Blurred lines in a forbidden fairytale [Taylor x OC]

{60} you look like "Taylor Swift" in this light

Taylor's POV:

Aurora doesn't leave. She stands there, her body half-turned like she's about to, but her feet won't carry her. Her presence feels heavy, suffocating. My chest feels tight, my thoughts spiraling out of control. I can still feel the press of her lips on mine, like an echo I can't erase. The heat of her skin lingers on my hands, and it's making me sick with guilt.

What have I done?

My mind goes straight to Joe, to Felicia, to everything I've built in the ashes of what Aurora and I destroyed. I rub the bridge of my nose, trying to stop the flood of shame that's about to drown me. When I finally speak, my voice is sharp, colder than I mean for it to be.
"Why are you still here?" I say without looking at her. My arms cross over my chest like they're a shield. "I asked you to go."

Aurora doesn't flinch. Instead, she takes a hesitant step toward me, her voice softer than I expect. "I just..." She trails off, her hand brushing against the back of her neck. "I don't want you to feel like this is all on you."

I laugh bitterly at that, though it's more of a scoff. "Oh, isn't it? Who else is to blame? I kissed you. I shouldn't have—God, I shouldn't have even let you in."

"You're not the only one who just made a mistake here, Taylor," she says, her words deliberate.

I look at her then, narrowing my eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Aurora hesitates, biting her lip in that nervous way she always used to, the one that used to drive me crazy. "I—" She exhales, looking anywhere but at me. "I've been seeing someone as well. For quite a while now."
The words hit me like a slap, though I don't know why they should. Of course, she's moved on. Why wouldn't she? I force myself to stay still, to keep my face neutral.

"And?" I ask, my voice clipped.

"And," she continues, her eyes finally meeting mine, "what just happened between us? That was me cheating, too."

The room feels like it tilts for a moment, but I catch myself before I falter. Her words are meant to make me feel better, to share the weight of guilt sitting so heavily on my chest, but instead, they dig the knife deeper.
"So, what?" I snap, the anger bubbling up again. "You're trying to make me feel less shitty by admitting you've betrayed someone else? That doesn't make this any better. Not at all."

Her face falls, and for a second, I almost regret the words. Almost. But the guilt is too much. It's too raw, and I don't know what else to do with it except throw it back at her.

"I'm not trying to make this better," she says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just thought... I don't know what I thought."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should've thought twice before showing up here," I spit, but my voice cracks at the end. Damn it.

She takes a step back like I've physically pushed her, and I hate myself for it. I want to tell her to stay, to explain, to make sense of this mess we're in, but the walls I've put up are too thick, too cold.

"You're right," Aurora finally says, her voice trembling. "Maybe I shouldn't have come."

This stings more than it should, but I just nod, swallowing down the lump in my throat. "Maybe you shouldn't have," I echo, though the words taste bitter.

For a moment, neither of us moves. The space between us feels like an ocean, vast and impossible to cross. I can see the pain in her eyes, the regret, the longing, and I hate that a part of me still aches to pull her close, to hold her until the world makes sense again. But I can't.
Aurora finally turns, her shoulders slumping as she heads for the door. She pauses with her hand on the handle, glancing back at me one last time. "For what it's worth," she says softly, "I'm sorry. For everything. And I'm proud of you for finally chasing your dreams. You look better, Tay, health wise and maybe you are happier too. It's all I ever wanted...for you to be happy."