real life
"Okay, are we recording?" August asked, looking up from the piano.
Jack nodded from across the booth and gave her two thumbs up.
August took in a shaky breath and adjusted the headphones over her ears.
"Whenever you're ready," he said.
Closing her eyes, August began playing the small melody she had written that merged into the intro of Ryne's Song.
And then she started playing the song, completely raw. She got through the whole take before finally looking up.
"Okay, and this is where it transitions into Moral of the Story," she finally said, finding Jack and Jon, perched over the equipment before them. To her surprise, she also found Taylor's eyes in the back of the room, folding her coat over her arm. "Oh... hey!"
"Hi! That sounded amazing! You wrote the bridge?" Taylor asked, smiling widely and August nodded.
"Yeah, we just did, actually," August explained. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought we had plans," Taylor replied, her lips quirking up amusedly.
"Yeah, at like eight," August answered with a small chuckle.
"It's sevenâthirty," Jon said through his mic.
"Well, shit," August chuckled, grinning sheepishly at Taylor who let out a soft laugh.
"We still have some recording to do, right?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back in his swivel chair. "Nope. I think we're good actually. This take was perfect. I can work with it."
"I thought my voice was kind of wavering at first," August said, getting up from the piano.
Jack shrugged again. "It's more real," he told her. "It was raw, August. I think that's the take we should go with, with a bit of editing and some backing instrumentals. But it's up to you."
"I agree," Jon said, nodding his chin in Jack's direction.
August looked up at Taylor expectantly. The blonde looked slightly taken aback. "What do you think, Tay?" August asked.
Taylor hesitated a little, brushing her bangs behind her ears. "I... well, I loved it. I have to agree with Jack. I think it sounded pretty intense. Like you're laying your heart bare on the record. But I don't know, I might be biased."
August trusted all their opinions. The song was never going to be perfect to her, anyway. It was always going to be just a bit too painful. She drew in a heavy breath and nodded, cracking her fingers.
"Alright, we'll get back to it on Monday, then," August finally decided and sent the team a small smile before heading out to them.
Taylor was the first to meet her right outside the recording booth, her arms open wide. August couldn't help but grin as she walked right into Taylor's embrace. She tipped her head back and pressed a kiss on Taylor's cheek before pulling away.
"Hey, great session today," Jack said, pushing his glasses up over his head. "We're making history."
"You think so?" August asked, her heart fluttering excitedly, and it had absolutely nothing to do with Taylor's arm snaking around her waist and pulling August into her side. Definitely not.
"I know so," he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Then, he pointed at Taylor, eyebrows raised. "What'd I tell you when we made Folklore?"
"History!" Taylor answered with a little bubbly laugh in her words.
"And what did we make?"
"History," August laughed softly, her smile widening when Taylor's fingers dug comfortingly into her waist. Folklore had reached number 1 so fast, just like all of Taylor's other albums, and so soon after Lover, August knew for sure that she had indeed made history.
She trusted Jack.
"I know a good record when I hear it, August," he told her. "And you, my friend, have made a great record. In a few weeks, you're gonna have the whole world on its feet, listening to you."
August's cheek felt red hot but her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered something she had been meaning to talk her team about all week. Ever since she had first sat at that piano at three in the morning.
"About that," she started. "I was thinking maybe we could actually release it in December. Preferably around the holidays."
She chewed on her bottom lip while watching everyone's faces, trying to read their expressions.
"Aw, for my birthday?" Taylor teased and August rolled her eyes, jabbing her finger into her side. Taylor squirmed away, laughing under her breath.
"No," she answered, letting out a small sigh. "Christmas was Ryne's favourite time of the year, especially since he was born on Christmas Eve. He always got two presents from my parents, so... it's a whole thing. I just think that maybe this could be the best gift I could ever give him."
Taylor was smiling at her brightly. "That's so sweet, Auggie. So, he was like a christmas miracle?"
August chuckled. "Yeah, that's what my parents always said."
"I don't see why it could be a problem," Jack said. "We'll talk to the rest of the team and figure it out. Have a good weekend, you guys."
They each went their separate ways, with August and Taylor jumping into the back of her black SUV.
"You know, I could've made it back on the subway, right?" August started once the car started.
Taylor shrugged, reaching between them to grab her hand. "I wanted to pick you up. Besides, if I hadn't shown up, you probably would've been holed up in there for hours more."
August felt a blush creeping up her ears and she smiled sheepishly at Taylor. "I'm just excited. This is all super exciting!"
"I know," Taylor laughed softly, locking their fingers together. "But you gotta relax, babe. Everything's going great. You don't need to work yourself so hard."
"I do, though. I mean, it's my first record. I need to prove myself."
"I know," Taylor said softly, holding August's chin with her free hand. She leaned in closer and smiled lightly. "And you're going to. The music world won't know what hit it."
August beamed and closed the gap between them, kissing Taylor fully. "You're very good at the whole 'making me feel better' thing."
"Mhm, it's my job," Taylor murmured back, pecking August's lips once more before returning to her seat. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," August hummed, looking at the window as the busy streets of New York buzzed all around them.
"Did you wanna postpone the release date for more than just, you know, your brother?"
August waited until they had driven past a few buildings before turning to meet her gaze. "And I'm kinda nervous about it coming out so close. I'm not... emotionally prepared."
Taylor gave her hand a squeeze and caressed the back of it with her thumb. "I get that. It'll be great, though. I promise. When are you announcing the album?"
"Next week, I think," August answered. "Maybe not if we're changing the release date."
"That shouldn't matter," Taylor told her. "I'll post about it, too."
"You would do that?" August chuckled disbelievingly. Taylor rarely tended to use her social media platforms for such things.
"Hell, yeah! I'm on the record, if you remember correctly! And the first song, too!"
August laughed softly, pulling Taylor's hand into her lap and fiddling with her fingers. "Yeah, I remember. I'm pretty sure that's the only reason the album's gonna get any kind of recognition."
"Because my name's on the record?" Taylor asked and August nodded solemnly. "I don't think so."
"Taylor, you're like world famous. Everyone knows who you are. The only people who know me are like my few thousand followers, most of whom only followed me because of you, by the way. They'll only check the album out because your name's on there," August rambled.
Surprisingly, Taylor was watching her with an amused quirk in her expression. "Okay, I'll make you a bet then."
Intrigued, August raised an eyebrow, leaning her back against the car's door to look at Taylor fully. "What kind of bet?"
"We'll use a pseudonym. No one will know it's really me," she said, her smirk widening.
"A pseudonym? Taylor, people will still recognise your voice. It's like, iconic," August chuckled, shaking her head at the ridiculous idea.
"Sure, they'll take a guess. But we won't confirm it until... well, until you want to. It's up to you. So, they'll have to listen to the song first, with no knowledge of me being on it whatsoever."
August had to admit. The bet seemed too tempting to pass up. And August was nothing if not a person who took risks. She could never pass up the opportunity of a good bet like this. But then again, having Taylor's name meant instant success. She could make use of that opportunity, sure.
But also...
"Alright. Nils, was it?"
Taylor laughed excitedly, clapping her hands. "Nah, fans already know who Nils Sjoberg is. We'll have to choose something else."
"Janice."
"Like Janice from friends?"
"How many other Janices do you know?" August huffed and Taylor laughed loudly again.
"One too many, actually," she replied, leaning her elbow against the window as she thought for a moment. "Dorothea Grey."
"Huh, that's quite nice actually," August nodded as she thought of the name again. "I like that."
"Alright, so I'm no longer officially singing on your album. Say hello to Dorothea."
August laughed softly and waved at Taylor. "Hello, Dorothea. Tell me though, you chose Grey 'cause of Grey's Anatomyâ"
"Grey's anatomy," Taylor confirmed at the same time. "Yes."
"Right," August chuckled softly, shaking her head at Taylor.
"Trust me, you're gonna be a fucking amazing, babe," Taylor said, pressing a kiss to her cheek and then opened the door as the car came to a stop.
They climbed up the stairs to the building and took the elevator to the top floor where they made their way into the Manhattan apartment.
"So, how was your day, Dorothea?" August asked while kicking her sneakers off by the door. Taylor followed suit, leaving her boots neatly in the corner.
"Pretty good. Had a short interview on zoom. Then, I signed a few thousand copies of the album. No biggie. Just the usual," Taylor answered with a small smile, hanging her coat up.
"How's your hand?" August asked with a little chuckle, crouching down as Phoebe came rushing to her side. She flopped down on her ass as the dog jumped in her lap, laughing softly while petting her and accepting the dog's kisses all over her face.
"You know? It has been feeling a little bit sore for the past few hours..." Taylor said, waving her wrist around in August's general direction.
"Yeah? Maybe I could do something about it," August offered, though she had no idea what she actually meant by that. What could she do about a sore hand?
Still, it brought a smirk to Taylor's face. "Come on. We're gonna be late!"
"You still haven't told me where we're going!" August complained, accepting Taylor's hand to pull her up to her feet again.
"You'll find out when we get there!"
"Ugh!" August groaned, trudging up the stairs with Phoebe right behind her. She passed by the bathroom first to freshen up before going to her room to pick an outfit. Except, she had no idea what she was supposed to wear.
"Tay, how fancy is the place?"
"It's our first official date. How fancy do you think I'm gonna go?" She responded, poking her blonde head of hair into the room.
August pouted. "Come on! Can you stop with all these ominous, cryptic answers and give me a straight one for once?"
"Honey, there is absolutely nothing straight about whatever is going on here right now!" Taylor exclaimed and ducked just in time as a sock came hurtling right at her head while laughing hysterically.
"Stop being cute and give me an answer, damn it!" August exclaimed though she couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her.
"Sorry, it's in my DNA," Taylor responded, going back to her own room.
"I'm just gonna wear sweatpants!"
"That's totally fine!" Taylor answered which infuriated August even more. There was no way they were going to go to a place that was sweatpants-appropriate, right? Unless, technically every place was a sweatpants-appropriate place for the likes of Taylor Swift.
"Taylor Allison Swift, do not test me!"
Taylor gasped loudly all the way from her room. "You middle-named me!"
"Girl, I can do a lot more than middle-name you!"
Taylor poked her head in again, this time with a black sweater hanging around her neck instead of the plaid shirt she had been wearing earlier. August narrowed her eyes. That was a pretty dressy sweater... she thought so, at least. It was hard to tell with something so plain and simple.
"Like what?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows while shoving her arms through the sweater's armholes.
August had sort of forgotten where she was going with this as her eyes had accidentally spent one second too long watching the toned muscles of Taylor's abdomen constrict while she adjusted the top to fall over her torso in a tight fit. She just had to wear a crop-top, didn't she?
She cleared her throat and smirked at Taylor defiantly. "You'll find out soon enough," she shot back.
"Oh! Okay, I see you've learned to play the game. That's totally fine. I deserve it," Taylor chuckled, brushing her hair back behind her ears. "So, are you gonna wear sweatpants? Just so that I can know if I should go fancy skirt or like jeans or something."
She was playing mind tricks now? Trying to throw her off?
This was definitely a trick. August would just end up feeling underdressed if she even decided to go with a pair of slacks. She was sure of it now.
"I guess you'll have to wait and see," August decided and closed the door in Taylor's face. She could hear the blonde's adorable laughter fade away as she walked back down the hall. August was beaming as she rummaged through her closet until she pulled out a bunch of options. But she still couldn't choose anything. So, naturally, she asked twitter for advice, and when one of her old college friends had the funny idea to suggest pyjamas as an option, Taylor had the audacity to respond, saying that it would be a good option.
Shouldn't she have been getting dressed?
At least, her sister came through and had a pretty decent and helpful answer. The red dress August had borrowed last year for a wedding she had and had never returned it to Zoë. It was pretty fancy, and she didn't like to sound arrogant but she always looked really hot in it.
When she was done getting dressed and fixing her hair, she grabbed a matching red coat in one hand and her heels in the other before heading outside. Taylor's bedroom door was still closed so she headed downstairs first, sitting on the small armchair by the foyer. She had no idea why it was there, but it came in handy when she was wearing a dress and couldn't plop down on the ground to wear her shoes.
She was just buckling the second heel when Taylor came down the stairs, clasping her clutch closed.
"Hey! That's artisanal! It's only meant to be decorative!" Taylor cried out. August looked up to find that she had slipped on a short black skirt and a matching pair of black heels. She was walking down the stairs in those stilettos effortlessly and frankly, August envied that balance of hers.
Her breathing hitched at Taylor's beauty. She truly was angelic. August's lips slowly slid up in an easy smile and she pulled herself up and off the chair.
"Sorry, I just had to put my shoes on," she said, pulling her dress down to adjust it.
"Dude... you really dressed up," Taylor said, a small hitch in her voice. She cleared her throat and took a step toward August, her eyes shining in the dimly lit foyer. "You look beautiful."
"Did you just call me dude?" August breathed out a laugh. "We're supposed to be all fancy and shit today."
Taylor scrunched her nose and slid her arm around August's waist. She could suddenly smell the blonde's soft perfume, with sweet floral and citrusy hints that drove her insane.
"Screw fancy," Taylor murmured and pressed her mouth over August's in a hot kiss. August smirked, kissing her back for a moment, but she wasn't going to let Taylor have all the fun she wanted now. She pulled away just enough to tease the older singer.
"So, we're not going to a fancy place?" August asked, just to be sure she understood Taylor correctly.
Instead of answering, Taylor linked her arm through August's and pulled her toward the large wooden doors. They stepped out into the hallway and locked the doors before heading to the elevators. In the small vicinity as they rode down to the underground parking, Taylor pressed feather-like kisses down August's jawline.
"You smell nice," August mumbled, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy it. She felt Taylor's breath against her skin as she exhaled a small chuckle and nuzzled her cheek.
"So do you," Taylor hummed in response. "Is that vanilla?"
"Mhm, I think so," August responded, lacing her fingers through Taylor's when the doors opened. "At least, that's what the label read on that tub of lotion."
Taylor waited until she had unlocked her car and August had let go to get to the passenger side until she answered. "Anyway, it's intoxicating."
She had said it so casually, with the slightest of growls in her voice, it took August a second to collect herself and climb into the front seat of the car. That was... well, there was no other way to describe it. It was fucking sexy as hell.
August was not going to survive the night at that rate.
"Where's Greg?" August asked, surprised that for once, they were alone in the car and Taylor was driving herself. The blonde chuckled and pointed at an SUV parked nearby.
"He'll be following us," she explained and drove out of the parking space.
For the most part, she remained quiet during the car ride, humming occasionally to the songs that had started playing when Taylor's phone had connected to the car's bluetooth. The playlist was pretty calming, with a bunch of quiet indie folk songs playing, many of which August turned out to be familiar with.
It was only twenty minutes later, despite the typical Saturday night New York traffic that Taylor had come to a stop, signalling for the cars behind her that she was going to be parking in the empty spot ahead. August was confused as she looked out the window. There was a hotel across the street and what looked like a pretty fancy rooftop dining area a little down the street. Surely, Taylor would have given the car to a valet service. Or perhaps she wanted to show off her parking skills. Either way, she left August very confused.
"We're here?" August asked and Taylor grinned, turning the engine off.
"Yup," she responded, popping the 'p'. She grabbed her face-mask which had a bunch of kittens on it and slid it over her mouth and nose before pulling the keys out of the ignition and grabbing her purse from the backseat.
August did the same, having absolutely no clue what was coming next. She followed Taylor down the sidewalk, worming their way between people who may or may not have recognised them. It was easier to blend in at night, August had come to realise, but probably not when they were both dressed so well.
Taylor did not stop at the Hotel's entrance. Nor the building with that Fine Dining restaurant. She kept walking down the street until she turned left and stopped just a few feet away, in front of a set of glass doors.
"Is that... Shake Shack?" August asked in disbelief as she read the fast food restaurant's name on the doors.
"Yep!" Taylor replied and even when she couldn't see her face, August could tell she was grinning.
"You wanna eat at Shake Shack?"
"Yeah! I mean, unless you don't want to, we could go to this sushi place just a two minute walk down that street," Taylor explained, pointing behind her with her thumb.
August knew of that sushi place. She had never eaten there, it was always far too expensive. But she had spent far too many nights at this particular Shake Shack before with Niko and some other college friends back in the days.
"No, burgers are totally fine," August replied, laughing quietly to herself. She really was something else, wasn't she?
"After you, then," Taylor said dramatically, opening the door for August.
They stood in the relatively short line, making sure to keep some distance between them and the person in front of them.
"The best part is," Taylor started as they moved ahead in line, Greg standing a safe distance behind them, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. "Everyone's going to think that we've just come back from this extravagant party with like lots of booze or something and we need to chill with a burger. But really, it's the opposite."
August snorted, pushing her hands into the pockets of her coat. She could already feel people staring at them funny.
"Hey, at least we look great!"
"Hell yeah, we do," Taylor laughed, getting to the very front of the line.
"Holy fucking shit," the teen behind the cash register whispered, covering her face with her hand. "You'reâ"
"Hi!" Taylor said politely, craning her neck to look up at the large menu.
The teen seemed to have recovered faster than August would have anticipated but she was still jittery. "Hi, I'm Jamie. Welcome to Shake Shack. God, long night?"
August snickered under her breath.
"Something like that," Taylor offered. "Can I get a double cheeseburger with fries annnnd a chocolate shake, please?"
"Sure thing! And for you, August?"
August's eyes widened. "Wow, you know my name," she laughed disbelievingly. "I'll have the same. But with a rootbeer float instead, please."
"Of course! That'll be 32.38!"
Taylor pulled out her card and handed it to the server, with her eyes trained on August, probably to stop her from trying to pay herself. The small glare in her intense blue eyes worked.
"Here's your buzzer. Your meal should be ready shortly. Have a wonderful evening!"
Taylor turned to the teenage girl and winked at her subtly. "You too, Jamie. Thank you."
She grabbed the buzzer and headed to the right in search of an empty table. When they found a booth in the back, they slid across from each other and Taylor fiddled with the buzzer, an unreadable look in her eyes.
"I told you," she said.
August frowned. "What did you tell me?"
"It doesn't matter if you're affiliated with me or not. People are starting to notice you," Taylor explained, and August couldn't help but smile.
"Maybe. But I know it had a lot to do with you."
"Maybe," Taylor repeated. "But you're getting the recognition you deserve."
"We'll see," August sighed. "We've got till Christmas."
August felt Taylor's foot beneath the table slide against her own and her lips tugged at the corners as she remembered being a teenager in the school cafeteria playing footsie with her crush at the time. She felt just as ecstatic now as she did then. Taylor made her feel 16 again.
"So, Shake Shack, huh?"
"They've got good burgers," Taylor said casually, shrugging her shoulders. She slipped out of her coat and used a wet napkin to wipe down the table. August watched in fascination as she cleaned the surface before discarding the dirty napkin and finally resting her elbows over the table.
"You made me wear a very expensive dress," August shot back and she knew Taylor was grinning crookedly behind those cats on that mask of hers.
"And I'm not sorry, one single bit."
"Of course you're not! I look amazing!"
Taylor barked out a laugh, bumping the toe of her shoes into August's shin gently. "You really do! But I can't wait to see that dress empty later."
August choked on her own spit just as the buzzer in Taylor's hand rung. She watched the blonde get up and move to the counter to get their food as though she handed just dropped that comment so... so casually.
Jesus christ.
When Taylor returned, she acted just like that. Like she hadn't just dropped that bomb on August moments before.
"I got all the sauces available. Wasn't sure what you were in the mood for," she mentioned, sliding the metal tray across the table.
"Thanks. Just ketchup is fine," August mumbled, neatly folding her mask into her purse. When Taylor removed her own, she was smirking, knowing exactly the effect she had on August right then.
She really was evil.
As they ate their meal, August was very aware of the eyes of the people sitting at the table next to them, watching them closely. Thankfully they hadn't pulled out their phones, at least she wasn't aware of any pictures being taken so blatantly out in the open. But she was also painfully aware of Taylor's gaze, watching her even more intently than the strangers who seemed to have recognised them.
When August finally looked up from her food, Taylor was chewing quietly, her azures shining amusedly. The lid to her drink was left uncovered and she held her burger in one hand, and a bunch of fries in the other right above the milkshake to drip them. She beamed joyfully at August and sent her the subtlest â and flirtiest â wink before stuffing her mouth with a handful of fries dripping with chocolate milkshake. Taylor had to crane her neck all the way back in an attempt at saving her clothes from a trip to the dry-cleaners but it didn't help. There were a few drops of ice cream on her shirt and some more falling down her chin.
August snorted, almost choking on her own bite.
"You are such a child!" August exclaimed, reaching across the table to hand Taylor a napkin as she fell into a fit of laughter.
"Aw, I'm flattered you think I'm cute!"
"You think children are cute?" August shot back with a scoff, watching as Taylor wiped her face and then balled up the napkin to dab at her shirt.
"You don't?" Taylor gasped lightly, looking up at August through her lashes.
August shrugged and picked up her burger again. "Some of them are, I guess."
"Heartless!" Taylor muttered, tossing the dirty tissue at August.
"Yekh!" She deflected it with her hand, causing it to fall on the table instead. Taylor had surprisingly good aim. "I'm never forgiving you if my dress gets dirty."
"It's not even your dress! I saw the twitter post!"
"Fine, Zoë won't forgive you if her dress gets dirty!" August snapped but Taylor didn't seem phased in the slightest.
"It's me! She'll forgive me instantly."
"She can really hold a grudge."
"Well, then, I guess you better eat quicker," Taylor said, her voice going quieter.
August furrowed her eyebrows, looking at Taylor confusedly. "Wouldn't that double the chances of eating carelessly?"
"Perhaps," Taylor responded, leaning in closer over the table. "But the quicker you're done, the quicker you'll be out of that dress."
August froze as Taylor sat back up. "You know. Just to keep it safe."
Unfortunately for August, she choked on her food. But it wasn't entirely because of Taylor's words. It was because she had attempted to snort while her breath had already been hitched in her throat when she had seen Taylor's hair fall right into the cup.
"Annnnd, your hair's in your drink now!"
Taylor jumped back in surprise, her hand going up to her hair only to come back slick with chocolate milkshake remnants.
August was laughing pretty hard now.
"God, I really shouldn't try to be sexy," Taylor huffed, grabbing a napkin to wipe her hair.
"You don't really have to try, anyway," August told her and though Taylor smirked, her cheeks were slightly redder than they were a moment ago, matching the shade of her lipstick perfectly.
"Okay, here's a bet," Taylor said, once she was all relatively clean and went back to eating her burger like a normal person, her hair tied back in a pony tail to avoid any other incidents.
"Another one?" August chuckled. "Hit me."
"That kid at your three o'clock," Taylor said tilting her head in that direction but keeping her eyes on August. She knew exactly who Taylor was talking about anyway. "She doesn't look like she wants to, but her mom's about to drag her over here for an autograph or something. You know, just as soon as we're done eating."
August chuckled, glancing at that table with the corner of her eye. She could very well see the mother arguing with her kid who was looking upset. "Does that happen a lot?"
"Pretty much," Taylor sighed.
They did manage to finish their meal in peace, well, except for the occasional joke they tossed at each other, some of which may or may not have been entirely appropriate.
"You know what," August said, biting off the last of her fries. "For a first date, this wasn't all that bad."
"Not all that bad, huh?" Taylor chuckled, rolling her eyes at August's smirk. "The food was great."
"True."
"The company was even better."
"Can't argue with that."
Taylor's smile grew. "So you could say it was a success."
"You'll find out soon enough."
Taylor's smile dropped just the slightest. August's on the other hand grew. Oh, how the turns have tabled.
That thought alone made her snigger which confused Taylor greatly. "What?" She demanded.
"Nothing," August giggled, shaking her head. "Come on."
"Why are you in a hurry?" Taylor asked, tossing their trash onto the metal tray that August was carrying to the bin.
"That mom seems eager to get to know us!"
"Right," Taylor chuckled, hurrying along in grabbing their coats and purses. They were just slipping their masks back on when that mother surprised them, her hand clinging onto to her twelve year old daughter's shirt. Well, damn.
"Excuse me, miss Swift. My daughter, Ashley, is a big fan of yours. She's really shy and all but, could we please get a picture?"
Taylor shared a look with August and they both had to hold back their laughter.
"Sure thing," Taylor chuckled, her eyes softening sympathetically at the young girl. "I'll have to apologise though, about keeping distant. With the virus and all."
Surprisingly the Karen of all Karens did not fight her on that though she did push her daughter as close to Taylor as possible before snapping a picture.
"Great meeting you Ashley!" Taylor told the girl who was still pouting. August feared she wouldn't be able to hold her laughter in much longer. As soon as they were back outside, she crumbled, laughing too hard, she worried all the food she had just eaten would come right back up.
"Come on," Taylor rolled her eyes but she was laughing along. She grabbed August by the hand and led the way back to the car.
"That poor kid," August wheezed. "She looked so miserable! I'm so sorry!"
Taylor chuckled along, nudging August's shoulder. "It's cool. She's not like other girls. Not all teens have to like me."
"Oh, she's me but aged twelve!" August exclaimed and they both giggled again so hard, August's side started digging in.
"Nah, you like me!"
"Nu-uh!" August argued lamely.
"You like me like me!"
They had reached Taylor's car by that point and August was smiling so big her cheeks hurt. "I have a secret to tell you."
"What is it?" Taylor asked amusedly, opening the door for August.
They both climbed into the safety of the SUV and August turned to face Taylor, pulling her face mask down. "I kinda have a crush on you."
Taylor gasped dramatically, pulling her own mask down so August could see the O shape of her mouth. "No way!"
"Yes way!" August cried out.
"I have a crush on you too!"
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
They both burst out laughing again. August tilted her head toward Taylor and she couldn't help it. She looked so damn beautiful when she laughed. She reached over to grab her cheek and kissed her.
Taylor smiled against August's lips and kissed her back for a good few seconds before pulling away and starting the car.
"It's good to get these things off our chests," August mumbled, licking her lips as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Oh, totally. Now we know we're on the same page," Taylor responded, pulling out of the parking spot.
Her hand fell into August's lap and their fingers found each other, interlocking perfectly all the way until they had made it back to the apartment complex. And still they rode the elevator hand in hand until Taylor had unlocked the door and pushed August against it in the safety of her apartment, kissing her senseless.
"God, I've wanted to do that all night long," she breathed out against August's lips. The younger of the two smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Taylor's waist and pulling her flush against her.
"It sounded like you wanted to do a lot more," August shot back cockily as Taylor's lips trailed down her cheek and to her neck.
The four pets had all gathered around them now and she couldn't help but laugh at Phoebe's desperate attempt to get their attention by turning around in circles and whining. Taylor breathed out a laugh and finally pulled away.
"I'm gonna pour myself a glass of wine," she announced and August grinned as she heard her heels clicking against the tiles on her way to the kitchen.
"Pour one for me, too," she called back, crouching down to Phoebe's level as the three cats went to follow Taylor instead. She kissed her dog on the head before getting up and kicking her shoes off. She left her purse and coat hanging in the foyer before joining Taylor in the kitchen.
"Voila," Taylor said, handing August a glass of white wine. August hummed a thanks and took a first sip. "So... would you say it was a success?"
August looked at Taylor playfully through her lashes. She glanced at the watch around her wrist and chuckled. "Back home by ten-thirty. Definitely a success."
Taylor laughed softy, walking around the counter to get to August's side, running her hand through Meredith's fur along the way. "We're like grandmas."
"You're the grandma, with all that constant baking and knitting, and the three cats, andâ"
Taylor interrupted August by kissing her hard, effectively shutting her up. "You don't seem to be very upset that you're making out with a grandma."
"You're a very hot grandma," August concluded, wrapping her free arm around Taylor's waist and leaning on her tip-toes to peck her again. With Taylor still in her heels, she had a good few inches on August. God knows, she was already tall enough.
"This hot grandma can get even hotter," Taylor said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Really?" August asked, her interest peaking. "I'd like to see that."
"I'll show you!" Taylor told her and grabbed her by the hand.
They made their way up to Taylor's bedroom, and the blonde closed the door before they were interrupted by a bunch of tiny furry and very needy animals. She placed her glass of wine on the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the mattress, reaching down to remove her heels. August watched her, her heart fluttering in her chest as Taylor finally sat back up and met her gaze. August took a small sip of her drink as Taylor laid back on her bed and smiled up at her.
"C'mere," Taylor whispered, opening her arms for August who padded over to her and settled between her legs.
She bent down, leaving the glass on the nightstand, and held Taylor's face in her hands lightly. No words needed to be said as their lips moulded. The kiss started out slow, but it didn't take long for it to deepen. August parted her lips and let Taylor's tongue slide into her mouth. She straddled Taylor's hips, dropping her hands to her neck, brushing her fingers through her blonde locks. Taylor moaned softly, laying down and bringing August with her.
August was everywhere, with her hands and her her lips trailing every bit of Taylor's smooth skin. She couldn't get enough. They rid themselves of their clothes and August didn't even care where that damned red dress ended up as Taylor's fingers brushed over her bare thighs.
She gave her her all, and if she had asked she would have given her more and with their limbs tangled together, well into the middle of the night, August thought she had never slept better before.