Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

1989: 95. This Love

95. This Love (12/30/20)

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Kasey was taken aback by the cursing and familiar voice. She had been busy carrying her suitcases into the cabin to notice who her roommate for the weekend was. When she finally looked up, she realized the previous statement was appropriate in this situation.

"Oh my god," she mumbled, dropping her bags by her side. "Julian?"

"That's me," he replied, crossing his arms against his chest. They had noticeably grown in size since high school. "Haven't seen you in a few years, Townes."

"It's your fault," she replied. Her words stung and tasted like poison when they left her mouth. Even though she hadn't seen Julian in a few years, she wasn't about to let him off the hook for what he did to her back in high school.

Kasey wanted to end the conversation there and get her bags inside, but Julian had other plans. He picked up a knickknack from a side table and played with it while he asked her questions. The first one he asked seemed the most necessary: "What are you doing here?"

Kasey rose to her full height again, wiping her hands on her jeans. "My friend canceled for the week, something about going into work, but I still wanted to get away for the weekend." She pursed her lips and stared down Julian. "I didn't know I would get a roommate so quickly." She then turned the question on him, but it held much more weight. He had been the one to leave everything behind during their senior year of high school and not tell her.

Julian shrugged. "Same as you, I guess. I wanted to get away for the weekend, do some hiking and maybe go to the lake. It was supposed to be a solo trip."

His "lone wolf" shtick was the reason everything had ended so poorly in the first place. Kasey couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was worried her eyes would fall out by the end of the weekend from rolling them so much.

"Well, you're stuck with me," Kasey pointed out before grabbing her suitcases and claiming the room at the back of the cabin. Before shutting the door, she looked over her shoulder at Julian and said, "Don't bother me."

Once she was safely tucked away in her bedroom, Kasey stood up against the door and let out a struggling sigh. It felt like all the air was being removed in the room, or someone was trying to suffocate her. The lump in her throat was starting to form, and despite her best interest, she couldn't swallow it. The tears finally struck her eyes, and they fell down her face in pools until she couldn't see straight.

Out of everything that could go wrong this weekend, of course her deadbeat ex-boyfriend from high school would drop in. Kasey had hoped to spend the weekend with her best friend, Rachel, drinking wine and spending time at the lake. But Rachel had canceled last minute, leaving Kasey with no other option but to come alone. She would rather be alone at the cabin than alone at home. But, according to Julian, it sounded like the owners of the cabin had kept the roommate listing open, leaving Julian a spot at the cabin for the weekend. Kasey didn't even know he was back in town.

She slid down the wooden door until she was curled up on the floor. It felt like a million years since she had seen Julian. Back in high school, they had dated for a solid two years. Kasey had even made the stupid decision to factor Julian into her college plans. She was in love with him back then. But then Julian skipped town a few days after graduation, without a note or warning. He hadn't said anything to Kasey about his plan to leave. It wasn't until she went off to college that she found out he moved to California to pursue a film career. At that point, she didn't care what he did, but what hurt her most was that he hadn't told her.

Kasey wiped her tears away, ruining her mascara. She rose from her place on the floor and examined the room. It was a decent size, with a double bed, a dresser, and a night stand. She threw her suitcases on the bed and peered out the window. The sun was streaming in, reminding her of the gorgeous day and the reason she had come here in the first place. She dug through her bag for her suitcase and trotted off to the lake.

The lake was deserted, which Kasey found relaxing but also dangerous. It was a random weekend in May, but she had suspected that other people and families would be around, or at least a lifeguard on duty. But she was all alone.

Kasey lathered her body in sunscreen. She hadn't thought about Julian since her breakdown in the bedroom. Now she was trying not to think about him, even though the cabin was looming on the horizon. She had told him not to bother her, but a small part of her hoped he would ignore her words.

Kasey waded in the lake, the murky water surrounding her body. She swam out a bit deeper until she couldn't touch the bottom. It felt strange, being out there all alone. She couldn't even think about the boy in the cabin and the love she had once given him.

"Kasey!" A voice called, and when her eyes landed on the cabin, she saw Julian waving to her. He was dressed in a pair of swimming trucks. Kasey tried not to stare.

Julian, without a care in the world, dove into the lake and swam towards Kasey. The two swam towards each other until they were face to face.

"Are you still upset with me?" He asked, his skin soaking up the sun's rays.

Kasey thought over the question for a moment. "Yes, I'm still upset with you! You left without telling me anything. What was I supposed to do?"

"I'm so sorry, Kasey," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "My first thought was to ask you to come with me, but I knew you would never agree. You had already decided on a college, and everyone else had too. I felt left-out because I hadn't decided what I wanted to do."

"You could've talked to me about it," Kasey replied, even though she knew her high school self wouldn't have been very forgiving.

"I needed to get out of town. And I knew I should've told you." Julian took her by the hand.

Kasey looked into his brown eyes. She had loved Julian once, back in high school when she thought they would be together forever. But her heart had shattered into a million pieces when she found out what he had done. She closed herself off after that and didn't give love a chance. Maybe this weekend at the cabin was supposed to bring them together again. When Kasey looked back up at Julian, she realized the feelings she had for him all those years ago were still there. So she swam towards him, took his face in her hands, and kissed him.