A sharp sun ray hits his eyes, forcing him to squint before opening them again. He smiles. Everything hurts. Travis closes his eyes once more, exhaustion taking over his body and mind. There's a sharp contrast in the air: the cold breeze of the bedroom AC in this Vegas hotel, compared to the warm sun ray filtering through the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows. He hears a drawer opening and closing, a little spoon rustling. He realizes in that moment that he's alone in bed. The worst way to wake up today.
A strong and exhausted arm moves across the bed, almost as if reaching for the ghost of her. He sighs, having lost all sense of time and place. He won the Super Bowl. He did it. He did it all because of her.
Travis sighs again, feels himself get emotional again. Emotional, and.. drunk. He's forcing himself to pull the expensive blanket from his torso. Fully naked from the night before, he leaves the bedroom of the presidential suite. His entire body aches, yet the view before him makes him smile for the first time this morning. At the end of the room, he sees a tall blonde, wearing nothing but his shirt, fumbling with the coffee machine. She steps on her tiptoes for a second, reaching for one of the coffee pads from the shelf above the little coffee station. She's still not wearing any underwear, clearly having thrown his shirt over her body when she got up. He smiles and keeps on walking barefoot towards her, not hesitating for a moment before wrapping his big, strong arms around her.
She startles for a second, her cold hands and the little familiar giggle he loves so much in his ear. Travis sniffs into her neck, pressing his face as close as possible. Inaudible kisses reach her skin and a few strands of hair from her neck in between. This is where he always wants to be. Nuzzled into her skin.
"Oh my god, I literally didn't hear you get up," she murmurs, both her hands now on his that are right on her stomach. She sounds tired and exhausted, just like he is. After a moment, Travis lets go of her neck, helping her turn around in his arms. The view makes him smile even more. Her eyes are puffy, puffier than she probably likes them to be in front of him, and her hair from last night is all over the place. But he adores seeing her like this. He adores climbing onto this next stage of their relationship together. She's probably as hungover as he is. No question. This isn't the best version of herself. And he loves that he gets to experience it. He loves that he gets to love it, with every fiber of his being. Just the way she deserves.
"Good morning, sweetie." he murmurs, and she smiles tiredly, placing both her hands on his cheeks before giving him a proper good morning kiss on the lips. He pulls back and laughs quietly, his forehead meeting hers.
"Are you okay?" he asks gently, feeling clearly that she's exhausted, more than usual. This is a next-stage tired Taylor he hasn't encountered yet. Her eyes small, her face is pale and her hands cold. She seems off to him, seems a little more quiet than she usually is.
"Yeah, great..." She mumbles with a hint of sarcasm in her voice that makes him smile. "Woke up with a sore throat and my head exploding. I think the jet lag and alcohol just got the best of me."
Travis nods, his lips immediately finding her forehead again. He kisses her right over her bangs, both his arms rubbing her bare arms, almost as if this could make her hangover go away.
"Last week was a lot, baby."
She nods, her hands now on his chest while he holds her securely in his arms. She doesn't even notice that he's naked. It's all about being close to him.
"Advil?"
"Yeah, I just feel like I need to eat first. How are you feeling?" She asks, looking up at her tall boyfriend. His eyes are tiny and he's a lot paler than usual. But she's not really surprised. He really went hard last night.
"I'm okay. I feel great. Might still be a bit drunk actually, but..."
She laughs. He nuzzles his face into her neck again, almost embarrassed.
"I'm sorry if it was a lot last night. I mean... from my side."
"What do you mean?"
"I was... drunk. In another sphere."
Taylor looks at him and laughs, her hands now gently caressing his face.
"I know. Me too. Trav, you are on top of the world right now. You were allowed to have fun last night,"
Travis looks into her eyes and nods slowly. Sometimes he looks at her and can't believe she's here, can't believe she's his, through and through.
"Hey, I love you."
She smiles slowly, her fingers on his cheek. The unspeakable things he makes her feel. Things she thought she could never feel again.
"I love you, babe."
He kisses her again. She sighs into the kiss this time. The little counter with the coffee machine still against her lower back. But she doesn't care. His kisses just make her forget that what she needed so badly a few moments ago was coffee.
Just as they pull back, Taylor takes a good look at him, then giggles again.
"What?"
"I love you, but that beard has to go."
He grins.
"Okay, deal. But first, how about I get you some breakfast and a proper coffee, hmm? And some Advil."
She nods, cuddling herself into his arms again. She loves his smell, and she loves feeling so loved up by his big arms. It's been a while since home was a person. It's been a while since she's felt so safe and seen in someone's presence.
"Please. I need a large coffee. A large, iced latte with almond milk and vanilla syrup. Please. And a breakfast burrito," she mumbles into his chest, making him laugh a little louder. His voice is still rusty from last night, and he knows why. There's been a lot of singing, screaming, and smoking involved.
"Okay, my love. Coming through. Go lay down for a bit now," he says gently and kisses her cheek a few times. She smiles, nods, then steals another kiss. He closes his eyes, pressing her a little closer. He doesn't want this kiss to end. He doesn't want to let go of her either. Her smell, her lips, her little hands on his cheeks. He loves this woman more than anything he's ever loved. It's scary, it's beautiful. It's life.
Taylor slowly lets go of him, smiling at him one last time before stepping back into bed. He looks after her, about to search for his phone in the hotel suite, when she turns around again.
"Hey, Trav."
"Mhm?"
"I'm so proud of you. Did I tell you that today already?"
Travis smiles slowly, a gentleness in his eyes he's not used to himself.
"You did."
"Good," she answers, grabbing the sheets on the bed and letting herself fall into the soft mattress.
