~ ❀ ✿ ~

𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 ― ☀ ☁ ― 𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖞𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖍

\\ 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 //

FOR THE MOST PART, TAYLOR REALLY TRIED TO STAY AWAY.

It wasn't her fault that he chose to sit by her each morning they'd train, throw his arm around her shoulder when they'd walk on the tarmac back to the hangar after flying again, or, give her a challenge she just couldn't refuse.

It wasn't her fault that all of a sudden, she was yearning, and yearning to listen to him laugh when she'd cracked a successful joke or they just ended up doing something absolutely hilarious.

It wasn't her fault that he was just so, pretty, that she felt like watching his entire discography till date.

Was it?

Spending time with, not just him, but everyone, was becoming addictive, and soon she was sure it was something she'd define herself by. If she was asked what the best part of the behind-the-scenes was, she'd say, it brought a bunch of random people together, and now she was sure none of them could live without an opportunity to have people in their lives like this.

She'd gotten lucky, and, extremely at that.

Her father was currently busy snoring on the couch with Ben and Jamie on either of his shoulders. Monica, too had fallen asleep, head perched on Jamie's shoulder, nose nuzzled into his shoulder.

Taylor had already snuck a few photos of the two.

Glen was laying on the floor beside Jay and Greg, all of their eyes were clearly droopy with tiredness and the effects of the screen.

Goose was asleep in her room.

And it was just Miles and Taylor awake.

The two of them had long ago realized that they were the only ones alive at the dead of night, and so, naturally, Taylor asked him if he'd like a glass of wine.

There's that.

Currently, the two were by sitting across each other in the kitchen on the floor, nursing what she could remember, their second fills.

"So- Wait, you've always been writing with her? The Taylor Swift?"

All Taylor does is nod, bright and proud smile on her face, and he's groaning, murmuring, and shaking his head, "That's so cool,"

She chuckles, taking another sip of the wine as she leans her head back against the cabinet.

"You... you just get cooler and cooler every time I talk to you.." Miles says, shaking his head as he brings the wine glass closer to his lips.

"I'll tell you this, then," Taylor raises her empty hand's pointer finger, leaning a bit closer to him and ignoring the goosebumps, "Most of the guitar work on her songs, that's all me."

His jaw drops, wine glass away from his lips and on the ground in mere seconds as he looks at her in astonishment. 

Cute.

He has a look on his face, one that screams idea! at her, and she knows it. The raised brow, and the slightest upwards movement of his baby pink lips at the corner.

"You play the guitar?!"

It's a bit loud, and they shush each other when they hear groaning from the living room, silently giggling together.

"I do, amongst other instruments."

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you play the drums, maybe even the trump-" All he has to do is take one look at her expression to figure it all out.

"What the fuck!?" The wine sloshes everywhere, and Taylor chuckles loudly, pulling her legs to her chest as she looks down at the spilt drink.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Tay..." Miles is pulling his knees back too, also gazing down at the wine, before making the most adorable puppy face. 

And there comes that rush...

"It's alright, Teller, I'll clean that up later." She shakes her head at him in generosity, and he's flooded with relief visibly, shoulders which had shot up the second he'd spilt, resting easy.

A comfortable pause settles in.

Taylor closes her eyes once the back of her head is against the cabinet, taking a deep breath in, feeling the fatigue-ness fall over her body slowly.

When she opens her eyes, he's staring at her.

Now, Taylor knew she could read people. She could sense it, she could observe it, she could know it. She took pride in knowing she could, it was taught to her during her academy days, and she mastered it.

Though..

What the emotion was, right this second, covering his face and pooling in his hazel eyes, she didn't quite get. 

It was there for the nth of a second, and then, poof.

Gone.

Or maybe she was too tired to make an observation of it.

"You're really close with 'em all, huh?" Her face holds confusion until it strikes her.

"The Knights?" Her brows raise in question, and he simply nods, pressing his lips in a thin line once he's done gulping down the remnants of the wine in his glass.

"Uh.." She looks down at her lap after she places her empty glass to the side.

"Yeah, definitely. I mean, they, saved," A nervous chuckle escapes her, "my life.."

"I really wouldn't be here without them. Any of 'em." And then, she snorts, seemingly remembering a funny moment from one of their squad's deployments.

"It's crazy to think you even served." Miles shakes his head, lips crinkling at the corners.

"Why? 'Cuz I'm a woman?" Her head jerks to the side, holding her smirk back extremely well.

His expression falls. And then, he's trying to stutter out a response, finding his words and fumbling around with them as she keeps her stoic facade over that giddy-ness of it, watching him.

"Uh, no! That's not what I meant.." She's full blown broken out into laughter, having held it back long enough.

"Relax, I'm joking with you, jeez! Should'a seen the look on your face.."

They break into terribly tiny moments of laughter, and she takes the opportunity to study his face.

Crinkled corners of his lips, eyes small from the side, cheeks pushed up with his smile, starry green-brown eyes, baby pink lips, and perfect curls atop his head. And that moustache fit right in.

"No, but really, you, you're really cool..."

Now, Taylor had heard many people say things about her. Some good, some bad, some extremely nice, some extremely.. traumatizing, but she'd never tell them that. Kids, teens, adults, people, they liked her, most of the times. She was no role model, and God forbid, someone ever thought of her so, but she tried. For herself, for her father, her family and friends, she tried. 

She'd heard many people say, 'you're cool!', in many different ways. Not this. 

It seemed like he actually meant it. Not many people did, she supposed. 

But he did.

Damn it, Miles Teller.

\\ 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 //

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