Against the Rules (Taylor Swift x Reader)

Y/N's POV
The office was quiet now, the hum of chatter and the clicking of keyboards reduced to a low murmur as most people had wrapped up for the day. I stayed late to finalize the strategy notes Taylor had requested, my laptop screen glowing in the dim light.

The air felt heavier as the hours ticked by, or maybe it was just me. Every time I thought about Taylor—her touch, her voice, the way her gaze lingered just a second too long—I felt it. The pull.

I glanced toward her office. The door was ajar, the soft glow of her desk lamp casting long shadows. She was still in there, of course. She always stayed later than anyone else, working tirelessly.

Just as I turned back to my laptop, her voice cut through the silence. "Y/N?"

I looked up to find her leaning against her doorframe, arms crossed, a curious expression on her face. She didn't look like my boss at that moment—she looked... different. Relaxed, almost.

"Yeah?" I said, swallowing the nervous lump in my throat.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," I replied, shutting my laptop and standing up.

I followed her into her office, the air between us thick with unspoken words. Her desk was scattered with papers, her blazer draped over the back of her chair. She motioned for me to sit, but I hesitated, feeling too restless to stay still.

She walked around to the front of her desk, leaning back against it, her arms resting at her sides. "I just wanted to thank you," she said, her voice softer than usual.

"For what?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

"For everything you've been doing. You've been handling things like a pro, and I know this isn't an easy place to work."

I blinked, caught off guard by the compliment. "Thank you," I said, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.

Her eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable—it was charged, like the moment before a storm.

"You're different, Y/N," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Different how?"

"You notice things. You care about the details. It's rare to find someone like that."

I couldn't look away from her, even though every logical part of me screamed to break the moment. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Instead, she took a step closer, her movements slow and deliberate. My breath caught as she leaned down slightly, her face just inches from mine.

"I shouldn't say things like that," she murmured, her eyes searching mine.

"Why not?" I whispered back, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure she could hear it.

Her gaze flickered to my lips for a split second before returning to my eyes. "Because it's not professional."

Her words said one thing, but her body said another. She didn't step back. Neither did I.

My pulse raced as her hand brushed against mine, the smallest of touches sending a shockwave through me. I tilted my head, leaning in ever so slightly, the world around us fading into nothing.

It felt inevitable, unstoppable—like the moment we had been skirting around for days was finally here.

But just as her lips were about to brush mine, the door to her office burst open.

Taylor's POV
The sound of the door crashing open yanked me out of the moment, and I immediately stepped back, putting what little space I could between Y/N and me.

"Taylor! Oh, I didn't know you were still here." It was Andrea, her arms full of documents. My mother. Of all people, it had to be my mother.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady my breathing. "Hi, Mom. Everything okay?"

Andrea's eyes darted between us, and a knowing smile tugged at her lips. "I just needed to drop these off. I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

Y/N quickly stepped back, her face flushed. "I should go," she said hurriedly, grabbing her things from the chair she hadn't even sat in.

"No, stay," Andrea said, her tone warm but curious. "Don't let me scare you off."

"It's fine," Y/N stammered, not meeting my eyes. "I really need to finish up anyway."

Before I could stop her, she was gone, leaving me alone with Andrea and a tension that could have filled the entire office.

Andrea set the documents on my desk, then folded her arms, her gaze soft but probing. "Well, that looked... interesting."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It's not what it looked like."

Andrea raised an eyebrow, her expression both skeptical and amused. "Taylor, I might be your mother, but I'm not blind. That was... something."

"It's complicated," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

She smiled, her demeanor gentle. "Honey, I know you work hard, and you've sacrificed a lot to get where you are. But you're still human. And humans can't always control how they feel."

I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a hand.

"That said," she continued, her tone softening even more, "just... be careful. She seems like a lovely girl, but this kind of situation can get messy fast."

I nodded, unable to meet her eyes. "I know."

Andrea reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're my daughter, and I'll always support you. Just... think about what you're doing before you jump in with both feet, okay?"

"I will," I promised, though the knot in my stomach told me it wouldn't be that simple.

Andrea gave me a small smile and squeezed my shoulder. "Alright. I'll leave you to it. But, Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens, follow your heart. It's never led you wrong before."

She left the room, her words lingering in the air long after she was gone.

Y/N's POV
I practically ran out of the building, my heart still pounding as I replayed the moment over and over again in my head. We were so close. So close.

I didn't know what had come over me—what had come over her. But whatever it was, it had been real.

As I stepped into the cool night air, I tried to calm myself down. But the feel of her so close, the intensity in her eyes—it was all I could think about.

This wasn't just a harmless crush anymore.

This was something else entirely.

And I wasn't sure if I was ready for what would happen next.