2021.

"Hey, it's good to see you, kid," Azul murmured, dropping his usual over professionalism and pulling Leia into a tight hug. She smiled softly underneath her face mask, tucking her head into his chest for a moment as she blinked back tears.

They were back in New York City - Christmas and New Year having been and gone and Leia finally feeling like she really was ready to return back to her normal life after the most insane year and a half of her life.

That had meant calling Azul back up and seeing if he was ready to go back to full-time security. He'd almost literally jumped at the news, having been getting bored of being a house-boyfriend while Riven worked from home during the pandemic.

"How's unemployment been treating you?" Leia joked as she pulled away, trying to not let him see that she was genuinely emotional that he was here for her.

He hadn't really been unemployed anyway - Leia had continued to pay him his usual salary (and a little increase as more album sales came through) during her rehab stints and during the times they'd all spent locked up inside their houses. Leia was perfectly aware that he'd been enjoying life as he just lounged around the apartment he and Riven had moved into together for a period of time, but she knew him well enough to know he was just glad to be doing something now.

"I'm just glad to be back," Azul said.

I'm just glad you're back, was the underlying message in his words that they both picked up on.

"Me too."

Leia reached into her rucksack, a lopsided small smile on her face as Azul looked down at it in curiosity. He had a suspicion that he knew what this was after talking with Riven that morning about seeing Leia, but he wanted the girl the chance to explain it all to him.

"So... while I'm fully responsible for my own actions, there's just some stuff in here that my rehab team thought it would be good to give to you and some of the others. Just since you're my main security."

"Your only security."

"Don't let Georgie hear you say that. She's gunning for your job it seems."

"I could take her. She's like three foot tall."

A cough from the doorway caused the two to stop their banter. Leia smiled softly from under her face-mask as Adrian looked between the two with a warmth in his eyes, a look there that made Leia realise that she'd really put them all through hell. Not that she hadn't realised that already.

"I don't think anyone could take Georgie when she's in a mood," Adrian joked. "Someone ask Austin, I'm sure he'll agree."

And there it was - unintentionally the first mention of Taylor Swift. 

Leia had replied to her text.

It had taken her three days. Three days of staring at the message, typing out responses only to delete them before they ever saw the light of day. Three days of running through every possible outcome, every potential version of this conversation - what Taylor wanted, what Taylor didn't say, what Taylor still wouldn't say.

But in the end, she had replied.

A simple yeah, we can talk. No exclamation points. No hesitation. Just an arrangement: when we're both back in New York.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at Adrian and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Have you gone grey?"

"I've always been grey," the man admitted with a sigh. "I just finally decided to embrace it. Silver fox vibes."

Leia squinted at him for a moment.

"Please never say that again."

"I make no promises," Adrian said with a wink, stepping fully into the room. He moved with the practiced grace of someone who'd spent decades navigating the music industry's choppy waters. "So, you ready for this meeting? They're waiting upstairs."

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said, her voice carrying that familiar melodic quality that had captivated millions. "It's weird being back in the label building. Everything looks the same but feels... different."

"That's because you're different," Azul said quietly, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Adrian nodded in agreement. 

"The label knows they're lucky to still have you. Remember that when we go up there."

The elevator ride was quiet, Leia sandwiched between the two men who had become her makeshift family in this city. She hummed softly under her breath, a habit that emerged whenever her nerves threatened to overwhelm her.

"Is Georgie meeting us here later?" Azul asked as they reached the executive floor.

"Yeah, she's finishing up some coursework first. Said she'd be here by three." Leia smiled fondly at the thought of her sister. "She's been texting me every hour asking if I'm okay. I think she's more nervous than I am."

"Speaking of texts," Adrian said carefully, his tone shifting to something more measured, "have you heard anything more from-"

"No," Leia cut him off, knowing exactly who he was asking about. "Not since I replied. We're supposed to meet tomorrow. Just coffee at that private members club, in the outside veranda. Since her mom is still recovering and coronavirus is still rife, she doesn't want to meet inside."

Adrian and Azul exchanged a look that Leia pretended not to notice. She'd become an expert at pretending not to notice things over the past year.

"I'll be there," Azul said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "At a separate table, but I'll be there."

"I know," Leia said softly.

The conference room doors loomed ahead, and Leia could hear muffled voices from inside. Her heart quickened its pace, but it wasn't the same panic-inducing rhythm from before. This was different – anticipation, not fear.

"Before we go in," she said, stopping abruptly and turning to face both men, "I just want to say thank you. For sticking around. For believing I could get better." Her blue eyes glistened slightly, but her voice remained steady. "Not everyone would have."

Adrian's professional facade cracked for a moment, revealing the paternal affection beneath as he fiddled with the straps of the mask that were looped around his ears. "You did the hard part, kid. We just held the door open."

"Guessing they've got the whole NDA parade waiting?"

"Ten pages of legal jargon that essentially says 'don't tell anyone Leia Hudson is recording again,'" Adrian confirmed. "But I had our lawyers go through it. It's standard."

"Standard for the biggest comeback of the decade," Azul muttered under his breath, and Leia felt her cheeks flush beneath her mask.

"It's not a comeback if no one knew I was gone," she replied, attempting lightness. Most of her fans thought she'd just been working on new music during the pandemic, like everyone else.

Azul gave her shoulder another reassuring squeeze as Adrian pushed open the conference room doors. The sudden hush that fell over the room made Leia's skin prickle with awareness.

Five executives in varying degrees of business casual sat around the polished table, their faces lighting up from behind their matching company branded masks with barely concealed excitement. Leia recognised most of them, though there were two new faces - casualties of the industry's constant reshuffling during her absence. She was honestly just glad that the room seemed more diverse than it had before.

"Leia!" Marcus, the label president, stood immediately. His enthusiasm seemed genuine, though Leia couldn't help but wonder how much of it was for her well-being versus her profit potential. "It's wonderful to see you looking so well."

"Thanks, Marcus." She took the seat Adrian pulled out for her, Azul positioning himself by the door like a sentinel. "It's good to be back."

And she really meant it.

____

Leia was sitting at a table in the enclosed garden of an exclusive private members' club in the West Village. It was hidden from the street, surrounded by high ivy-covered walls and thick hedges. A stone pathway led to a small seating area, just two benches facing each other with a single patio heater humming softly between them. The air smelled like cold earth and the faintest traces of lingering smoke from the fire pit that had been extinguished earlier in the afternoon.

The club had shut down its outdoor dining area for the winter, which meant no waitstaff, no other guests. Just quiet, just privacy. It was the only reason she had agreed to meet here.

Things had seemingly moved on a lot in the world since 2019. Taylor wasn't rebuilding her reputation - she was the powerhouse now of everything. One phone call, and the members club had booked the whole place out just for her.

Leia wondered if the blonde would ever get used to that.

Leia pulled her coat tighter around herself and glanced at her phone. 4:07 PM. Taylor was late.

She had expected that, but the waiting was suffocating. Leia wasn't even sure why she had agreed to this. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was the need for closure. Or maybe it was something softer, something she didn't want to name.

Then, there she was.

Taylor stepped through the archway at the far end of the garden, wrapped in a thick wool coat, a navy-blue mask covering the lower half of her face. Her hair was tucked into a beanie, her hands buried deep in her pockets. 

Leia's eyes trailed over her shoulder to see Drew, Taylor's main bodyguard, trailing behind her. His face was mostly hidden by his hat and his own face mask but Leia noticed how his posture relaxed a little as he spotted the only other table was occupied with Azul - someone that he'd once spent a significant amount of time with. 

For a second, Taylor hesitated. Then, slowly, she closed the distance between them, stopping a few feet away.

"Hi," Taylor said, voice muffled by the mask.

Leia swallowed and forced herself to meet her eyes. "Hi."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Taylor shifted on her feet. "Thanks for meeting me."

Leia just nodded. She had nothing to say yet.

Taylor glanced around, taking in the space before looking back at Leia. "I wasn't sure if you'd reply."

Leia let out a soft laugh, breath curling in the cold air. "Yeah. Me neither."

Taylor exhaled, her shoulders relaxing a little, but her hands remained buried in her coat pockets. She didn't move closer but she did at least take a seat at the small table Leia had been nursing a hot chocolate at.

They sat there, facing each other across the six-foot gap, both acutely aware of the space between them. It was deliberate, Taylor's request. She was still being careful, still keeping her distance from everyone - even those who were regularly tested - still worrying about her mom's recovery. Leia understood, but it added another layer of separation to something that already felt impossibly far away.

Taylor took a deep breath. 

"I saw your interview."

Leia's fingers curled slightly against the edge of the bench. She knew exactly which interview Taylor meant. The one where she had finally told the truth about rehab, about Dylan, about everything.

Taylor hesitated. "I didn't know it was that bad."

Leia let out a slow breath, gaze dropping to the frozen pond. 

"No," she said quietly. "You didn't."

Taylor flinched but didn't look away. "I'm sorry."

Leia glanced up then, studying her. She knew Taylor meant it. She could see it in her eyes, in the way her fingers fidgeted inside her coat pockets, in the way her breath stuttered slightly like she wasn't sure if she should say more.

"I don't need you to say sorry," Leia said, voice steady but not unkind. "I don't even know what you'd be apologising for."

Taylor's mouth parted slightly, like she wanted to argue, but then she let out a quiet sigh, shaking her head. 

"For not reaching out sooner. For - for all of it."

Leia looked away. She didn't know what to do with that.

"I don't blame you," she admitted, though she wasn't sure if it was the truth.

Taylor studied her carefully. "You don't?"

Leia hesitated, then shrugged. 

"I mean, I did. For a long time. I was angry at you. Angry that I was drowning and you just..." She stopped, shaking her head. "But the thing is, you didn't know. Because I didn't tell you. And that's on me."

Taylor's expression was pained. "Leia..."

Leia swallowed. 

"But also," she continued, voice softer now, "I don't think you could have saved me if I had."

Taylor flinched like she had been struck.

"Don't say that," she whispered.

Leia smiled, but it was a sad, knowing thing. "Why not? It's the truth."

Taylor's lips parted, but no words came. And that was the thing, wasn't it? Maybe Taylor wouldn't have saved her. Maybe she couldn't.

Taylor's eyes, bright and blue above her mask, held a storm of emotions Leia couldn't fully decipher. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft hum of the patio heater and distant city sounds muffled by the high garden walls.

"I would have tried," Taylor finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "If I had known how bad it was, I would have at least tried."

Leia felt something unfurl in her chest... not forgiveness exactly, but acknowledgment. She ran her finger along the rim of her cooling mug.

"I know," she said. "But that's not why we're here, is it?"

Taylor shifted in her seat, her posture straightening slightly.

"No, it's not." She took a deep breath that fogged in the cold air. 

Leia nodded, glancing briefly at Drew and Azul, who were maintaining a respectful distance while pretending not to watch their every move. She noticed that they were engaged in a conversation and her heart stung a little thinking about their friendship also having been ruined by the relationship falling apart between the two girls.

"I read your text a hundred times before I replied."

Taylor's shoulders tensed. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't."

Leia nodded slowly, gaze distant. "I know."

This - them - was still a wound, still tender in ways Leia wasn't sure would ever fully heal.

Taylor hesitated, glancing down at the table between them. She exhaled softly, lifting her gaze back to Leia's, searching.

Leia wasn't sure where to take the conversation from here, how to navigate whatever this was between them. There were so many things she could say, so many questions she could ask, but none of them felt safe.

So she settled for something neutral. Something she could say.

"Congratulations, by the way," she said, her voice softer now. "On folklore. And evermore. They're incredible."

Taylor's eyes flickered with something unreadable before she gave a small nod. 

"Thank you," she said. "That means a lot."

Leia almost asked. Were any of the songs about me? She could hear the question forming in the back of her throat, could feel it sitting there, waiting. She knew the answer wouldn't change anything. But God, she wanted to know.

Instead, she swallowed it down and asked, "Are you submitting them for the Grammys?"

Taylor hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. Folklore, at least."

Leia wasn't surprised. The album had dominated everything when it came out, a quiet storm that had taken over the industry. 

"It's gonna win," Leia said, pulling her hands inside the sleeves of her coat for warmth. "If you submit it, you'll win."

Taylor gave a small, almost self-conscious smile and shook her head. "I don't know about that."

Leia arched a brow. "Come on. If folklore doesn't win Album of the Year, I'll dye my hair purple."

Taylor let out a breath of laughter, shaking her head. "I'd actually like to see that."

There was something lighter in the air for a moment, something almost familiar, almost easy. But it didn't last. The weight of the last few years still sat between them, unspoken but undeniable.

Leia hesitated before asking, "How's your mom?"

Taylor's expression softened. "She's doing well," she said. "She finished treatment a couple of months ago. We're just... taking it one day at a time."

Leia nodded. "That's good. I'm glad."

There was another silence, heavier this time.

Taylor shifted on her feet, glancing down at the ground, before letting out a breath and saying, "I should've given you a heads-up."

Leia frowned slightly. "About what?"

Taylor met her eyes. "The documentary. Coming out in Miss Americana."

Leia felt something tighten in her chest. Not because she was still hurt by it, not in the way she had been when she first watched it, but because she knew that was the moment everything had shifted.

Taylor had stepped into the light and Leia had been left in the dark.

Taylor sighed, rubbing the back of her gloved hand against her forehead. "I didn't think about how people would react. About how the fans would start shipping us again, how they'd dig everything up." She let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Honestly, I wasn't thinking about any of it. I just... needed to say it. And I should've told you first."

Leia studied her for a moment, watching the way Taylor's fingers fidgeted slightly in her coat pockets. She wasn't sure what Taylor wanted from her - absolution? Understanding?

Finally, Leia shook her head. "I don't care if the fans think we were together."

Taylor's gaze snapped up to hers, something startled in her expression.

Leia shrugged. "It's not like they were wrong."

Taylor exhaled sharply, like she had been punched in the gut. Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't say anything.

For the first time in the conversation, Leia had said something real. Something that cut through all the careful words and hesitant glances.

Because that was the truth, wasn't it?

The fans had spent years picking apart every moment, analyzing every glance, every lyric, every little breadcrumb that they had unknowingly left behind. And maybe, back then, it had felt intrusive, felt frustrating.

But they hadn't been wrong. They had been something. To Leia, they had been everything.

Leia tightened her grip on the sleeves of her coat, bracing herself against the cold. Or maybe, bracing herself against the words forming in her throat. She had told herself she wouldn't ask, that there was no point in reopening old wounds. But Taylor was sitting there, eyes guarded yet still full of something unreadable, and Leia couldn't ignore the questions clawing their way to the surface.

"Be honest with me," Leia said, voice steadier than she felt. "About us."

Taylor inhaled sharply, blinking like she had been caught off guard. "Leia..."

"No." Leia shook her head. "No brushing it off, no dodging the question. Just be honest."

Taylor was silent, her breath slow and careful as she watched Leia.

Leia swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing herself to ask the question that had haunted her for over a year. "Was it me?"

Taylor's brows furrowed. "What?"

"Was I what stopped you?" Leia's voice was quieter now, but no less certain. "From coming out. From being with me. From saying the words I waited three years to hear."

Taylor looked like she had been hit.

"I used to tell myself you were just scared. That it was the industry, or your team, or the pressure of your career." She hesitated. "But then you came out in Miss Americana. And I realized that maybe it wasn't being bisexual that you were scared of." She forced herself to meet Taylor's eyes. "Maybe it was me."

Taylor sucked in a sharp breath.

Leia pushed forward before she could think better of it. "Did you love Joe the whole time?" The words felt reckless, raw, but she didn't care. "Was he always the one? And I was just..." She trailed off, not even sure how to finish the thought. A distraction? A mistake? A secret Taylor had been too afraid to keep but too guilty to let go of?

Taylor shook her head quickly. "No. Leia, no."

Leia let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "You say that like it's obvious. Like I should have known."

"You weren't a mistake," she said, voice breaking slightly. "You weren't a mistake."

Leia's chest ached, but she wasn't sure if it was relief or something else entirely.

"Then what was I?"

Taylor opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Leia could see the war happening behind her eyes. Taylor had spent her entire life curating what she said, choosing her words carefully, making sure everything she revealed was on her  terms. But this moment? She didn't have control over this moment. She looked down at the ground for a moment, her fingers flexing inside her coat pockets as if searching for something to hold onto.

Leia waited.

Finally, Taylor lifted her head, eyes meeting Leia's with something raw behind them. "You were real," she said softly. "You were - everything to me."

Leia's stomach twisted. She had spent so long imagining what it would feel like to hear those words, to have Taylor look her in the eyes and say it. She had pictured this conversation a thousand different ways, but now that it was happening, all she could feel was exhaustion.

She let out a slow breath. "Then why?"

Taylor shook her head, something breaking in her expression. "Because I was a coward."

Leia flinched. She hadn't expected Taylor to say it so bluntly.

Taylor's voice wavered. "I was scared, Leia. Of what it would mean. Of what I'd lose. Of who I'd lose." She blinked quickly, as if trying to push back something heavier. "I spent my whole life doing what was expected of me. And for a long time, I told myself that was why I couldn't—why we couldn't."

Leia stared at her, her heart pounding. "And now?"

Taylor hesitated. "Now I know that it wasn't just the industry, or the pressure, or the expectations." She exhaled, a quiet, self-loathing laugh escaping her lips. "It was me. I wasn't ready."

Leia felt her jaw tighten. "But you were ready for Joe?"

Taylor flinched again, but she didn't look away. "No," she whispered. "Not at first."

Leia let out a hollow laugh. "And yet, you told the world about him. You wrote songs about him. You—" She stopped, shaking her head. "You let him love you out loud."

Taylor's face twisted with something close to pain. "Leia..."

Leia's throat felt tight, her breath uneven. "So it was me."

Taylor sucked in a breath, shaking her head. "It wasn't about choosing him over you."

Leia let out a sharp breath. "It sure as hell feels like it."

Taylor's lips parted, but she didn't speak.

Leia shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I spent three years waiting for you to be ready. I was patient. I was understanding. I told myself that loving you in the dark was better than not loving you at all." She exhaled sharply, the memory of it all pressing heavy against her ribs. "And then, the moment I was gone, the moment I wasn't in your life anymore, you were suddenly brave enough to be who you are."

Taylor took a step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "It wasn't like that."

Leia's eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall. "Then what was it like?"

Taylor opened her mouth, then closed it again. For the first time, she looked completely lost. Like she didn't have an answer.

The silence between them didn't feel as heavy now. There was still pain, still history, but the anger, the resentment, the endless wondering - some of that was unraveling.

Taylor shifted, glancing down at the frozen ground before looking back at Leia. 

"I never wanted to erase you," she said quietly. "I need you to know that."

Leia bit the inside of her cheek, letting the words sink in. "Sometimes it felt like you did."

Taylor nodded, like she had expected that. "I know. And I hate that. But Leia... I was never ashamed of you." She inhaled deeply, shaking her head slightly. "I was ashamed of myself."

Leia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Taylor swallowed hard, like she was trying to put something fragile into words. "You were so sure of yourself," she said, voice steady. "You never hid. You never hesitated. And I envied that, because I couldn't be that person yet. I wasn't brave enough."

Leia looked at her, something twisting deep in her chest.

Taylor continued, voice quieter now. "I don't regret you. I don't regret us. But I do regret being too scared to love you the way you deserved."

Leia let out a slow breath. She had spent so long assuming Taylor had been ashamed of her, that she had been something Taylor wanted to erase. But now, hearing this, she realized the truth had always been different.

Taylor had been ashamed of herself.

And Leia could understand that.

She looked at her, studying the way Taylor's hands stayed curled inside her coat pockets, like she was holding herself together. The Taylor standing in front of her wasn't the same girl Leia had been in love with. She had changed, grown into someone braver, someone more certain. She had built a life that made sense to her, with someone she loved, someone who loved her the way she needed.

Leia had changed too.

She wasn't the girl who would have waited forever anymore. She wasn't the girl who would have let herself believe in someday. She had survived things she never thought she would, had put herself back together piece by piece, and she wasn't looking for the past anymore.

She was looking forward.

Leia exhaled, shaking her head with a small, tired smile. "I think we both did the best we could at the time."

Taylor searched her face, like she was trying to figure out if Leia meant it. "Yeah?"

Leia nodded. "Yeah."

Taylor let out a breath, something loosening in her posture. "I don't want this to be the last time we talk."

Leia smiled faintly. "Me neither."

Taylor shifted, hesitating for only a second before saying, "I want us to be okay."

Leia considered that for a long moment. Okay wasn't something she had thought they could ever be. For so long, it had been love or nothing, all or gone. But now, standing here, letting the cold bite at her cheeks, she realized there was something in between.

They weren't what they used to be. They would never be that again.

But maybe they could be something else.

Leia nodded, the tightness in her chest easing. "We'll get there."

Taylor's lips curved into a small, hopeful smile. "Yeah. I think so too."

The tension in Taylor's shoulders eased visibly, like she'd been bracing for rejection. Even with half her face covered by the mask, Leia could read her expressions - a skill she'd never lost despite everything between them.

"I listened to your demos," Taylor said after a moment, her voice softer now. "The ones you sent to Adrian last month."

Leia blinked in surprise. "How did you -"

"He didn't give them to me," Taylor clarified quickly. "But Jack heard them. He mentioned working with you on something new."

Leia nodded slowly, wrapping her hands around her cooling mug. "Yeah, Adrian set us up for a session back in November and Jack had been helping me find my way back into writing." She hesitated. "It's different now. The songs are..."

"Honest," Taylor finished for her. "They're honest."

Something fluttered in Leia's chest... not attraction or longing, but recognition. The songs she'd written in rehab and after weren't polished or perfect. They were raw, messy excavations of herself. She was glad that Taylor had seen that for what it was.

"That's what I've always loved about your writing," Taylor continued, her blue eyes intent above her mask. "Even when everything else was complicated between us, your music never lied."

Leia swallowed hard. "Well, that makes one of us."

Taylor flinched slightly but didn't look away. "I deserved that."

"No, I..." Leia sighed, pushing a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "That wasn't fair. We both wrote what we needed to write."

The silence stretched between them, not uncomfortable but weighted with all they'd been and all they'd lost. In the distance, Leia could see Azul and Drew still talking, their conversation punctuated by occasional nods.

"I'm recording again," Leia said finally. "Properly, I mean. The label's giving me space to figure out what comes next."

Taylor's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, she was smiling underneath the mask. 

"They'd be idiots not to. Your voice is..." She trailed off, searching for the right word. "Irreplaceable."

Leia felt heat rise to her cheeks, and she was suddenly grateful for her own mask. Taylor's compliments had always affected her this way, even now.

Leia felt a flush of warmth at the compliment but kept her expression neutral. "We'll see if they still want it. A lot can change in a year."

"Not talent," Taylor said firmly. "Not the real stuff."

Leia glanced over at Azul, who was still deep in conversation with Drew but watching her with careful eyes. When he caught her gaze, he raised his eyebrows in silent question. She gave him a small nod before turning back to Taylor.

"How's Joe?" she asked, and was surprised to find she genuinely wanted to know. There was no bitterness in the question, just curiosity.

Taylor's eyes softened at the mention of his name. "He's good. In London right now, actually, filming something. We've been doing the long-distance thing with COVID. It's been... challenging."

"I bet," Leia said. "The pandemic's been hard on everyone."

Taylor nodded, her eyes searching Leia's face. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

Leia laughed, the sound surprisingly light. "God, no. I've been a little busy putting myself back together. Dating's not really on my radar right now."

"That makes sense," Taylor said, and then hesitated before adding, "For what it's worth, I think you seem... stronger."

Leia considered this. 

"I am," she said finally. "Not all the time. But most days."

Leia watched as Taylor's gaze drifted to the small pond at the centre of the garden, frozen over with a thin layer of ice.

Maybe they'd not be the same as what they once were - but at least they were going to be okay.

____

Being back in New York City also meant another thing - Niall was back over and hanging out with her. She'd missed having him around, especially since he'd been kind of distant with Leia while she was in recovery. She knew he still blamed himself for not stopping her from relapsing at Dylan's party - but she didn't blame him at all.

It was an unusually quiet night for the three of them - no music playing, no TV blaring in the background. Just the soft hum of the heating and the occasional sound of Georgie turning a page. The kind of peace Leia was still getting used to.

"You sure you're not seeing anyone?" Niall asked suddenly, glancing up at Leia with a smirk. "Because your phone has been going off like mad for the last ten minutes."

Leia sighed, tossing it onto the couch beside her. "Just Adrian."

Georgie perked up. "What does our lord and savior want now?"

Leia smirked at the nickname before shrugging. "Probably something about my schedule. I told him I didn't want to jump into anything too soon, but I think he's still trying to ease me back into the industry."

"He's got a point, though," Niall said, stretching out his legs. "You'll feel better once you get back in the studio properly."

Leia hummed in agreement but didn't say anything. The idea of recording again wasn't as terrifying as it had been a few months ago, but she still wasn't sure she was ready.

A sharp knock at the door made all three of them look up.

"You expecting someone?" Georgie asked, setting down her magazine.

Leia shook her head and stood, padding across the room in thick socks. Azul wasn't here - he was meeting Riven for dinner - so she had to check the peephole herself. 

Lewis, the apartment doorman. He very rarely made trips up to the apartment, but she could see in his hands he had a box and was looking rather proud of himself. She figured that usually Azul just brought the parcels up in the morning, so she wondered why he'd taken the urge to hand deliver this one so late at night.

"Delivery for Leia Hudson," Lewis said, holding out the package with a twinkle in his eyes.

Leia frowned. "From who?"

The doorman glanced down at the package, shifting it slightly in his hands. "No sender listed."

The smirk on her face told her that it had been hand delivered to him too by someone - and she squinted at him for a moment before taking it from his hands. He chuckled as he turned and walked away, the girl watching him go down the hallway with a confused look on her face.

"Thanks," she called out, shutting the door.

"What is it?" Georgie called from the couch.

"No idea," Leia muttered, walking back over and setting it down on the coffee table.

Niall raised an eyebrow. "That's not ominous at all."

Georgie nudged his shoulder. "Shut up, let her open it."

Leia hesitated before tugging at the tape, peeling back the brown wrapping. For a moment, she just stared at it, her hands suddenly feeling unsteady.

Georgie, noticing the shift in her expression, sat up straighter. "Leia?"

Leia's hands trembled slightly as she peeled back the last layer of tissue paper. Inside the box lay three objects, nestled carefully against one another. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Is that...?" Georgie leaned forward, her eyes widening as she recognised what Leia was looking at.

Leia nodded, unable to speak. She lifted the cardigan from the box, feeling its soft weight in her hands. The cream-colored knit was accented with black piping and small stars embroidered on the sleeves. It smelled faintly of cardamom and vanilla – a scent Leia recognised instantly as Taylor's perfume.

"There's a note," Niall said quietly, pointing to a small cream-coloured envelope tucked into the corner of the box.

Georgie shot him a look. "Give her a minute."

Leia ran her fingers along the edge of the evermore vinyl, taking in the muted colors of the cover, the careful typography. These weren't just any copies – they were signed. In the corner of each, Taylor's distinctive handwriting flowed in gold ink. She turned the folklore album over, examining the track listing she'd already memorised, songs she'd listened to alone in her apartment during the darkest days of her recovery.

"I never got one," she murmured, more to herself than to the others. "When she sent them out last summer. I wondered if she'd considered it."

Georgie leaned forward, eyes flickering with concern. "Are you okay?"

Leia didn't answer right away. She was still holding the cardigan, her fingers brushing over the embroidered patch at the hem. It was where folklore should have been stitched in its usual delicate script.

But it wasn't.

Instead, two small initials had been sewn in golden thread.

L.H.

Leia's breath caught in her throat.

Georgie noticed it at the same time, her brows furrowing as she reached out and traced the letters with her thumb.

"That's not..." She trailed off, looking up at Leia in question.

Leia swallowed hard. "No. It's not."

Niall, who had been watching the whole thing unfold with quiet intrigue, leaned forward slightly. "She had this one made just for you."

Leia didn't reply, but she didn't need to. It was obvious. This wasn't just a piece of merch. It wasn't something Taylor had pulled from a pile of extras sitting in her home. This had been made for her. And it couldn't have been made since their meeting that afternoon - there was no time for that.

Taylor had had this made, and had been keeping a hold of it.

Leia didn't want to assume it - but judging by the way it smelt as she lifted it up, she had a gut feeling that Taylor had worn it too.

Then her eyes flickered to the note.

She hesitated.

Georgie must have noticed because she didn't press her, didn't tell her to just open it. Instead, she just nudged her knee gently.

"You don't have to read it now," she said softly.

Leia exhaled, nodding slowly.

"I know," she murmured.

She picked up the envelope, running her fingers along the seal before tucking it into her pocket.

"I think I want to read it alone."

Georgie and Niall exchanged a glance but didn't argue.

Leia stood up, taking the note and the cardigan with her, and made her way to her room. The second the door closed behind her, she exhaled shakily, leaning back against the wood for a moment before walking over to sit on the edge of her bed.

The room was dimly lit, the city lights casting soft shadows through the curtains. She set the cardigan down beside her, the sleeves draping over the comforter. Then, slowly, she pulled the envelope from her pocket and opened it.

Her hands were steady as she unfolded the paper.

Taylor's handwriting was unmistakable... slightly slanted, looping in places, careful in others.

It wasn't long. Just a few short words.

Leia blinked. Her fingers tightened around the paper as she read over the words again, making sure she wasn't imagining things. She wasn't. 

I meant every word.

Her hands reached for the folklore vinyl, flipping it over and noticing a few handwritten stars next to some of the song titles, and her heart jumped. She had a gut feeling she knew what that meant - a subtle way to say, these are yours.

Leia squeezed her eyes shut, pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead.

She hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected Taylor to say anything at all, let alone this.

It wasn't an apology. It wasn't an invitation to re-enter each other's lives in the way they once had. But it was... something.

A quiet truth.

Leia opened her eyes, looking down at the note again. She traced the ink with her fingertip, memorizing the way Taylor's handwriting curled, how careful the letters looked.

Then, without thinking, she folded it back up neatly and slid it into the top drawer of her nightstand.

Not gone.

Not forgotten.

Just there.

Waiting.