till forever falls apart | Taylor Swift

54

"I mean, those legs," August said and let a low whistle which made Taylor laugh and smack her arm playfully.

"Will you stop? This interaction is still being documented," Taylor exclaimed, though her voice was still light.

August shrugged and dropped Taylor's hand once she was standing next to her. "I don't think they'll be surprised to find out that I enjoy looking at your legs. Respectfully. Of course."

"Right, respectfully," Taylor teased. "Yeah, thank you. I work out a lot," she winked lightly and started walking again as they both burst out laughing.

"Does it even get tiring?" August asked once they had walked a good distance away from that other girl.

"Working out?" Taylor asked, stopping at a crosswalk. August stood next to her, hands in the back pockets of her pants, chuckling softly and shaking her head. She leaned back on her heels, her crop-top riding just above her belly button and she was pretty sure Taylor's eyes traced over the bare skin for a moment. She stood up straight again, leaning against a lamppost.

"You know, the cameras, everywhere you go," August explained and then she clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Of course it does. Sorry, I'm an idiot for even asking."

"No, it's okay," Taylor answered softly. "You get used to it eventually. Although, sometimes, it just... it gets the best of you."

August recalled that one year Niko kept telling her about how there had been absolutely no news about Taylor Swift for months, maybe longer. She knew all about how the media perceived her as a celebrity, and even as a human, August could only imagine how hard it must have been.

"I feel like I should be apologising, though," Taylor mentioned, glancing sideways at August. The light had turned green and Taylor grabbed August's hand, giving it a small squeeze as they crossed to the other side. She only let go when they had reached the other sidewalk.

"What do you have to apologise for?" August asked with a small scoff at the notion. As far as she was concerned, Taylor never had to apologise to her.

"The past few months have been so easy because we've been completely out of the public's eye," Taylor explained, crossing her arms over her chest.

"A few pictures taken by a bunch of fans won't change that," August reassured her. It was kind of weird, she had to admit that, but she didn't mind it. She didn't care if a bunch of teenagers on the internet talked about her for hanging out with a celebrity like Taylor.

"The fans are mostly easy to deal with, at least on days like today. When it's pretty calm. But, the photographers and the people stopping me every few feet, and just constantly being under the scrutiny of the public's eyes..." Taylor sighed heavily and stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face August completely. "It gets too overwhelming. Especially when—"

She cut herself off so abruptly that August hesitated to ask her to continue. But she wanted to know, though she wouldn't pressure her.

"Especially when what?" She asked softly.

Taylor shrugged and started walking again. August could finally see the green hedges and the large trees of a park. Taylor started walking in the direction of a large entrance gate.

"Nothing, they're just always in your face. They never leave you alone. It's too much sometimes," Taylor said.

August knew that wasn't what she initially wanted to say but she didn't press on. She grabbed Taylor's hand instead and laced their fingers together.

"It's what I'm signing up for, anyway, isn't it?" August said, giving Taylor's hand a small squeeze. "Might as well get some practice."

Taylor laughed softly and ran her thumb over the back of August's hand. This time, she didn't let go.