Camera Flashes (1) - Taylor Swift

25

After a week of no one daring to discuss the drama that had recently unfolded, including Parker who had heard it through the grapevine, there were multiple fake dates between Grace and Charles where she took a car all the way to Oxford to have lunch with him or walk campus like true lovers between him classes.

Once he had explained that Robert had been digging around, she made it a priority to protect their cover and in turn, that protected Taylor's.

What Taylor didn't know didn't hurt her, until she opened the door of her townhouse on a Saturday morning and there stood three figures. Grace, Charles and of course, Parker.

"The fiancé," she grinned forcefully, those were the first words out of her mouth.

"The girlfriend," he returned the sentiment, "We are a throuple now."

"Charles," Grace groaned, she had already told him twice that joke wasn't funny.

Twice.

"We're actually fitting the standards I think, you're in love with her, she and I have a thing. If we really want to seal the deal, we could have a threesome, maybe you and I will fall in love and then we can all get married while holding hands and singing kumbaya!" Taylor replied with an upbeat tone and then looked at Parker, "I'm so sorry you have to listen to this mess."

"Thank you," he accepted the sympathy with a small nod, his voice as serious as it would have been if someone had just offered condolences.

Charles whispered something to Parker and then the security guard raised a hand and flicked the side of his head, "Ow!"

"Don't ask stupid questions then," Parker smiled.

"Grace, your security guard is bullying your fiancé," Taylor said drily, "Tell him to keep doing it."

"Did he just ask if she was joking about the threesome?" The heiress inquired. All Parker had to do was keep his mouth shut for her to add, "Oh hell, it's going to be a interminable weekend."

"At least get off the street," Taylor stepped out of the doorway and allowed them inside, "Why did you bring him?"

"No greeting? No kiss? No thank you for coming all this way? No thank you for surviving a plane ride with him?" Grace goaded her for any sort of affection. She'd spent all week with Charlie, and while he was fine, she wanted to be there with Taylor.

"Hi, I'll kiss you after you tell me why you brought the man who is in love with you to spend the weekend," Taylor whispered as Parker escorted Charles through the house.

"You said you wanted to go to a live music event, Charles is unfortunately my date to that but my real date will be you," Grace pursed her lips nervously when Taylor did not immediately respond to her statement.

"Fine," Taylor checked that the narrow hallway was clear and then pecked Grace's lips, "Do I need to prep you on my friends names?"

"No, I'll actually be fine. I have a good memory for names as long as you introduce me."

"Says the woman who didn't remember my name when we ran into each other that one time."

"Did I forget it or did I pretend to forget it, darling?" Grace smiled without teeth, it was the same one she had used when they first met and Taylor could see her already putting her walls up for the night.

Taylor came down the stairs later on as Grace and Charles were standing just a few steps from the landing. Charles had on a white button up and Grace was undoing his tie in a way that looked intimate to anyone who didn't know them. Grace scolded him quietly, "You don't need a tie, Taylor says it's a rock band. That seems anti-tie."