched between them. It was funny how years of distance could evaporate with just a few words, how the shared history that had been buried for so long could resurface so quickly.

"You want to meet up?" Travis finally asked, his voice careful, like he was testing the waters.

Taylor hesitated for a second, but the pull was too strong, too magnetic. She could already picture him—his easy smile, the way he used to look at her with that playful glint in his eyes, the way his hands used to feel when they traced her skin. There were things they had left unfinished, things she had never truly let go of.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I do."

---

The coffee shop they'd chosen was tucked away on a quiet corner of downtown, far from the chaos of her usual life. It was simple, cozy, and blissfully ordinary. A soft glow from the string lights hanging above the windows illuminated the frost that had settled on the glass. Inside, the smell of roasted coffee beans and cinnamon filled the air, a sharp contrast to the winter chill outside.

Taylor arrived early. She always did—years of being on tour, of managing schedules down to the minute, had made her punctual to a fault. But waiting for Travis was different. There was a nervous energy coursing through her, the kind that she hadn't felt in years, like she was a teenager again waiting for her first date.

Her fingers tapped against the wooden table as she glanced out the window. People bustled past on the street, bundled up in their coats and scarves, unaware of the significance of the moment taking place inside the small café. The snow was falling harder now, blanketing the town in a layer of white. It was beautiful, but it also felt like a reminder that time was slipping away, just as it had all those years ago.