EXCLUSIVE: Moving Day for Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn? Furniture Van Spotted Outside Tribeca Apartment Sparks Speculation

March 27, 2022 — By Sophie Smith for TMZ

Is Taylor Swift preparing for a major relationship upgrade?

The internet is buzzing after a furniture removal van was spotted outside Swift's New York City apartment on Thursday afternoon - with witnesses reporting that boxes and furniture were being carried into the building, not out.

The truck, which arrived just after lunchtime and remained parked for over two hours, was seen unloading several sealed boxes, wrapped artwork, and what appeared to be a low-profile velvet armchair. Movers declined to comment when asked who the delivery was for, but fans were quick to connect the dots.

Social media lit up with speculation that Swift may be making room for longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, to officially move in. While the couple has remained famously private throughout their almost five-year relationship, recent sightings suggest they've been spending more time in New York - and this could signal a new phase.

"She's always been extremely discreet about her personal life," one source close to the situation shared. "But it wouldn't be surprising if they were taking that next step. They've been solid for a long time."

Fans were quick to notice the timing, too. With Swift's rumoured next Taylor's Version album cycle expected later this year (click here to find out why we think it'll be Speak Now), some believe she's preparing her space - and her life - for more stability. Others speculated that the boxes might contain recording equipment or staging materials for secret sessions, but the homey look of the incoming furniture suggests otherwise.

"Those weren't flight cases," noted one particularly observant fan on Twitter. "That was someone setting up house."

Representatives for Swift declined to comment.

With the couple continuing to keep a low profile and refraining from any public red-carpet appearances together in recent years, fans are left piecing the puzzle together - one moving box at a time.

____

Leia was cackling.

Not the polite kind of laugh. Not even the I-can't-believe-this giggle. No, this was full-body, leg-curled, shoulder-shaking cackling as she lay sprawled on Taylor's - no, their - couch, a soft blanket tangled around her calves and her phone held triumphantly aloft in one hand.

Taylor, seated at the dining table across the room, didn't even look up from her laptop. She was halfway through replying to an email and clearly trying to pretend Leia's hysterics weren't dragging her attention every five seconds.

One of the cats - Leia couldn't tell which at this distance but was pretty sure it was Meredith - was curled in a patch of sunlight on the far armchair, unmoving except for the occasional flick of a tail. The living room smelled faintly of the eucalyptus candle Taylor had lit that morning, and a hint of coffee lingered from the press Leia had made just after waking up.

It felt like Sunday, even though it wasn't. Everything soft. Everything still.

"You're enjoying this way too much."

Leia took a breath, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, and gasped, "'Those weren't flight cases,'" she read aloud dramatically. "'That was someone setting up house.'"

Her laughter returned in a fresh wave, head tipping back against the cushions, the blanket sliding to reveal her sleep-creased shirt and one bare knee. She looked completely at home - in the way you only could when you'd stopped measuring your presence against someone else's space.

Taylor finally looked up, arching a brow as she closed her laptop with a soft click.

"You do know they think Joe moved in with me, right?" she said, crossing her arms lightly over her chest. "Like... as a romantic milestone."

Leia grinned. "I know."

"And that somehow makes this funnier to you?"

Leia nodded. "Immensely."

Taylor rose and padded across the room, her feet bare and silent against the hardwood. She was in a faded hoodie and black leggings, her hair up in a messy knot, and yet she still moved like she was always half-stage ready.

"They really think he moved in," Taylor murmured as she sank onto the edge of the couch, brushing one of Leia's knees aside to make room. Her tone was still amused, but there was something thoughtful under it too. "Like officially."

Leia reached up, looping an arm around Taylor's waist and tugging her closer.

"Well," she said, voice quieter now, "it's not him they should be writing about."

Taylor turned her head just enough to meet her eyes. The sunlight caught the corner of her smile.

"No?"

Leia's breath caught, not in surprise, but in that soft way it always did when she allowed herself to feel the everything of this. The warmth of Taylor's body beside her. The quiet peace in the room. The fact that she didn't have to leave at the end of the day.

She shifted slightly and touched her fingers to Taylor's hand.

"It's our apartment," she said.

The words floated gently into the space between them, like a leaf landing in water. No crash. Just truth.

Taylor blinked, her expression shifting into something softer, something deeper. Her hand closed around Leia's. They stayed like that, unspeaking for a moment, while the city hummed faintly beyond the windows - a distant car horn, the muted rhythm of someone walking upstairs, the occasional creak of the building settling into itself.

"Yeah," Taylor said eventually, her voice low. "It is."

Leia leaned in and kissed her — not the kind of kiss that tried to prove something, but the kind that came from knowing it didn't need to. Slow and sure, familiar and new at the same time. Taylor tasted like coffee and the maple syrup they'd drizzled on pancakes that morning. Leia could feel her smile against her mouth.

When they parted, Taylor pressed her forehead to Leia's, still holding her hand. The moment was so tender, so settled, that Leia half wanted to cry and half wanted to frame it in her mind to live inside forever.

"You think we should send Joe's shitty PR team a fruit basket?" Taylor whispered.

Leia blinked. Then burst into laughter again. "A fruit basket?"

"For giving the press something to focus on," Taylor said with a smirk. "A distraction. A PR decoy while we get to stay in our little bubble."

Leia laughed until she was breathless.

"No way. Let's keep the fruit. We've got a whole apartment to fill."

Taylor tilted her head. "With fruit?"

"With whatever we want."

"I like the sound of that..."

Taylor's gaze wandered around the apartment, taking in the space they now shared.

"You know," Taylor said, her voice dropping to a lower register as she tucked a strand of hair behind Leia's ear, "we haven't really had time to properly welcome you to our apartment."

The emphasis on 'our' made Leia's heart flutter. She shifted slightly, turning to face Taylor more fully.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

Taylor's lips curved into a smile that was both mischievous and tender. She leaned in, pressing light kisses along Leia's jawline, each one lingering a little longer than the last. Her breath was warm against Leia's skin, sending shivers down her spine despite the afternoon heat.

"Well," Taylor murmured between kisses, moving to the sensitive spot just below Leia's ear, "there's the new armchair, or the dinner table..." Her hand slid up Leia's thigh, fingers tracing idle patterns. "The kitchen counter. The window seat. That little alcove by the bookshelf."

Leia's breath caught as Taylor continued her inventory, each location accompanied by another kiss, another touch.

"The piano bench," Taylor continued, smiling against Leia's neck. "The shower. That little reading nook I never actually use for reading."

Leia laughed, a breathless sound that dissolved into a soft gasp as Taylor's teeth grazed her earlobe.

"That's quite the tour you're proposing," Leia managed, her fingers curling into the fabric of Taylor's hoodie.

"I'm very thorough," Taylor replied, pulling back just enough to meet Leia's eyes. The playfulness in her expression was tempered by something deeper, more tender. "This place has always been mine, but now it's ours. I want to make memories with you in every corner."

"Where should we start?" Leia whispered.

Taylor's gaze drifted meaningfully toward the new armchair, its deep emerald velvet catching the afternoon light. "Well, since it's what started all the rumours..."

"Seems fitting. Though I hope you realise we're never going to be able to offer anyone a seat there with a straight face," Leia laughed, the sound quickly transforming into a gasp as Taylor's hands found their way under her shirt.

Taylor stood, pulling Leia up with her. The blanket fell to the floor in a soft heap as Taylor led her toward the armchair, their fingers intertwined.

"I think this calls for a proper christening," Taylor murmured, guiding Leia to sit on the velvet surface. The fabric was cool against Leia's bare legs, and she sank into its plush embrace as Taylor knelt before her.

"Is this how all your furniture gets welcomed into the home?" Leia asked, her voice catching as Taylor's hands slid up her thighs and rested on the edge of Leia's shorts.

"Only the special pieces," Taylor replied with a wicked smile. "Only when you're here."

Taylor's fingers hooked under the waistband of Leia's shorts, the touch deliberate and achingly gentle. A question lived in her eyes as she looked up, her blonde hair falling loose from its knot, framing her face in the golden afternoon light.

"Is this okay?" she asked, her voice a whisper that seemed to fill the entire apartment.

Leia nodded, lifting her hips slightly as Taylor began to slide the shorts down her legs. The fabric whispered against her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Taylor took her time, as if unwrapping something precious, her eyes never leaving Leia's face, cataloging every reaction, every hitched breath.

The shorts joined the forgotten blanket on the floor. Taylor's hands traced the newly exposed skin, fingertips dancing along the sensitive inside of Leia's thighs, leaving trails of heat that made her shiver despite the warmth of the room.

"You're beautiful," Taylor murmured, pressing a kiss to Leia's knee, then another slightly higher. "So beautiful."

Leia's fingers threaded through Taylor's hair, dislodging the knot completely so that blonde waves cascaded over her shoulders, brushing against Leia's thighs as Taylor moved higher. Each kiss was like a promise written on her skin, each touch a note in a melody only they could hear.

Taylor's fingers hooked under the elastic of Leia's underwear, a delicate black lace that contrasted with her tan skin. Her touch was reverent as she slid them down, her breath warm against newly exposed skin. Leia closed her eyes, her head falling back against the chair as Taylor's lips traced the line where her thigh met her hip.

"Look at me," Taylor whispered, her voice gentle but firm.

Leia opened her eyes to find Taylor watching her, blue eyes dark with desire but soft with something deeper. This was what the world didn't see – not the polished performer, not the carefully crafted image, but Taylor raw and real, her heart visible in every glance.

"I want to see you," Taylor said, her hands spreading Leia's thighs wider as she settled between them. "I want to watch you come apart."

The first touch of Taylor's mouth was like electricity, sending a current through Leia's entire body. She gasped, her fingers tightening in Taylor's hair as Taylor's tongue traced delicate patterns, each movement deliberate and knowing. There was no hesitation in her touch – she knew Leia's body as well as she knew her own.

Leia's hands gripped the velvet armrests, her knuckles white as Taylor worked her magic. Every swipe of her tongue, every gentle suck had Leia arching into her touch, soft moans escaping her lips as the pleasure built within her. The afternoon sunlight bathed them in a golden glow, highlighting the flush spreading across Leia's chest and the sheen of sweat forming on her skin.

"Taylor," she gasped, her voice breaking on the name. "God, please-"

Taylor hummed against her, the vibration sending a new wave of sensation coursing through Leia's body. She looked up, maintaining eye contact as she slid two fingers inside, curling them just so. The combination was overwhelming, and Leia felt herself teetering on the edge, her thighs trembling on either side of Taylor's head.

"Let go," Taylor whispered against her heated skin. "I've got you."

And Leia did, her release washing over her in waves as Taylor guided her through it, gentling her touch but never stopping completely until Leia's body went slack against the velvet. Taylor pressed a final kiss to her inner thigh before resting her cheek against Leia's knee, looking up at her with such tenderness that it made Leia's heart ache.

"Well," Leia said when she could finally speak again, her voice still breathless, "I think the chair has been properly welcomed."

Taylor laughed, the sound bright and genuine as she rose from her knees, wincing slightly as she straightened. "One down, many to go."

Leia reached for her, pulling Taylor down onto her lap, the chair easily accommodating them both. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Taylor's ear, marvelling at how the simple gesture felt so intimate, so domestic.

"Your turn," she murmured, her hands already working their way under Taylor's hoodie. "Though maybe we should move to the bedroom? For our first official night living here together?"

Taylor smiled, that special smile that was reserved just for Leia – not the one fans saw on stage or in carefully curated Instagram posts, but something real and unguarded.

"I like that plan," she said, pressing a kiss to Leia's lips. "But first -"

The sound of Taylor's phone ringing cut through the moment. Taylor groaned, burying her face in Leia's neck.

"Ignore it," Leia suggested, her fingers tracing patterns on Taylor's back.

"It's the third time in twenty minutes," Taylor sighed. "It's probably Tree."

As if on cue, the ringing stopped, only to start again almost immediately. Taylor extracted herself from Leia's lap with obvious reluctance, padding across the room to where her phone vibrated against the coffee table.

"Hey, Tree," she answered, her voice shifting into what Leia had come to think of as her 'business voice'.

Leia watched as Taylor leaned against the coffee table, one hand holding the phone to her ear, the other absently twirling a strand of loose hair. There was something irresistible about Taylor when she slipped into her professional mode – the slight straightening of her posture, the measured cadence of her voice. It was like watching her transform into another version of herself, equally authentic but differently armored.

"Yes, I saw the article," Taylor was saying, her eyes rolling skyward. "No, I'm not concerned about it. It's just furniture, Tree."

Leia smiled to herself, sliding off the armchair. She felt deliciously languid, her body still humming with aftershocks of pleasure. The hardwood was cool beneath her bare feet as she padded silently across the room, pulling back on her unbuttoned shorts and letting them hang loose on her hips. She hadn't bothered retrieving her underwear.

"Of course they're speculating," Taylor continued, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That's what they do. That's literally their entire business model."

As Taylor listened to whatever Tree was saying, Leia approached from behind, her movements deliberately slow. Taylor's back was to her, giving Leia a perfect view of the elegant curve of her neck where it met her shoulder, the spot where her hoodie had slipped to reveal a constellation of freckles that Leia had memorised with her lips on countless nights.

She leaned forward, brushing Taylor's hair aside with gentle fingers, and pressed her lips to the nape of Taylor's neck in a whisper-soft kiss. She felt rather than heard Taylor's slight intake of breath, a barely perceptible hitch in her otherwise smooth conversational flow.

"I understand that, Tree," Taylor said, her voice impressively steady. "But I think we're overthinking this. It's just another Tuesday in the tabloids."

Emboldened by Taylor's composure – which Leia immediately recognised as a silent dare – she continued her exploration. Her lips trailed along the curve of Taylor's neck, each kiss lingering a little longer than the last. When she reached the sensitive spot just below Taylor's ear, she parted her lips slightly, letting her breath warm the skin before pressing a more insistent kiss there.

Taylor shifted almost imperceptibly, tilting her head in a way that could have been casual if Leia didn't know her so well. It was the smallest of invitations, one that anyone else might have missed.

"No, I'm still here," Taylor said into the phone, her free hand moving behind her to rest on Leia's head as she continued kissing along Taylor's neck.

Leia pressed herself closer, her front flush against Taylor's back, and felt the subtle arch as Taylor leaned into her. The power of being able to affect her like this - while she maintained her professional facade - was intoxicating. Leia's hands grew bolder, one sliding up to cup Taylor's breast through her bra while the other dipped below the waistband of her leggings.

"Yes, I'll ask Leia to call Riv-" Taylor's voice caught as Leia's fingers found their target. She cleared her throat. "She'll call him tomorrow to coordinate. But right now I'm in the middle of... something important."

Leia smiled against Taylor's neck, feeling the rapid pulse beneath her lips. She continued her finger ministrations, slow and deliberate, as Taylor attempted to wrap up the call.

"Tree, I really have to go," Taylor said, her voice dropping an octave. "We'll touch base tomorrow."

Whatever Tree said in response made Taylor laugh, a sound that transformed into a soft gasp as Leia's fingers increased their pressure on her clit.

"No, I'm fine. Just... tired. Moving day and all that."

With a hasty goodbye, Taylor ended the call and tossed her phone onto the couch, turning in Leia's arms with a mix of exasperation and desire in her eyes.

"You," she said, her voice a delicious rasp, "are absolutely impossible."

Leia grinned, unrepentant. "Was I making it hard for you to focus on your very important business call?"

"You know exactly what you were doing," Taylor replied, her thumbs brushing along Leia's cheekbones. "Tree probably thinks I've developed some kind of respiratory condition with all that controlled breathing I was doing."

Taylor's thumbs swept gently over Leia's cheeks, anchoring her there, eyes bright with amusement and the lingering heat of the moment.

Leia grinned up at her, unrepentant. "You sounded so composed. I was genuinely impressed."

Taylor let out a breath of a laugh, forehead dipping against Leia's. "I was composing the end of my will in my head. Just in case."

Leia's laugh was softer now, more intimate. The kind of laugh that came from knowing every look, every rhythm of breath, every beat of silence between them. "Well, if you're gonna go out, might as well be in style."

They stood like that for a moment longer, pressed together in the golden hush of early evening, the last light pooling at their feet through the tall windows. The candle on the coffee table had nearly burned itself out, its flame flickering low behind a haze of eucalyptus.

Taylor pulled back just enough to really look at Leia again.

"I love you," she said quietly. "Even when you're insufferable."

Leia reached up and brushed a stray hair behind Taylor's ear. "I love you too. Even when you're pretending Joe Alwyn is moving into our apartment."

Taylor groaned, resting her forehead on Leia's shoulder. "Please never say that again, and especially not after..."

Leia smiled into the curve of her neck, then tilted her head back slightly to kiss her cheek and cut her off with a smirk.

"So," Leia murmured, pulling her in closer again, "where were we?"

Taylor smirked. "Well, we still haven't properly welcomed the window seat..."

Leia raised a brow. "Ambitious."

Taylor grinned.

"Just thorough."

Taylor took her hand, their fingers knotting easily together as she tugged her gently toward the tall frosted bay windows. The city had begun to sparkle outside, lights flickering on across the skyline, but in here - with the scent of fading candle wax, the rustle of soft clothes, and the quiet, shared heartbeat of two people who knew how to find each other - it still felt like their own private world.

And Leia had never been more sure that she was exactly where she was meant to be.

_____

April 2022

Leia was no longer laughing.

"And then he had the audacity to even laugh about it?" She spat out, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "'If I had a pound for every time I think I've been told I've been engaged, then I'd have a lot of pound coins. If the answer was yes, I wouldn't say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn't say.' Who the fuck does this man actually think he is?"

Riven rolled his eyes, ignoring her as he continued to tap away on his iPad. Tree looked up, a little twitch of a smirk on her lips as she looked around the room at the group and noticed that a few others were trying to hide their own smiles.

"What happened to 'Joe Alwyn could never get under my skin'?" Tree teased, Leia snapping her head to the redhead and sending her a scowl.

Even Taylor was hiding her own smile behind her palm, having quite enjoyed the sudden spring of jealously and protectiveness that had came from Leia as soon as she'd seen her Twitter timeline that morning. Taylor didn't want to give her the satisfaction of admitting it even kind of... you know. Got her going a little.

"He could have just told them you guys aren't a thing anymore, and it would have solved all of this," Leia snipped back, rolling her eyes at how everyone else was not taking her seriously. "No guys, like I'm so serious. Contract or not, he has no backbone and knows damn well this is weird and wrong."

Tree didn't flinch. She just calmly crossed her legs and adjusted the folder in her lap, flipping a page like she wasn't the one Leia had just snapped at.

"No disagreement from me," she said mildly. "It's weird and wrong. But it's also strategic, considering half of the promo for Conversation with Friends is featuring him and the only reason people listen in to his interviews are for snippets like this about the 'most elusive couple', and that's why it's happening."

Leia huffed and spun away from her, rubbing her hand down her face as she resumed pacing.

The room was warm and bright, one of the upstairs meeting spaces in Tree's office. The windows let in a spill of spring sunshine, but the air inside still held the faint chill of early April. Someone had left a bowl of trail mix on the table, and Tate was curled beneath Taylor's chair, dozing like the drama of the morning hadn't touched him at all.

Leia wasn't even sure what had made her check Twitter that early. Maybe habit. Maybe instinct. All she knew was that she'd opened her phone and the first headline she saw was Joe Alwyn laughs off engagement rumours with Taylor Swift in cryptic new interview. The video was already circulating, the quote blasted across every news outlet.

And worse than the vagueness, worse than the smirk - was the way he had said it. Like it was all still his to be vague about. Like none of it had changed.

She still hated the guy.

Leia pressed her fingertips to her temple, her heart still thumping with leftover adrenaline. She couldn't stop picturing it. Him. Sitting there, lounging in some overpriced chair, acting coy. Playing into the story like he hadn't been the one who pushed Taylor away and then cheated on her. Like Taylor wasn't someone else's entire world now.

Someone. As if it wasn't her.

She turned back to the room, voice sharper now.

"It's not just weird. It's deliberate. That's him telling the press he still owns the narrative. That this is still his to play coy about."

"It is deliberate," Tree agreed. "And annoying. And manipulative. But -"

"- also technically within the limits of the contract," Riven cut in without looking up from his iPad.

Leia turned her gaze to Taylor now, who was sitting back in one of the chairs, arms crossed loosely, expression unreadable.

"Say something," Leia said, her voice softer. Pleading. "Tell me I'm not losing my mind."

Taylor exhaled, her fingers tracing the edge of the cup in front of her as her eyes softened, the smile dropping from her lips.

"You're not losing your mind," she said gently. "I just... I knew he could be like this."

Leia's chest ached.

"I guess I thought," Taylor went on, "that maybe he'd want to move on. Really move on. Not just... keep being vague so he gets to look like the good guy."

"He's not the good guy," Leia snapped.

"I know that," Taylor said, her voice still calm as she rubbed a thumb across Leia's hand, watching as she softened at the mere touch of her girlfriend.

Leia sat down slowly, her hand brushing over Tate's fur as she reached the edge of Taylor's chair. Her shoulders slumped, some of the anger melting into frustration, then into something quieter.

"I just don't get how someone could even act like that about you, even if you had been together."

Taylor looked at her again, eyes soft. Tree closed the folder in her lap and leaned forward slightly.

"We're working on getting the paperwork voided, but Joe's team is playing this as long as they can, because it buys him relevance and good press, and buys them time."

Then Riven cleared his throat.

"So, what I'm hearing is we don't send a fruit basket."

Leia barked a laugh despite herself.

"No," Taylor said, laughing now too. "No fruit baskets."

"Speak for yourselves," Tree sighed. "I was ready to hurl a pineapple through his team's office window."

Leia leaned into Taylor's side as they all continued laughing, the warmth of her shoulder a reminder of what was real. Tate looked up, his head titled at the sudden hilarity before sighing deeply and flopping back down.

"What could he possibly have to sigh about?" Azul muttered, rolling his eyes from where he was sitting in the corner on his phone. Drew sniggered beside him, the two security guards having struck up a severe bromance since Leia and Taylor had gotten back together at the start of the year.

"Anyway, I feel like you've let this overshadow your big moment long enough," Tree cut in again, motioning to Riven who had finally looked up from his iPad.

Riven straightened in his seat like he'd been waiting for this cue. Which, knowing Riven, he probably had. He set his iPad down on the table with a small, performative flourish as Azul looked up from his phone and lovingly at his boyfriend.

"Thank you, Tree," he said dryly. "Lovely to be given the floor after the great Fruit Basket Debate of 2022."

Leia rolled her eyes, but she was smiling now... small, real, the edges of her frustration beginning to soften.

Taylor, seated beside her, perked up immediately. She wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. Her whole posture shifted. She was practically vibrating in her chair, her chin propped in her hand like a schoolkid about to watch her crush present a science fair project.

"So. We've adjusted the rollout. Given everything with, you know, the world still believing you're hiding away in your apartment rather than the reality that you're just living elsewhere-" he shot a look at Taylor, who snorted into her coffee, "-we're accelerating things just slightly while there's some press on us."

Leia raised a brow. "How slightly?"

"A few weeks," Riven replied. "Instead of mid-June, we're going for mid-May. Announcement next week, full campaign across socials, a couple strategic interviews, and then boom. Album."

"Boom?" Leia echoed, skeptical.

"Boom," Tree confirmed. "You've earned the boom."

"And we don't want to crowd the summer," Riven added, glancing toward Taylor knowingly. "Somebody's got a little brand-new-album plan up their sleeve in August, if I hear right."

Taylor didn't even pretend to look innocent. She just smiled and said, "No comment."

Leia shook her head, still a little dazed.

"May feels soon."

"It is soon. It's two weeks away, and release date is just under six. You've been sitting on a finished album for over a month and refusing to play it for anyone except from Jack, who has only heard it cause he sole produced it," Riven deadpanned. "Soon isn't the problem. Nerve is."

"I have nerve."

"You have an existential fear of people hearing your bridge work," Riven said. "You made Georgie sign an NDA just to read your liner notes."

Leia scowled, but her ears were pink.

"It's good bridge work."

Taylor leaned closer, grinning like she couldn't contain it. "It's great bridge work."

Leia glanced sideways at her. "You haven't heard it yet."

"No," Taylor said, smug. "But I've seen the look on your face when you talk about it. That's how I know it's good."

That shut Leia up. Or at least quieted her for a moment, her heart lurching softly behind her ribs. Tree looked between them with narrowed eyes, something warm and approving settling in her features. Then she turned back to the table.

"Once the album cover post goes up, I guess you'll drip some visuals? You're filming the promo video this week, right?"

Leia nodded. "Tuesday. Downtown studio."

"Perfect. Then it's just a matter of staying ahead of the press cycle and building enough momentum that the Joe noise gets drowned out by the music. We can't deny what he's saying, but we can certainly work between the four of us to make it old news and irrelevant."

"Which, I can confirm, it will."

Leia looked down at her hands. "I'm just glad I got to make it the way I wanted."

Riven smiled, softer now.

"You didn't just make it. You owned it. No A&R meddling, no forced co-writes, no label-approved producers. You had full creative control, Leia. That doesn't happen often. And the fact that they let you? That means they believe in it."

Leia's throat tightened. She swallowed and looked back at Taylor, whose hand had come to rest gently over hers.

"And we haven't heard a single note," Taylor added, eyes shining. "You really gonna keep us waiting?"

Leia hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Alright. Fine. You can hear it tonight."

Taylor sat up straighter. "Seriously?"

"I'll play it for you after dinner."

"You're my favourite artist," Taylor said as she squealed in excitement. "I'm not even kidding. I've been waiting for this since you released the last album."

"Again, I feel I do need to remind you that there are other people in the room," Riven deadpanned. Tree rolled her eyes too. "I don't know why you both do this constant thing where you just zone everyone else out but honestly, it's why I don't trust you enough to walk a carpet together yet."

Leia couldn't help but smile, even though she knew Riven wasn't really joking. There was no hesitation in it anymore. No deflection, no apology. Just warmth, settling into her chest like sunlight. She looked around the room, at her team and Taylor's and the ridiculous dog dozing under the chair. At Taylor, whose enthusiasm burned brighter than anyone else's.

"Alright," Leia said again, stronger this time. "Let's do it."

Tree clapped her hands once, startling Tate from his nap.

"Good," she said, standing up. "Because I have dinner reservations for us."

____

____

The chair was more comfortable than she remembered.

Leia crossed one leg over the other, her heels barely grazing the edge of the platform beneath her as the crowd's applause finally began to settle. The lights were bright, almost distractingly so, and the studio air held that faint artificial chill that made everyone sit a little straighter. But she was warm enough. Adrenaline had always done the job better than any stage light.

Jimmy grinned across at her from behind his desk, fingers drumming playfully on the cards in front of him.

"Leia Hudson, ladies and gentlemen!" he declared, voice riding the final wave of applause. "Back on the show, album on the way, and looking cooler than any of us will ever be."

Leia smirked, brushing a curl behind her ear.

"That's generous of you. I tripped in the hallway five minutes ago."

"Yeah, but you tripped fashionably," Jimmy said, laughing. "It was a very stylish stumble."

The crowd laughed along with them, and Leia relaxed just a little more into the rhythm of the interview. This part she knew. She liked it, even. She'd done enough press runs to understand the game, and Jimmy? He always made it feel like a conversation you'd have on your friend's couch at 2 a.m., if your friend just happened to have a band and five cameras pointed at you.

"So, your second album," Jimmy began, setting his cards aside. "We're calling it ethereal..."

Leia nodded, a grin tugging at her mouth. "We are."

"Which is a very dreamy, emotional, vaguely witchy word."

"Correct," she said. "I honestly just love it, even if I did have to re-read a dictionary to make sure it meant what I thought it did. Checked it and knew that was the album title, like a moth to a flame."

Laughter rippled across the room.

"And the album's out next month?" Jimmy continued. "Can we expect more of the storytelling vibes we got with ends well? Because that song like hurt people."

Leia gave a sheepish smile.

"There's definitely storytelling. A lot of it's... a little raw. But there's joy in it too. It's not all pain and candles."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "So, it's a happy record?"

Leia hesitated. Her eyes softened. Riven and Tree had told her to watch what she said... but the thought of Joe sitting smugly in that interview was at the back of her head. Sure, she wouldn't drop Taylor in it... but a little subtlety never hurt anyone.

"It's a real record," she said. "Some of it is really happy. Some of it isn't. But it's all about love."

Jimmy leaned in slightly, catching the shift in her tone. "Ahh, love."

Here it came.

"Which brings me to a very important question," he said, grinning. "Is Leia Hudson... seeing anyone?"

The audience responded exactly as expected - oohs, a few scattered cheers, someone in the back outright yelled "ME!" and Leia laughed, shaking her head.

She leaned forward slightly, matching Jimmy's teasing energy.

"I mean, the album is about the love of my life."

The audience erupted again, and Jimmy's eyes widened in surprise. He almost dropped his own small cue cards, not having expected that. From the corner of her eye, she could see Riven shake his head, and she swore that his apple watch was sending him heart rate notifications most likely.

"Wait, wait, wait - that's news! Exclusive! We got it first!"

"You can't just drop a 'love of my life' and then leave us hanging," Jimmy said, pointing at her dramatically. "You owe America answers."

Leia bit her bottom lip, that playful gleam still in her eye.

"It's very, very private," she said coyly. "I don't want to scare her off."

There was a beat. A few people in the audience gasped. Jimmy blinked, caught the pronoun, and then grinned like Christmas came early. Leia wondered if he knew, since he'd known last time too.

"OHHH-kay," he said, leaning back in his chair, clearly restraining himself. "Okay! I see how it is. Private but interesting."

"Private but very happy," Leia replied simply, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "And that's all I'm saying. For now."

Jimmy gave the camera a look. "This is gonna break TikTok."

Leia smirked.

It was also going to break Tree and Riven's patience with her.

___

The apartment was dim, lit only by the amber glow of a single floor lamp and the low flicker of the TV across the room. The cats were asleep somewhere in the guest room, and Tate was curled against Taylor's thigh on the couch, his breathing slow and steady, occasionally twitching as he dreamed.

Taylor wasn't even sure how long she'd been sitting like that. Curled under a knit throw blanket, one hand buried in Tate's fur, the other loosely holding her phone, untouched since she'd pressed play on the recorded Fallon segment.

She'd seen it live earlier, of course. She always did when Leia was on. But something about watching it again in the quiet made it feel different. More personal. Like hearing her name in a dream and knowing it meant something.

"Well," Fallon was saying through the screen, grinning like he'd just been handed state secrets. "This is gonna break TikTok."

And then Leia had laughed.

That same laugh that had echoed through this apartment two nights ago, when she'd walked barefoot into the kitchen and claimed they didn't have enough forks, like that was the most pressing crisis in the world. That same laugh that Taylor had once only gotten glimpses of in green rooms and afterparties. Now it filled her home like sunlight. Like music.

Taylor paused the recording just as Leia smiled at the camera - small, private, and a little smug.

She tilted her head and studied the still frame.

"Don't want to scare her off," Leia had said.

God.

Taylor pressed her knuckles against her mouth, smile curling against her skin. She could still feel the faint press of Leia's lips on her jaw from this morning. The way she'd whispered something entirely unrepeatable as Taylor tried to leave for her label meeting. The way she'd kissed her, slow and final, like she was sending her off to war.

Taylor's chest ached in that gentle, content way it sometimes did now - like her heart didn't know where to put all this feeling, so it just let it swell.

She leaned forward and rewound the video.

Watched it again.

"...the love of my life," Leia said.

Taylor tucked the blanket higher on her chest, her throat thick with something she didn't quite have a name for. She had become somewhat used to being the secret, pushed to the side in favour of Joe's demand for publicity when it suited him.

But for once, she didn't feel erased.

She felt... chosen. Like Leia was holding her in the quiet, not hiding her. Like this was sacred. Just for them.

The door creaked softly behind her, and Taylor turned to see Leia coming in from the hallway, barefoot and towel-draped from the shower. Her hair was still damp, curling slightly at the ends. She had that soft, flushed post-shower glow and smelled faintly of Taylor's shampoo.

"You watching it again?" Leia asked, already grinning as she reached for a pair of lounge shorts on the back of the chair.

Taylor shrugged. "Maybe."

Leia chuckled as she tugged them on alongside a sweater and crossed the room, settling beside her and letting Tate immediately migrate to her lap. She looked at the screen, then back at Taylor.

"You okay?"

Taylor didn't answer right away. She just looked at her - really looked at her - and let the quiet say all the things she couldn't.

Then she reached for Leia's hand under the blanket and threaded their fingers together.

"I liked what you said," Taylor murmured.

Leia turned to her, a teasing glint in her eye. "Which part? The part where I say I'm seeing someone? Or the part where I imply you're extremely skittish and I might scare you away like a spooked deer?"

Taylor smiled. "All of it."

Leia was quiet for a second. Then she leaned in and kissed her temple.

"I meant it," she said.

Taylor closed her eyes at the warmth of it, the weight of those words. She didn't need the whole world to know. Not yet. Maybe not ever in the way people wanted. But she needed this. This moment. This love, steady and real.

And Leia, sitting here beside her, was enough.

"You didn't scare me," Taylor said softly.

Leia smiled. "Good."

Then, after a pause...

"Even if I did, I'd still find you. You know that, right?"

Taylor's throat closed for a moment. She nodded.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I do."

And for the rest of the night, they didn't say much. Just sat there, curled together under the soft hum of the TV, hearts beating in quiet rhythm, as the world kept guessing and they kept choosing each other.

_____

WHO IS LEIA SEEING?
Pop Star's Fallon Interview Sparks Wild Speculation About Mysterious New Love Interest

April 5, 2022 — by Callie Turner for PEOPLE Online

After her headline-making Fallon interview last night, fans and media alike are buzzing with one question: who is Leia's new mystery woman?

The ends well singer - whose sophomore album ethereal is due out next month - raised eyebrows when talk show host Jimmy Fallon playfully asked if she was seeing anyone. Leia's response?

"The album is about the love of my life," she said with a grin, before quickly adding, "It's very, very private. I don't want to scare her off."

Cue the collective internet meltdown.

While Leia kept her cards close, the lack of a name has sent social media into a speculative spiral. So far, here are the leading theories:

1. The University Friend Theory
Some fans believe the mystery woman may be someone from Leia's inner circle in NYC, possibly a mutual acquaintance of her younger sister, Georgie. According to Reddit sleuths, Georgie attended university with a close-knit group of creatives - one of whom, a gallery curator named Jess D., has reportedly been spotted standing near Leia in photos that date as far back as the 2018 Met Gala.

One fan tweeted, "Leia said it's private, not new. Jess has been there since the first era. Just saying."

No comments have been made by Jess or anyone in Georgie's circle - but the theory is gaining traction.

2. The Barista Down the Street
Another increasingly popular theory? Leia is dating someone completely out of the industry - specifically, a barista from her go-to coffee spot in Tribeca.

TikTok user @swiftlikeabutton compiled a side-by-side video of Leia entering the same corner café multiple times in the last three months, often leaving with two drinks and a suspiciously bashful smile.

"She's literally glowing," the caption reads. "It's giving soft-launch of a relationship with the barista."

There's no word on who this mystery coffee queen might be - but fans are already calling her "Latte Love."

3. A Return to the Past?
Some more nostalgic fans are clinging to the hope that Leia may have rekindled things with a former flame, though which one remains up for debate. A few particularly ambitious Tumblr threads have already dissected lyrics from her last EP in connection to her Fallon interview, but so far, nothing definitive.

Leia's team has declined to comment.

What we do know? She's happy. She's glowing. And, according to Fallon, "She couldn't stop smiling."

Whoever she's with, she seems very much in love.

And we'll just be over here... refreshing Instagram stories.

_____

Taylor was laughing.

The kind of laugh that made the cats scatter and Leia peer up from her laptop with narrowed suspicion.

From her spot at the kitchen island, Leia glanced up from her laptop, blinking at the sudden outburst. She had Tate draped over her feet, her second coffee of the day cooling beside her untouched. She hadn't even made it halfway through her emails, and now Taylor was over there giggling like she'd just read the greatest piece of literature of all time.

"Do I want to know?" Leia asked, voice half-teasing, half-weary.

Taylor didn't answer right away. She was too busy wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, the phone in her hand shaking from the effort it took to keep scrolling. Her bare feet were tangled in the blanket that had slipped off the couch sometime around noon, and Olivia had settled like a queen on the back cushion behind her, entirely unbothered.

"Okay," Taylor said finally, gasping through another laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just - this is so good."

Leia closed her laptop and leaned her elbows on the island, suspicion rising. "What is?"

Taylor cleared her throat with mock seriousness and read aloud, "'Sources say the mystery woman may be someone Leia studied with at university - or possibly a barista from a local café she's been seen visiting recently. One fan noted a significant uptick in her latte consumption over the past few weeks.'"

Leia blinked.

"No."

Taylor nodded solemnly, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Yes. You are apparently dating Jess D., a turtleneck-wearing gallery curator who lives in Brooklyn and doesn't believe in social media. The people are convinced."

Leia groaned, dropping her head onto her folded arms as she began to laugh.

"Oh my God. Who even is that?"

Taylor leaned over the back of the couch to show her phone to Leia as she scrolled TikTok.

"There's even a TikTok account dedicated to mapping your café visits and theorising which drink orders could be secret messages."

"I will never speak to Jimmy Fallon again."

"Oh no," Taylor said with exaggerated sympathy. "Did he hold you at gunpoint and make you admit you were in love?"

Leia raised her head just enough to glare across the room. "I was trying to be vague."

"You said - and I quote - 'The album is about the love of my life.'"

Leia pointed at her. "You are the love of my life!"

"Yeah," Taylor said, eyes sparkling. "But I'm also the mysterious, under-the-radar barista you're allegedly afraid of scaring off."

Leia stood, stretching as she crossed the room. The hardwood was cool under her feet, and the soft scent of bergamot from the candle Taylor had lit that morning lingered in the air. She reached the couch and flopped down beside her, half on Taylor's legs, half on the heap of pillows and cat hair.

Taylor shifted slightly to make room, letting her legs rest across Leia's lap, her phone still glowing in one hand.

"They really think I'm dating someone else?" Leia asked, voice softening with disbelief.

Taylor turned the screen so she could see. Sure enough, there it was - a grainy paparazzi photo of Leia walking into a coffee shop, oversized hoodie and sunglasses, her hand reaching for the door. The caption beneath it read: Could this be her? Mystery girlfriend spotted near West Village café.

Leia squinted. "That's you in the reflection."

Taylor grinned. "And yet they've got you linked to a woman who once sat next to your sister in a Media Studies lecture."

Leia groaned again, burying her face in Taylor's thigh. "I should've just said I was single."

Taylor's fingers slid into her hair, gentle and warm.

"But you're not."

Leia closed her eyes at the words. They weren't sharp. They weren't possessive. Just solid. Steady. True.

She felt the tension ease from her shoulders as Taylor's hand moved in slow, soothing patterns. The noise of the world dulled for a moment, the buzz of media and speculation and half-truths giving way to the quiet rhythm of the apartment... the hum of the dishwasher, the soft creak of pipes behind the walls, the steady beat of Taylor's heart under her hand.

"No," Leia whispered. "I'm not."

Taylor set her phone down and shifted so they were face to face, knees bent and touching. "You know what this means, right?"

Leia looked up at her, wary.

"What?"

Taylor grinned. "We have the perfect decoy. The media's busy playing Where's Jess D., and that means we can keep flying under the radar."

Leia narrowed her eyes. "You want to use the Jess D. theory to our advantage?"

"Don't act like you're above it," Taylor said, reaching for her coffee and taking a slow sip. "You practically encouraged the Joe-moving-in rumour last month."

Leia grinned. "That was different. That was funny."

"This is hilarious," Taylor insisted. "I'm going to start leaving little clues."

Leia snorted. "Please don't."

Taylor leaned closer, her voice a low whisper.

"Latte art shaped like an L. Mystery hand in an Instagram Story. A turtleneck left in frame."

Leia swatted her playfully with the throw pillow. "You're a menace."

"But I'm your menace."

Taylor grinned and caught Leia's wrist, tugging her gently in until they were pressed together again. She kissed the edge of her jaw, her voice quieter now.

"Don't let them get to you. They'll chase a shadow until we tell them otherwise."

Leia nodded, fingers curling around the hem of Taylor's hoodie.

"I know. It's just weird, sometimes. Like watching a bunch of strangers build a version of my life that doesn't exist."

Taylor's hand slid up her back. "And yet... the real version is so much better."

Leia smiled against her neck. "Even if I'm secretly dating Jess D. on the side?"

Taylor chuckled, her breath warm against her ear.

"I'll allow it. But only if she's into three-way brunches and doesn't mind that I steal all the covers."

Leia leaned back to meet her eyes, playful and adoring all at once.

"I don't think she stands a chance."

"Poor Jess," Taylor murmured. "God forbid she ever orders a flat white again."

They both erupted into laugher, wheezing as they lay against each other. The city buzzed quietly beyond the windows. But here, in the hush of their apartment, it was just them.

Coffee and laughter, pillow-fights and fake girlfriends, soft warmth and the kind of love that needed no performance.