isn't it? [taylor swift]

chapter 28

2016 had been a pretty monumental year for Leia and Taylor, together and individually. 

Leia had gone from a very small and niche signer-songwriter to becoming a household name in less than a year. Her debut album had topped the charts, she'd moved into her own apartment in NYC and had even been able to start to pay for all of Georgie's University tuition.

She'd met lots of incredible people - Taylor included - and while she'd experienced a pretty low moment in the form of Dylan Redcrown, her year had been overall out-of-this world. She'd had a lot of incredible and outstanding moments, but falling in love with Taylor had definitely been her top.

Taylor's 2016... well, that looked a lot different. She'd gone from being one of the world's most loved popstars to having millions of people tweeting #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty and inevitably feeling like she was unable to show herself in the public eye because of the Kanye and Kim drama.

Her mental health had been the lowest that it ever had, and she wasn't sure who she could and couldn't trust these days. Only a few of her friends had really seemed to check in on her on a regular basis, and many had backstabbed her as soon as the drama started.

The only good thing to come out of 2016 for her was Leia Hudson.

Despite everything in her life falling apart, Leia seemed to be the one thing Taylor was able to count on as constant these days. They'd spent the first week of 2017 curled up on each other's sofas, both pop-stars having no commitments over the holiday season despite Leia's ever-growing album schedule. 

Leia had decided that she wanted some stability for Georgie for a few months, so she'd made sure that she was planning on being home in Manhattan for at least a few months. This had pleased Taylor - NYC felt so lonely without Leia around. It didn't used to feel that way... the city used to excite her and comfort her. Now the very thought of stepping into the city and being recognised almost sent her into a panic attack.

Taylor had been very firm with Tree and her team when deciding that she wanted to take a break. It seemed that no matter what she did, the hate never seemed to stop. She'd even disabled all of her instagram comments and had deleted the twitter app from her phone. Tumblr was tough... but she would miss her fans too much if she stopped that too.

So when Taylor had told Leia that she had no plans to perform in 2017, Leia couldn't say she was initially surprised. She had assumed Taylor was just in a mood, and making another small throwaway comment that she didn't think she'd thought through. 

The night after Super Saturday Night in February, Taylor returned to her New York apartment, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion. Leia was waiting for her, curled up on the plush sofa with a mug of chamomile tea. As Taylor walked in, Leia's eyes widened at the sight of her girlfriend. 

The blonde's usual radiant energy was dimmed, her blue eyes clouded with a mixture of fatigue and something deeper - a sadness that seemed to cling to her very being. Leia put her tea down slowly, unsure what to say as Taylor kicked her sneakers off at the door and leaned down to scratch behind Meredith's ears.

"Hey," Leia said softly, slowly rising to greet Taylor. "How was it?"

Taylor let out a long, shaky breath as she stood up and shrugged off her coat.

"It was... it was fine," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But Leia, I... I can't do this anymore."

Leia's brow furrowed with concern as she guided Taylor to the sofa. They sat down together, and Leia took Taylor's hands in hers, noting how cold they felt. She almost wondered how long Taylor had been standing outside the apartment door, almost as if she was too ashamed to face Leia. Taylor's gaze dropped to their intertwined fingers, unable to meet Leia's eyes.