Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

REPUTATION: 99. New Year's Day

99. New Year's Day (1/1/21)

The hotel clerk watched the guests from the New Year's Eve party leave the following morning. A few girls with alcohol running through their veins were carrying their high heels in their hands. Their pulsing, sore feet hit the cold, linoleum floor with each step. The hotel clerk waved lazily at the girls and other guests, reflecting on how she spent her night. She would've liked to be home with her husband and daughter, but the holiday season was always the busiest time of year at the hotel. She had to stay all night to make sure the guests from the party got home safely.

Tiana Watts, a gorgeous twenty-something with dark skin and curly hair, took the elevator down to the lobby of the hotel. She had been asked to attend the penthouse party from her boss, who was friends with the host. Tiana hadn't enjoyed her evening, either out of boredom or the fact that she didn't know any of the other guests. So when it came time for midnight to roll around, she found herself kissing a blond stranger.

"Are you from the party?" The woman standing behind the front desk asked. She looked exhausted.

Tiana glanced behind her at the elevator, making sure the woman was actually talking to her. "Yes. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing," the woman shrugged. "I just wanted to check and see if everyone was gone. I...I wanna get home."

Tiana pitied the woman. She didn't work in hospitality anymore, but had been hoping to major in it college, resulting in multiple internships at hotels and country clubs. The hours were horrendous, leaving Tiana to switch her major before sophomore year.

Even though Tiana wasn't the woman's boss, she turned back to the woman and said, "You can go home. I was the last one to leave." It was a lie, but she couldn't bear to look at the poor woman for one more minute.

The hotel clerk smiled and slipped on her coat and purse. Tiana watched as she left the hotel. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't hear a man leaving the elevator behind her.

"Hey!" He called, and upon noticing who she was, he lowered his voice. He was the blond stranger from midnight, the one she had decided to kiss. Looking at him now, Tiana realized he was much more handsome than she previously believed. She found it hard to say anything; she was too busy looking at him.

"You're the girl I kissed at midnight." He pointed at her. He had a coat hanging on his one arm.

"That's me," Tiana replied with a chuckle. "Did you need something?"

The man, who hadn't stated his name, looked around the lobby and said, "Where's the receptionist?"

Tiana realized her error, and wondered if the man would be understanding or not. She decided, in that moment, to lie again. "She went home. Something about her shift ending at one."

The blond stranger groaned. "I was afraid of that. Everyone left the party, except for us, and it's a mess up there."

Tiana had watched as the other guests threw confetti and streamers around the room when the clock struck midnight. Some even splashed their drinks out of excitement. Still, Tiana cocked her head in confusion and asked, "Where are the janitors?"

The man gasped for air. "I don't know, but I feel bad if we leave it a mess like that. Would you mind helping me out?"

Tiana glanced at her watch. It was a little past one in the morning. She had off from work until Monday, and didn't have anywhere else to go for the rest of the day. If she got home late, she could sleep in for as long as she wanted. Not to mention the curiosity pulling at her skin. She wanted to know more about this blond stranger, the one she had kissed at midnight. So she found herself nodding and following the man up to the top floor.

The elevator was quiet until they reached the top floor, and the man started asking her questions. The first one out of his mouth was: "Why did you kiss me at midnight?" He had opened the black trash bag when he said it, so it wasn't the most romantic moment, but Tiana couldn't help but smile.

"I didn't know anyone else at the party. And it's tradition to kiss someone at midnight, you know." She remembered watching the New Year's Eve special with her parents every year and seeing all the people in Times Square kissing their loved ones at midnight. Tiana would try to follow in their footsteps when she left for college, and managed to do so if she was at a party. But when she was home alone, the pain of not completing the tradition made her feel guilty.

"I did know that, but why me?" He asked, picking up empty beer bottles and throwing them in the bag.

Tiana ignored the question and tossed one at him, "You know, you never gave me your name."

The blond stranger chuckled and said, "It's Colin. You didn't tell me your name either."

"I'm Tiana," she said, meeting his gaze. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, and she couldn't look away.

The two started talking about why they were at the party, and Tiana found it easy to talk to Colin, even if they had just met. He was funny, and his laugh and smile were contagious. When they finished cleaning up, Tiana couldn't help but wish the room would turn filthy, and they would have to clean it up all over again.

By the time they were finished cleaning the apartment, Tiana's watch read three-thirty. She stifled a yawn and followed Colin to the elevator. Her whole body wished the night wouldn't end so soon. If she could've, she would've taken him by the hand or even kissed him. But then the elevator was stopping at the lobby, and Colin was calling for an Uber. Tiana knew she needed to act fast, or he would walk out of her life forever.

Colin had already walked outside to wait for the car, so Tiana joined him on the street. She called to him, "Hey Colin!"

He turned and chuckled. "What's up?"

"Would you...would you mind if I came along with you?" She asked, and her face flushed slightly. Colin nodded slowly, just as the car was pulling up.

The two climbed inside, and Tiana's whole body was filled with joy. When she sat next to Colin, she couldn't help but lean her head on his shoulder and take his hand in her hers. When he recognized her two gestures, he responded by squeezing her hand three times.