Disclaimer: This a work of fiction. It did not/will not happen in real life and should not be mistaken as such.
Chapter Thirty-Four: folklore
Starring Taylor Swift
Codes: MF, Rom, Creampie
*****
2020
Peace. It all around them. Inside of them. Neither could possibly be more at peace than they were at this very moment. Nestled beneath a thick woolen blanket, their bodies intimately intertwined within the recesses of an Adirondack chair. Their gaze was tilted skyward, taking in the majesty of the heavens laid out before them. The purple and pink skies had given way to their own private show of nighttime celestial magic, sparkling like an ever-glowing mirrorball. With no one around but the crickets, they were utterly and absolutely alone. Quietly the insects chirped in the surrounding woodland, a personal symphony to serenade them, conducted by the gentle crackle of the fire before them. They'd spent the entire day outdoors. A lazy late morning, followed tranquil picnic lunch down by the lake, picking bouquets of wildflowers and a serene hike to a clifftop overlook with beautiful blue skies. The entire valley had been laid out before them, looking like one Taylor's many quarantine paintings.
Free from responsibilities, from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Free from 2020, even if just for a little while. It was a brief break from her rerecording, which was going better than even she had dared hope. Phones hadn't been turned on since they arrived at the isolated, albeit luxuriously stocked cabin. The Colorado wilderness was the perfect remote getaway, and Cole couldn't have asked for a more perfectly picturesque place for his big plans. And now, it was time for the culmination of those plans. One final question to ask.
"Can't beat that view." He whispered into Taylor's ear, the floral smell of her hair filling his nostrils as he squeezed her tight, her body a balm against the chill air.
"No, you can't." She replied, her beautiful face still upturned to the tapestry of stars.
Of course, he wasn't referring to the stars, but the visage of the woman he loved beside him. It was time. He couldn't stand to wait one more minute. He'd waited so long already. And strangely enough, he felt very calm, the nerves long plaguing him noticeably absent. For once, he was the one with the sly grin instead of her. Untangling himself from her plethora of long limbs, she looked at him quizzically as he rose. Staring at her with all the attention in the world, he cleared his throat loudly and slowly descended. His right knee came to rest in the cool, damp grass. The glow of the fire played across her confused features, the blanket falling from her cardigan-clad shoulders, her blonde head glowing with starlight.
"Taylor Alison Swift..." He started to say, pulling a small ornately crafted box from his pocket. Any confusion vanished, turned to surprised disbelief as her mouth opened, rounded in shock as her hands shot up. "...I could spend my whole life trying to put into words how I feel about you. Sometimes it seems like I've spent a good portion of it already, doing just that. Words seem inadequate. Every time I come up with something, it just doesn't seem enough. So, let me just say this. I have loved you for nearly all my life, even if I didn't realize it right away. But, no more wasted time. There's only one question I can think to ask." He took a deep breath as a smile touched his lips. "I think I know the answer, but I bought you this shiny thing to really seal the deal." He paused and took yet another breath. "Will you marry me?"
Even the crickets seemed to have gone silent as he opened the box, presenting the ring to her. She gasped, her eyes welling up with tears of joy.
"Cole...I...I..." She was speechless, lost for words, a feat not easily achieved when it came to a wordsmith such as her. Still, her head was already nodding even as her lips fumbled over the answer. "I...I can't believe...of...of course! I've loved you for so long too. Absolutely yes! I love you! I just...I love you so much."
Launching herself out of the chair and into his awaiting arms, they came together in an unbreakable embrace. For a moment, they just held each other. Then her lips found his and they kissed. A kiss like never before. One that seemed to stop the world itself. On and on it lingered, and just how long they remained there, with their lips pressed together beneath the stars, neither would ever be able to say. When they finally broke apart, he held the box forward with the ring once more, offering it up with a shaking hand. An equally shaking hand extended forward, holding her ring finger aloft as he slid it on the spindly digit. It came to rest, securely fastened, in the place it was always destined for. Taylor's blue eyes finally fixated on it, seeing truly for the first time. Her jaw dropped once more.
"Holy shit! Shiny? This thing is blinding!"
Poorly suppressing another grin, he too looked at the 13-carat crystal clear diamond perched atop the rose gold band. The firelight made it sparkle like the stars overhead, as it did with the other dozen diamonds inlaid into the band itself, symmetrically place around the entirety of the ring. Each of them came in at the precise weight of 1.3 carats.
"There's so many things I want to say, but my mind is just a blur. It's spinning around." She said looked from the ring on her finger to the man she loved. "I love you. I love-" He kissed her again, quieting her with his mouth.
His mind was a hurricane too, chaotically swirling in a storm of happiness. There would be time for more words later, but for now that kiss was a start. The happiness, the love inside of them was building, their bodies knowing that something more than a passionate kiss was needed to finish the sentiment.
***
The darkened bedroom door banged open, the two of them wrapped up in each other as they staggered and stumbled towards the awaiting bed. A trail of garments followed them from the front door. Fumbling fingers failingly tugged at the remaining clothing, struggling to discard them. One of the fingers was weighted down more than usual. Falling onto the bed, still half-dressed they rolled around with their lips glued together, breaking only for the occasional euphoric laugh of blissful happiness. His shirt-half unbuttoned; her pants caught around her knees, they paused for a tender moment. Their breathing was the only sound as they pressed foreheads together and simply stared into each other's eyes. One, a set of brilliant blue. The other a gleaming set of emerald green.