isn't it? [taylor swift]

chapter 8

"Honestly, I have no idea why you were brought into it," Taylor told the smaller girl, leaning back as she tucked her legs under her on the soft couch. The coffee cradled in her hands let off a gentle stream of heat as she tucked a strand of her golden locks behind her ear.

The second Leia had seen the news report about her apparently being the reason Taylor and Calvin had supposedly called it quits, she had rushed straight over to the girl's LA house (a very excited Tate at her side). Her security had been confused at the sudden arrival, but Taylor had known immediately why the girl had turned up and was quick to pull her into a hug and explain that she wasn't annoyed at the Hudson in the slightest.

Calvin hadn't cheated on Taylor with Leia, but he certainly had cheated full-stop.

Explaining that Calvin and her had broken up had led to the duo sharing a pot of coffee in Taylor's most current lounge. Meredith was lying on the same side of the couch that Taylor was resting on while Taylor had assured Leia that Olivia was somewhere in the building. Tate was tucked against the front of the couch Leia sat on, his large head resting on his oversized paws as he pressed his body flat against the ground.

He was less than impressed with Meredith, the cat already having swiped at him and asserted her dominance over the home. The puppy was quick to back down, whimpering any time the cat even looked in his direction. The soft thuds of his tail against the side of the couch soothed Leia as she could tell he was content with his spot near the crackling fireplace - despite it being the start of summer.

"I thought you guys were working on it?" Leia asked, a strange curiosity running through her as she listened to Taylor talk about her break up with Calvin. She wanted to get her hopes up, but Leia could sense there was a 'but' heading in her direction.

"We tried, well, I did anyway. But we drifted apart, and I think there's someone else for me," Taylor started slowly, looking up to judge the reaction that Leia gave her to the sentence she was telling her.

Leia felt her eyes widen at Taylor's words, that false sense of hope becoming to spread in her heart as she looked across the room at her best friend. Tate seemed to look up, almost as if he could hear the skip of her heartbeat at the blonde singer's words.

"Someone else?"

Taylor nodded as a grin broke out across her features. She seemed to daze off for a second before lightly rubbing Meredith's head and turning back to look at Leia.

"Yeah. I mean it's early days and I don't know if he likes me like that..." Taylor continued to talk as Leia felt her hope instantly shatter in her chest. She knew her hope was stupid and misplaced. Of course Taylor wasn't talking about her; she didn't even like girls like that.

Right, Tom Hiddleston, Leia thought as she remembered back to previous conversations that they'd had since the Met Gala. Of course she'd been talking about Tom, and not her.

Leia forced a smile onto her face, though her heart felt heavy in her chest. She couldn't let Taylor see how disappointed she was, how much it hurt to know that she wasn't the one Taylor was talking about - especially since Taylor owed her nothing. There had always and would always be no strings to their friendship, and Leia almost punched herself for the feeling in her chest as Taylor continued to talk about Tom and the interactions she had been having with the man.

She was achieving her dream of becoming a popstar and finally having friends that she felt like she fit in with, but it came at the cost of her unrequited love for Taylor. It felt like fate's cruel joke.

"I'm happy for you," Leia said softly, trying to push away the bitterness that threatened to consume her. "You deserve someone who loves you the way you deserve, and I'm sure Tom will feel the same way, Tay."