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The sun is high above them as Travis watches Taylor writing in her notebook. They’re spending her day off lazing on a blanket in a quiet park in Zürich. She’s alternating between furious scribbling and pausing to look out across the view of the lake in front of them. Sometimes she just lays her head on her arm, slowly finding the words to what he’s sure to be an amazing chorus or bridge or poem. She looks serene, feet kicked up in the air. Her hat meant to keep the sun out of her eyes is askew, and he’s filling his time watching her as he plays with the ends of her hair and pretends to look at his phone.
She’s the most beautiful thing in the world on a good day but writing? Lost in the genius he’s sure he will never find anything but awe-inspiring? She’s breathtaking.
You’re staring again,” she says, lips quirked to the side in amusement, but not stopping her pen.
“Mmhm, not sorry,” he replies, kissing her arm.
She laughs and goes back under into the process. It is almost hard to remember the time almost a year ago when she was hesitant to share this part with him so freely. She still gets a little sheepish when it interrupts at the most inconvenient of times. But on a normal day-to-day, it is just a part of their life. Taylor writes or plays, and Travis easily fits into the space around it—just like he promised.
A year ago…the phrase nags at him. It’s not quite a year since he received that first text from her. And while they’ll be on two different continents that day, he cannot wait to reach the milestone. One that feels momentous in an unspoken way between them. Like reaching it will allow them to move toward the next milestones—the big ones.
Still, something bristles at the back of his mind. They’ve been so busy that he realizes he doesn’t even know today’s date, so he checks his phone to orient himself.
July 8 shines up at him from the screen.
Oh.
He can still feel the nerves he had walking into Arrowhead that day. Like he was a rookie, once again walking in for his first game. And while he left disappointed that night, those nerves left with him. Like he knew deep down that was not the end of it. That something was still coming.
It feels like yesterday, yet he feels all the moments between then and now just as deeply. The first time he laid eyes on her on a humid night in New York and how her hand felt in his as he kissed her softly. The crisp fall air around them the day they drove out to look at his new house. He remembers the cold of her cheek against his lips at the playoff game against Miami, the bright Bahamian sun where they made promises for the future, and the chill of the cool, soggy day they walked around unnoticed for hours, reclaiming London from her past. He recalls dancing in the kitchen while she cooked dinner and dancing at Coachella as he held her close. Laughing through the pain of her trying to help him up the stairs on his injured knee and crying on the bathroom floor together while her heart was still healing. He feels every last one of the memories of their life together.
All these moments started with that Kansas City night where they never met but became forever intertwined.
He turns to her once again. She’s looking into the distance, eyes the brightest deep blue in the sun. She’s flipping the edges of her journal back and forth, lost in thought.
He tips towards her and kisses her cheek. Then he can’t help but peck another one next to the first. She smiles in surprise and turns her face to him.
“What was that for?” she asks, sensing he’s in a place different from their normal casual affection.
He smiles broadly at her, remembering once again that day and her sparkling laughter when she messed up the lyrics to “Last Kiss.”
“Just thinkin’ how I wish I had a friendship bracelet with me right now,” he replies.
At her confusion, he taps his phone and shows her the date. Her eyes widen and then go soft. She sets her pen down and reaches to cup his cheek, rubbing her thumb across the rough of his beard.
“Trav,” she starts but does not continue. Just keeps her eyes on him. And he knows she’s thinking of that night, but also all that came after just like he had.
“Best year of my life, Tay,” he says, voice cracking.
“Mine too. You have no idea,” she whispers.
“I want…” he clears his throat. “I can’t wait until we keep saying that every year.”
Something tells him that they will. That even in the years when it’s hard or challenging things happen, the fact that they’ll face everything together will mean it will still be the best.
“Me too. That summer…all I wanted was someone…I just.” she sighs and looks down, fiddling with her pen. He knows she sometimes thinks it’s easier to write how she feels than to say it out loud. “You know this. I just was looking for a sign that someone was out there that wanted me. But Travis I could never have dreamt you up. I wanted someone to keep me company but you, you are just there by my side in everything. You didn’t just want me, you see me. No one else has ever just seen me—the real me. I think maybe even that night, you saw me.”
He pulls her close and with his face buried in her hair he tells her, “I remember going home that night and I put all the bracelets fans gave me in a drawer to give to Wyatt later for dress up. But that one I made, I left it on my dresser where I could see it. I just wanted to keep it top of mind, you know? It stayed there until I brought it to you in New York. Cause yeah, I saw you, Tay.”
“You were waiting for me,” she says simply. Like it is just a fact.
“I was,” he affirms. Because it is.
“Makes me think of that Instagram post I made for the Fourth. ‘See you tonight Kansas City,’” she states, shaking her head. “I was on my way, Trav. It just took a few extra days.”
He laughs and kisses her hair. “Worth the wait.”
“Definitely."
And he knows she means more than just those few weeks. She means all the years that came before. And that means so much to him because he knows how hard it was for her. How close she was to the edge before they met.
“Hey, let’s commemorate,” she says, grabbing his phone to unlock it and hold it out in front of them.
She pulls off her hat, ruffling her hair, and he takes off his sunglasses. They lean their heads together and smile wide with the beautiful Swiss scenery behind them. She snaps the photo, marking another memory of this year.
“One more,” she adds.
As she goes to click the button, he leans over and smacks another big kiss on her cheek, complete with a loud “Mwah” causing her to break out into giggles. When she pulls up the photo, his grin is evident even in the kiss and her face is bright with happiness and a gigantic smile.
“Perfect,” he declares.
“I want to post it, okay?” she asks.
“Yeah?” he responds. They normally relegate their Instagrams to brand and tour content only, preferring to share photos snuck into posts on friends' accounts and the occasional silly TikTok.
“I want the world to see what’s real,” she points to the photo. “I want them to see what we see.”
“I love that. Of course, Tay. Add me as a collaborator so it will go on mine too?”
She nods excitedly and sends the photos to her phone. They lay back in the sun and she contemplates her phone for a moment before putting it down. He feels the buzz of his phone.
Taylor Swift invited you to be a collaborator on their photo.
He opens Insta to accept. She has shared both photos with the kiss being first. And with the vibrant scenery of the post, he realizes she’s completely ended the streak of black and white and faded color photos in her grid. He reads the caption,
@taylorswift Hope everyone had an amazing 4th! Can’t believe how fast time has flown by this year but we wouldn’t trade the happiest year of our lives for anything.
Missing you lots, Kansas Cityyy! Good thing I’ve got my favorite part with me today. 😎
See you this fall at Arrowhead! 🔴🟡
Clicking “Accept,” he goes to put his phone down, but it immediately starts buzzing away. He turns it off as Taylor does the same with hers.
“Ending the Tortured Poets aesthetic?” he questions.
“End of an Era,” she declares, looking at him fondly. “On to the future.”
And they go back to the quiet sunny day together.