thirteen ➸ tayvis

chapter one

thirteen ➸ chapter one

𝙏𝘼𝙔𝙇𝙊𝙍

Five hundred and thirty-eight miles away from each other feels more like we're in different worlds, than different states. We both knew this time would come; Travis certainly hadn't made a secret of the fact he planned to visit home once Kansas City Chiefs finished their latest season.

            "Please sit down, honey," Mom pleads. She watches me from the couch, her feet tucked under her body. "Your pacing is unsettling."

            I've walked the length of my living room thirteen times. I've counted.

            The bustling streets of New York City are silenced by the volume of my thoughts, pulling me to every possible scenario that might play out. "I shouldn't have stayed here." I stop in my tracks, meeting my Mom's all too similar eyes. "Why didn't I go with him to Ohio? Why—?"

            Mom stands, meeting me in the middle of the room and taking my hands. "Because you've had other commitments, honey. Your jobs demand different things at different times, and that's okay."

            "I think Travis was right," I tell her, starting to pace again. Mom sighs, taking her position on the emerald green, velvet couch. Ever the opportunist, Benjamin appears—seemingly out of nowhere—and jumps up, nestling on her lap. "I should've taken a break. The Eras Tour wasn't an easy feat."

            Benjamin's contented purring fills the Manhattan apartment, covering the small gaps of silence. He stretches out across Mom's lap, manoeuvring his body into the stream of sunlight pouring in from the window.

            "So why not do it?" Mom counters, sipping her glass of lemonade. "The album can wait."

            "But my fans—"

            "Love you. They'll understand."

            I offer a half smile. "I guess."

            Somewhere between there and now, I've subconsciously taken a seat next to my Mom and Benjamin, and bitten my nails down to the quick. They're raw and threatening to bleed if I do any more damage, but I don't feel a thing.

            I'm opening my mouth, about to speak, but the words spoken aren't my own.

            "Sweetie?" Travis. "I'm home."

            "Fuck." I cuss. "Shit. Okay, this is it." I look at my Mom. "If this goes terribly, you've got to promise me that you'll let me fly back to Nashville with you. I wouldn't be able to handle the depth of my loneliness with just the cats."

            Mom laughs. "Absolutely nothing terrible is going to come out of this." That's easy for her to say, she's not the one in my situation.

            "You promise?"

            "Go and tell him the good news. And stop being so pedantic."

            I roll my eyes but I'm smiling, following the sound of my boyfriend's distant footsteps. I'm rushing through the hallway, almost crashing into him when he appears. His entire face lights up at the sight of me. "There's my girl."