TNT Short Fics

3 AM and I'm still awake - Part 5

5. After the storm

He moves a curl of hair off her shoulder to kiss her glistening skin. The combination of the warm, humid air coming in through the open balcony door and their recent activities make her almost glow in the light slanting across the room from the city outside.

"We should sleep," he murmurs into her skin. "You have a show to rest up for."

She sighs, "I know we should, that I should, but I like it here. Just us in this moment. We can sleep in tomorrow. I don't have to be at the stadium early. And I have already been practicing the surprise songs."

"Oh really? Something special?"

"Maybe," she remarks with a sly smile.

He kisses her shoulder again before saying, "I can't wait, Tay. I can't wait to see you up there again. Especially now."

She turns her head, laying it on her folded arms, looking at him. "I wish we'd got to have the show tonight."

"I do too," he replies as he mirrors her pose. "But I can't say I'm unhappy we had time for me to meet your dad. And that we got tonight."

"Mm, tonight feels...I don't know, stolen I guess. Secret even though it's not."

"Just us," he adds, understanding what she means. "It feels like the beginning of all the things we'll do together."

"Yes," she emphasizes, reaching her hand out to run across his buzzed hair. "I love Kansas City and being there with you. But if we're in this, this will be a part of our life too."

She looks down, a shadow passing over her face for a moment. "Are you good with that?"

"Good with what? Touring?" he asks confused.

"Yeah, or I guess the upheaval of it all. The people. Not normal, even more so than New York."

"Hey, you know I am. It's a part of you. I love how you are up there."

"Okay, I just..."

"Taylor, normal isn't just one house, staying in place," he asserts. "We make what is normal."

"What do you mean?" she questions.

He props his chin on his hand and looks down at her, "I mean what's normal for us is just for us. Football games and hours of practice and sneaking in time together isn't really anyone else's definition of normal is it?"

"I guess not," she concedes.

"But you just implied it was," he points out gently. "Because we made it normal. We made it work for us. We'll make this work for us too."

"I never thought of it like that."

"Your family acts like it's normal," he observes.

"Yeah, but it's always been that way," she replies, shrugging. "Since I was 14."

"Cause they chose it because they love you. Same with me," he says simply.

It hits her that he is right. And for the first time in a long time, she feels she can believe someone means exactly what they say. She trusts that he's telling her exactly what he feels. And his actions have more than backed his words up, especially flying halfway across the globe this weekend.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes. I mean, it will be hard. But you are right. We make our life," she says with finality.

"We do. And Taylor, this is the life I want. I know we've not been together that long, But this," he points between them. "I want this to be it."

She sucks in a sharp breath, her heart picking up.

He lays a hand on her shoulder, knowing he's treading close to things she's been promised before. Trying to ground her with his touch before continuing, "I know you've heard that before. I know people hurt you and led you on by saying things like that. I don't take this lightly, Taylor. I won't make promises I can't back up this early. But–"

He stops. She can tell he's trying to find the right words, to tread carefully. And it makes her relax, knowing he's taking this seriously.

"At the end of the day, I want to come home to you. Whether that's in KC or us coming home from a show or you from the studio. I want it to be us, together. And someday I hope...no, I plan to ask you if you're good with that forever."

"Trav," she whispers. This man, this beautiful, sweet man who has done nothing but step up and walk beside her in this chaotic life since day one.

"I want that to be in your court, Tay. People tried to take that from you. I want you to have the final say."

"I– thank you. You don't know what that means to me," she shares, taking his hand off her shoulder to interlace their fingers. "But I want us to decide that together, okay? You aren't them. I never once thought that or felt you would ever behave that way. I trust you. I trust us to decide that together. Okay? And I want forever for us as well."

He nods, tears in his eyes, "It's going to be so good, Tay. Now, tomorrow, five years from now. It's going to be so good."

"I think so too," she agrees, wiping a tear off his cheek. Her big soft-hearted love.

He reaches forward and kisses her and she can feel him pour all the promises he's keeping just for her into his kiss.

As he pulls back, he kisses her forehead and says once more, "We really should sleep."

She sighs, not wanting to leave this secret space but knowing he's right. She has a show and she wants to give it her all for the fans. And for him.

"Fine," she grumbles teasingly.

He laughs, his eyes crinkling at the sides in the way she adores. The way she memorialized in a song just the other day when she was upstate with Aaron.

They tuck themselves under the covers, her head on his shoulder. She thinks about tomorrow and how nervous she's been practicing the second surprise song. How big it's felt to put that out there for him. Now, it just feels right. After tonight, it's what is coming and she's excited to let the whole world know.

He's her endgame.