Begin Again

Chapter Nine

*A Few Days Later*

Taylor's POV

I stood with my arms crossed, waiting for something.

All of a sudden, there were arms so tight around my waist it almost hurt. "There you are, beautiful girl." A British accent whispered behind me, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Ed!" I whirled around and clutched onto him. "I missed you so much." I murmured, on the verge of tears.

"I missed you too, Taylor." We stood holding each other for a moment, and I wondered...should I tell him? I took a deep, shuddering breath. "Are you alright, love?" Ed asked worriedly.

I nodded, still holding onto him like my life depended on it. "I, um...you know how...Tenerife Sea, right? Your song?" He nodded. "I never really thought about who it was about, until now, while you were away...and I...I think I figured it out, and umm...I just wanted to say, that I...well, first of all, promise me, that no matter what happens, you'll always be in my life, no matter what I say next, okay?"

"Of course, Taylor, I will always be here for you. Always." He promised, and I relaxed.

"If it's about who I think it's about, then...I'm so in love too, Ed. With you." I mumbled quietly. Still holding onto him, I shut my eyes, hoping and praying I didn't just ruin everything I've ever had with him.

"Really?" He asked like an excited little kid. I nodded. "Oh, Taylor, I love you too." He said, and I was so excited I could barely sit still, now standing on my tiptoes and hugging him even tighter than before. "Let's get headed back to your place, and we can talk it out on the way, yeah?" He asked, and I nodded excitedly.

I grabbed his hand, and as we walked out, I realized we were in an airport.

As he began to drive, I grabbed back onto his hand. "No one would ever have to find out, love." He brought my hand to his lips and gave it a kiss. "No one would ever to have to know, and we could tell the rest of the world that we're still just best friends. I've loved you for a long time now, and I've cared about you even longer, and I'm willing to do whatever it is that'll make you comfortable, that'll make you happy."

I smiled. "Really?"

"Of course, you mean so much to me, and I can see us really working out in the long run. I feel like we fit together so well, I feel like this would work out for as long as we want it to."

"Me too, Ed. I feel like you're the first guy I can really trust, you know? And I feel like knowing you for years as my best friend has definitely helped, because from that standpoint, I love you like family already." I relaxed back in my seat and grinned.

"So...are...are you my...my girlfriend?" Ed asked nervously.

"As long as you're my boyfriend, yes." We both grinned just as he pulled into the driveway.

We ran inside, and I shut the front door behind us, standing in the foyer. We stood at an awkward distance from each other, unsure of what to do. "We could...kiss, if you wanted." Ed suggested quietly, and I grinned.

"I'd love that." I took a step closer to him, and his hands landed on my hips. To be honest, I was a little nervous, but I trusted Ed, a lot. We closed the gap, and our lips met. It was nothing short of perfect.

When we pulled away, I fell into his chest, clinging onto him in a hug like my life depended on it. "I love you, Ed."

"I love you too, Taylor."