It was raining in New York. Taylor Swift sat on her windowsill looking out at the darkened city, songbook and pencil in hand.
"In this storm I feel you near before the rain stops and the clouds clear," she wrote. She frowned at the words with distaste. Is this really the best I can do?
Her songwriting efforts were halted by a knock at the door. Puzzled by who would be showing up at this time of night, she cautiously opened the door. She gasped and took a step back upon seeing her drenched ex-boyfriend.
"Harry? What the hell?"
He gave her a sheepish smile. "I had to see you."
"I-uh-okay, come on in. You're gonna get sick." She held the door open wider and he shuffled in the house.
"Stay right here. I'll get you a towel."
He reached out to grab her arm. "No, Taylor, I have something to say to you. A lot of somethings, actually."
She looked at him, blue eyes meeting green, as she gently tugged her arm away. "And I'll listen. I'll give you my undivided attention, but first, I'd like to make sure that you won't get pneumonia."
Taylor headed upstairs to her linen closet and grabbed her fluffiest towel. Away from Harry, she let herself think. Her thoughts raced a mile a minute. What is he doing here? Is he hoping to get back together? Had he come to tell her that he'd moved on? Or worse, he was engaged and inviting her to his wedding? Did he come just to break her heart again?
Something nudged her leg, startling her out of her thoughts. She smiled and reached down to pet her cat, Meredith. She cocked her head when she noticed what Meredith was pushing around.
"Whatcha got there, girl?" she asked, quietly, picking it up. Her mouth formed a small "o" when she realized what it was. The black frame held a picture from a few months ago. She remembered the day well. Harry had taken her out to explore London and was trying to get a picture of her. She could clearly remember him leaning over to kiss her cheek and snapping the photo. Looking at the picture now, Taylor could remember how happy she was. Her eyes were squeezed shut, mid-laugh, as Harry's lips connected with her cheek. She gave a wistful sigh.
"You alright, Taylor?" Harry called from the bottom of the stairs in that charming accent she loved.
"Yeah, coming right down."
He watched her come down the stairs with the towel in her hand, an unreadable expression on his face.
She handed him the towel and looked for something to busy her hands with, avoiding looking at him. "Is there anything I can get you? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Tea? Water?"
"I'm okay," he said, his eyes still locked on her.
She gestured to the armchair. "Please- please sit."
He sat and then said, "You're probably wondering why I'm here."
"Well, yes, that was a thought that crossed my mind."
"Am I making you nervous?"
Instead of answering, Taylor sat on the couch across from him. "Harry, please just tell me why you're here."
He took a deep breath. "I came to apologize."
"Apologize? For what?" she asked, trying to keep a cool demeanor.
"Leaving."
"Harry-"
"Let me finish. We've had our ups and downs, and we've argued for hours on end but nothing has deterred my love for you."
Taylor bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to let tears fall.
"Can you give me another chance? I know I broke your heart and I don't deserve anything, I'm just asking you to consider it. I understand that you'll need time to think this over, so I will wait for you. I'll wait forever if you want me to. I just want to be with you."
Taylor stared at the ground as Harry stared at her. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his.
"Do you mean it?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"Every word," he responded, his eyes never leaving hers.
Taylor allowed herself a smile and nodded at Harry. "Okay."
"Okay?" he repeated, his eyes wide.
"Okay. Yes. I want to get back together."
Harry's face broke into the biggest smile she had ever seen and her heart lifted. He strode over to her and pulled her to his chest. Time stood still as the couple remained locked in each other's arms.
"I don't want you to go," Taylor whispered.
Harry put his forehead against hers and whispered back, "I'll be here forever and ever."
°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Later, Harry and Taylor were laying on the couch, content in each other's warmth.
"What are you humming?" Harry asked.
"I'm not really sure yet, but I think it's going to be a song. A melody popped into my head."
"Do you have any words to go along with the melody?"
"A few, mostly the chorus. Do you want to hear?"
"Is that even a question?" he responded, his chest rumbling beneath Taylor as he chuckled.
She smiled and started singing, "You broke my heart but you put it back together. I want you forever and ever. I'll be here in worse and in better. I want you forever and ever."
They were silent for a minute before Taylor started talking, "It's a work in progress, obviously. The lyrics need work and the melody needs to be shaped up, but-"
"I love it," Harry interrupted her.
She titled her head back to look at him. "Really?" she asked, a big smile on her face.
"I think it will be my favorite."
"But you haven't even heard 'Style' yet!"
"Y-you literally named a song 'Style'?"
"Yep!"
Harry burst out laughing, which triggered Taylor's laughter and if someone were to look through the window at 1:32 am, they would see a very happy couple. And all was well.
i want you for worse or for better
i would wait forever and ever
broke your heart, i'll put it back together
i would wait forever and ever
A/N: I finally got this sucker out of the way! Sorry this took so long, it was giving me major writer's block. I promise updates will be more frequent than this was.
