The following day, Taylor woke up in Joe's arms and quickly decided that she never wanted to leave. He was still sound asleep, so she just lay there with her eyes closed. She was meeting up with Abigail tomorrow and was trying not to think about it for too long because it made her feel very anxious. She hadn't seen her in months, in fact, it might have been an entire year. It had reached the stage where Adam hadn't let her see any of her friends, and she had to make up lies about why she couldn't see them. She had quite an extensive list of reasons now. Adam was always worried that they'd say something to manipulate her into leaving him, that they just couldn't be trusted.
Joe looked so beautiful, lying on his side with his arm draped across her, with his eyes closed and his soft breaths. She kept trying to decide what her favourite thing about him was. She loved it when he smiled, or when he held her hand. She loved it when he spoke to her softly under the cover of night. She loved it when he played the piano or spoke poetry to her. She really couldn't choose, because she loved everything that he did, every little thing. But she loved it when he was asleep because it was then that she could never believe that she was lucky enough to be sleeping beside someone so... magical.
Austin was arriving tomorrow afternoon, and Taylor helped her mom set up the bedroom. Joe had gone out somewhere in the car, telling her that he had to pick something up, and she was missing him already. She'd noticed that the amount of paparazzi waiting outside her Mom's house had increased as more people discovered where she was staying at the moment. She loved being here, with her family. And it was even better with Joe here with her. She'd never taken Adam here for Christmas.
"I'm seeing Abigail tomorrow morning," Taylor told her mom as they made the bed. "I can't even remember the last time I saw her."
"That'll be lovely, honey. Really nice. I'm sure the two of you will have lots to talk about." Taylor looked down at the mention of that because she didn't want to have to explain it all again to someone else. She wondered whether it would be something she'd have to talk about to people forever. Would it ever leave her?
"Sorry, Taylor. I didn't mean it like that - I'm sure that she's been very busy too, and she's always asking me how you're going." She knew that her mom didn't mean it like that. But she knew that it was going to be a conversation that she had to have with everyone she knew.
Taylor happily helped her mom tidy the house, and once it was finished, the two of them sat in the kitchen and stared out at the dreary day. There was a sharp beep, and Andrea was on her feet immediately. It was her home phone, and it was the sort of beep that only occurred when the security had found someone on the property. Their security had control of the locks in the house, and with the first sight of an intruder, the whole house was put on lockdown.
Taylor had always ensured that her parents had around-the-clock security, just like she did. Her parents were quite famous too - as they often attended things with her. They often put themselves in the spotlight. So of course, she had ensured that they were always safe. Andrea went over to the phone and heard her security.
"Hello, Mrs Swift." They always bothered with the pleasantries.
"What's wrong?" She asked quietly. She didn't want to make Taylor stressed.
"It appears that your daughter's ex-boyfriend has been trying to... get through." Andrea's heart plummeted. She didn't want Taylor to find out about this. "He says that he's supposed to be spending Christmas here, with her."
"And where is he now?" Andrea kept her voice as calm as possible.
"Heading towards the front door - but we've got people coming up the drive as we speak, and the doors are locked. He can't get in." Her security sounded so sure of this point. Andrea wished that Scott was here - he'd gone to lunch with a friend - because he was always calm in these situations. She was the worrier, the panicked.
"Make sure you sort it out, please." Andrea tried to keep the stress from her voice. She hung up and moved over to the window. Taylor wasn't paying attention and was looking at something on her phone. She couldn't see Adam, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. The house was all locked. Every door and window.
"Honey?" Andrea smiled at her daughter. "Would you mind going up to get me a jersey from my wardrobe? It's a little chilly and I've got to keep an eye on the pudding." Taylor nodded, and Andrea was relieved when she saw her go up the stairs.
Andrea stood by the window and still didn't see anything. It was a grey and dreary day, a heavy drizzle falling down outside. She didn't even realise that she'd been holding her breath until Taylor called down asking her which one she wanted. Andrea made one up, wanting to keep her up there for as long as possible. That was when she saw him.
Taylor couldn't find the jersey that her mom wanted - she'd something about it being pink and purple, with blue flowers. Taylor was about to give up searching when her phone beeped. Her security number flashed onto the screen, and she knew that wasn't good.
"What's wrong?" She asked, feeling her entire body go rigid.
"Adam Wiles is here, Miss Swift." The words sunk into her soul and she felt them leech any fraction of light she had left into the December air. "He's... managed to get past security, but we're-" The voice was cut off by a loud bang, and it sounded like someone was drilling a hole into her head. How did he get here? Taylor's phone slipped from her hand and landed on the floor.
"Mom?" Taylor frantically called downstairs, racing to her. All she knew, was that she had to keep her mom safe. It made her so fucking angry that he'd done this. Why couldn't he just let her go? "Mom?" Taylor ran through all the downstairs rooms as the knocking got louder. Her mom was in the kitchen pantry, and as soon as Taylor found her, she breathed a sigh of relief. "What do we do?"
"He... He can't get in." Her mother told her, but Taylor knew that her mother doubted this fact. "Security will get here soon." She reassured Taylor. But her daughter knew Adam in ways that no one else did. She knew, from personal experience, that he wouldn't let a door or a window stop him from achieving exactly what he wanted.
By now, Adam was calling out her name, and the mere thought of it made her feel nauseous.
"Taylor, baby," He cried out as he pounded on the door.
Taylor was so fucking mad. He'd come here, to one of the only places that ever felt like home, and was ruining everything. She couldn't put up with it again. She wouldn't let herself go through something like that again. She gave her Mom's hand a squeeze, before heading towards the front door.
"Taylor, get back here!" Her mom called out to her, but Taylor had a fire in her veins and ice in her soul. "Taylor!"
She flung open the front door and shoved him backwards. He fell back a few paces, and Taylor shut the door again.
"What are you doing here?" God, she was so mad. "Actually, no. Don't even answer that. You need to leave."
"Taylor, baby." Adam had been crying, she could see the tears on his cheeks. "I need you."
"Well that's really too bad, isn't it?" She hissed. "It's over, Adam. So fucking over. If you really needed me, then you would have treated me like it. You're not supposed to be here."
"I fucking need you, Taylor. You made me a better person. I promise you - I can be better. Please come home, baby." Adam tried to take her hand, but Taylor wrenched it away. She gave a cold laugh.
"I already told you. Go away."
"No. I'm not fucking leaving, baby." He grabbed her wrist in his own and pulled her into his chest. "We are fucking meant to be together." His voice was deep, dark and cold. "You can't do this to me. We're soulmates."
"No, we are not." She spat. She tried to pull her wrist out of his reach but failed. "You don't even know the meaning of the word soulmate. You cannot fucking show up here, uninvited! You have ruined everything that I had going for me. Every little scrap of light you could find - you stole. You burned me to the ground. That's what you always did. And I've had enough of it."
"What has that schoolboy done to you?" Adam tried to cup her cheek, but she turned away. "Come on, baby, let's go home." He pulled her forward. "He's fucking with your head."
"No, he's not! Do you know what, Adam? He treats me right and he doesn't hurt me the way that you do. You need to leave." She managed to fight against him. "I don't love you, Adam. You need to get help... you have to-"
"No one believes you - you know that? The picture that you posted on Instagram? Fucking bullshit. It's all bullshit, Taylor. Come on, baby, I love you."
"I said stop!" She yanked her arm away and stepped backwards. She backed up towards the house. "Leave me alone, Adam."
"Baby, don't fucking speak to me like that." He was getting angry, Taylor could see that.
"Adam," She murmured softly. "You weren't my person. I'm sure that your person is out there somewhere." She highly doubted this, but she tried to remain calm, and supportive. Trying to wind him down again. "Please leave, before security comes - you can't be here."
"Don't fucking end this, baby." Adam had backed her up against the wall of the house. She felt his breath on her neck, and she began to tremble. "It won't be over. This can't end. I need you so fucking much, baby."
Taylor shook her head. "None of it was love," she remarked. "None of it was. That's not how you treat someone when you're in love, Adam. I don't love you-" She was about to say before his hand clamped around her throat.
"Do you think that's funny? Do you think you're so high and mighty now? Don't you fucking say that! We're meant to be." She'd already been feeling faint all morning, and having her oxygen cut off wasn't helping. Her vision went blurry, she struggled to keep her eyes open. But still, she shook her head.
She could faintly hear the security arrive, hear them tell him to let her go. She was about to fade away, she was sure of it. She felt her vision go dark, felt her world turn on its side. She heard Adam being taken away, all while yelling that he'd find her again. Her mom was at her side in an instant, felt her arms embrace her.
"Joe?" Taylor tried to talk, but her throat felt as if someone had struck a match against it. It hurt so bad to talk, and she felt as if life was slipping away from her grasp.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Joe. That was Joe's voice. She'd know his voice out of a million. He was here. He was close to her. So close, yet so far. They could have been worlds away, even if they were sitting side by side.
She tried to open her eyes, but she just couldn't. They refused to open.
"She should make sure to drink lots of water, and speaking might hurt her until the bruising heals." This was a voice that she hadn't heard before. "But there will be no long-term consequences of this incident."
"So she'll still be able to sing?" Her dad's voice warmed her ears.
"Yes, but maybe not for a week or two." The unknown voice told her. "But there are several other things that I'd like to speak to Miss Swift about when she wakes up."
She thought she'd never be able to wake up, she thought her eyes would never open ever again. It got to the point where she actually worried that she might be dead, that she was now a ghost. But she figured that ghosts were still able to move, and concluded that yes, she was still alive. When she felt her eyes begin to flutter open slightly, the first thing she noticed was the pain in her neck. It felt as if it had been set alight.
"Taylor!" Joe's hand was in hers, and there were heavy purple clouds under his eyes. Her mom's handbag was in the chair beside Joe, and her father's wallet was sitting on the table, so she guessed they may have gone to get food. She was relieved that they weren't here. It would have been overwhelming if they had because she knew how they worried.
"H-hey..." She tried talking, but Joe held a finger softly to her lips.
"You're not supposed to be talking." He gave her a sad smile, and she tried to smile back, but moving like that sent her gasping in pain.
Her head was still spinning. "How... long..." she managed to say and winced at the pain of it all.
"It's just the afternoon... it's about four o'clock?" Joe looked down at his phone. "Yeah, It's about four fifteen." Joe squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I shouldn't have left you."
"It... wasn't your... fault." She whispered hoarsely.
"I should've been there to help get him off you," Joe murmured, and Taylor could see how badly it pained him that he wasn't there. "I should have been there."
Taylor shook her head. "You're here now."
She felt so tired. "When can I go home?" she asked softly.
"The doctor just wanted to speak to you, and then we can go."
"So, Miss Swift," The doctor stood at the end of the bed. Both Joe and her parents were waiting outside. "I just wanted to check in with you, because I can see that you're sitting far below the average weight of a woman your age, and I think this may be contributing to a lot of your lightheadedness. While you've been here, we've had nutrients and food supplements going into your stomach through the IV, but I wanted to make sure that you knew how important it is to look after yourself. Particularly in the current circumstances."
She was so relieved that this was all he said. She just did as she so often did when talking to medical staff. Nod, and tell them that she'd got a plan that she's working on.
She was so happy to finally get home. She was relieved when she was in Joe's arms and she finally felt like she could relax again. Everything was aching these days. She was exhausted. It was all catching up with her, and she wished that she would be able to wake up and have everything be okay again. If only life worked like that.
"I'll be right here, love," Joe told her as she felt sleep embrace her. "I love you. To the moon and to Saturn."
"Love... you... too..." She murmured, and she meant it with every piece of who she was, she meant it with everything that she had.
The last thing she remembered, was Joe's lips against her forehead, and then the soft words, "I'm still so proud of you," hanging in the midnight air, seeping into her sleepy mind. She let herself fall asleep, with Joe holding her, smelling like home, like warm pine trees and the start of a fresh beginning.