Operation Haylor

Chapter 12 (Written by Josh)

It was the night before the Grammy awards. Taylor and I had decided to go out and celebrate our nominations; Taylor for Best Record and my band for Best New Artist. "Where do you want to go?" I had asked over the phone.

She thought for a moment. "I don't know. I don't want us to get hounded by fans."

"Well why don't you just come over to my apartment? No fans here...except me, of course."

She laughed. "Okay. I'll be there around six."

True to her word, the doorbell rang right at six. I was in the shower, so she let herself in with the key I had given her. "I'll be right there!" I called.

"Take your time," she responded, dropping her purse on a chair and sprawling out on my couch. I had left my phone sitting on the end-table, logged into my email. She picked it up and absentmindedly scrolled through my messages.

I stepped out of the bathroom a moment later, still drying my hair in a towel. "Sorry Tay. I decided last-minute to get a..." I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a look on her face I had never seen before. "What...what is it?"

She just stared at me, then looked back down at my phone. The silence was unbearable. I dropped my towel on the floor and made my way over to the couch. She handed me my phone.

I read the message in the center of the screen. Oh no.

It was one of my recent emails to Juliana. "I'm so glad 'Operation Haylor' worked!"

Taylor continued to stare at me. "Operation Haylor?"

My heartbeat quickened, and I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "It's not what you think it is!" I then realized this statement was a lie; it was exactly what she was thinking. She confirmed this with her next remark.

"So...you planned to break us up? Just so you could have me?"

I sighed. "Sure sounds different when you say it."

There were tears welling in her eyes. "How could you do this to me?" I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off angrily. "How could you make such a scheme, with such a horrible name? Was this never anything more than a game to you?" She stood up. "It's like...like you started playing poker with five dollars, and somehow end with five thousand!"

"Taylor..."

"Don't 'Taylor' me! I can't believe you would..."

Before I knew what I was doing, I had wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, pinning her arms to her side. She struggled, but I held on tight. "Listen to me!" I yelled in her ear. "This was never a game, and it wasn't a plot to ruin your relationship with Harry! We were just a couple of teenagers in love with celebrities!"

She finally stopped struggling. I seized the opportunity to continue. "I never expected to meet you at the studio, and I never expected us to hit it off the way we did. It was providence, I know it was. It had nothing to do with a stupid story I wrote in my imagination with the help of a Styles-smitten Directioner!"

There was silence for almost a minute, then Taylor finally spoke again. "Is that all she is? A Styles-smitten Directioner?"

I smiled. "Well...she's a dreamer, that's for sure. But she's got spunk. Lots of spunk." I leaned my head against her hair, letting my breath fall on her neck. "Taylor...I love you more than you can possibly imagine. And believe me, above anything else, I want you to be happy. I would never do anything I thought would hurt you!"

Taylor turned around to face me, a smile on her face. She ran her fingers through my wet hair. "It's okay. I believe you. I'm sorry I got so angry." She leaned in closer, until our lips were mere centimeters apart. "And I...love...you...too."