TNT Short Fics

That was a lie

She sometimes wonders what exactly he saw in the girl she was that first summer. Armor inches thick. Hot and cold at times and full of thorns. And the way it all fell away so quickly for him. It still amazes her how he saw through all that noise and found her anyway.

On their first date, she's full of nerves and false bravado. Despite their long talks and laughter during the weeks they call and text from training fields and stages, there's still something cynical in her that looks for things to pick at. A voice in her head whispers this is never going to end well. Nothing ever does.

"I'm not sure marriage is ever going to be in the cards for me."

It slips out—blurted out, really—as Travis shares a story about his brother and sister-in-law and their good-natured teasing of each other. At her words, his eyebrows lift in surprise, but he simply says, "Oh?" giving away nothing else. No judgment, no retreat, just calm curiosity that disarms her more than she expects.

That hurt part of her deep down rears its head once more, and more words come. Words she'll kick herself for later.

"Yeah, not even sure I believe in marriage."

She says it with a nonchalance she doesn't feel and drops her eyes to the table, picking at the edge of the plate before her. She waits for him to either run for the hills or worse—agree with her. But he does neither. He looks at her steadily as he softly says, "Hmm, I guess after the year you've told me about, it might feel that way, huh?"

Her eyes snap up to meet his, and she can't look away. Not sure what to do when he refuses to take her self-sabotaging bait. Her pulse trips at the quiet certainty in his gaze.

He reaches for her hand, and she just nods before looking away, suddenly too seen.

"I get it, Tay," he assures her. "I don't feel that way myself, but I get it. You give something all you've got, and it doesn't pan out. I get it."

She squeezes his hand, not trusting her words. But he's right. That is exactly it. And somehow, he says it without making her feel broken.

"I'm not going to try to change your mind. Just...I'm in, Taylor. I'm not here to mess around. Just know that I'm in."

She looks back at him now—the man who makes her laugh and sees through the hurt to the parts of her deep down that still do feel soft and unbroken. The parts that know her declaration is a lie. Maybe she can't quite believe in it anymore out loud, but he makes her want to try. And that makes her brave.

"If you're in, I am too."

AN: Hi, hello! Long time no talk. I am trying out something new to hopefully jumpstart some creativity and get me back to writing. I'll be sharing ficlets from time to time based on The Life of a Showgirl songs and poems. I've created a list of 50 prompts from the lyrics and lines of the poems. I'll choose 1-2 prompts and create a very short story. They will all mostly take place during the time period of TLOAS (Late Summer 2023 to January 2024). I'm not promising a certain schedule, but hopefully I'll get back to writing more!