Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

RED: 83. The Very First Night

This story is a continuation of "Nothing New."

83. The Very First Night (1/12/22)

The party was taking place uptown, on twenty-third street, and Veronica found herself daydreaming in the back of the cab. She wasn't sure if she was up for a party right now. In fact, if she had her way, she would stay home and catch up on sleep. The party was to celebrate the end of filming for the Christmas movie Winter Wonderland, which Veronica was starring in. However, she had spent the last few weeks in Minnesota catching up on filming, memorizing lines at rapid speed and insisting they film scenes back-to-back so they wouldn't be wasting time.

The Christmas movie had been Alan's idea as a way to fight back against the rumors that Veronica was seeing Annalise. Ever since the pictures came out of the two of them leaving the bar in January, Alan and Veronica had been working to combat the press and silence any rumors that speculated a possible relationship between the Oscar-nominated actress and the singer-songwriter. So far, it was working, even if they had to kick another actress out of the Christmas movie so Veronica could get first billing.

"You okay, babe?" That was part two of their plan; Stephen Black, another up-and-coming actor who had worked with Veronica before. While she was off playing a drug addict in a domestic drama, Stephen was conquering the television world with a starring role in the Supernatural spin-off show. He was currently taking time off from the show - his character had been killed a few weeks ago, but he would be back next season - to film the Christmas movie with Veronica. They were the romantic leads in the film, where two high school friends are snowed in and have to address why they had a falling out.

Not only did Veronica have to see Stephen during filming, but she also had to pretend she was interested in him. Their off-screen romance had just been released to the press, which would both help save Veronica's reputation and boost viewership. They were meant to attend the premiere of the film, but Stephen was taking the PR stunt much more seriously than she was.

"Just a little tired." Veronica forced a grin before turning back to look out the window again.

"I know what you mean," Stephen said. "Filming was crazy this week. Remember when they made us shoot that kiss scene twenty-seven times?"

How could she forget? The first five takes weren't the most unbearable, but then it became tedious and a chore. She had wanted to say something about wasting time - they were already a week behind schedule - but then the director kept insisting they do it again; she wanted the perfect shot, something that would get viewers swooning. Veronica understood completely, but by take twenty-five, she wasn't kissing Stephen; she was picturing Annalise in his place.

Even though she hadn't seen the girl since January, Veronica couldn't stop thinking about her. They hadn't said much the morning after their hook-up; it was strictly business. Veronica told Annalise she didn't want a relationship and instead wanted to focus on her career, but Annalise kept asking, "So, we're not gonna talk about last night?" Veronica had no idea what to say, or what the girl wanted to hear.

"Hopefully this party will help me relax." Stephen chuckled as the cab pulled in front of the apartment building. The two took the elevator up to the penthouse suite, where the party was already underway, with other actors, members of the crew, and the host of the party, the executive producer, sipping a martini.

"I'm gonna get a drink!" Veronica called to him before skipping off to the bar. The further she got away from Stephen, the more she could think about Annalise. She wondered if the girl was still in the city, or if she had gone back to Boston. It would make sense to send her back to her hometown so the two girls wouldn't run into each other. Veronica wasn't sure if the girl was going to work on new music or take a break since her recent album was underperforming.

She decided on a martini this time, even though her favorite drink was an old-fashioned, but it just made her think of the night at the bar, the very first time she had met Annalise. They hadn't met before that night, but Veronica had a gut feeling that she knew the girl, almost like they had met before.

Veronica snuck onto the balcony and looked out at the city. She wondered, for a moment, if Annalise was staying anywhere nearby. She still had the girl's number in her phone; she couldn't convince herself to delete it.

As she drank her martini, she tried to remember details about the night they had spent together. She had been so drunk, but she was starting to remember more and more details as time passed, for some reason. The two of them had met at the bar and shared their innermost secrets about being a woman in the industry. How Veronica was already being cast for the mother roles. Annalise's fears about being replaced. And the great expectations placed on both of them. Then, the night had reached a head, and Veronica recalled Annalise leading her outside the bar and hailing a cab. She asked her where she lived, and Veronica spewed out the directions to her penthouse apartment. Veronica chuckled at the memory of explaining that she had used the money from Leave Me Alone to buy the apartment.

They had collapsed on the bed, hands interlaced and clothes falling into a pile on the floor. That was where the memories stopped, and Veronica couldn't remember anything else from that night. She missed it.

When she finished her martini, she snuck off to a bathroom and didn't even

wonder where Stephen was. Instead, she dialed Annalise's number and waited for the girl to answer.

"Do you know how much I miss you?" was the first thing the blonde said.

"Are you still in the city?"

"I'm on twenty-fifth street. The third building on the right, apartment number 316."

Veronica nodded before hanging up her phone, grabbing her jacket, and heading out the door. She sent Stephen a quick text, lying that she had a headache, before walking the two blocks to Annalise's apartment. The snow had melted since January, and even though there was a chill in the air, the adrenaline coursing through her body kept her warm.

Veronica found the girl's apartment and took the elevator up. She couldn't wait any longer; as soon as Annalise opened the door, Veronica kissed her on the mouth and followed her to the bed. She ran her fingers through Annalise's blond hair, and suddenly, thousands of memories from the very first night came flooding in, with just one touch.