Stay - Taylor Swift

Chapter 3

"I thought being a songwriter was your thing," Grace said dryly as she stared at the cat mug set in front of her. It was an honest statement, proving how little she knew about Taylor. We just met two days ago, she reminded herself.

I slept at her house and we just met two days ago?! She could be a serial killer for all I know! Don't be stupid, Grace. That's a dumb thought.

Grace had zoned out for a second with her irrational train of thought regarding the blonde sitting next to her, enough so she missed her reply.

"Sorry?" Grace asked, hoping Taylor would repeat herself.

"Oh, nothing. I do more than just sing about my exes was the gist of it."

"I'm sure you do, you also make really good coffee," Grace compliments as she begins to take another sip of the beverage.

"Thanks, Parker taught me the perfect ratio and he refuses to drink it any other way now. It's easier for both of us this way," Taylor laughs. Grace looks over at her for a second, noticing how Taylor reflected the compliment on to something else as to avoid attention.

"Is it weird having him around all the time? Never being alone?"

Taylor nods gently, "More so when I was younger, I thought it was dumb having security all the time. You change your mind when someone breaks into your house multiple times and sleeps in your bed while you are out of town because he thought you were married."

Grace is in disbelief at how calmly Taylor said that, almost like she was numb to it now.

"Seriously? That's totally not okay. I'm sorry that happened," Grace squeezes her hand in an attempt to show sympathy.

"It's the past. It's okay," they sit in silence for a moment before Taylor speaks again. "Is there really a homeless guy that makes balloon animals from condoms outside your building?"

Grace laughs before shaking her head, "Not anymore."

"Not anymore? That implies at one time there was," Taylor smiles.

"Before I moved in last year, my neighbours told me about him," Grace replies as she thinks about the hilarious elevator conversations she has had with the girl down the hall from her.

"Oh my God, I've seen some crazy but like, that's something else."

Just seconds later Karlie enters the kitchen, she mumbles a good morning before helping herself to coffee.

They make small talk before Grace reminds Karlie they have to get going to the hotel soon to check out. Karlie sighs, her morning grumpiness still living strong.

"I would have let you stay here if you asked," Taylor reminds her. Karlie rolls her eyes before reminding her that she didn't book the hotel because it was a business expense. 

Once it is time for Grace and Karlie to leave, Taylor sees them off with hugs before they go and wishing them a safe flight. Taylor shuts the door behind them and notices Parker coming down the stairs.

"Late night?" She asks him, it was unheard of for him to make his first appearance after eleven. 

He glares at her as he begins his trip to the kitchen for coffee, "Any coffee left?"

"Yes, I made you your own pot," she replied as she followed him down the hall. She had nothing better to do, after all. She even felt bad because she had asked him to have some more snacks delivered around one in the morning, knowing she was the reason he was up late.

"Thank you," he proceeds to grab a cup and pour the hot liquid.

"I'm ready to go back to New York. I know we aren't supposed to leave until tomorrow but can we move it up?" Taylor asked him. He looked at her suspiciously before answering.

"I can see, it depends on if we can get a pilot or not. Why the sudden change in plans?"

"I don't really know, maybe I'm just homesick," she didn't truly know the reason she wanted to go back early. She was just tired of being here, her friends had left and she had no plans. The loneliness of her life was creeping back in.

Before she knew it, she was putting her bags back together and convincing the cats to get into their carriers. Parker escorted her out of the house and set the alarm system before having one of the men load the vehicle with her luggage.

The flight to New York was okay, she spent a large portion of time looking out the window or playing cards with the guys. She was ready for meetings with Tree and mobs of paparazzi again, as weird as that sounds, it made her feel like herself again. 

Her week in California was a much needed break, if you exclude the few interviews and release party. The hard part was deciding what to do when she returned from it because it was months until the tour and while she still had some promoting to and a few videos to shoot, her schedule was fairly clear for a change. 

Upon arriving in New York she called her mom from the car and raised the partition, knowing it would give her some privacy. Luckily, Andrea picked up fairly quickly and was happy to hear from Taylor.

Andrea told Taylor about her day and how things were back at home. Taylor spent a large portion of time in Nashville so she enjoyed the stories and updates. She asked Taylor about the reception to the album, something Taylor had totally forgot about until that moment.

"I honestly don't know. I've been hanging out with Karlie and Grace, Tree hasn't even called me. I assume it's still good. Tree said she would take care of my social media for the next few days," Taylor replied as she looked out the window, not believing she had almost forgotten about her fifth album.

"Well that's good, honey. Who's Grace?" Her mother asked.

Taylor smiled lightly, thinking of her new friend, "She's Karlie's friend from St. Louis, she lives in New York now, though. Remember the brunette Karlie was with?"

"That's nice. You had fun?"

"Yeah, I did. It was good to meet someone that wasn't super obsessed with me for a change," Taylor could tell they were getting closer to the apartment but she still had some time.

"I'm happy to hear that," Andrea said and Taylor could tell she was smiling. Andrea knew Taylor had been struggling recently with a bit of anxiety and feeling like she was isolated from the world.

"Hey, did dad ever get that animal to stop eating the plants in the yard? I know the garden's pretty much done for the year but I saw some weird fence kind of thing online the other day," Taylor changed the subject.

"I think he did, we had some good vegetables from the garden this year too," the older woman told Taylor, "Wish you would have been here to try them."

When the SUV approaches the apartment, Taylor is relieved to see no one outside her door and ends the call with her mom, promising to talk again soon. She unlocks the door and goes inside, letting the Meredith and Olivia roam free again. 

The New York sky was beginning to dim with the sun and was soon going to be replaced by artificial skylines and headlights. She went into the kitchen, one she much preferred over the Beverly Hills home and made a quick sandwich, throwing on Law and Order to kill some time. 

Taylor decided to go to bed early, still exhausted from the night before. As she climbed into bed, telling herself she would unpack in the morning and be more productive she figured she should text Karlie and Grace, thanking them once again for cancelling their original plans to keep her company.

Little did she know, that the text she sent that night would lead to many months worth of conversations.