save me - taylor swift

The next morning, Ruby woke up late. Her head throbbed painfully, a dull reminder of the night before. She had barely gotten any sleep, and when she did, it was restless—Taylor's face haunted her dreams, the way she had gasped for air, the bruises forming on her skin, the way she had screamed Ruby's name without even knowing it was her who was there in the dark.

She groaned, rubbing her temples before forcing herself out of bed. She moved sluggishly, as if her body weighed twice as much. The soreness in her limbs didn't help, nor did the scratches on her wrists, which stung every time she moved.

By the time she realized she had a meeting, she was already running behind.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, throwing on a fresh shirt before slipping into her usual jacket. She grabbed her keys and rushed out, speeding through the streets toward work.

The traffic was terrible, but Ruby barely paid attention, her mind elsewhere. By the time she arrived, it was already 10:10 AM. She exhaled sharply, bracing herself before pushing open the meeting room door.

Inside, the entire security team was already gathered around the long table. Her eyes instantly landed on Taylor, sitting near the middle. Taylor's head snapped up the moment Ruby entered, and for a brief second, Ruby thought she saw a flicker of relief in her expression. But it was gone just as quickly, masked behind her usual composure.

"You're late," Elijah stated, his tone clipped.

Ruby exhaled through her nose and shrugged as if she wasn't two seconds away from collapsing. "There was a car crash on the way here," she lied smoothly, her voice steady enough to be believable.

Grant narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't press further. Instead, he resumed the meeting, going over the details of the break-in. Ruby forced herself to listen, to nod at the right moments, to act as though she wasn't the reason for the heightened security measures being put in place.

Taylor, however, remained silent for most of it.

But Ruby could feel her eyes on her.

The meeting dragged on for an hour, and by the time it ended, the rest of the guards began filtering out of the room, leaving only Ruby and Taylor.

Ruby leaned back against the chair, watching as Taylor quietly gathered her things. It wasn't until she stood up that Ruby noticed it.

The bruises.

They were dark against Taylor's pale skin, blooming along her throat like ink spilled on paper. Ruby's stomach turned violently.

She had done that.

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides as shame clawed up her throat. She wanted to look away, to pretend she hadn't seen, but she couldn't. Taylor must have noticed her staring because she suddenly reached for her hair, letting the strands fall over her neck to cover the marks.

But before she could fully hide them, Ruby moved without thinking.

Her fingers brushed against Taylor's skin, featherlight, barely a touch at all, yet Taylor's entire body went rigid.

Her breath hitched slightly, and when Ruby looked up, their eyes met.

Taylor's pupils were blown wide, her expression unreadable. Ruby could see the way her throat bobbed as she swallowed, the slight tremor in her fingers. But she didn't move away.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, Ruby realized what she was doing. She coughed and quickly retracted her hand, stepping back as if burned.