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pitchsidestories · 1 year ago

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Welcome to New York II Ali Krieger x Reader

"Everybody here was someone else before And you can want who you want Boys and boys and girls and girls." Welcome To New York, Taylor Swift

masterlist I word count: 2901

The first thing you thought as you spotted Ali Krieger standing on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum was that this could have been a scene from a romantic comedy. A warm smile played on the defender’s lips while she had two cups of coffees in her hands:” Hi.” “Hi. Is this one for me or do you just need a lot of caffeine today”, you asked her teasingly.

Amused she shook her head: “No, the second one is for you. Ocean and Sloane let me sleep long enough today.” “Oh, lucky for me. Thank you so much.”, you answered grateful for her thoughtfulness. Still smiling Ali handed you your coffee: “You’re welcome.” Nervously you put a string of your hair behind your ear: “I hope you didn’t wait too long for me.” As much as you loved this city, the public transport was against you coming punctually to your coffee date with the equally busy soccer player today. Kindly she waved at you:” No, I didn’t. Do you want to keep standing here or walk around?” “Let’s walk around a bit.”, you decided.

Side by side you started walking, clearing her throat Ali admitted with a shy grin: “Alright. To be honest, I’m so glad Jason Sudeikis introduced us to each other at my last league game party.” “Oh, me too. Trust me. It was nice to get a look inside a soccer team.”, you agreed with her. Curiously the older woman looked at you:” As inspiration for your upcoming leading role in the female ted lasso spin off?” “You can never have enough inspiration. And to be honest, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I want to portray my role as realistically as possible.”, you declared slightly blushing.

Playfully the defender pouted: “Oh, and I hoped you were really interested in me as a person and not only in the soccer player part of my personality.” “Not at all. I think the soccer player part is impressive but it’s not the most interesting part about you.”, you told her. “Oh really?” The blush on your cheeks intensified: “Maybe your good looks were also a part of it.” “And the glasses of wine we shared.", she winked at you. This comment made you chuckle:” I can only say that they definitely kept the conversation going.”

“Not only that.”, Ali added grinning hinting at what happened as the night turned over into the early morning, the time in which the never sleeping city was buzzing with life and excitement and the sexual attraction between you could not been denied any longer. “Ali!”

“What? It’s true.”, the football player shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. You scoffed: “You’re terrible.” “Yes, but you don’t mind it.”, she observed. Laughing you confessed: “Actually, I kinda like it.” “I can tell.”, Ali nodded satisfied. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be.”, the defender whispered. Elegantly you changed the topic: “It’s really beautiful today. The weather is perfect.”

Ali let her gaze wander over the autumnal scenery of the Central Park. The yellowing leaves were contrasting against the blue sky. “Agreed. New York in fall is stunning.“, she smiled. “It is.“, you agreed, taking in the crisp air. “Have you always lived in New York?“, Ali asked, genuine curiosity on her face. You shook your had and admitted; “Actually, no.“ The football players eyebrows knotted together; “No?“ With a sigh, your gaze dropped down to the fallen leaves on the ground; “Although I wished…“ “Tell me about it…“, Ali implored.

“Actually, I grew up in a conservative midwestern town.“, you started to explain. The defender grimaced, understanding the implication; “Oh. I’m sorry.“ “So coming to New York as a young adult did feel liberating in every way.“, you continued with a sad smile. Ali sipped on her coffee; “You know, a lot of my team mates who are queer had similar experiences.“ “Similar to some of my acting friends.“, you added. Ali shrugged with a sigh; “I’m always glad to hear when queer people from difficult places found a safe space.“

Nervously turning the cup in your hand, you asked; “You came out quite late to the public too, right?“ “Yes, that’s true. I thought it’s no one’s business but mine.“, she replied, nodding in thought. “What made you change your mind about it?“ “I realized that I can be of better use as a role model.“, she answered nonchalantly. You bit your lip, moved by revelation; “That’s very brave of you.“ Ali gave you a wry smile; “Thank you. But that wasn’t an easy decision for me either.“ “No, I understand that. Being queer wasn’t something that people in the movie industry liked to see a few years ago… sometimes even now.“, you told her. “I’m sorry.“ You shook your head; “It’s fine, really.“ “I guess we all have our struggles.“, the defender thought out lout. “Yes, we do.“

You were grateful when Ali finally offered; “Do you want to change the topic?“ Smiling, you gave her a soft nod to leave that topic behind; “Yes, please. I don’t want to ruin the mood during our little coffee date.“ “You couldn’t. I really enjoy talking to you.“, Ali said, carefully taking your hand into hers. “Same.“ „You do?“ “Yes, even though I told you about my sad little childhood.“, you laughed, your cheeks turning slightly pink as you wondered if you had overshared. But the smile on Alis face made that thought immediately disappear; “I appreciate it. Really. I’m glad you shared it.“

“That means a lot. So, what about you? Are you excited for the play offs?”, you asked her. The eyes of the defender lit up:” Yes, absolutely. I’m happy about every game I get to play.” “This must feel very special.”, you said, her excitement was infecting you too. “It is. If you’d like to get some more inspiration you could come.”, she offered you without hesitation.

Delighted you replied:” To your game? I’d love that.” “I’ll make sure you get some tickets.”, Ali continued happily. “Thank you.” The football player could not stop smiling: “You’re welcome.” For a second you looked worried:” You don’t think Ashlyn would mind, right?” “She won’t. Trust me.”, she reassured you quickly. Relieved you sighed:” Okay. Good.” Don’t worry about it. This is over.”, Ali confirmed. With a remark you tried to lighten up the mood again:” Yes, you made that very clear when you kissed me at the doorstep after your party.” “You asked about her.” “Sorry, I’m an idiot.”, you hid your face in her hands. Softly the football player disagreed with you: “No, you’re not.” “So that means I can kiss you? This time without alcohol breath?”, hopeful you looked up to her.

Amused Ali glanced at you:“You can always kiss me. Doesn’t matter if it’s on parties or in the Central Park.” “Although, I’d argue that this here is way more romantic.”, you chuckled. Expectantly she threw a look at you:” You can argue all you want but I’d rather you just kiss me.” “As you wish.”, you said before your lips met her who were waiting for that to happen since they departed from another.

After the training ended for the Gotham players Kristie let out an excited shriek: ”Oh my god, Ali ! I’m so jealous!” Confused the captain looked at her before the blonde showed her an article on her phone which contained photos of Ali and her new girlfriend kissing romantically in the Central Park. Laughing Kelley intervened:” Jealous about the fact that they had a romantic moment in the autumnal Central Park or that she made it into the news with that?” “Actually.. both.”, Kristie admitted.

Surprised the dark-haired defender mumbled:” Oh no, they wrote about us.” “What’s wrong? It’s a cute photo.”, Kelley furrowed her eyebrows. Enthusiastically Kristie reminded the older player: “Exactly and you’re allowed to have fun, Ali. You’re in your lemonade era, remember?” “Still, I wasn’t ready to go public with that yet. And I don’t know if she was either.”, Ali bit her lip. Empathetic Kelley put an arm around her shoulder:” I get that too.” “I need to call her.”, the captain announced.

You were on set, spending your lunch break with the other actors, when you noticed your phone ringing. Seeing Alis name appear on the display made your heart jump unexpectedly. Happily you took the call; “Ali, Hi.“ “Hi.“, she replied. The tone of her voice made you frown; “What’s wrong? You sound a bit upset.“ The football player sighed as if to brace herself; “Have you seen the article yet?“

You grabbed your coat and your bag and hurried away from the other actors, ignoring Jason Sudeikis’ sceptical glance; “Uhm no. What article? We were busy filming the new tv episodes.“ “They photographed as kissing.“, she came straight to the point. You froze in place; “Wait. What?“ “I’m sorry.“ Your thoughts began racing, bringing you back to how exhilarated you felt during your date. Even though Ali couldn’t see you, you still shook your head; “No, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t kissed you there… this article would not exist.“ “I don’t regret the kiss… really.“, the defender replied with determination in her voice. “But you wish to have been private a little longer, right? Which is understandable considering your divorce is still fresh…“, you were thinking out loud.

Ali confirmed your thoughts; “Actually, yes. How do you feel about it?“ You let a few seconds pass before admitting; “It feels very early.“ “I know.“ “But you should know that I’m serious with you.“, you added truthfully. Ali let out a small breath, relieved; “Me too. I want this.“ Your smile was back in place; “Jason gifted me an Ali Krieger Fan club - shirt. Should I wear it to one of your games or would this be too much?“ “Please do it. If they won’t let us have our privacy, we can at least have some fun with them.“ You could basically hear Ali grinning through the phone. “Exactly what I thought too.“ Ali laughed; “I like that. You get me.“

“So, I’ll see you at the stadium? Will Sloane and Ocean be there too?“, you asked. You had the chance to meet Alis kids briefly for a few times and they had already won your heart, so you got even more excited when you heard Ali say; “Yes.“ “Great. Because I already miss them while being away on the set.“ “I’m sure they’re happy to see you again too.“, Ali said, her voice soft. “And I miss you too of course.“, you added quickly. “I do hope that!“, the defender teased. “So much.“, you admitted and with a quick glance on your watch, you ended the call; “Okay, break is over. I’ll call you back tonight.“ “Talk to you later.“

The team of Gotham FC was buzzing with excitement as they stepped on the field in Portland. If the players won, this game they would make it to the final. Grinning Lynn Williams touched the shoulder of her captain: “I spotted your girl, Ali!” “Really?”, Ali wanted to know from the forward, trying to discover your face in the crowd at Providence Park. Equally thrilled Kristie pointed to the direction where you were standing: “Over there.” “Oh. She’s wearing the shirt.”, the defender observed with a hint of proudness in her voice.

Amused Kelley remarked: “Not subtle at all.” “It’s not supposed to be.”, Ali told her. A bright smile was on Kristie’s lips:“I love it, I’m obsessed.” “Of course, you like that, Kristie.”, Kelley threw in unsurprised. Clearing her throat Lynn drew all the attention on her:” Yeah, so that’s all cute and sweet but we’ve a game to win girls.” “Yes. We got to focus on that.”, Ali agreed with the forward. Gotham’s number 5 nodded along:” Yes, we’re making sure that Ali has another game to play before her retirement.”

“What retirement? With those many games, I guess you can’t really call it retirement yet.”, their captain corrected her smiling. Winking Kelley reminded the dark - haired player: “Yes, but it’s one game before the final.” “And I’d love to get to the final, girls.”, with a cheeky grin Ali glanced at each of their teammates to give them that extra motivation tonight.

The game was really close, and they had to went into overtime but thanks to Katie Stengels goal in the 107’ minute against the Portland Thorns, they won this important match and would make it to the Final. After the referee blew the final whistle, Kelley cheered loudly:” She’s not done yet!” “I’m not leaving without a trophy!”, Ali shouted happily. Ecstatic Kristie who played her first minutes after her injury in today’s game screamed: “We won, bitches!” “Who are you calling a bitch?”, Ali threw an eyebrow up at the blonde before the two and Kelley started to dance out their feelings. The words to describe their emotions would be found later, now was the time to just be in the moment and celebrate.

Meanwhile Sloane made her way through the soccer players:” Mummy!” “No more b-words here, Mewis!, Ali warned her fellow teammate before pulling her daughter into a hug, Hi, baby.”

“Okay, but your new girlfriend has a nice ass.“, Kristie commented with a smirk, disregarding Alis warning, while Sloane jumped into her mums arms; “You won!“ “Mewis!“, Ali yelled before turning back to her daughter and agreed with a much softer voice; “Yes, we won. That means mum has to play one more game.“ “That’s okay. Love to see you play. Ocean was such a baby though. He fell asleep in her arms.“, Sloane rolled her big brown eyes and pointed in your direction where her little brother was sleeping in your arms. With a laugh, Ali explained to her daughter: “He is still small.“ “Yes. I’ll forgive him that.“, Sloane nodded. Alis eyes met yours and you both had to suppress a laugh.

Slowly you bridged the few steps between you two; “Hi. Sorry, someone is very sleepy. As is the big one who pretends she’s wide awake.“ You nodded first into Oceans, then into Sloanes direction. Ali put Sloane down who pressed into her leg with a yawn. “Let me take him.“, Ali offered, holding out her hands to take her sleeping son from you. She gratefully smiled at you; “Thank you so much for taking care of them. I appreciate it.“ “You’re welcome.“, you replied, leaning over to kiss your girlfriend passionately but careful to not wake up Ocean.

“Excuse me! Those kisses are not child friendly either!“, Kristies voice interrupted the two of you. Alis face was still close to yours as she rolled her eyes; “It’s a kiss. You do worse things with your girlfriend!“ “Ali is right about that!“, Lynn chimed in. Ali shook her head and you noticed the adoration for her teammates in her eyes, even though she wanted to seem annoyed; “Sorry about them.“ “It’s okay, trust me. My acting friends are even more dramatic.“, you laughed. „Yeah, I can imagine.“, the defender grinned, leaning in for another kiss.

Next to you, Lynns face brightened while she pointed to her teammate; “I bet Kristie would have been great in drama school too!“ “Yeah, but she can’t remember shit.“, Ali interjected. Kristies mouth fell open in outrage; “You guys are so mean.“ “Only because we love you.“, Kelley now joined your group, winking at Kristie. Ignoring the others, Kristie turned to you, her phone in hand; “Can we take a selfie together? My girlfriend Sam is such a fan of you and can’t wait for your upcoming tv show.“ “Sure, but I’m for Ali tonight…“, you answered politely. You posed for the photo together, grinning into Kristies phone camera while she smirked; “Yeah, we noticed that.“

“The shirt spoke for itself, huh?”, you laughed with her. An amused smile was on the blonde’s lip:” I can assure you it did.” “Good.”, you nodded satisfied. Slightly displeased Ali asked her teammate:” Are you done now, Kristie?” “Yes, sounds like someone is missing her girlfriend.”, the younger player winked at you.

The older woman rolled her eyes before turning her attention to you:” Ignore her.” “With a pleasure.”, you told her as you kissed her again. Expectantly Ali looked into your eyes when you two ended the kiss:” I hope you know that you have to come to the final now too.” “That’s alright with me.”, you replied happily. The defender whispered into your ear:“You seem to bring me luck.” “Meaning I need to wear the same shirt too?”, you asked her, throwing an eyebrow up.

Innocently Ali played with a loose hair string of yours:” Actually, this time I’d like to see you in my jersey.” “Your Jersey? Okay.”, you agreed. Softly your girlfriend blushed:“It’s a bit more.. official.” “I see.” “If you want to of course.”, Ali’s face went serious. Quickly you replied: “I do.” “I’ll bring you one.”, the older woman decided. Proudly you glanced at her:” Thanks, it’ll be an honour to wear it.” “It’s an honour for us that you support us.”, Ali corrected you. Looking at her children you said: “The children look tired.” “Let’s take them to bed now.”

“Good night you three.”, you wished them warmly while you all four were slowly falling asleep in the hotelroom. With a bright grin on her face Ali answered:”Good night.”

#ali krieger #ali krieger x reader #woso x reader #uswnt x reader #gotham fc #woso #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso oneshot #nwsl #uswnt #uswnt imagine #kelley o'hara #lynn williams #kristie mewis #woso one shot #lgbtq #ted lasso

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wndaswife · 2 years ago

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following your lead | taylor sloane & fem!reader

Taylor Sloane is the kind of person who gets what she wants, and she wants to be your girlfriend. But during your first date together, she begins to wonder if she's good enough for you at all.

Word count: 5020

Tags: fluff, some angst, jealousy, taylor being a gigantic cutie who's obsessed with you

gif credit to vanessacarlysle

The dim white light of Taylor’s laptop was cast on her face as she scrolled through the website directory of the museum her first date with you was to take place at. She took the nail of her thumb between her teeth as she leaned forward slightly, squinting at the museum layout and its floors.

When you asked her out, she had been so excited that she just had to blurt a bunch of stupid and untrue things in the heat of the moment.

‘I totally love museums!’ she had suddenly said out of nowhere right after quickly agreeing to go out with you. ‘Nicky and I love to visit any sort of museum when we travel together. Like, there’s this one in Paris, I think. The Louvre. Super pretty. Like, really pretty.’

She’d never even been to the Louvre, and actually made about a billion excuses to avoid going on the day the famous museum was set on the travel itinerary. But things just seemed so perfect at the time, she could hardly stop herself from making up lies just to make the night go even better.

Dan Pinto was holding a camping trip to film one of his movies, and on the day of wrapping he held a get-together to celebrate having finished filming his first official short film, written and produced by him and his close friends.

Taylor didn’t know Dan all that well aside from the fact that he was Ingrid’s boyfriend, so she was initially against going out and spending a night with his band of friends when Ingrid invited her to go, not to mention that Taylor hated camping.

To her, there was nothing enjoyable about sitting around a dirty field of grass in the middle of nowhere to get eaten alive by mosquitoes and have your hair filled with all sorts of flies and bugs that you wouldn’t ever be able to get out of there until you showered — and although she made a point to shower right after being outdoors for a period of time, the idea of having bugs in her hair at all was a complete turn-off.

But Ingrid begged for her to go because she’d only been with Dan for about two weeks by then and she too knew very little of his friends, and didn’t want to go to the celebration without a friend with her. She finally gave in, and both Taylor and Ingrid went to the mosquito-infested forest party.

Taylor had met you several times before, enough to have gotten your number; you were a mutual friend of one of Dan’s mutual friends, and Taylor first met you at a Christmas party. She hadn’t any clue you were going to be at the get-together and the moment she saw you, she knew she’d weather as many mosquitoes and hair-bugs as it took if it meant spending the whole night talking with you.

And she pulled it off perfectly. She was able to get you alone for most of the night, talking with you while sitting with each other at one of the camping park benches away from the celebration, around the fire when they started making s’mores, and anywhere it was quiet enough to have a conversation.

But she did like it especially when it was a bit louder, for that meant you had to step a bit closer to her in order to hear her when she spoke, and Taylor thought you smelled nice.

Because she had work in the morning, Ingrid ended up being the one to pull her away from the party, but not before you asked Taylor if she wanted to go out with you one afternoon when she was free. She was more than enthusiastic to set a date with you, which ended up being that weekend, and you suggested going to a museum you’d been wanting to visit.

She wanted to be completely prepared for her date with you and not come off as a liar so early into things, but most importantly, Taylor wanted to be able to impress you with all her knowledge on the things you loved. She spent about an hour and a half that night researching various things about what the museum was showcasing on different floors and exhibits so she had something interesting to say for just about everything.

Taylor went to bed feeling assured in her preparation, knowing that she’d come off as an intelligent and worldly person who was not as materialistic and shallow as she seemed from her social media, and someone you’d want to go out with for a second date, and a third, and all your dates from that point onwards.

In simpler terms, Taylor wanted to secure her chances at being your girlfriend.

The day of the date, she woke up extra early to make herself a fulfilling breakfast and to take some extra time on her makeup and to carefully plan out her outfit for that afternoon so by the time you picked her up at her place, she was completely ready.

She tried not to think much of it, especially as Taylor wasn’t typically a nervous person, but she also felt compelled to wake up early to prepare for the date because she was rather anxious for her day out with you.

You hadn’t ever spent that much time alone with her before. What if you realised that she wasn’t all that you thought she was? What if you regretted asking her out?

But Taylor was skilled at self-control and self-discipline, and she told herself that continuing to think about the possible negative outcomes of her date left less room for the positives. So she kept herself busy from the moment she awoke until the second she stepped foot outside her house to wait for you.

Her nerves began to fray again and she picked awkwardly at her pale pink nail polish. Her mind was soon filled with heaps of questions that only made her feel a lot more nervous.

Taylor had always been a straightforward type of girl with straightforward answers to straightforward questions; she wasn’t an overthinker, she wasn’t a worrier. But standing in front of her house waiting for you to come around and pick her up for your first date together made her feel uncharacteristically anxious.

She didn’t think you were the type, but Taylor worried that perhaps you might change your mind halfway to her house. She wasn’t very much the kind of person she seemed like online and she never minded how she seemed like on social media until now.

What if you changed your mind about her?

The soft hum of an approaching car came down the road and Taylor raised her head to see you driving towards her. Her worries were immediately done away with at the sight of you and she quickly raised her arm and waved excitedly.

You greeted her eagerly when she slipped into the passenger's side.

“Hi, Y/N,” Taylor said in return and reached over and hugged you. You smiled at the warm enthusiasm that was typical for her and Taylor felt reassured. She buckled herself in and smiled at you. “I’m really excited,” she confessed.

“Me too,” you replied honestly. “I’m glad we finally get to spend time together on our own.” You put the museum’s address into Google Maps then went on your way. “I mean, every other time was really nice too but…”

Taylor tucked her hands under her legs and leaned forward a little to get a look at your face. “But it’s nicer to get each other to ourselves,” she said.

You nodded in agreement and Taylor smiled. She felt good about the upcoming date and on the way to the museum, she briefly went over in her mind what she’d researched last night to be able to keep it fresh in her memory.

“This place is so pretty,” Taylor mused after the two of you parked and were now standing on the steps of the museum looking up at the front.

Beautiful sizable pillars stretched up into the never-ending sky, holding up the angled stone roof. The architecture looked Grecian though in the center of Los Angeles, a beautiful grand stone building that looked nearly like polished marble when it glistened in the summer sun.

“Do you wanna post this on your Instagram?” you asked then paused on the steps to allow Taylor to take a photo.

Hesitantly as if considering whether to finish her response though she’d already instantly began to reply, Taylor drawled out a nervously prolonged, “No.”

Then she quickly supplemented by asking, “Did you want me to?”

“No,” you answered and looked over at her with a bit of a grin.

Taylor ventured through your eyes with her own and found your implicit way of saying you wanted the date to be just for the two of you to be extremely endearing — especially your sincerity.

You were genuine and kind-hearted and Taylor felt so trusting of you, and she was glad to feel that way too.

After watching her cheeks flush slightly, you walked forward up the stairs and looked back at Taylor who quickly caught up with you, her shoulder brushing against yours.

Her eyes darted around the exterior of the museum as it grew larger and taller with each step towards it, green irises filled with childish fascination and what you assumed to be liberated vulnerability as you’d never seen Taylor look so comfortable.

The two of you always had good conversations when you’ve spoken with each other and to some extent, being with a stranger you feel comfortable with nearly always warranted one’s guard to be let down, but this felt different.

It felt like Taylor didn’t feel as if she needed to be alert and on her toes, always ready to have conversations with one person to the next, seemingly always being able to read those in front of her with charming ease.

But today she looked relaxed with her guard let down, and you wondered if this was how it felt to be someone who was close with Taylor Sloane, the influencer with a beloved and infamous social presence.

Taylor felt you staring at her and looked over at you when the both of you joined the line to pay for the museum tickets, and she felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of how intrigued you seemed just looking at her.

She felt a little nervous having your undivided attention, which was uncharacteristic for her as someone who normally always had eyes on her.

But it was different when it was you.

For a good while, things went perfectly; Taylor could recall all the things she’d researched from last night and felt proud of how she could contribute even a little to how excited you were talking about the museum as you walked through it together.

She felt that you thought she was intelligent and worldly, and that you were seeing how different she could be outside of social media.

You seemed to be in awe of the museum entirely, and she couldn’t help but feel weak at the knees every time you went on terribly dorky spiels about things like the Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance.

She was never into the kinds of things you were impassioned by, and in fact, Taylor was sure that if you’d met during any point of time before when she first met you at the Christmas party last year, the two of you wouldn’t have ever interacted — you were just so different in interests and friends and hobbies.

Even so, Taylor knew that she’d listen to lectures upon lectures on things she’d never even think twice about like the agriculture in the era of Ancient Rome or painting techniques used during the Renaissance so long as you were the one speaking.

She wondered if her cheeks flushed as much as she felt they did every time you looked over at her with the sweetest grin while you were talking about things you liked, and how it widened each time she expressed interest in them.

Last night’s research took a few hours away from her sleep but she was repaid tenfold at the sight of your excitement when she mentioned things you loved.

Taylor didn’t often care about her impressions on people away from her life as an influencer as most times socialising was just business — promoting herself, making connections to better her interactions and reach, and encouraging brands to sponsor her.

But she felt herself caring a lot about things with you that she couldn’t recall even considering with others, like proving to you that she wasn’t as shallow as she might’ve initially seemed online and ensuring you’d enjoy spending time with her.

It felt like things would go just as Taylor had meticulously planned the night before, and if she was as charming as she hoped, she’d even get a kiss or at the very least the opportunity to hold your hand.

She didn’t anticipate in any of her preparations, however, to have her date with you interrupted.

Taylor had only ever talked with Elliot a handful of times and only within a group of people — and she wanted it that way. She considered him to be pompous and self-obsessed.

He was the kind of vegan to blurt out much louder than necessary that he couldn’t eat a type of food offered to him because he was vegan, to have negative opinions on every infamous classical philosopher and writer to show that he was the intelligent black sheep, who abhorred every form of self-promotion and platform of social media because they were ‘part of a intricate labyrinth that supplied vanity to those who lacked true confidence in themselves.’

In every way, he and Taylor were complete opposites, and to put it frankly, she couldn’t stand him.

He approached you and asked what you were doing at the museum, to which you said you were on a date with Taylor for the afternoon.

She swooned at your willingness to call it a ‘date’ to other people.

Elliot looked over at Taylor at the mention of her. His height made it seem to her that he was regarding her from a position of superiority and Taylor bristled defensively at the sight. He seemed perplexed at the idea of her and you being out on a date and his eyebrows furrowed together then arched up as if he was humoured at something.

But a moment of silence passed wherein no laughter was exchanged and Elliot then knew that no joke had been told.

“Oh,” he said.

To be cordial or perhaps to mock, he asked, “Are you enjoying yourselves?”

“We are,” Taylor quipped.

Elliot’s eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and he looked as if he was picking apart her response. It was a subtle tell, but Taylor could see the way he scrutinised her.

“What are you doing here?” you asked in a friendly tone.

Taylor refused to look at him lest it give him the hint that she did want him around and saw him as anything more than an irritating intruder.

As the two of you spoke, she looked around at the museum floor and at all the things she had yet to say about a particular porcelain vase that was in a glass case a few metres away, a history in which she’d researched in detail last night because of how pretty it looked.

She thought you’d be pleased with how much she knew about it.

From what Taylor was forced to hear, Elliot was waiting for his family to arrive at the museum for he was planning on giving them a tour; they were visiting him and they’d only just landed from Paris this week.

“Would you mind if I followed the both of you around until they arrive?” Elliot then asked, and Taylor could swear that she wouldn’t have felt worse if suddenly the museum ceiling crumbled down and crushed her under its debris and broke her ankle.

In spite of having just been told that you were on a date together, he had the gall to suggest that he intrude on your time together. He very evidently did not take the date seriously, nor did he respect Taylor as a serious prospective partner of yours.

She knew you’d say yes for although she was assured that you were certainly not as close with him as she was with you, you were friendly and warm — Taylor liked this about you a lot, so she couldn’t entirely complain about your resolve — and because she’d never told you how she felt about him.

But you turned to her anyways, much to her surprise, searching her expression for an answer.

Taylor felt so warmed by your gesture, seeking her approval for a decision you easily could’ve made on your own and in doing so only further defining the time you were spending together as a date.

It wouldn’t be for long, could it, if he was just waiting for his family? And what could possibly happen if you already seemed so interested in spending time with her?

So Taylor finally said, “That’s totally fine with me.”

Aside from the discomfort of having Elliot walking alongside you while she followed along the other side, things seemed to be going alright; there weren’t any disputes between Taylor and Elliot, and you still kept trying to make sure that she was comfortable with him tagging along.

It was only because of how you pulled her to the side at one point when Elliot was on the phone and quietly asked her if she was really okay with him tagging along that Taylor was able to subdue the bitterness she felt towards him.

Hearing you apologise for his intrusion and seeing how much you had in common with him — talking to him about old college friends and some interests you shared with him that Taylor didn’t share with you — encouraged her to bear his presence.

As the long minutes passed, Taylor began to feel increasingly different from you.

Initially, she’d believed that she and you were closer than you were with Elliot by a long shot, and yet there were references to jokes and memories that Taylor didn’t know about and discussions of shared interests that she couldn’t even begin to pretend she knew anything about.

For a few moments she felt as if she was only someone passing the two of you, no different from all the other people walking by who’d happen to brush your shoulder and who’d come with their own families and friends, people you’d never even met nor spared even a passing glance to — strangers.

You always made sure to include her in your conversations, always brushing the back of your hand against hers to get her attention so you could meet her eyes and silently check in on her to make sure she felt alright, so it wasn’t that you treated her like a stranger in any respect.

In fact, you were attentive to her and so considerate, and that only made Taylor want to try harder in earning your favour. So she decided she’d try her hand at befriending Elliot, to bridge that distance she felt laid between the two of you and win a better chance at becoming your girlfriend.

You excused yourself to quickly dash out of the museum and pay for an extra hour of parking that you initially didn’t think you needed but ended up having to go out and get lest you leave the date with Taylor with a parking ticket under your windshield wiper.

So Taylor thought it was the perfect time to try and get closer with Elliot, who she was left with beside the museum’s food court.

Feigning a sudden realisation to ease into a natural conversation, Taylor said, “I think Ingrid told me that you met Y/N in college. How long were you in Miami for?”

“Miami?” he asked with a slightly humoured expression then looked over at her.

Taylor uncrossed her arms and replied, “Y/N went there for college, didn’t she?”

“Oh,” Elliot said and chuckled a little. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in Miami, chérie. We met in Paris; she studied there for a year.”

Taylor didn’t know you’d ever been to Paris. It wasn’t a major detail of your life, but a bout of uncertainty settled within her anyway.

In the midst of the blanket of self-doubt that started to come over her, heavy and downcast, Elliot spoke. “I hope you don’t take offence to this, but I never expected Y/N to take up company with someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” Taylor repeated, evidently feeling a bit insulted as she looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

“I only mean that I would’ve never predicted for Y/N to take a social media influencer such as yourself on a date,” he replied. His words were condescending and belittling of Taylor’s occupation, but she found herself wanting to know more about what he was saying. “The type of partner I always imagined she was interested in was… understated, in a way. And you have a lot of presence. That is all that I mean.”

Perhaps she should’ve brushed him off and made peace with not befriending him, but all Taylor could run through her mind was how much she’d been enjoying her date with you, and how all she wanted to do was have you like her.

So she asked, “What do you mean by understated?”

“The partners she had in college were the kinds of people you wouldn’t realise were attending a party until someone brought their name up by chance,” Elliot tried to explain. His accent made his recollection sound allegorical. “And yet, you are someone who everyone knows of, or if not you’d be easy to spot in a very crowded room, easy to get to know through word of mouth.”

Taylor bristled. How could he possibly know anything about her, having only had a handful of conversations with her and hearing more about her through others rather than from herself?

“I am only saying that I am surprised you get along so well,” he concluded.

It was clear that he thought little of her, and that he was being outwardly friendly with her as one would treat someone they pitied. He regarded Taylor from a position of superiority, seeing her as nothing but something to brush off with his twisted version of kindness whose bitter arrogance was guised as goodwill.

But in spite of all that, Taylor couldn’t help but think that perhaps he was right, in a way. She started thinking about all the things she had yet to know about you, and here she was envisioning being your girlfriend.

She’d spent all day trying to convince you that she wasn’t what she seemed like at first glance, but Taylor considered that she was exactly what she seemed — vain, uneducated, and shallow.

And… you didn’t deserve someone like that.

“I’m back, sorry!” you huffed when you jogged back over to Taylor and Elliot. “Okay, I paid for another hour so there’s no rush.”

Taylor avoided meeting your eyes and she looked over to the side while Elliot told you that his family would be about half an hour, so he’d leave before your parking spot expired.

The three of you walked forward, picking up from where you’d left off when you had to quickly run out to the car.

You stepped back and let Elliot carry on before you circled your fingers around Taylor’s wrist carefully and kept her back with you.

“Are you feeling okay?” you asked in a hushed tone, and it felt like it was just the two of you again.

“I’m feeling okay,” Taylor reassured with a smile that didn’t look convincing. She looked up from the floor when you didn’t respond right away.

She saw the way you regarded her with suspicion and she insisted, “I’m okay. I’m just a bit tired from all the walking.”

Your hand raised and the back of your index finger ran down against the slope of Taylor’s jaw. It was so gentle and, oh, you looked at her with so much kindness in your soft eyes.

For a moment Taylor considered letting the overwhelming feelings from the day catch up to her so she could cry and have you comfort her.

“I’m gonna get rid of Elliot, okay?” you told her. “And we can just be on our own like we planned. Is that alright?”

Taylor let the warmth in her chest settle before she nodded happily. Then you wrapped your hand around hers and squeezed it before leaving her and catching back up to Elliot ahead.

She watched as you exchanged a few words with him. He seemed shocked and even perplexed at being left, and that almost brought a sense of joy in Taylor.

The bastard.

You came back and took her hand, interlacing your fingers and leading her away. She stepped close to you so your arms brushed against each other every time either of you swung them in the slightest.

“I’m glad we left,” you breathed out when you got down to the floor below together. “I’m sorry that he stuck around for that long. I had no idea how to get rid of him.”

“I thought you liked him,” said Taylor, surprised.

You shrugged and looked over your shoulder a little to make sure he wasn’t still around. “I’ve known him for a while,” you told her. “We’re friendly, but not friends.”

You stopped walking and looked at Taylor, running your thumb against the back of her fingers. “Besides, I wanted to be alone with you today. It was supposed to be a day for just us.”

Taylor all but melted at your words, then felt a heavy pang of guilt spread through her stomach. She looked away.

“What’s the matter?” you asked, following her eyes as she looked over at a group of people coming off the elevator.

The concern you’d shown for her countless times today made Taylor feel like the worst person ever. She didn’t deserve your consideration.

She took a breath before finally saying, “We’re so different.”

“So? I like that. You’re so outgoing and open and nice. I’m not as out there as you are, but there’s also a reason why everyone knows you. You’re… sort of magnetic,” you confessed, feeling a little bashful and awkwardly scratching at your cheek.

“Plus, we’re not that different,” you told her with a smile. “I like you exactly as you are. I like you even more because of how you pretended to love museums and miraculously came to the date with all this knowledge about the most niche things ever.”

Taylor’s lips parted and she looked surprised. “You knew that I just… searched it up?” she asked.

When you looked at her with a lighthearted smile, she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she redirected her gaze away from you. But you cupped her cheek and made her meet your eyes.

“But I like that about you, you know? I don’t know if you know, but you’re really just as nerdy as I am. What kind of person does all that for a first date?” you said with a laugh, and Taylor looked into your eyes to find you staring at her with so much admiration and warmth.

“So… You actually like me?” Taylor asked, perking up.

You giggled a little — you couldn’t help it looking at her perk up like an excited puppy — and she hit your arm before looking away. “S-Stop… I’m being serious.”

With your warm hand still on her cheek, you made her look at you again before saying, “Taylor, I really like you. I think you’re so smart and really cute. I love how creative and outgoing you are, and I’ve really been liking spending time with you. But we’re always with other people, and I think it’d be better if we had time to ourselves. Don’t you agree?”

Taylor felt so much more hopeful now and she nodded excitedly. She couldn’t believe how lucky she’d gotten going on a date with you.

“Have you ever been to the zoo here?” you suddenly asked.

She smiled. “No.”

“Me neither,” you replied. “Do you wanna go?”

She nodded and stepped towards you. She raised her hand to yours that was cupping your cheek and wrapped her fingers around your wrist gently. “Yes, please,” she answered.

The two of you left the museum together after taking her hand with yours again.

When you stepped down from the museum steps, you stopped for a moment and Taylor felt the tug of your hand. She turned around and you pulled her against you.

You rounded your fingers to the back of her head, pulling her close and kissing her. You really did feel like doing it; maybe it was feeling how soft her hand was or watching how pretty her hair looked when she walked ahead of you or seeing the smile on her face.

Her lips were so soft. She tasted like mint and grapefruit.

You pulled away and Taylor was blushing, eyes locked on yours and taking in how you looked at her. She eventually looked away from you when the wind blew a bit of her hair in her eyes and tore her away from her enamoured stupor.

“Is that how you kiss all your friends…?” she asked with the intention of teasing though you knew her words had more meaning.

After a moment of admiring how adorable she looked, slightly pouty and jealous, you softly ran the pad of your thumb against her cheek and whispered, “No. Just you.”

Taylor looked back over at you and smiled. She got to hold your hand and got a kiss; she was the luckiest girl in the whole world. She couldn’t help the way she started laughing. She was just so happy.

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