in the blink of a crinkling eye (tayvis)

i'm not much for dancing but for you i did

That night, after Travis dropped her off at home—meaning, he crossed the street—Taylor lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to process the confusing mix of emotions swirling inside her. It was strange, suddenly feeling so many conflicting things. It wasn't exactly new... but something felt different now. All those months of helping Travis with Julie, she had convinced herself it was just because she was a good friend, that she was doing it for him, for his sake.

But that night, everything seemed to have taken a turn. The strange feeling when she saw him hopeful, his face slightly flushed as he talked about Julie, and then the disappointment he tried to hide as he smiled at her. Taylor felt something like a knot tightening in her stomach. The touch she gave his face, wiping the chocolate off, made her heart race so fast that it was hard to keep the smile on her face without looking away. It was almost as if she were discovering something that had always been there.

Deep down, she knew what it meant, even if she didn't want to admit it. Travis Kelce. The same Travis she had sworn to hate years ago, over some childish thing that, at the time, felt like the end of the world. The same one she had promised herself would never hurt her again.

Now, she found herself smiling alone, remembering how he had spun her around that afternoon, the easy laugh he always drew from her. And at the same time, a small part of her told her to be careful, to remember everything she'd already felt and gone through. Travis was her friend now, one of the best she'd ever had, and she didn't want to ruin that. The idea of confessing what she really felt—to admit that this might be real and not just some passing phase—felt like a huge risk.

As these thoughts spun around in her mind, she remembered every detail of the night. His frustration with Julie, the sadness he barely managed to hide, and the way he seemed relieved to be with her. Did he think of her the same way? She wanted to believe so, but the fear of building false hope was so intense that it made her chest ache.

Taylor turned onto her side and sighed, hugging the pillow. Maybe it was better to keep this to herself, at least for now. Travis needed time to get over what had happened with Julie, and she... well, she needed time to understand her own feelings. It was easy to get lost in his company, but much harder to figure out what the goofy smile he gave her really meant.

Finally, she decided to focus on something more immediate: music. Her dream of singing, of maybe, one day, actually doing something with her voice. Travis seemed to believe in her, Abigail did too. But what about her? That was going to be her new focus.

(...)

The next morning, Taylor woke up feeling a strange mix of excitement and nerves. Her thoughts drifted back to the night before, replaying the smallest details. Travis's laughter, the way he'd looked at her when they were making cookies, his playful teasing as he held the sugar jar out of reach. But before she could dwell on it too long, she shook her head, reminding herself of her decision: focus on her music. But it happens that every time she tried to write something, the football player came to her mind.

She got out of bed, grabbed her guitar, and started strumming softly, trying to channel her jumbled emotions into melody. She had been toying with the idea of posting a video of her singing, but she kept hesitating, wondering if anyone would even care to listen. Yet, the thought of putting herself out there gave her a thrill that was hard to ignore. Maybe it was finally time to take the leap. After all, a few years ago she moved to Nashville for this.

Later that afternoon, as she sat in the park, Abigail joined her, plopping down on the bench with an excited grin. "So, are you gonna do it?" she asked, nudging Taylor's shoulder.

Taylor bit her lip, glancing around as if the trees and sky might somehow give her an answer. "I'm thinking about it. But it's terrifying, Abby. What if no one likes it? What if I look back and feel stupid?"