Falling Slowly {{ sweeran }}

Chapter 8

"And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid / I think it's strange that you think I'm funny 'cause he never did" - 'Begin Again', Taylor Swift

The days pass rapidly with Ed practically living in Taylor's guest room. The song is finished, then polished until shining. The fans are counting the seconds until it's released, plans for a video are in the pipelines, and although she knows he's trying to be subtle about the angry phone calls from his agent, its obvious that Ed can't push back going back to London for much longer.

However, they try to make the time last. After finishing Everything Has Changed, Taylor's songwriting schedule is way behind.
After writing about fifty drafts of some warbling ballad, she decides once again to just forget it, pushing her blonde bangs back from her face and exhaling, shutting her eyes and taking refuge in the inky blackness.
"It'll come to you, T. Stop stressing." The soft-spoken Brit is setting a steaming mug of coffee down beside Taylor and she knows because she can smell the comforting aroma wafting through the room.
Taylor opens her eyes and wraps her arms around her knees from my perch on the sofa, watching Ed as he settles himself in to the sofa opposite, taking a hearty bite of a biscuit that leaves crumbs trailing down his hoodie.
"Easy for you to say. You've written enough for a full album in the last week alone." She groans, resting her forehead gently atop her knees and turning her head to the side so that she can still keep an eye on him.
"You sometimes need to stop thinking about albums and singles and charts and just write, Taylor." Ed replies, and Taylor can sense a hint of frustration in his tone.
He's been trying to convince her of this since the day they met. Somehow, she feels like she knew once, but lost it along the way.
"Music is my life, Ed." She replies tiredly, for what seems like the umpteenth. "It's not as easy as just loving music though. This is an industry." Taylor can hardly believe the words coming out of her own mouth. When did she become her agent?
"You're so freaking talented, Taylor. I just wish I could get that through to you." His tone is level but she can tell he's getting annoyed. More than anything else he sounds disappointed.
"I'm sorry, Ed. I'm just so afraid I'll lose it." Taylor's voice is soft. She turns her head back so that she can no longer see him, her eyes shut against the silky fabric of her leggings.
"I know." His voice is close now, after a pause. There's a hand on her back and shivers are shooting down her spine.
"Sometimes, you just have to not care about losing it." He says gently, and she lifts her head to open her eyes in to his wide blue ones.
"You're completely right." She concedes, exhaling deeply and scanning his face briefly before standing up.
"Now come on." She holds out a manicured hand to him and his face is puzzled as he takes it.
"Your queen Delia is going to help us make some comfort food." She grins, and this time there's no confusion in his face before he returns it.
***
"Jesus, Ed." Taylor gasps between hoots of hysterical laughter. "It said 2 cups of sugar! How much is that?!"
"Somewhere close to 4. I don't get you Yanks with this 'cup' bull. Delia specifies grams." Ed pouts, readying another cup of sugar. Taylor gives him a mock stony look before removing some of the sugar and continuing.
"Come on. This is a treat for us. I don't want it to come with diabetes." She says with a frown of concentration. "By the way, I didn't appreciate that cuss." Taylor scolds lovingly, looking briefly up from the mixing bowl, blonde bangs falling in to her eyes.
"Bu- I mean, that word I said is not a 'cuss'. Maybe you need to add a bit of colour to your language." He jokes, nudging her hip with his as he passes.
"Speaking of which" Taylor blows some hair upwards to get her hair from out of her eyes. "Pass me the food colouring if you please." She gives him a charming smile as he hands over the plastic red bottle.
"Be liberal with that. We don't want no pink velvet cake." Ed nods at the bottle and she shrugs before replying.
"The recipe says to add 4-5 drops of the colouring to-" she begins, sticking her tongue out in concentration as she holds the small bottle cap up to pour the liquid in to, before shes cut off.
"Spontaneity, my dear Taylor." Ed says regally, before snatching the bottle and dumping most of it in. "You'll never get anything done without a bit of it every so often."
Taylor's mouth forming a perfect oval, she just laughs before she can do anything else.
"Perfect." She muses aloud as she slowly stirs the syrupy liquid in. "I've always been fond of this colour."