"Honestly, I have no idea why you were brought into it," Taylor told the smaller girl, leaning back as she tucked her legs under her on the soft couch. The coffee cradled in her hands let off a gentle stream of heat as she tucked a strand of her golden locks behind her ear.

The second Leia had seen the news report about her apparently being the reason Taylor and Calvin had supposedly called it quits, she had rushed straight over to the girl's LA house (a very excited Tate at her side). Her security had been confused at the sudden arrival, but Taylor had known immediately why the girl had turned up and was quick to pull her into a hug and explain that she wasn't annoyed at the Hudson in the slightest.

Calvin hadn't cheated on Taylor with Leia, but he certainly had cheated full-stop.

Explaining that Calvin and her had broken up had led to the duo sharing a pot of coffee in Taylor's most current lounge. Meredith was lying on the same side of the couch that Taylor was resting on while Taylor had assured Leia that Olivia was somewhere in the building. Tate was tucked against the front of the couch Leia sat on, his large head resting on his oversized paws as he pressed his body flat against the ground.

He was less than impressed with Meredith, the cat already having swiped at him and asserted her dominance over the home. The puppy was quick to back down, whimpering any time the cat even looked in his direction. The soft thuds of his tail against the side of the couch soothed Leia as she could tell he was content with his spot near the crackling fireplace - despite it being the start of summer.

"I thought you guys were working on it?" Leia asked, a strange curiosity running through her as she listened to Taylor talk about her break up with Calvin. She wanted to get her hopes up, but Leia could sense there was a 'but' heading in her direction.

"We tried, well, I did anyway. But we drifted apart, and I think there's someone else for me," Taylor started slowly, looking up to judge the reaction that Leia gave her to the sentence she was telling her.

Leia felt her eyes widen at Taylor's words, that false sense of hope becoming to spread in her heart as she looked across the room at her best friend. Tate seemed to look up, almost as if he could hear the skip of her heartbeat at the blonde singer's words.

"Someone else?"

Taylor nodded as a grin broke out across her features. She seemed to daze off for a second before lightly rubbing Meredith's head and turning back to look at Leia.

"Yeah. I mean it's early days and I don't know if he likes me like that..." Taylor continued to talk as Leia felt her hope instantly shatter in her chest. She knew her hope was stupid and misplaced. Of course Taylor wasn't talking about her; she didn't even like girls like that.

Right, Tom Hiddleston, Leia thought as she remembered back to previous conversations that they'd had since the Met Gala. Of course she'd been talking about Tom, and not her.

Leia forced a smile onto her face, though her heart felt heavy in her chest. She couldn't let Taylor see how disappointed she was, how much it hurt to know that she wasn't the one Taylor was talking about - especially since Taylor owed her nothing. There had always and would always be no strings to their friendship, and Leia almost punched herself for the feeling in her chest as Taylor continued to talk about Tom and the interactions she had been having with the man.

She was achieving her dream of becoming a popstar and finally having friends that she felt like she fit in with, but it came at the cost of her unrequited love for Taylor. It felt like fate's cruel joke.

"I'm happy for you," Leia said softly, trying to push away the bitterness that threatened to consume her. "You deserve someone who loves you the way you deserve, and I'm sure Tom will feel the same way, Tay."

Taylor's eyes flickered with a mix of relief and confusion. Leia could tell that she was trying to gauge her reaction. Why? Leia wasn't sure.

Leia clutched the mug between her fingers a little bit tighter, as she allowed her heart to be ripped into two as she watched Taylor's begin to heal.

_____

A week later, Taylor went for her first date with Tom Hiddleston. The British actor had stolen the blonde's heart within seconds, and Leia couldn't help but feel excruciatingly jealous of the man. Their second date was days after, and then the third was that same week. By the end of the second week and the start of June, they'd gone exclusive.

Two weeks after that, and they were jet-setting off on a literal Roman holiday and holding hands while touring the Vatican.

What made it worse was that he was a genuinely likeable guy. She had tried to hate him, truly, she'd spent hours searching his name online for just one single reason to hate him, but there was nothing. Even Cara liked the man and she was tough to impress when it came to their friends.

It wasn't just that Taylor was spending less time with her now that she was in this new, whirlwind romance with the actor but also the fact that Karlie had started to act weird with her too. She'd been awkward about wanting to meet up, dancing around the suggestion and postponing the plans that they had.

She didn't question it, but Leia would be lying if she said she wasn't worried that she'd done something to make the blonde slowly start to lose interest in her as a friend. She was aware that some of the others had started to distance themselves from Karlie a little, since she had apparently backed up Scooter Braun after he had made a comment about Kanye West being a king.

She was aware that Taylor and Selena were hurt that Karlie would remain managed by a man who clearly disliked them, but they tried to remind themselves that this was a cutthroat industry, and Taylor seemingly hadn't cut ties with Karlie for now. Besides, Taylor had pointed out to Leia and Cara, it wasn't like Karlie was actively supporting Kanye. Right?

Leia sat alone in the studio, trying to distract herself from the overwhelming jealousy that consumed her. She scrolled through Instagram, mindlessly liking pictures and pretending that she didn't care about Taylor and Tom's blossoming relationship. But every double tap felt like a tiny stab to her already wounded heart.

She was waiting on Calvin to meet her. Ironic, when she was judging Karlie for siding with those that had been making jabs at Taylor, only for Leia to be still collaborating with the man that had just admitted to cheating on her weeks before.

While Taylor and Calvin had split up, Taylor had assured Leia that there would be no issues between them for Leia to work on the new song with Calvin in the studio. In fact, Taylor went as far as telling Leia that they would have bigger issues if she didn't go because of her. It was all a little strange, but Leia just went along with it.

Or, she'd at least intended to.

The second her eyes fell upon the first message from Gigi that pinged in her messages, she knew that she wasn't going to be able to have a stress-free day like she had planned.

'TWITTER. NOW.'

Confused, the brunette took a seat on one of the locker room benches as she opened up her twitter app. Not really sure what she was looking for, Leia was confused for all of five seconds before she saw exactly what the famous supermodel had been messaging about.

Not only had Calvin Harris started a long stream of tweets about the song that he and Taylor worked together on, he was also attempting to drag her best friend through the dirt at the same time.

'@CalvinHarris: I figure if you're happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do'

'@CalvinHarris: I know you're off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy ETC but I'm not that guy, sorry. I won't allow it'

Leia felt physically sick as she looked at the rest of his tweets about her friend. Sure, Taylor's team maybe shouldn't have said that she was one of the people behind the song when Taylor had made it so clear that she didn't want that known, but he had no right to take that out on the blonde.

The studio suddenly felt suffocating as Leia read through Calvin's tweets. Her heart pounded in her chest, anger and protectiveness for Taylor surging through her veins. How dare he try to tarnish Taylor's reputation just because he was bitter about the breakup? When he'd been the one to fucking cheat?

He certainly had no right to try and make out that Taylor's relationship with Tom was not going well because of it. While it hurt Leia to see Taylor with Tom, the girl had accepted that Taylor would never feel the same as she did and she only wanted to see Taylor happy. She wasn't a vindictive person and Tom didn't even deserve to have been brought up - and Leia didn't think Taylor deserved any of this either.

Without a second thought, Leia quickly typed out a response, her fingers trembling with a mix of rage and determination. Her mind didn't even think about the fact he was supposed to be meeting her at the studio within the hour, the protectiveness over her new friend instantly making her react instead of think.

'@LeiaHudson: @CalvinHarris Wow, really? So instead of celebrating your new music, you decide to take cheap shots at someone who's moved on? Classy.'

She hit send before she had time to second-guess herself. And then the notifications started pouring in—retweets, likes, and responses flooding her mentions. It was almost thrilling for a brief second, before Riven's name started flashing across her screen, and Adrian came storming in through the studio doors with a panicked look on his face.

Leia scrolled down her contacts as she ignored Adrian asking her what the hell she thought she was doing, and pressed dial before she could even stop herself. The little screen on the phone lit up his name, showing that he had accepted her call.

"Leia! I'm running a little late but I'll be there in about an hour?" Calvin's voice spoke down the phone, seeming completely calm and unbothered about the drama he had just launched into the world. He clearly hadn't seen her tweet yet, but she knew that once he did their collaboration would be dead in the dirt.

Leia felt the anger in her chest rise, but she knew that getting upset and annoyed over the phone wasn't going to do anyone any favours. Taking a deep breath as she built up the courage, Leia shut her eyes for a split second before re-opening them.

"Actually I'm calling to cancel the session," she announced, knowing that this was something she had to do - not just for Taylor, but for herself too. She wasn't going to work with someone who openly attacked others over something as trivial as songwriting credits for one lyric in a song, especially when it was her best friend that they were attacking.

"Oh," Calvin said, his voice a little dejected as he heard what she was saying. "We could do tomorrow instead?"

Sighing, Leia realised that he didn't understand exactly why she was trying to cancel the session. It drove her a little more furious - how could he think that he could put her friend on blast like that and then she'd continue to work with him? How desperate for fame did he truly believe Leia was?

"No," she said firmly, knowing that turning him down could certainly ruin a lot when it came to finding people to share the studio with. He was a big music producer and DJ but she didn't care anymore about reputations if this was the cost. "I'm cancelling it permanently."

There was a moment of silence before Calvin laughed down the line. It was an emotionless laugh, and they both knew there was nothing funny about this situation.

"Wow, you really are Taylor's lapdog, aren't you?" He sneered down the line. Leia scoffed, rolling her eyes at how he suddenly had turned from eager to work with her to wanting nothing to do with her all because she refused to betray her friend like that.

Leia took a deep breath, her grip on the phone tightening. She refused to let Calvin's words get to her. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Adrian had started pacing back and forth, typing angrily on his phone to who she presumed was most likely Riven as they tried to figure out where to go with this and how to spin in.

"No, Calvin," she replied, her voice steady and calm. "I'm not anyone's lapdog. I'm just someone who believes in loyalty, friendship, and standing up for what's right."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Calvin spoke again, his voice laced with bitterness.

"You're making a huge mistake, Leia. This industry is ruthless, and you'll learn that soon enough," he spat, a vicious chuckle at the end of his words. "Taylor can't protect you forever."

Leia couldn't help but chuckle. The audacity of him thinking he had any power over her decisions was laughable. She didn't need Taylor to protect her - whatever that was supposed to mean - since she was fully capable of handling things herself.

"I don't need your doors or your connections if it means sacrificing my integrity. Taylor is more than just my friend; she's almost like family to me. And I won't let anyone tear her down, especially not someone like you."

Not waiting for a reply, she hung up the call with a small smile on her face.

Adrian looked at her like she had gone insane, not knowing where to even start. Leia took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She knew that what she had just done could potentially have serious consequences for her career. But in that moment, she didn't care.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly torn between supporting Leia and worrying about the fallout from canceling the session with Calvin Harris.

"Leia, you know how cutthroat this industry can be," he said finally. "Calvin is a powerful figure, and if you cross him, it might have repercussions for your future collaborations."

"I know what you're thinking," Leia said, her voice filled with determination. "But I stand by my decision. We don't need him or his connections."

Adrian studied Leia's determined expression, and after a moment, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. It was clear he was stuck between a look of pride and a look of utter disbelief as she continued to stare back at him without wavering.

"Damn kid, you've got guts," he wheezed out before slumping on to the couch, typing another message to Riven with a sigh. "You're something else, Leia. You know... Tyla told me yesterday that she wants to be like you when she grows up."

Leia smiled gently as his voice softened, the admiration for his youngest clearly seeping through as he peaked at her over the top of his phone. She could see the fatherly look that was resting on his face, and something else that she couldn't quite place.

"Poor kid," Leia joked, but Adrain didn't laugh. He continued to smile at her, a twinkle in his eye as he sat his phone to the side with a shrug.

"Nah," he mused, a grin on his lips. "I think you're making quite the role-model of yourself."

They shared a look before both bursting into laughter. It was that sort of laugh where they had reached a level of adrenaline delusion from the phone call with Calvin that she was sure if anyone walked in, they'd have thought they'd gone insane.

While she knew the situation wasn't funny or good in the slightest, it had felt really good finally standing up for herself against someone who was in a bigger position of power in the industry than herself. And as it turns out, she was soon to discover how powerful that industry really could be.

___

Taylor felt a sense of relief wash over her as she stared at her phone, contemplating whether or not to call Leia. She knew that her friend had just risked her own career to defend her, and she couldn't let it go unnoticed. Swiftly, she dialled Leia's number and held her breath as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Leia's voice came through the line, filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Taylor could hear voices in the background, and she couldn't quite pinpoint where Leia was. Her chest warmed a little at the fact her phone had barely rang before Leia had picked up, most likely meaning she had done so without any hesitation.

"Hey, Leia," Taylor replied, her voice filled with gratitude and admiration. "I just wanted to say thank you. What you did for me today, standing up against Calvin... It means the world to me."

She'd seen the tweets a lot later than her friends, having been too busy enjoying her Italian strolls with Tom to be constantly checking her phone. It wasn't until they'd stopped for dinner and she'd seen the warnings from Tree to stay off socials, which of course prompted her to immediately open the apps on her phone and start a doom scroll while Tom had excused himself to the toilet.

He'd been so supportive, but she had ruined their dinner by going silent for most of the night. It just seemed like it was one thing after the other for her at the moment, with Kanye claiming that he made her famous and a bunch of other celebrities that she had thought were her friends beginning to like shady tweets and posts about her.

Tom had stepped into the shower as soon as they had got back, noticing that Taylor was glued to her phone and wouldn't look away from the hate that was being hurled her way. Thankfully, her eyes had latched on to the familiar handle, the words instantly calming the storm in her brain as she realised that Leia had tweeted Calvin back almost instantly.

Tears had welled up in Taylor's eyes at Leia's unwavering loyalty. In that moment, she felt an overwhelming surge of love for her younger friend and couldn't stop herself from dialling the number while Tom showered.

"Taylor, it was nothing. I couldn't just stand by and let him tear you down like that."

"But you did more than just defend me," Taylor corrected, realising that Leia had stuck her neck out for her in more ways than just one. "Do you realise what this could do to your career?"

"If I make a career for myself by standing by and saying nothing while my friends get dragged down... what a sad and lonely life that would be," Leia replied, clearly having no regrets about standing up for the blonde.

The industry had a way of changing people, of turning them into selfish individuals who would do anything to climb the ladder of success. Taylor had seen it happen to more than one person she called a friend, and she just hoped that she could remain in this moment forever. For one second, she just wished that she could preserve Leia like this eternally.

"Leia, I'm so proud of you. But I can't help but worry about the consequences this might have for you," Taylor confessed, her voice filled with concern. "Calvin is powerful, and he could make things difficult for you."

"I couldn't imagine going through this without you, Tay," Leia said, almost brushing off her concern. "I literally don't care what the press say about me. As long as I can make music, have fun with my friends and occasionally fund Georgie's trips to the USA, I'll be just fine."

Taylor knew the other shoe would drop. Leia would one day outgrow her, and Taylor would be old news. She'd been in the business for so long and had reinvented herself more times than she cared to count for. Taylor Swift was old news - she'd broken records for 1989 and there was no way she'd ever peak again.

Leia was fresh, shiny and new. She was the press' new favourite toy, the award shows' new favourite performer and everything Taylor had once been. She was young, naive and incredibly headstrong.

Taylor just wished she'd stay that way.

.

.

.

originally published: october 2019

rewritten: february 2024