isn't it? [taylor swift]

chapter 57

mature chapter ahead

The living room was dimly lit, save for the soft glow of the fireplace and the flickering candlelight that danced along the marble mantel. Manhattan outside the windows was quiet in a rare moment of stillness, snow fluttering gently down in lazy spirals.

Taylor sat curled into the corner of the plush navy velvet couch, one leg tucked under her, a blanket around her shoulders like a shawl. The remnants of her birthday after-party still lingered in the air - the scent of spiced wine and sugared vanilla, the echo of laughter tucked into the corners of the room.

She was still in the same soft grey lounge set she'd changed into when she got home the night before, her hair up in a loose bun, makeup smudged at the edges. She looked like herself. Not the stage version. Not the magazine cover. Just Taylor.

Selena and Gigi had just left, having stayed over after the party. She'd confessed it all to them then - the texts she'd sent Leia almost nine months ago, the secret glances, the pining... and her breaking up with Joe.

They'd squealed, assuming they'd had some romantic reunion only to fall back deflated when Taylor told them that Leia wasn't ready for her. They all understood, but Gigi was certainly surprised by that more than she'd care to admit.

Currently, Tree sat across from her, legs crossed neatly, a cup of black coffee in her hands. She'd arrived not long after sunrise when Taylor had texted a simple, "can you come over?" and added nothing else.

Of course, Tree had known what it was about. Taylor wondered if she had a sixth sense of if her mother or even Joe's team had given the redhead a heads up.

"So," Tree said gently, "Joe's really... it's done?"

Taylor nodded, her fingers curling tighter around the mug in her lap. The tea inside had gone lukewarm. Meredith was resting against one side, while Olivia and Benjamin were asleep next door.

"I ended it yesterday morning," she said, voice low, almost hoarse. "Before the party. I needed to. It... it wasn't working anymore. It hasn't been for a long time."

Tree studied her for a long moment. There was no dramatic sorrow in Taylor's face, but something softer. Something heavy. A melancholy acceptance.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Taylor looked up at her. "I'm sad," she admitted. "But more than anything, I feel... relieved. Like I've been holding my breath for two years and finally exhaled."

Tree nodded slowly. "That makes sense. It was a long time. You gave it your all."

"I did," Taylor agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I think we both knew we weren't in love anymore. Not the kind that lasts. We were just trying to preserve something that had already ended."

Tree had been sitting with a black folder open in her lap. She didn't need to look at it anymore, the contents were already burned into her memory. She'd seen them just before the cake came out last night, her phone buzzing twice in succession in her clutch, a pair of images that made her heart seize. But she hadn't said anything then. Not during Taylor's party. Not when she was laughing and radiant and... happy. She'd decided, for once, to let that moment live a little longer.

But now, in the quiet aftermath, there was no escaping it.

Taylor had noticed the folder - of course - but she'd chosen to ignore it, knowing Tree would tell her in due course why it was being carted around with her.

Tree didn't respond right away to Taylor. She was watching Taylor closely, gauging the shadows under her eyes, the quiet resignation in her voice. Taylor always grieved quietly. She never wanted to make a scene when she was hurting - and even though she wanted Leia, Tree knew that there had been a good amount of time where Taylor had genuinely loved Joe.