the alchemy | Taylor Swift x OC

7

Bailee could hardly believe her eyes. Taylor Swift was standing right in front of her, beaming with pride.

Bailee figured Taylor was the type of friend to drop everything for the people she cared about. Even when the whole world seems to be pulling her in another direction, she finds a way to be present. She did just fly from across the country to see Bailee play.

They lingered in the stadium for a few minutes, chatting and introducing Taylor to Bailee's teammates, until Bailee got a glimpse of the time and reminded how late it was getting. "Let's get out of here. My apartment isn't too far from campus, and I'm starving."

As they made their way to the parking lot, through the back door for Taylor's Safety, Bailee pulled out her phone to check for messages, and her eyes widened. "Oh my god, Tay. We're trending."

Taylor blinked, a momentary look of panic flashing across her face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Trending? Why?" she asked nonchalantly.

Bailee turned her phone toward Taylor, who squinted at the screen. Sure enough their names were lighting up twitter— Bailee Rose and Taylor Swift were the hot topic. Fans had somehow caught wind of Taylor being at the game, and speculation was flying. Bailee decided to look deeper, and found out someone caught a picture of them hugging. "Oh, it looks like someone caught us hugging and took a picture of us," Bailee said as she showed Taylor. "People are so quick to assume things." Taylor said while looking down.

"People think..." Bailee trailed off, reading the hashtags.

Taylor bit her bottom lip, pretending to study the parking lot as if she hadn't seen the headlines a thousand times before. She and Bailee had only been friends for 2 months— just friends. But of course, after the whole friendship bracelet interview, the internet had a way of turning any friendship into something more, especially when it involved Taylor Swift.

"Well," Taylor said exhaling a soft laugh, "I guess that's to be expected, I'm sure people are just excited to see me somewhere off the stage for once."

Bailee glanced at Taylor, noticing the way she shifted her weight from one foot to other. Taylor always managed to keep her cool, that's something she learned over the past 2 months. There was tension beneath the surface, a subtle unease about the headlines. Taylor had become adept at dealing with constant speculations from the media and fans, but Bailee could sense that this kind of attention— on their friendship— wasn't something Taylor wanted to deal with tonight.

"Are you Okay?" Bailee asked quietly as they reached the car.

"Yeah, of course, I'm fine," Taylor replied, her voice light, but Bailee could see the flicker of something deeper in her eyes.

"Okay," Bailee said, not pressing further. "Let's just get home."

They piled into Bailee's car and drove back to her apartment, with Taylor's SUV full of guards following her. They drove back in silence, thought Taylor kept stealing glances at her phone. She didn't want to acknowledge the growing number of tweets, the fans already speculating about why she was there, or the hashtag pairing her name with Bailee's. Not tonight.

-

Once they reached Bailee's cozy apartment, the energy shifted. Bailee tossed her keys onto the counter and turned to Taylor, grinning. "Welcome to my humble abode."

Taylor smiled, following Bailee instead. "I love it, it's so you."

Bailee led her to the guest room she was going to be staying at, a small, simple space with soft lighting and a comfortable bed. "Here's your room, I hope it's okay."

"It's perfect." Taylor said, placing her suitcase down. She took a moment to look around, appreciating the personal touches Bailee had added— framed photos, a couple plants by the window.

"I'll let you unpack, and I'll grab us some drink," Bailee called from the hallway.

A few minutes later, Taylor emerged from the guest room, now changed into comfortable clothes, and joined bailee in the living room. Bailee was already changed too, and was lounging on the couch, two classes of cheap screw-top rosé on the coffee table.

"Only the best," Bailee joked, raising her glass. 

Taylor laughed, sinking into the couch beside her. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

They clinked glasses and took a sip, the sweetness of the wine immediately cutting through the tension of the day. For a moment, it felt like they were back to being just Bailee and Taylor— best friends hanging out, laughing at stupid jokes, and talking about life.

But there was still the matter of the trending topic lingering between them.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bailee asked again, softer this time, watching as Taylor stared at her glass.

Taylor sighed, leaning back against the couch cushions. "I'm fine, I guess i'm just tired of.. all of it sometimes. The constant speculation, the need to keep things under the wraps so people don't get the wrong idea. You know how it is."

Bailee nodded. She did know. Being friends with Taylor meant always being in the spotlight, even when you didn't ask for it.

"Well if it helps," Bailee said swirling her glass, "I don't care what they say, I know the truth."

Taylor smiled, her eyes softening. "Thanks, that means a lot."

They fell into an easy conversation after that, discussing everything from volleyball to latest music Taylor has been working on. The wine helped, too, loosening the edges of their stress. For now, in Bailee's apartment, it was just them— no cameras, no fans, no twitter. Just two best friends, unwinding after a long day.

And for a while, that was all that mattered.