Our Invisible String (Complete Version)

10 (Travis Version)

"We're not dating." I wished. "She's just a colleague. Music teacher. We used to go to school together."

"Oh, that Taylor?" Mom seemed to connect the dots. "Taylor Swift?" I nodded. "Oh I always liked that girl." She smiled. "She's such a sweetheart." Yeah, sure she was. "You tell her I said hi won't you? I haven't seen her in a very long time ever since she stopped coming to book club with her Mom. Tell her I hope her daughter's doing well."

Her what?

I'd paused too long, and Mom had driven away before I'd brought myself back into reality enough. Her daughter? Did Taylor have a kid? She'd never mentioned anything that might indicate she did, and no one had ever said anything, but maybe I just hadn't noticed because I wasn't listening for it.

Wait, no, she had said something. Just today, she'd mentioned the name Abby before I'd said something else, and I hadn't even realized it at the time. Maybe that was her daughter, but why would she never have mentioned it? Well, maybe it was also none of my business. I wouldn't mention it, and she could bring it up whenever she was ready, because obviously she didn't trust me. Shaking my head to myself, I turned back to the gym.

"What's all this?" Taylor asked when I put the bag down on my desk, peeking inside.

"Tampons and pads." I told her. "And chocolate, and a heat pack." I placed the items on the desk as I spoke, and Taylor blinked at me like she was confused. "For your period." I explained. "Remember?"

"Yeah, but..." She frowned. "That's a lot of stuff Travis."

Travis. She'd called me Travis, without even seeming to think about. Maybe it was silly, but I felt like her using my first name after over a week of calling me Kelce was a step in a more positive direction. I stared at her, unable to stop myself. Taylor met my gaze and then turned a beautiful shade of dark pink, blushing hard.

"What?" She muttered.

"Nothing." I shrugged, folding the paper bag up and putting it aside so I could re-use it later. "Taylor." I murmured. Her name on my lips felt easy, natural, and it slipped out before I'd made the conscious decision to speak. Taylor seemed to blush even darker, ducking her head as she looked over to what I'd got for her.

"Okay, well thanks, I'll pay you back." She mumbled.

"No need." I shook my head. "Call it even."

"Why, what have I ever done for you?" Taylor asked.

"Forgiven me."

"I have NOT forgiven you." She insisted.

"Alright." I murmured. "But you're going to." Taylor folded her arms. "Would it help if I apologized?" I asked. Now that I thought about it, had I ever said sorry to her for what I'd done? No, no I hadn't. Wow, what an asshole.

"Yes." Taylor said bluntly. "Mean it too." She gave an almost wicked smile. "On your knees."

"Excuse me?" I blinked, and Taylor shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey you want to make it seem like you mean it or not?"

Jesus, she was really taking advantage of the fact that I was trying to apologize. I wanted to laugh, but one glance at the expression on her face told me she was dead serious. For a moment I paused, sure she'd laugh and tell me she was only kidding, but Taylor remained staring at me, unblinking. So, I decided to fuck it and I pushed my chair to the side before getting down on my knees in front of her and sitting back on my ankles.

Filthy thoughts filled my mind as I looked up into her blue eyes and she stared down at me. What she might look like if I were on my knees in a very different situation, if her legs were spread, her head thrown back, begging for me. I swallowed, trying to force those thoughts out of my head.

"I'm an asshole." I told her. "I was a cocky football captain who thought he had the world in his hands. The truth is, I picked on you because I liked you, and that was the only way I could ever get your attention." Taylor blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. I sighed. "Yeah, it was really stupid. I didn't realize that I was actually being harsh to you, and I thought we were just joking around. However I'm not going to make any excuses for myself, because that'd be a real dick move." Deciding to really go for it, I reached out and took one of her hands in mine. Taylor let me, just watching. "I am so sorry for the way I treated you in high school. It was too far and I know I made it awful for you. I'll always be sorry for that, and if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it as long as you keep it legal and somewhat ethical." Taylor cracked a smile at that, pressing her lips together. "I'm sorry Taylor, and I hope you can forgive me."

"Hmm." Taylor nodded, taking her hand out of mine as she got to her feet and took the items off my desk, placing them in her arms. "Well, that was a very nice apology. Thank you."

"Do you think you could forgive me?" I asked from where I was still kneeling on the ground. To my surprise, Taylor's hand reached out and touched my jaw as she stared down at me.

"I'll think about it." She murmured. "Thanks for the help, and I got a real kick out of you begging on your knees."

With that, Taylor walked past me and out of my office. I watched the door close behind her, a little in shock. Then I laughed, shaking my head.

 She was incredible.