DOROTHEA

THIRTY-SIX

"LORD SAVE ME MY DRUG IS MY BABY I'LL BE USING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"

———

August 16th, 2018

"You're certain about this girl."

"Hm?"

"Taylor. I know you heard me,"

"No, Mom, I honestly didn't," Taylor chuckled, finishing the last sip of her mimosa and placing the glass down on the table.

It was a rare day between tour stops and the VMAs were a little more than a week away. Time seemed to be flying at an incomprehensible pace. On top of Ivy's approaching arrival into the world, Taylor was starting loose plans for her next album. No matter how chaotic her present was, it seemed as though her mind was always in the future. Even still, her mother somehow managed to pin her down for a brunch reservation.

"You want to be with Thea for a long time," Andrea reiterated.

"Yes?" Taylor quirked an eyebrow. A slightly-drunk smile formed across her features as she traced a circle on the table with her finger. "I feel like I've made that pretty obvious," she added.

"Maybe so. But you know why I don't like to assume," her mother noted. "Of course, we've been down that road more than a few times—"

"And?"

"And so I've learned not to rely on what I see," Andrea said, "although I still have my opinions." She smirked.

"Oh?" Taylor eyed her mother curiously. She took a bite of her salad, swallowed, then asked, "Care to share?—Actually, I'm not sure if I want to know."

Her mother chuckled. "Honey. I want you to spend a long time with Dorothea," she said, sipping her glass of Rosé. "A very long time."

"And that has nothing to do with your BFF Heather?" Taylor teased.

"Oh, Heather and I would still be friends, regardless of what happens with you two," Andrea assured, waving her hand arbitrarily.

Taylor's mouth dropped. "Wow." She laughed. "Good to know."

"Since we're being honest, part of the reason I asked about you two is because Heather and I are planning a trip to Europe next spring and, well, a lot can happen in six months..." Her mother trailed off.

"And now I'm making a mental note that three glasses of Rosè is your limit," Taylor muttered as her mom giggled to herself. She thanked the server after he came by and refilled her glass, then picked it up and examined the bubbles fizzing to the surface. She then sighed, "So, I guess this means you've changed your tune in the last two years?"

"My 'tune'?" Andrea gave her a funny look.

"If my memory serves me correctly, we were at the restaurant right next to this one when I came out to you and Dad," Taylor remembered. "It didn't exactly go well."

"I...Really?" Her mother frowned, tone suddenly full of concern. "Honestly, I can't remember."

"Seriously?" Taylor scoffed. Admittedly, she was puzzled by the woman's reaction. She then half-joked, "I think that was one of the worst days of my life."

Instead of laughing, though, Andrea's frown deepend. "Oh, Honey..." She shook her head to herself, visibly upset. "I didn't think we...You know my support is sincere. Don't you?"