Chapter 24

it gets serious :((

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On the second month of sleepless nights, Cameron took a night out for herself, going into a nearby bar and ordering a drink with no hesitation. Loud beats shook the room, but Cameron was more focused on picking someone up. If she was going to suffer through this, she was going to show Taylor just how thin their walls are.

“Drinking alone?” A voice came from her left and Cameron turned instinctually.

“No, I’m waiting for a friend… Scarlett?”

The actress was dressed in a short black dress, highlighting her legs. “Hey, babe. What brings you here? Is your roommate still bothering you?”

Cameron groaned in response as she allowed Scarlett to pull her onto the dance floor, her drink long forgotten on the bar table. “See, I took your advice and had a talk with Taylor about her night time activities, and how she needs to keep it down. And she was super awkward but nice about it, you know? She told me she’ll keep it down.”

Scarlett spun her around and Cameron found her back pressed against Scarlett’s front. “Mhm, I’m guessing she didn’t keep it down?”

“NO!” Cameron exclaimed. “They keep giggling and saying ‘you gotta keep it down, baby’ and I am just so done with them. I love Taylor, but they need to move their sex life out of my apartment.”

Scarlett laughed, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “You sound like a walking embodiment of pent up sexual energy.”

“I am no such thing!” Cameron gasped in offense. “You sound like you need to get laid.”

“You sound like you need to get laid,” Scarlett retorted, before Cameron spun them around so that they were dancing face to face. There was something in a gaze that made Cameron stutter and she took in a shuddering breath. Scarlett’s voice was breathy and low when she spoke again. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Your place or mine?”

“Let’s give that roommate of yours karma,” Scarlett muttered against Cameron’s ears, and Cameron felt shivers run down her back as Scarlett placed one of her hands on her hips, the other still wrapped around Cameron’s neck.

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Breakfast was a little awkward, and Cameron sat smugly as she shoved cereals into her mouth. Meredith laid beside her bowl and occasionally made the move to push the bowl down before Cameron gave her a glare and Meredith looked down as if being scolded. Taylor sat across from Cameron with a seemingly permanent blush on her face.

Finally, Cameron had enough, and she pushed aside her cereal bowl. “Okay, what’s the matter with you? Do I have something on my face? Did I murder your cat? What?”

“Nothing!” Taylor’s face grew impossibly red and her voice was an octave higher than usual. She then promptly turned away and shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Meredith meowed, stretching before falling asleep on the dining table again.

“Okay,” Cameron glanced at her friend convincingly before taking out her phone and sending a text to Abigail.

Elsher

i think i broke taylor…

Anderson

…

Anderson

what did you do

Elsher

NOTHING!

Elsher

I SWEAR

Elsher

well…

Elsher

one thing

Anderson

…

Anderson

OMG DiD YOU TAKE MY SUGGESTION AND CALLED UP LIZZIE?

Anderson

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU <3

Elsher

I DID NOT! I HAD SEX WITH SCARLETT JOHANSSON THOUGH. AND SCARLETT DID THE WALK OF SHAME THIS MORNING WITH NO SHAME AND I THINK I BROKE TAYLOR

Elsher

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A REVENGE THING, NOT BREAKING HER

Anderson

HAHAHAHA

Elsher

… you are no help

Anderson

go back your best friend better

Elsher

so you admit that i am her best friend *le gasp*

Elsher

is our decades long feud finally coming to an end?

Anderson

in your dreams, elsher

“Are you texting Scarlett?”

Cameron looked up sharply when Taylor suddenly spoke again. “What?”

“Scarlett. Because I am pretty sure I just saw Scarlett Johansson walk out of our share apartment and it’s really okay if you want to bring your girlfriend over and stuff,” Taylor blushed as she spoke, and Cameron gap in shock.

“We’re not girlfriends,” Cameron managed to choke out. “And same to you, I guess. You can bring Karlie whenever you want.”

“We’re not girlfriends either,” Taylor muttered, looking away.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron offered her hand, and Taylor took it. “You could’ve done better than her anyways. She’s a bitch, I hate her.”

Taylor pouted. “You’re just jealous.”

“I am not jealous, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Come on, I can take you break-up skating.”

“Break up skating is not a thing,” Taylor protested as Cameron got up abruptly, earning a loud protest from Meredith, who jumped off the table and ran off to the living room.

“You forget the pain in your heart after the amount of time you would’ve fallen on your ass.”

“I hate you, you know that right?” Taylor looked up as Cameron took both of their bowls and started walking towards the kitchen. “You just want to watch me fall!”

Cameron laughed. “I have no such intentions!”

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Cameron convinced her boss to give her a private rink when she got in, and her boss took one look at Taylor and ushed them in without another word.

“Okay, Taylor, show me what you know!” Cameron got into the rink and offered a hand for Taylor to take. The blonde took in hesitantly before getting on the rink, her fingers immediately tightening around Cameron’s when her hands were no longer holding on to the wall.

“You just want to watch me fall,” Taylor accused, and Cameron gasped and moved to push Taylor towards the middle of the rink. But Taylor held on to Cameron’s hands and gave her a threatening gaze. “I will pull you down with me.”

Cameron pouted before she started to pull Taylor towards the center. “Stop skating as if you were walking, Tay. I thought I taught you better than that. Some of my students are nationally ranked!”

“I guess you’re not as good of a teacher as you thought you are,” Taylor grumbled, but placed both feet on the ice and followed Cameron’s instruction as she skates forward carefully, body still stiff.

Cameron sighed when Taylor reached for the wall as soon as they were within reach of one. “We’ve been friends for decades and you still can’t skate? This looks bad on my resume, Taylor.”

“It’s not my fault that you always offer to hold my hand,” Taylor shrugged in response, and Cameron blushed. Taylor gave her a look, and Cameron found herself, not for the first time, wishing she could kiss her.

It wasn’t that she still had a crush on Taylor, she was way over that. It was just that there were moments sometimes when Cameorn would forget the fact that no, they aren’t dating.

She wasn’t in love with Taylor anymore… No, not even a little bit.

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Kanye West uses Taylor’s name in a song. but singer / songwriter Taylor Swift refused to acknowledge that she had consented to it. Is this the end of the singer? 🐍

Cameron scrolled past another article, and her heart broke for her best friend, who was curled up on the couch in Cameron’s NYU sweater, a tub of ice cream in her hand as she watched FRIENDS reruns. Meredith and Olivia seemed to sense her mood, as she curled up around her protectively. Cameron’s heart broke more as she answered Abigail’s call and excused herself to the kitchen. Taylor looked up slightly, and Cameron pressed a kiss to her cheek before she left.

“How is she?” Abigail’s voice was quiet, and Cameron looked up at her best friend, a shell of who she was.

“As well as anyone could be doing in a situation like this,” Cameron sighed, feeling another buzz from the phone she had confiscated from Taylor after she saw the way her eyes watered as she scrolled past articles after articles of hate. “I hate them.”

“Me too,” Abigail sighed. “I wish I could do more.”

“Tree said to keep to the downlow right now. If I could, I would respond to every single one of those hate messages. But then that will get me banned, and Tree said she wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t know what else I can do, Abi. I just wish I could take it all away for her,” Cameron wiped a stray tear away from her eyes. Taylor looked up at that moment, and Cameron gave the blonde a small smile. Taylor gave a half-hearted smile before she turned back to the TV.

“Keep her afloat, Cameron. I think you’re her rock right now. But you know you can always talk to me too, right?” Abigail’s voice was soft, and Cameron was reminded of her mother. She nodded, before she hummed in response when she remembered Abigail couldn’t see her.

“Yeah. I’ll call you back, okay?”

“I love you, both of you,” Abigail didn’t say goodbye, but they hung up a moment later, and Cameron pulled up Taylor’s phone, opening her message for the first time in three days. There were messages after messages, but Cameron scrolled past all of them to pull up Andrea’s contact.

Mom

Are you okay, sweetie? I’m so sorry about what’s happening. Please call me, I love you.

Taylor

hi, andrea. this is cameron

Mom

Cameron! How is Taylor doing?

Taylor

she’s been on the sofa more times than not, but i’ve been feeding her and reminding her to drink water periodically. i think it really broke her, and sometimes i’m afraid that she won’t come back from this

Mom

My daughter is one of the strongest woman in the world, and you’ve been her person since day 1, Cameron. Thank you for taking care of her. Tell her to call me when she can?

Taylor

of course

Finally, Cameron went back to her own phone and pulled up Emma’s contact. The english actress picked up after two rings.

“Cameron? What’s up?”

“Can I take our vocational home for the foreseeable future? Unless you’re staying in it then-”

“No no, it’s all yours,” Emma reassured, and Cameorn let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “I heard what happened.”

“Yeah, I think a change of scenery will be good,” Cameron admitted. “I’m still going to ask her, but thank you. I guess the house was one good investment I made.”

Emma let out a small chuckle, before they said their goodbyes. Cameron left both phones on the kitchen counter before walking back to the living room.

Taylor curled up against Cameron’s arms as soon as the brunette made herself comfortable on the bed. She wrapped her arms tightly around her best friend, running a hand through Taylor’s hair in comfort.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” Taylor admitted quietly, her voice breaking near the end. “I tried so hard to make them like me, I just wanted to give someone something. I never meant to hurt them.”

“It’s not your fault, darling,” Cameron wrapped her arms tighter around her. “I love you.”

Taylor only buried her face further into Cameron’s chest.

“What do you think of London?”

Taylor pulled away for the first time, and her misty blue eyes met Cameron’s. “Are you suggesting we run away?”

“If you want to.”

“I want to,” Taylor didn’t hesitate to reply, and Cameron smiled. “When can we go?”

“Pack a bag, we can leave as soon as you want.”

Taylor let out a half smile, it wasn’t quite there but it was something. “As long as I’m with you.” 

END OF PART V