Protecting Taylor

Chapter 44

"Alex, Shawn is here." One of the security guards from outside said over the intercom.
"You look as beautiful as always." Taylor says smiling at me.
"Gorgeous!" Selena says.
She and Taylor helped me get ready to go out on my last date with Shawn. Taylor wanted to spend every single moment with me, but thought I needed to spend one more time with Shawn. I had called him the day after Taylor and I spoke on the phone and he was luckily able to see me before we left tomorrow for Colorado. We had spent a lot of the day packing and then Selena came over. She was going to keep Taylor company tonight since Adam was in California right now. We wouldn't be getting to Colorado until the next day after we got there. He had recording sessions lined up.
"Thank you for helping me get ready." I smiled at them before heading down stairs.
I am more than capable of getting myself ready at this point, but Taylor likes to help me get really done up for dates with Shawn. This was the last time she would get to do that.
I opened the door and he was standing there with beautiful bouquet of red roses.
"Hello, gorgeous." He smiles a bittersweet smile.
"Hello, handsome. These are beautiful flowers." I say as he hands them to me.
"Do you mind if I just get a picture real quick?" Taylor says.
"Not at all." Shawn says and pulls me into his chest for a picture.
She takes a few before looking at the ones she got.
"Perfect." She exclaims.
"Hey, Selena." Shawn gives a small wave.
"Hi." She smiles.
"Um, are you ready?" He asks.
"Yes." I nod and we tell the girls goodbye.
Taylor just looked so sad as we left. I was glad she had Selena here to keep her company.
We stepped out and were greeted by screaming and lots of flashing lights. The fans and paparazzi were going crazy. He put his arm around me in a protective manner and led me to the car. I was plenty capable of handling it myself, but I knew Shawn enjoyed that aspect of it. For once, I was the one being protected by someone else. He opened the door for me and I slid in and he followed.
"I wanted to go to the place we had our first date. I hope that's okay." He says.
"It's definitely okay with me." I say and grab his hand.
He hardly talks on the way there and when we sit down to eat the conversation consists of everything, but me leaving for good. It's an evening filled with laughter and lighthearted conversation. We talk about his music and I tell him about the last show on the 1989 World Tour.
He doesn't say anything real until we get out into the car.
"I've had an amazing time with you." He says.
"You have been great to me, Shawn." I tell him.
"Um, I want to tell you something." He swallows.
"Go ahead." I nod.
"Well, I know how you are leaving. I've kind of been waiting for the pin to drop. I really like you. You're a beautiful girl, but we never really go to hang out that often with our schedules and everything. I just want you to hear it from me. I've been seeing someone else."
What?
"Um..." I trailed off unsure of how to handle this situation as I've never experienced anything like it. It was my first relationship and I didn't exactly have a code to go by for this.
"I'm really sorry. I just wanted to be honest with you."
"It's okay...she um, she's probably more like you or something." I struggled to figure out what to say.
"She's a model. Her name is Hailey."
"Wow, um, a model..."
"It's not that she's prettier than you or the fact that she's famous. I don't know we met at a party and it just kind of happened."
"Does she make you happy?"
"Yes, but you make me happy too. I just don't think it would have worked out and besides, you're leaving."
"Right." I nodded.
"You're really amazing, Alex. I swear-"
"We should get going. Taylor and I have to leave in the morning so I need to pack a few more things."
"Right, okay." He said and nervously cleared his throat.
The drive home was silent. I felt betrayed. I know I'm not the ideal girlfriend, but he didn't have to cheat on me. He was kicking me when I was down. We pulled up out front of the apartment and luckily the crowds had disappeared.
I opened the door before he got the chance to open it for me. He grabbed my hand and I turned to face him. Our eyes met in a trance like gaze.
He brought his hand up to cup the side of my face and began to lean in. Was he seriously going for a kiss?
I put my hand on his chest to stop him from getting any further.
"No." I said.
His face flushed a blotchy red and he looked down at his shoes. We both stood there not looking at each other or not speaking for what felt like minutes but was only a few seconds. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. He was stunned by the gesture, but hugged me back. We didn't acknowledge what we were doing, we just took in the last moment together.
I pulled away and he offered me a small half smile. I smiled back up at him.
"Goodbye, Shawn. It was nice meeting you." I said and turned to walk inside.
"Goodbye, Alex. Be safe."
I turned and nodded in acknowledgment before the security guard opened the door for me and I entered back into the apartment. The warm lighting contradicted the cold and dark outside world.
"Hey! How did it go?" Taylor asked.
She would be angry if she knew and I didn't want her more upset. So, I told a little lie.
"It went really well. We had a nice time. He was a sweet guy." I said.
"Good. He will miss you so much." She says sadly.
I can only nod at the irony of the situation.
"I've been packing some of your stuff for Colorado. I hope that's okay. I'm kind of a control freak about packing."
"I don't mind. Thank you. Did Selena leave?"
"Yeah, she left not too long before you got back."
"Oh, did you guys have a good girls night?"
"It's not really girls night without you." Taylor shrugs.
"We should get to bed, we need to leave kind of early in the morning." Taylor says.
"Yeah, come on Mere." I said and the cat rubbed up against my ankles, purring and squeezing her little eyes shut.
I picked the little cat up and we went up stairs for bed. This could be the last time I sleep in this bed. It wasn't below the agency to snatch me up right at 12:00 on December 26th.
I savored the way the lights in my room twinkled in the dark. The way the light through the window casted shadows on the chairs and book shelf. How the dimly lit clock shined on the night stand.
I flipped the bathroom light on the take off my makeup and thought about the luxuries this mission has granted me with. It wasn't just that that made it so hard to leave, it was the people. Never, have I ever felt so warm and included.
I sunk into my warm bad after I got my teeth brushed and pajamas on. This feeling will forever be ingrained in my memories, or at least I hope it would be.
These were the memories that will hopefully break my fall.