mature chapter ahead

The living room was dimly lit, save for the soft glow of the fireplace and the flickering candlelight that danced along the marble mantel. Manhattan outside the windows was quiet in a rare moment of stillness, snow fluttering gently down in lazy spirals.

Taylor sat curled into the corner of the plush navy velvet couch, one leg tucked under her, a blanket around her shoulders like a shawl. The remnants of her birthday after-party still lingered in the air - the scent of spiced wine and sugared vanilla, the echo of laughter tucked into the corners of the room.

She was still in the same soft grey lounge set she'd changed into when she got home the night before, her hair up in a loose bun, makeup smudged at the edges. She looked like herself. Not the stage version. Not the magazine cover. Just Taylor.

Selena and Gigi had just left, having stayed over after the party. She'd confessed it all to them then - the texts she'd sent Leia almost nine months ago, the secret glances, the pining... and her breaking up with Joe.

They'd squealed, assuming they'd had some romantic reunion only to fall back deflated when Taylor told them that Leia wasn't ready for her. They all understood, but Gigi was certainly surprised by that more than she'd care to admit.

Currently, Tree sat across from her, legs crossed neatly, a cup of black coffee in her hands. She'd arrived not long after sunrise when Taylor had texted a simple, "can you come over?" and added nothing else.

Of course, Tree had known what it was about. Taylor wondered if she had a sixth sense of if her mother or even Joe's team had given the redhead a heads up.

"So," Tree said gently, "Joe's really... it's done?"

Taylor nodded, her fingers curling tighter around the mug in her lap. The tea inside had gone lukewarm. Meredith was resting against one side, while Olivia and Benjamin were asleep next door.

"I ended it yesterday morning," she said, voice low, almost hoarse. "Before the party. I needed to. It... it wasn't working anymore. It hasn't been for a long time."

Tree studied her for a long moment. There was no dramatic sorrow in Taylor's face, but something softer. Something heavy. A melancholy acceptance.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Taylor looked up at her. "I'm sad," she admitted. "But more than anything, I feel... relieved. Like I've been holding my breath for two years and finally exhaled."

Tree nodded slowly. "That makes sense. It was a long time. You gave it your all."

"I did," Taylor agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I think we both knew we weren't in love anymore. Not the kind that lasts. We were just trying to preserve something that had already ended."

Tree had been sitting with a black folder open in her lap. She didn't need to look at it anymore, the contents were already burned into her memory. She'd seen them just before the cake came out last night, her phone buzzing twice in succession in her clutch, a pair of images that made her heart seize. But she hadn't said anything then. Not during Taylor's party. Not when she was laughing and radiant and... happy. She'd decided, for once, to let that moment live a little longer.

But now, in the quiet aftermath, there was no escaping it.

Taylor had noticed the folder - of course - but she'd chosen to ignore it, knowing Tree would tell her in due course why it was being carted around with her.

Tree didn't respond right away to Taylor. She was watching Taylor closely, gauging the shadows under her eyes, the quiet resignation in her voice. Taylor always grieved quietly. She never wanted to make a scene when she was hurting - and even though she wanted Leia, Tree knew that there had been a good amount of time where Taylor had genuinely loved Joe.

"I'm sorry," Tree said finally. "Not because it's over, but because he wasn't who you thought he was."

Taylor's brows pulled slightly. "What do you mean?"

Tree exhaled slowly, setting the folder down on the coffee table like it weighed more than it did.

"I didn't want to ruin your birthday last night," she said gently, "but I was sent something. Twice, actually. It came in during the party. I didn't open it until I got home."

Taylor sat up a little straighter. Her hands went still on the mug.

"What was it?"

Tree opened the folder and slid the printed photographs across the table. Taylor stared down.

The images weren't grainy, or taken from some faraway lens. No... they were sharp. Clear. Undeniable. Joe. On a street, outside a small, upscale bar. Kissing someone. A woman Taylor didn't recognize. Another image... same thing, different location. From the date in the top corner, this one was from just the night before.

"This was from last night," Taylor said quietly, tapping the photo.

"And the first one is from a week ago," Tree confirmed.

Taylor didn't speak. Her mouth parted slightly, then closed again.

Her fingers hovered above the photos, barely brushing the edge.

"He... he told me they were night shoots. That he was too tired to FaceTime. That the timezone difference was making everything harder. Margaret said the same..."

"If it helps, I don't think Margaret knew," Tree murmured. "Seems this was outside their shooting hours."

"And I still felt guilty breaking up with him."

"That's what you do," Tree said gently. "You shoulder the blame. Even when it's not yours."

Taylor leaned back slowly, eyes never leaving the photos. "Why didn't you tell me last night?"

"Because you were happy," Tree said softly. "Genuinely happy. With your friends. With your family. With Leia... and I wasn't going to take that from you. I figured... it could wait until morning."

Taylor blinked, once. Twice. Her fingers curled around her mug again, white-knuckled.

"I loved him," she said finally, the words soft and vulnerable. "I really, really did."

Tree nodded. "I know."

"I tried to make it work. I really did. But I wasn't in it anymore. Not the way I used to be. I was tired of pretending it still made sense. And now... now I feel stupid for not seeing this."

"You're not stupid," Tree said firmly. "You're just someone who believes in people. That's not a flaw."

Taylor was silent for a long beat.

She kept her eyes on the photographs, but her mind drifted elsewhere — to all the quiet moments that now felt dishonest in hindsight. The nights she'd waited for his calls, the way he'd brushed off her worries with tired smiles and murmured reassurances.  All the excuses she'd accepted without question.

She'd loved him.

Not with the desperate, breathless passion she'd once believed love required, but with a gentleness she thought might be enough to build a life on. And for a while, maybe it had been. But it hadn't been real enough to survive distance. Or someone else's hands.

What stung wasn't just the betrayal, it was how little it surprised her. That some part of her had known and looked away. That even on her birthday, part of her had been relieved he wasn't there. She hadn't missed him. Not truly. She hadn't even thought to.

And maybe that was the worst part of it all: not the cheating, not the lies, but the quiet, hollow truth that she had fallen out of love long before he gave her a reason to leave.

She just hadn't known how to admit it.

But there was something she did know how to admit, and if was starting to feel like if she didn't just tell everyone then it would also fade into nothing.

"I want to be with Leia."

Tree didn't look surprised. She folded her hands calmly in her lap and tilted her head. "I figured."

Taylor looked over at her, eyes shining with something that wasn't quite tears. "I want to stop hiding. I want to be honest about it. About us."

Tree sighed through her nose, gently but firmly. "You know we can't do that. Not right now."

Taylor blinked. "Why not?"

"Because you were in a public relationship with Joe for nearly four years," Tree said. "And publicly — and I do mean very publicly — it only ended yesterday. If you show up next week holding hands with Leia, the backlash will be brutal."

"I'm not planning on announcing it on Instagram," Taylor muttered.

"No, but your fans are not stupid. They see things. They track things. If you even breathe in her direction too loudly, they'll know."

Taylor stood and began to pace, the mug still in her hand, the sleeves of her sweater trailing.

"I don't want to hide anymore," she said, her voice breaking just slightly at the edge. "I'm tired of erasing her from everything. From pretending like she didn't matter. Like she wasn't part of my life."

"I know," Tree said gently. "But Taylor, this isn't about hiding. It's about timing. About control. You can still be with her. Just... not yet. Not publicly. Not until we give it some space."

"She doesn't even want to be with me," Taylor snapped suddenly, halting by the fireplace.

Tree blinked. "What?"

"She doesn't trust it," Taylor muttered, shaking her head. "She doesn't trust me. Not after everything. And I don't blame her."

Tree stared at her.

Then, in a tone that was both tired and utterly exasperated, she said, "That is the stupidest take I've ever heard."

Taylor turned, startled.

"Leia has wanted you since the day she met you," Tree said, rising from the couch now, her voice steadier, firmer. "She has been through hell and still looks at you like you built the damn stars. And you're sitting here telling me she doesn't want you?"

Taylor's throat worked around the lump forming there. "I'm just saying it's not that simple."

"Of course it's not," Tree said. "It's messy. It's complicated. But that woman has written half an album about trying to understand you. And she came to your birthday party even when she could have just stayed home. You think that's casual?"

Taylor looked away.

"She's scared," Tree said. "And she has every right to be. But don't for a second believe that she doesn't want you. Because if you do, you're not just lying to yourself — you're insulting her."

Silence hung heavy in the room for a long moment.

Taylor slowly sank back onto the couch. She rubbed her temple with her free hand, heart thudding a little too loudly in her chest.

"What do I do?" she asked quietly.

Tree didn't hesitate. "You give it time. You let the breakup settle. You don't rush into a headline, even if your heart wants to sprint there. And in the meantime? You show Leia you're serious. You show her she matters. That she's not your rebound, or your secret, or your maybe. She's your choice."

Taylor nodded slowly.

"I can do that," she murmured.

"Good," Tree said. "Because you've already got the one thing you need."

Taylor looked up, frowning slightly. "What?"

Tree smiled, small and knowing. "A story worth writing about."

____

They didn't see each other for almost a month after that.

Leia spent her Christmas and New Year with Georgie and her parents back in the United Kingdom, and Taylor spent it with her family in Pennsylvania. It was nice - a break for them both without press tours and music promo and fighting over Jack's availability for late night sessions.

Truth be told, Leia was actually happy.

She was almost coming on to two years sober from drugs - something that she was kind of surprised about. She hadn't felt the twitch to relapse in a while, although she was pretty cautious about even being exposed to anything like that. She knew it just took one god-awful day and an enabler to make everything come crashing down again.

It was kind of hard to be sitting around doing nothing in the first week of January anyway, since she'd just watched Niall and Georgie move in together.

It hadn't really came as a shock to her when Georgie had told her she was moving out. Honestly, Leia kind of had expected it - they'd been together for almost three and a half years now, and Georgie was set to graduate from college at the end of the semester.

She was glad she'd have Tate to jeep her company, but she was lying if she said she wasn't worried about becoming a little bit lonely. She'd spent so long with Georgie only a room or two away, that the thought of it just being her and the dog in the apartment was kind of devastating.

The apartment felt too quiet that first night after Georgie left.

Not eerie, not hollow, not the kind of silence that crept up and startled you — but the kind that settled in slowly. A shift. A stillness. Leia moved through the space like someone walking through a house they hadn't lived in for years. Her own things were there... the vintage record player in the corner, the polaroids stuck to the fridge, the books stacked two deep on the shelves — but it all felt different. Like the energy had changed. Like she was waiting for a sound that didn't come anymore.

She kind of hated it.

She stood in the kitchen barefoot, her favourite oversized sweatshirt falling off one shoulder, a mug of peppermint tea cradled between both hands. Tate snored lightly from the couch, curled into a ball like a wolf in hibernation, oblivious to the shift in dynamic. He'd spent most of the afternoon nosing around Georgie's now-empty room, huffing as though confused that she hadn't just gone out for a coffee. Leia knew how he felt.

She walked to the window and leaned her forehead gently against the cool glass, watching the street below. New York looked like it was holding its breath after the rush of the holidays. The trees on their block were strung with the last of the fairy lights, blinking faintly through the early winter fog. A couple passed below her window, scarves tucked up to their noses, hands linked tightly between them.

It hit her, then — soft but sharp. That ache.

Not a loneliness exactly, but something adjacent. The realization that she'd been holding on for so long, clinging to pieces of her former life and versions of herself that no longer existed. Rehab. Recovery. Dylan. The court case. The comeback. And now... Georgie was gone. Riven and Azul were around, sure, but that wasn't the same. And Taylor...

Well, Taylor had broken up with Joe.

That truth hadn't stopped reverberating in her chest since the birthday party. The way she'd said it so clearly. So decisively. Not as a weapon. Not as an offer. Just... a truth.

And still, Leia hadn't known what to do with it.

She'd spent so long convincing herself that Taylor and Joe were endgame. That she was just a blip. A complication. Something chaotic and ephemeral, wrapped in too much emotion and not enough structure. But then Taylor had stood in front of her on that terrace, glowing and trembling and real, and said she'd left him.

For her.

Leia closed her eyes and pressed the mug to her lips.

She hadn't replied to the texts Taylor had sent in the days after. Not because she was angry or scared. But because she genuinely didn't know how to move forward without losing herself again.

The front door creaked open and shut again. She tensed instinctively before remembering — Azul had stopped by earlier to double-check the new security system and had promised to swing back with the extra set of keys.

"Leia?" his voice called lightly.

"In the kitchen," she said, her voice raspier than she'd expected.

Azul stepped into the room, shaking the snow off his shoulders and dropping the keys on the counter.

"It's officially freezing out," he muttered, unwrapping his scarf. "How you holding up?"

Leia offered a half-shrug. "Quiet night."

He glanced around, noticed the half-packed boxes stacked in the hallway that Georgie hadn't quite finished loading up earlier in the day. "Weird, huh?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "It's like... the rhythm's off."

Azul leaned against the counter and studied her. "You want me to hang around for a bit? Order in something? Watch something dumb?"

She smiled, soft and grateful. "No, it's okay. I think I need to sit in it a little. Let it be weird."

He nodded, understanding instantly. That was the thing about Azul, he didn't need her to explain her silences. He just gave them room.

"Alright," he said, grabbing a bottled water from the fridge. "But if you start texting me TikToks at 3 a.m., I'm not answering until sunrise. Also, please play something other than whatever this song is - you've had it on repeat since I came earlier."

He was right, she had been listening to the same song on repeat. 'I miss you, I'm sorry' by Gracie Abrams, who she'd briefly met at Taylor's party back in December. Just the right sort of music to keep her in the current mood she was festering in.

Azul's footsteps padded back toward the door, the soft creak of it closing behind him leaving Leia in silence once more, save for the low hum of Gracie's voice over the speakers and the occasional shuffle of Tate's paws as he dreamed. She hadn't meant to leave the song looping for that long, but something about it had felt like company.

Leia stared at the tea in her mug. Still warm. Barely.

She sighed and wandered back to the couch, easing herself down beside Tate, who shifted only slightly, his head flopping against her thigh with the weight of trust. She scratched behind his ears automatically and leaned her head back against the cushion.

The empty space where Georgie's voice might have been - humming something from the other room, or talking to Niall on FaceTime, or yelling that they were out of oat milk - echoed around her like a phantom limb.

Leia didn't cry because she knew she was acting like Georgie was dead - she'd just moved into the Upper East with Niall. Leia had done enough of that soppy self-sadness last year. But she did let herself feel it.

The stillness. The smallness.

The weight of a January night that felt a little too much like an ending.

After a while, she reached for her phone again.

'i'd like it if we could talk soon'

_____

The snow was deeper than she expected. That light powdery kind that looked harmless but bit at your ankles if you let your boots dip too far beneath it. Leia pulled her scarf higher over her mouth, breath catching in the wool, eyes narrowed against the flakes falling in slow spirals from the dark sky above. New York looked like something out of a postcard... lamp-lit and quiet, strings of lights still wrapped around bare trees, holiday leftovers clinging to the city like a ghost that refused to leave.

It was late. Later than she normally would've made a trip like this, and colder than she liked. But the message had been sent, and Taylor hadn't asked any questions.

It wasn't even snowing this hard when Leia left the apartment, but something about the walk, and about choosing to walk, just felt right. The subway would have been quicker. A car warmer. But Leia didn't want easy tonight. She wanted to feel her way into this.

She hadn't been to Taylor's place since before... well, everything.

Now she stood in front of the building again, pulse racing too fast to pass off as anything else. It was ridiculous how familiar it all felt - the entrance, Drew, Taylor's security, standing just inside the reception as he peered through the window at her, the faint buzz of the city that even snow couldn't quite quiet. Taylor had texted to say she'd leave the elevator open and let her up herself. Leia didn't need directions. Drew just nodded as she walked by, holding the smile on his lips until she had passed.

It wasn't long before she was at her door again. She knocked softly.

The door opened almost instantly.

Taylor stood barefoot, her sleeves pushed up to her elbows, wearing a long black cardigan over a faded grey t-shirt and leggings. Her hair was down, loose waves falling around her shoulders, and her eyes - god, her eyes - were clear and quiet and holding something that Leia didn't quite have the courage to name.

"Hey," Taylor said, stepping aside to let her in.

Leia nodded once, stepping out of the cold and into the space that had once felt like home.

It smelled the same. Cedar and rose. There was a candle burning on the coffee table - something woodsy and soft - and the faint hum of a record player spinning in the background. Stevie Nicks again. Of course.

Taylor shut the door gently behind her, the snow muffled instantly, like the city had been left behind entirely.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Leia peeled off her coat, draping it over the arm of the couch. She stood awkwardly, unsure if she should sit, unsure if it would make this feel too much like a conversation and not what it actually was.

Taylor motioned toward the fireplace, the same one that had warmed the room during their last night together before everything went wrong.

"Do you want tea or something?" she asked, voice soft.

Leia shook her head. "No. I'm okay."

Taylor nodded and walked across the room, adjusting the volume of the record player just slightly.

Leia stood there, frozen in it.

She wasn't sure how much time passed before either of them spoke again. Taylor moved first, walking past her and sitting down on the edge of the couch - not curled into the corner like last time, not casual, not loose. Just... there. Leia noticed Meredith hop off, slinking away to a different room.

Leia followed slowly, sitting down beside her but not touching. The heat from the fire cast both of them in amber, dancing shadows flickering across the rug.

"I didn't know if you'd come," Taylor said finally, eyes still on the fire.

Leia didn't look at her. "Neither did I."

Another silence.

Taylor's fingers tugged at the edge of the blanket she'd been wrapped in earlier. It was still warm from her body. Still soft from use.

"I meant what I said," she whispered. "That night. On the terrace. About everything."

Leia swallowed hard, throat tight. "I know."

"And I haven't stopped thinking about it since."

It would have been easier if Taylor had asked for something. If she'd begged. Pleaded. Demanded to know why Leia hadn't answered her messages, or why she'd waited so long to come. But Taylor didn't. She just sat there like she already knew.

Leia breathed out slowly, eyes fixed on the flicker of flame. "I thought I was doing the right thing. Putting space between us."

Taylor said nothing.

"I didn't want to step into something new that still felt so tied to something else," Leia continued, voice barely above a whisper. "Didn't want to be another fallout. Another reason for your name to end up on a headline."

Her voice cracked at the edges. It was embarrassing how fast her defences fell here.

"I didn't want to ruin you," she added.

Taylor turned then, slowly, as though any sudden movement might startle the fragile thread holding them together. Her eyes searched Leia's profile, gentle but burning with a quiet intensity.

"You've never ruined me," she said, so low it was nearly lost beneath the hiss of the fire. "You're the only thing that's ever made me feel more like myself."

Leia's throat tightened.

It wasn't fair. The way Taylor could still say things like that. The way she made them sound like truth even when they terrified her.

Taylor was looking at her like she always had — like she was something to be held carefully, like she might shatter but still be worth every shard. There was no pressure in her gaze. Just... longing.

And suddenly Leia felt it all at once — every feeling she'd shoved down since that birthday party, every late-night text she hadn't sent, every moment in the studio when a lyric had caught in her throat and she'd known exactly who it was about.

It wasn't that the feelings had faded. They'd just grown quieter. Sharper. Rooted deeper.

"I'm scared of what this will do to me," Leia said finally. "What it already did."

Taylor didn't argue.

"I let you in," Leia continued, voice trembling, "and then I had to watch you love someone else. Smile for cameras beside him. Write songs about him. Pretend I didn't exist."

Taylor flinched and Leia felt it in her soul. Like a shift in gravity.

"I know," Taylor said. "And I'll never forgive myself for that."

Leia let out a breath that was closer to a laugh. Bitter. Broken. "I don't want your apology, Taylor."

"I'm not giving it because I think it'll fix anything," Taylor said. "I'm giving it because it's the truth."

Silence settled again. Heavier now.

Leia's hands were folded in her lap, but she could feel the tremor in them — that nervous, coiled energy that came before a jump. Before something irrevocable. Taylor hadn't moved. She was still there, still waiting, still watching her like every breath was a prayer.

Leia turned back to the fire, staring into it like it could make a decision for her.

And then, in the stillness between one breath and the next, something broke.

She shifted suddenly, turning on the couch and reaching forward before she could think. Before she could weigh the pros and cons and strategies and stories. Before fear could stop her. Her hand caught Taylor's jaw gently, fingers curling around her cheek, and she leaned in like she'd been waiting her whole life to do it again.

Their lips met with a softness that startled them both - like a sigh, like an exhale, like they'd both finally remembered how to breathe.

And then it wasn't soft.

Leia deepened it without thinking, her hand slipping into Taylor's hair, their mouths moving with the urgency of everything they hadn't said. It was fire and silence and every withheld word finding its place in the heat between them.

Taylor responded like she'd been waiting for it too, her hands gripping Leia's hips, pulling her closer, like proximity alone could tether her in place.

Taylor made a sound at the back of her throat, something between a whimper and a sigh, her fingers tightening on Leia's hips. The gentle press became a desperate pull, drawing her closer until the space between them felt like a crime against nature.

Without breaking the kiss, Leia shifted, moving with an instinct deeper than thought. She rose slightly, one knee sliding across Taylor's lap until she was straddling her, thighs bracketing Taylor's hips on the velvet couch. The movement was fluid, deliberate, a wordless confession that made Taylor's breath catch. The new position brought them chest to chest, heartbeat to heartbeat.

"God, I've missed you," Taylor breathed against her mouth, the words barely formed before Leia captured them again, swallowing the confession like it was something sacred.

The way their bodies remembered each other, the way Taylor's hands knew exactly where to press against the small of Leia's back, the way Leia knew just how to tilt her head to make Taylor gasp.

Leia's fingers tangled in Taylor's hair, tugging gently at the roots, exposing the pale column of her throat. She dragged her lips down, tasting the salt-sweet skin there, feeling Taylor's pulse hammering beneath her tongue. Taylor's head fell back against the couch, eyes fluttering closed, surrendering to the sensation.

"Is this okay?" Leia whispered, pulling back just enough to search Taylor's eyes, her own voice unfamiliar to her ears - low and husky with want. Taylor nodded.

Emboldened, Leia's hands slid beneath Taylor's cardigan, pushing it off her shoulders. It pooled around her elbows, forgotten. Her palms skimmed over Taylor's sides, feeling the warmth through the thin fabric of her t-shirt, tracing the delicate curve of her ribs. Taylor shivered, her own hands finding the hem of Leia's sweater, fingertips brushing against bare skin.

"Can I?" Taylor asked, her voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire.

Leia nodded, lifting her arms as Taylor tugged the sweater up and over her head. It fell somewhere beside them, irrelevant now. The cool air kissed her skin for only a moment before Taylor's hands were there, warm and reverent, mapping a path from her waist to her shoulders.

"You're still so cold," Taylor murmured against her jaw, trailing kisses down to the sensitive spot just below her ear. "Let me warm you up."

Taylor's hands moved slowly, deliberately, warming Leia's skin with each touch. The firelight cast golden shadows across their bodies, turning every gesture into something almost sacred. Leia closed her eyes, letting herself exist fully in this moment, in the sensation of Taylor's fingers tracing patterns against her back, in the gentle pressure of her lips.

"I've thought about this," Taylor whispered against her collarbone. "Every night since December."

"Me too," Leia admitted, her voice catching as Taylor's hands slid higher, fingers skimming along the edge of her bra. "I tried not to, but..."

Taylor pulled back slightly, looking up at her with eyes that reflected the dancing flames. "But what?"

Leia cupped Taylor's face between her palms, thumbs stroking along her cheekbones.

"But you're impossible to forget."

Their next kiss was slower, deeper, an exploration rather than a rush. Taylor's hands moved with more purpose now, sliding around to Leia's front, fingertips tracing the curve of her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra. Leia gasped against her mouth, arching slightly into the touch.

"I don't want to rush this," Taylor murmured, pulling back slightly to meet Leia's gaze. Her eyes were dark, pupils dilated, but there was a clarity there too. "Not if... not if this means something."

Leia's heart stuttered in her chest. She reached up, brushing a strand of hair from Taylor's face, letting her fingers linger against her cheek.

"It's always meant something," she said softly. "That was never our problem."

"I know. Our problem was timing. And fear. And the whole damn world watching."

Leia leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Taylor's. "And now?"

"Now I don't care who's watching," Taylor whispered, her breath warm against Leia's lips. "I just want you. However you'll have me."

"Show me," Leia said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Show me you mean it."

Something shifted in Taylor's expression before she leaned forward, capturing Leia's lips again. This kiss was different, deeper, a silent promise exchanged between them. Leia melted into it, letting her weight settle more fully into Taylor's lap, feeling the soft gasp against her mouth when their bodies pressed closer.

Taylor's hands found the clasp of Leia's bra, hesitating there.

"Can I?" she asked again, always careful, always checking.

"Yes," Leia breathed, and then, because she couldn't help herself, "please."

The fabric fell away, and Taylor's hands replaced it, warm and gentle against her skin. Leia couldn't stop the soft sound that escaped her throat as Taylor's thumbs brushed across her nipples, teasing them to hardened peaks. The sensation sent sparks down her spine, pooling low in her abdomen.

"Bedroom," Leia managed between kisses, suddenly needing more than the couch could offer. "I want - I need -"

Taylor nodded, understanding without words. In one fluid motion, she shifted her weight, hands sliding beneath Leia's thighs as she stood. Leia wrapped her legs around Taylor's waist, arms looping around her neck as Taylor carried her through the dimly lit apartment, their lips never fully parting.

Taylor lowered Leia onto the bed with such gentle care it made her chest ache. For a moment, Taylor just stood there, looking down at her with an expression that bordered on reverence.

"You're so beautiful," Taylor whispered, her voice catching slightly. "I've missed seeing you like this."

Leia reached up, fingers curling around Taylor's wrist, tugging her down. "Then don't just look."

Taylor smiled, a small, private thing that made Leia's heart stutter. She pulled her t-shirt over her head in one fluid motion, letting it fall to the floor. Her skin glowed in the dim light, all soft curves and delicate shadows. She climbed onto the bed, hovering over Leia for a moment before lowering herself down, the feeling of skin against skin drawing soft gasps from them both.

Taylor's mouth moved lower, trailing kisses down Leia's chest, lingering at the curve of her breast. Her tongue circled one nipple, then took it between her lips, drawing a sharp inhale from Leia. Her hands slid down to the waistband of Leia's jeans, fingers toying with the button.

"Is this okay?" Taylor asked, always checking, always making sure.

"Yes," Leia breathed, lifting her hips slightly in encouragement.

Taylor undid the button, sliding the zipper down with agonizing slowness. She hooked her fingers into the waistband, tugging the denim down Leia's legs and tossing it aside. Leia lay before her in nothing but her lacy panties, feeling both vulnerable and powerful under Taylor's gaze.

"You too," Leia said, nodding toward Taylor's leggings.

Taylor complied, shedding the rest of her clothes until they were both nearly bare, just thin strips of fabric between them. She lowered herself back down, the length of her body pressing against Leia's, and kissed her deeply, tongue sliding against hers in a rhythm that made Leia's thoughts scatter like leaves in a storm.

Taylor's hand traced patterns on Leia's skin, each touch setting nerves alight. Her fingers dipped below the elastic of Leia's underwear, pausing at the edge of where Leia needed her most.

"Please," Leia whispered against Taylor's mouth.

Taylor's fingers slipped lower, finding Leia warm and wet beneath her touch. She gasped softly against Leia's lips, the evidence of her desire sending a shiver through her own body.

"God, I've missed you," Taylor breathed, her forehead pressed against Leia's as her fingers moved in gentle circles. "I've missed this."

Leia's eyes fluttered closed, her head tilting back against the pillows. The sensation was overwhelming – not just physically, but emotionally. This was Taylor. After everything, after all the heartache and distance, it was still Taylor's hands on her body, Taylor's breath against her neck, Taylor's weight pressing her into the mattress.

"Look at me," Taylor murmured, her free hand cradling Leia's face. "Please."

Leia opened her eyes, finding Taylor's gaze fixed on her, intense and vulnerable all at once. There was something raw in that look – something unguarded that made Leia's chest tighten.

"I'm here," Leia whispered, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from Taylor's face. "I'm right here."

Taylor's movements became more deliberate, her fingers sliding lower to circle Leia's entrance before pressing inside. Leia gasped, her back arching slightly off the bed, fingers gripping Taylor's shoulders.

"Is this okay?" Taylor asked, stilling her hand, always checking, always making sure.

"Yes," Leia breathed, nodding. "God, yes. Don't stop."

Taylor began to move again, finding a rhythm that had Leia's breathing growing ragged. Her thumb circled the sensitive bundle of nerves above, perfectly in sync with the thrust of her fingers. It was as if no time had passed – as if Taylor's body still remembered every secret of Leia's, every touch that made her tremble.

Leia's hands roamed Taylor's back, feeling the subtle shift of muscle beneath soft skin as she moved. She pulled Taylor down for another kiss, messier now, breathless and desperate. Taylor's tongue slid against hers, matching the rhythm of her fingers, creating a harmony of sensation that was quickly overwhelming Leia's senses.

"Taylor," she gasped, breaking away from the kiss, her head falling back as the pleasure built to an almost unbearable peak. "I'm close—"

"I know," Taylor whispered, her voice low and intimate in Leia's ear. "I can feel it. Let go. I've got you."

"Taylor," Leia gasped, the name a prayer on her lips as she finally shattered, pleasure washing over her in waves that seemed endless. Taylor worked her through it, gentling her touch but not stopping until Leia's trembling subsided, until she lay boneless and breathless beneath her.

For a long moment, neither spoke. Taylor withdrew her hand slowly, then gathered Leia against her, holding her close as the aftershocks rippled through her body. She pressed soft kisses to Leia's temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth.

"You're still so beautiful when you come," Taylor whispered, and despite everything, Leia felt heat rise to her cheeks.

When she could move again, Leia shifted, rolling them until Taylor lay beneath her, auburn hair spilling across the pillows.

"My turn," she said, her voice still rough with pleasure.

Taylor's eyes darkened, her lips parting slightly. "You don't-"

"Taylor, I really, really want to."

Taylor's approval was swallowed by Leia's kiss, deep and purposeful, as her hands traced the familiar curves of Taylor's body. There was something different about touching her now - a reverence, perhaps, or a deeper awareness of what they were doing.

Taylor's breath hitched, her back arching slightly as Leia's mouth closed around her nipple, tongue teasing the sensitive peak. Her hands tangled in Leia's hair, neither guiding nor restraining, simply anchoring herself to the moment.

"Tell me what you want," Leia whispered, looking up at Taylor through her lashes, chin resting on her sternum.

Taylor's eyes were dark, vulnerable in the dim light. She swallowed, and Leia watched the delicate movement of her throat.

"You," Taylor said simply. "Just you."

The honesty in her voice made something shift in Leia's chest—a tightening, a loosening, something fundamental rearranging itself. She pressed a kiss to the centre of Taylor's chest, just above her heart, feeling its rapid rhythm against her lips.

Leia moved lower, trailing kisses down Taylor's stomach, feeling the muscles flutter beneath her touch. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of Taylor's underwear, glancing up for permission. Taylor nodded, lifting her hips to help as Leia slid the fabric down her legs.

For a moment, Leia just looked at her—all pale skin and gentle curves in the soft glow of the bedside lamp. Taylor had always been beautiful to her, but there was something different now. Something raw and honest in the way she lay there, utterly exposed, waiting.

"You're staring," Taylor whispered, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

"I'm appreciating," Leia corrected, pressing a kiss to Taylor's hip bone. "It's been too long."

She settled between Taylor's legs, hands sliding beneath her thighs, lifting slightly. The first touch of her tongue was gentle, exploratory, a reacquainting. Taylor gasped, her head falling back against the pillows, one hand finding Leia's hair again.

Leia took her time, rediscovering what made Taylor tremble, what drew those soft, broken sounds from her throat. She moved with deliberate patience, building Taylor slowly toward the edge, only to ease back when she felt her getting too close.

"Leia," Taylor breathed, her voice somewhere between plea and command. "Please."

She remembered exactly how Taylor liked to be touched – remembered the rhythm that would build her up slowly, the pressure that would make her gasp.

"Leia," Taylor breathed, the name falling from her lips like a revelation. "God, Leia."

Leia glanced up, watching Taylor's face as pleasure washed over her. Her eyes were closed, head tilted back, lips parted. She was breathtaking like this – completely undone, completely vulnerable, completely real.

Leia slid one finger inside her, then two, curling them just so as her tongue continued its gentle assault. Taylor's back arched off the bed, a choked sound escaping her throat.

"Look at me," Leia said softly, echoing Taylor's earlier request.

Taylor's eyes fluttered open, dark and hazy with desire, finding Leia's gaze.

"Don't look away," Leia whispered, her movements never faltering.

And Taylor didn't. Even as her breathing grew ragged, even as her body began to tremble, she held Leia's gaze. It was intimate in a way that surpassed nakedness—this silent witnessing, this refusal to hide.

When Taylor finally came, it was with Leia's name on her lips, her eyes never leaving Leia's face. The vulnerability of it made Leia's throat tighten with emotion.

Afterward, Leia crawled back up Taylor's body, pressing soft kisses to her skin as she went. She settled beside her, their limbs tangling naturally, as if their bodies remembered this choreography even if their minds had tried to forget.

Taylor's arm curled around her, drawing her closer until Leia's head rested on her chest. She could hear Taylor's heartbeat, still racing but gradually slowing to a steadier rhythm.

"I missed that," Taylor murmured, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on Leia's bare shoulder. "I missed you."

Leia closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the warmth of Taylor's body, the scent of her skin.

"I missed you too," she admitted softly. "Even when I was trying not to."

Taylor caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.

"I didn't plan this," Leia said finally, her voice soft in the quiet room.

Taylor's lips curved into a small smile. "I know. Neither did I."

"I just wanted to talk."

"We did talk."

Leia laughed softly, the sound warming the space between them. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

Taylor's expression grew more serious, her eyes searching Leia's face. "Do you regret it?"

"No," Leia said without hesitation. "Do you?"

"Never." Taylor's hand came up to cup Leia's cheek, thumb brushing gently across her lower lip. "Not a single moment with you."

The sincerity in her voice made something in Leia's chest ache. She leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Taylor's lips.

"Stay," Taylor said softly. "Not just tonight. Stay with me."

The request hung in the air between them, weighted with everything unsaid. Leia knew what Taylor was really asking - not just for her to stay until morning, but for her to stay through whatever came next.

Taylor reached up, brushing a strand of hair from Leia's face, her touch so tender it made Leia's throat tighten.

"I'm not saying we need to announce anything," Taylor said. "I'm not saying we walk the red carpet holding hands next week. I'm just saying... stay. Be with me. Let's figure it out together instead of apart."

Leia was silent for a long moment, searching Taylor's face for any hint of doubt, any flicker of uncertainty. But all she found was that same steady clarity she'd seen on the terrace at her birthday - a certainty that both terrified and captivated her.

"I can't do halfway again," Leia whispered finally. "I can't be your secret. Your maybe. Your someday."

"You won't be," Taylor promised, her thumb brushing Leia's cheekbone.

The words hung in the air between them, a fragile blueprint for something Leia had stopped believing was possible. She thought of all the nights this week that she'd spent alone in her apartment, of the empty space where Georgie used to be, of the hollow feeling that had followed her through the holidays.

And then she thought of this - of Taylor's warmth beside her, of the way her heart still raced when she even so much as looked at her.

"Alright."

"Alright?" Taylor teased. "I pour my heart out, we have literal incredible getting-back-together orgasms and all you say is 'alright'?"

Leia laughed softly, her face burying into the crook of Taylor's neck for a moment, teeth grazing skin as she smiled.

"I'm trying to play it cool," she mumbled.

Taylor made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, her arm tightening around Leia's waist. "Please don't."

"I'm not going anywhere," Leia said, this time clearer, steadier. She pulled back just enough to look Taylor in the eye. "Not if this is real. Not if you mean it."

"I mean it," Taylor whispered, and there was nothing performative in it, nothing showy. Just truth. Simple and raw and so achingly earnest it made Leia's stomach turn over.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. No rush. No storm. Just breath and skin and everything that had been broken trying, finally, to settle back into place.

Taylor's hand found Leia's again, fingers threading together instinctively. Her thumb brushed over the back of Leia's knuckles, slow and rhythmic. Comforting.

"I don't know what happens next," Taylor said, eyes flickering briefly toward the ceiling like the answer might be hidden there. "With press. With Tree. With us. But I do know I want you in it. However I can have you. Loud or quiet, messy or careful."

Leia nodded, her other hand reaching up to cup Taylor's jaw. "Okay."

A beat passed. Taylor blinked. "Okay?"

Leia smiled, slow and small. "Better?"

Taylor grinned, teeth flashing, something lighter blooming in her chest. "Much."

They shifted together beneath the covers, legs tangled, warmth spreading from where their bodies met. The snow outside kept falling, but the world in the room was still. Soft. Sacred.

Leia tucked her face into Taylor's neck again and exhaled deeply, letting the weight she'd been carrying for months ease off her chest.

Taylor pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'll make breakfast in the morning," she murmured sleepily.

Leia hummed. "Only if there's coffee."

Taylor grinned. "I'll put on the good beans."

A pause.

"And Taylor?" Leia whispered, voice already slipping into the edge of sleep.

"Yeah?"

"Don't let me go this time."

Taylor's arms tightened around her, holding her like a vow. "Never again."

Outside, the city kept sleeping, unaware of what had finally found its way back together. Inside, the fire flickered low, the record spun to silence, and for the first time in what felt like a very long time, neither of them were afraid.

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I am taking the rest of the week off but I hope you're enjoying these mega updates lol. I truly do not think ive ever been this motivated to write but you guys and your comments make it soooo much easier