Falling Slowly {{ sweeran }}

Chapter 10

"In silent screams, and wildest dreams, I never dreamed of this." - 'This Love', Taylor Swift

Taylor had been looking forward to a quiet night for a while now. She had been recording for her album the lady few weeks and writing in every spare moment. She'd had a lot more spare time since Ed started seeing Ellie.
Taylor did her best to try and keep the thought free of resent, just like she bit back a string of profanities every time they updated on Instagram or featured on the cover of a gossip rag.
Taylor wasn't sure why, exactly, she was so mad about the pairing. Ellie's a talented artist who makes Ed very happy, and Ed, well, Ed is Taylor's best friend.
Best friend.
The two words struck something inside Taylor. If she hadn't have known better, she'd say it was disappointment.
No. Ed is a great person, and he deserves to be happy with someone.
Even if it's not you.
Taylor brushed it off, just like she did with most of her emotions, until they became too much and boiled over.
Those were usually her best songs anyway.
She was startled from her thoughtful stupor by Meredith jumping on to her lap. She gently stroked the cat's ears, earning an appreciative purr.
"Come on, Meredith, let's see what your namesake is up to." She cooed, pressing play on the box-set of Grey's Anatomy in the player.
Taylor, however, found herself unable to concentrate properly on the episode. She was too distracted by the fact that Ed wasn't here to make sarcastic remarks about the patients and lack of work ethic among the doctors.
She looked wistfully at his seat on the couch beside her.
He wasn't here much at all anymore.
She found herself about to rub her eyes tiredly, when she remembered the lime face mask there.
Meredith mewed curiously and padded over to his spot, curling up there.
Taylor laughed a little, taking the opportunity to stand up and head to the kitchen.
Man, did she need a drink.
She poured herself a glass of dark red wine, swishing it thoughtfully in the delicate glass before sipping, relishing the bitter, mature taste.
She wandered past the forgotten Grey's Anatomy episode up the stairs and toward her small music room, where she and Ed practically lived for a while.
She remembered the time he fell trying to show off, standing on a stool to perform. She fixed her eyes on a spot on the floor, where there used to lie a faint wine stain from another night, where they danced and tipped the glass in their wild carelessness.
She hung in the doorway, as if not wanting to disturb the memory of ghosts, a small, involuntary smile playing on her lips and a sinking feeling in her stomach.
A soft 'meow' interrupted her thoughts. Taylor looked down to see Olivia staring up at her with wide eyes.
"Hey Lib." She smiled and bent down to pick up the small cat.
Another meow as she stared in to the room, looking impatiently up at Taylor from her arms.
"I know, Lib. I love him too." She muttered, scratching the small cat behind the ear.
Olivia meowed again, just as realisation hit her.
"I love him. Oh my god, I love Ed!" Taylor's neutral expression broke in to a bright smile, laughing in light of her realisation.
Olivia purred as though satisfied before jumping down from Taylor's arms and curling up on a cushion in the studio.
Taylor knew what she had to do.
She ran to the bathroom and hastily wiped her facemask off, but wasted no more time before sprinting down the stairs.
She stopped at the door and tugged a red coat on over her shorts-and-button-up-shirt pyjama set, nearly falling over in her efforts to pull on the forgotten Uggs by the door.
"Meredith, take care of your sister until I get back." She called, adjusting the collar on her jacket.
It would be the first time Taylor had driven herself anywhere in five years, and she was buzzing.
She had grabbed her bag and started out the door when the gate was called.
Taylor groaned audibly, holding down the talk button, fully prepared to tell Nigel to buzz off.
"What?" She said urgently, frustration evident in her tone as she checked her face for blemishes in her hand mirror.
"Uhm, sorry Taylor, is this a bad time?" A very surprised Ed Sheeran's voice stuttered over the intercom. Taylor felt her eyes widen.
"Security put me through. I can come back if-" he attempted again, but Taykor cut him off.
"No! No! Come in." She exclaimed, ending the communication and buzzing him in.
"Crap. Crap. Oh my gosh." Taylor spun on her heel and looked at her cat.
"Wish me luck, Meredith." She said, just as the gravel crunching outside informed her of Ed's arrival.
Taylor threw the door open, looking breathlessly in to the night, face illuminated in the security light.
"Ed." she breathed, watching him as he exited his car not metres away.
He turned and smiled at her, striking her in the heart.
"Miss Taylor. Nice outfit, sweetheart." He grinned, looking her up and down. She supposed she looked quite silly, in a lopsided red duffel jacket, tanned legs goosebumped and only barely covered in thin pyjama shorts.

Taylor had been in love many times before. She'd been heart broken and full of love, speechless and gushing, but never had she been so frozen in blissful fear than she was at that moment.
She took a rattling breath and it fogged in the night air.
He gave her a quizzical look before she forced her legs to move, to run. Forced her arms to collide with his chest and forced her lips to press to his.
Immediately, she wasn't cold anymore. Her hands were on his chest, her hair cascading down her back and curling messily around her face.
Her nerves were smouldering.
And everything was better.