Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

1989: 91. I Wish You Would

91. I Wish You Would (12/20/20)

"Hey, babe," Francesca said, plopping a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. "Thanks for coming over."

Caroline flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and looked up at her girlfriend, concern filling her eyes. "What did you wanna talk about?"

Caroline sat on the couch and placed her purse on her lap. She watched as Francesca paced the room, playing with her manicured fingers and twisting brown curls around her fingers. Finally, she stopped and stood in front of Caroline, hands on her hips.

"I wanted to tell you something," she said, the words hanging in the air like a billboard or the exhaust steam off a plane. "And it's kind of important."

Caroline knew her girlfriend had trouble articulating her feelings, but she was impatient today. She had dropped what she was doing to come over, and now her stomach was tied up in knots. The relationship was going well, so she wasn't sure what Francesca needed to talk about.

"Listen, I've really been enjoying your company and what we've been doing for the past few months," Francesca explained. "But I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship."

Caroline tried to not let her emotions show on her face, as if she was playing a game of poker, but it was tricky. Francesca's words shot through her like an arrow, and now blood was dripping down her sweater and onto the carpet.

"Why not?" She asked, rising from the couch to meet the girl's eyes.

"I don't know. I just don't think it's right for me right now," Francesca replied, shrugging. Caroline looked her girlfriend in the eye, trying to find any amount of regret or remorse or disappointment. But her brown eyes were blank.

"Francesca, I love you," she said, placing her hands on the girlfriend's shoulders. "Please, we can't end it this way. We can work it out."

Francesca shook her head. "I don't think we can. You can go now."

Caroline heard herself scoffing. She wanted her girlfriend to put up more of a fight. If she really liked where the relationship was heading, she would've worked to keep it from falling apart. But now Caroline was doing the heavy lifting, and everything was crumbling right in front of her eyes.

"I'm sorry if I did anything wrong," she whispered before flinging her purse over her shoulder and walking out of the house.

Once she was alone in the hallway, Caroline let the tears fall down her face. She wished that it wouldn't have ended this way. She loved Francesca, that much she knew, but her ex-girlfriend had sounded genuine when she said she wasn't ready for a relationship. Caroline had been in a similar relationship before, when she had to do all the work just to receive no love in return. She had begged her previous partner to be loyal and committed, but she had refused. Now Caroline found herself in the same spot.

She called an Uber and refused to say anything to the driver as he neared her apartment. Despite her best wishes, she couldn't stop thinking about Francesca. She had been so cold during the meeting, refusing to explain why she wanted to end the relationship. All Caroline wanted to know was why. Had she done something wrong? Was Francesca seeing someone else? It could've been any number of things, and yet she hadn't heard a reason.

She paid the driver, and as she took the three flights of stairs up to her apartment, Caroline knew this wouldn't be the end of her relationship with Francesca. All her ex-girlfriend had said during the meeting was that she wasn't ready yet. She would have to be ready one day. And Caroline hoped that when Francesca was ready, she would give her a call.

Two months later, Caroline spruced up her hair and makeup in the bathroom of a club. The pulsing beat shook the walls, and she could hardly concentrate on her lip gloss. A few stalls over, she heard a girl throwing up her insides, and her friend was holding her hair back and consoling her. Caroline missed having someone by her side during times like these, but she refused to dwell on the situation.

It had been a rough few months without Francesca by her side. Caroline found it difficult not to call her ex-girlfriend or send funny videos when they appeared on her social media timeline. She had never felt this lonely in her life. She threw herself at her work, attacking each project with gusto. Compliments from her boss encouraged her to try harder at her next project, which resulted in a promotion. But her successful life at work didn't compensate for the lonely night hours, the hours she used to spend with Francesca.

Caroline strutted out of the bathroom and secured a spot at the bar. She ordered a drink and surveyed the area for anyone she might know. The men to her left were watching the game, and a bachelorette party was taking turns at the karaoke machine. Caroline sighed and took another sip of her drink. When she looked back at the door, she found herself doing a double take.

Francesca looked different, yet so familiar. Her crazy curls were now cut in a bob, and she carried herself with confidence. Caroline found it hard to breathe, and it wasn't because of the stuffy air in the bar.

Francesca noticed her right away and took a spot at the bar next to her. "How long has it been? Two months?"

"Yeah, two months," Caroline replied, staring at the rim of her glass. "I've missed you."

The other girl blushed. "It's good to see you, you know. I'm sorry about how we ended things, but I wasn't in a good place in my life."

Caroline looked up at her, into her deep brown eyes. "You could've told me. We would've worked through it."

"It wasn't something you needed to work through. It was about me." Francesca placed her hand on the bar, insinuating that she wanted Caroline to do the same.

"I wish you would've told me why," Caroline muttered. "I don't know why we can't be together."

Francesca gave her an impish smile. "Who says we can't?"