"What did you call me?" The blonde asked, her furrowed brows proved she still doesn't understand Wynter.
"You- you really don't remember me, Tay?" All hope from Wynter's face disappeared when Taylor just narrowed her eyes at her.
Wynter shook her head to dismiss the topic, not wanting to hurt herself further. "It's fine, let's just uh eat, I guess."
Taylor was about to speak again when a woman with blonde short hair approached them and pulled Wynter into a hug.
"Maureen! You finally decided to visit after a whole month, huh?" Cornelia said as Wynter chuckled into their hug. They looked like a mother and daughter having a reunion, and Taylor was just awkwardly sitting there.
"I was so busy this month, Aunt Neli, I'm sorry. I came as soon as I could, though. I even brought a... friend." Wynter pulled away to gesture at Taylor, who smiled politely and greeted the woman who was in her 60's.
What Taylor didn't expect was for Neli to pull her into a hug, too. Her hug was comforting, just like her mom who was back in Nashville. Now she understands why Wynter turns soft with the old woman, she had this motherly comfort that Taylor only found with Andrea.
"You must be Taylor! It's very nice to meet you, dear. I've heard so much about you! You're really pretty! It's the first time Maureen brought someone besides her bodyguard here. You must be special to her hmm? Are you two dating?" Neli rambled on as Wynter's eyes immediately widened at how the woman carelessly exposed her. Taylor blushed and tried laughing it off, Wynter was too embarrassed to notice but the restaurant owner obviously did.
"Aunt Neli! That's- she's- we're not dating. She has a boyfriend for Pete's sake! Stop it." The usually calm and collected woman rushed to separate the two and pull the old woman away before she could expose and embarrass her further.
"Whatever you say, dear." Cornelia chuckled and patted Wynter's shoulder to make her sit back down. "Let me just take your orders, then."
"The usual for me please." Wynter mumbled out, subtly taking in a deep breath to gain the confidence to meet Taylor's eyes again. "What d'you want, Tay?"
"I'll have what you'll have, I guess." Taylor wasn't quite in the right headspace to think of her order. She was still trying to remember who Wynter is, find out why Wynter told Cornelia about her and why the hell did she blush when the old woman mentioned the possibility of them dating.
"She'll have the burger number 3 and chicken tenders, Auntie. Also your special cheesecake, please. Clyden and Taylor's bodyguard are in the next booth, could you also take their orders, please? Thank you."
When the woman left, the two women awkwardly stared at each other. Taylor broke the silence first, but not in the way Wynter expected.
"Sooo... you have your own company right? Hotels and Resorts?"
Wynter looked at her in surprise in confusion before nodding.
"Yeah, WV H&R."
"My friend went there, she said it's really posh. They said the dinner buffet was the best part though." Taylor stated, with a smile. She was playing with the paper placemat in front of her, avoiding eye contact with Wynter.
Wynter smiled while nodding. She gestured for Taylor to come closer by gesturing 'come here' with her finger.
"I'll let you in a little secret then, the recipes my chef's use are from a restaurant me and my best friend used to go to when we were teens." Wynter whispered. Taylor raised her brows in surprise as she leaned back down on her chair. Wynter did the 'shh' gesture before chuckling quietly.
"What's the best time to go pay a visit then?" The blonde asked trying to keep the conversation going. Wynter knew what she was trying to do, but decided to play along for Taylor's sake.
"Summer. When the weather is all sunny and perfect."
"I see. I'll definitely pay a visit then." Taylor confirmed with a nod. Wynter just smiled amusedly at her, trying to stop herself from chuckling.
"What?" Taylor asked with furrowed brows. What's funny? Did she have something on her face? Taylor thought.
"I know you hate being in awkward situations so you make small talk, but work and the weather?" Wynter was now biting her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing. It's amusing how hard Taylor was trying to make conversation and not make things awkward.
"You can't blame me! I can feel that your guard is up, and seriously I have no idea why." Taylor groaned, rolling her eyes at Wynter when she started laughing.
"Maybe 'cause the last time I saw you is still burned in the back of my mind?" Wynter said in between chuckles, slapping her hand on her knee. Taylor just scoffed in response, but later on gave in and let out a few chuckles too.
"I thought you weren't a fan?" Taylor threw a packet of toothpicks at Wynter, who was able to dodge it easily.
"Ew, don't throw that in my face, it's dirty." Wynter picked the packet up from her lap and threw it on the table. "And no, I am most definitely a fan."
The singer leaned closer to the alleged 'fan', placing her elbows on the table. She raised a brow at Wynter, who raised a brow at her as well in response.
"Name your favorite song from every album, then." She challenged, watching as Wynter bit her lower lip. Taylor didn't know if it was a nervous habit or something the brunette does when she thinks.
"Uhm... that's too hard." Taylor chuckled at her and waved a dismissive hand.
"I'm kidding, Wyn. You don't have to listen or have a favorite from my songs, I was just playing with you." She tried to change the topic to not make Wynter feel bad, but what she didn't know was the younger woman was way more stubborn than she thinks.
"Picture To Burn, Fifteen, Enchanted, Come Back, Be here and Out Of The Woods." Taylor was surprised, she didn't actually expect Wynter to listen to her songs.
Wynter was ready for Taylor to tease her, but instead Taylor was looking at her with furrowed brows.
"What did Cornelia call you earlier?" Taylor asked seriously. This time, it was Wynter's turn to be confused.
"Maureen? It's my second name, not many people know about it-"
"Did you perhaps have blonde hair before?" Taylor asked again, more urgently this time, even cutting Wynter off.
"I did. Damn, how'd you know?" Wynter obviously knew how. She was trying to refrain herself from grinning widely.
"Are you wearing colored contacts right now too?"
"Bingo. It's almost like you knew me when we were kids, Tay." Wynter chuckled, waiting for Taylor to finally rip the band-aid off.
"Maui?" Taylor asked hesitantly, her eyes still roaming Wynter's face.
"Finally! I thought you wouldn't remember, Alison." Wynter was now grinning, taking in the look of surprise on Taylor's face.
"But how? I- why? I thought you were- what," Taylor stammered. She was still trying to process the fact that her childhood best friend was in front of her again after an entire decade.
"Breath, Tay, breath. One question at a time." Wynter was giggling, but Taylor could tell something was bothering her.
"How long have you known it was me?" Taylor asked carefully, not knowing how to act now that she knows who Wynter was.
"Yesterday. The morning you left my home." Wynter said calmly. It was as if she wasn't even surprised that her childhood best friend was now a worldwide singer.
They continued to talk about the things that happened throughout their lives in the 11 years they were separated.
Taylor told her about her exes, her achievements, updates on her family, and even drama from her friends. Wynter just listened with a genuine smile, occasionally letting out a few comments about her own life. Cornelia watched them from behind the counter with an adoring motherly smile.
When she served two slices of the cheesecake to the girls' table, Taylor gasped in surprise.
"You remembered?!" Taylor was practically beaming at the sight of the dessert. Wynter giggled and nodded, giving Taylor a new fork. She thanked Cornelia and sneakily took a picture of Taylor gushing over a slice of cheesecake.
Wynter left Taylor alone for a few minutes to pay for the food. The two bodyguards were now standing in front of the girls' booth, both done eating too. When Wynter came back, she was holding a paper bag that she just mindlessly gave to Clyde.
"Come on, we have 3 hours left before our next destination closes." Wynter announced, holding her hand out for Taylor to take once again. The blonde took it and let Wynter drag her outside once again.
"Gimme your bag." Wynter said as they were walking down the alley.
"It's not heavy."
"You sure? You let me put my phone in there, it's the least I can do. Plus, I have a reputation to keep." Wynter stopped walking, subsequently also making Taylor stop as their hands were still connected.
"Fine," Taylor murmured, giving Wynter the bag so they could continue walking. "You still remember carrying my bag?"
"Of course I do, I carried it every weekday for more than four years." Wynter responded, leading them to another shop that she visits quite often.
"You've been my servant since seventh grade, huh?" Taylor joked, earning a scoff and an eye roll from the younger girl.
"Remind me to never give you princess treatment again, it inflates your ego." The said 'princess' was about to give Wynter a shove but the sight of the shop in front of them stopped her.
"A record shop?"
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note :
AAAAAAAAA guess who finished the entire story flow ;)
I'm gonna prob update more frequently now since I know what the hell will happen next
Also tadaaa! Ali is Taylor and Wynter is Maui! ...right?
See y'all on chap 6! :3
— sincerely, ely !! ★