As August's car rolled past the small, metal gates to the Beverly Hills home, she started feeling quite underdressed.

She told herself it was just Niko's weaselly little voice worming its way into her thoughts and poisoning them, but it might have started as soon as she'd driven down the driveway and spotted all of the very well trimmed bushes and the pretty flowers all around. But it also might have had something to do with the black SUV she spotted parked a few meters down the road, right outside the house that was apparently Taylor's.

It didn't look too... celebrity like. In fact, it looked like a regular home. Maybe more on the large side, considering it was smack in the middle of Beverly Hills. Though it was still extravagant, It looked relatively modest, especially for a celebrity of her caliber.

There were just two cars parked in the driveway in front of the home, a black Toyota and a white Mercedes Wagon with tinted windows, both of which looked like they hadn't been driven in quite a while.

So, Taylor really wasn't joking about not going out much, just like August. It made sense. It probably felt like a breath of fresh air, not having to face the tabloids and people every day.

August stood in front of the large wooden doors and looked at the bell for a good few seconds, debating whether she should ring it or not. Whether she should have been there in the first place or not.

Was this even the right place? None of it screamed "a famous singer lives here!" More like, a stay at home cat-mom whose art business was doing a lot better than anticipated.

Well... That sounded about right.

Smiling to herself and letting out a soft chuckle, August finally rang the doorbell and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her pants as she waited for someone to open the door.

She heard a cat meow, then another, then a muffled "shit" and some crashing before the door finally flung open.

Taylor did not stay in the foyer to greet her.

In fact, the taller woman ran back inside, her socks sliding across the tiles.

August stood there awkwardly for a moment until the smell of baked goods finally hit her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, taking a tentative step into the house.

Two cats came over to her and stopped right in front of her, watching her with curious eyes.

"Uhm," she started, clearing her throat, stuck in a staring contest with the larger cat with bright blue eyes. "I think your cats are waiting for me to give them some secret password or something..."

"What?" August heard some more clattering and then what sounded like the over door closing. Two seconds later, Taylor appeared again in her foyer, looking flustered. She glanced down at the two cats and then looked up to smile sheepishly at August. "That's just Benji, don't worry about him," Taylor laughed softly.

August smiled back but she couldn't help but to simply... stand there. She was standing inside Taylor Swift's house. And Taylor Swift was standing right there in front of her. At an arm's length.

"Hi..." Taylor finally said, chuckling again and August couldn't help but laugh along. She was glad her cheeks weren't all that visible behind the face mask she was wearing.

"Hello," she answered softly, waving awkwardly.

Taylor reached behind August and pushed the door closed before standing back a few feet away. Was she trying to social distance or was this just awkward...? August couldn't tell.

"Sorry about the mess, I was in the middle of making cookies," Taylor started, pointing with her thumb behind her toward what August assumed was the kitchen.

The mouthwatering smell of baked goods was coming from that same direction.

"I hope you were already making the cookies before you decided to invite me over," August said, grinning at the older singer only to realise she probably couldn't tell with her mask on.

"I've been baking almost every day for the past month, it was going to happen no matter what," Taylor reassured her, and then with a small smirk, she added, "it's not all about you, August James."

August gasped lightly and scoffed, holding out the grocery bag in her hands. She was glad that sparky, sarcastic side of Taylor wasn't just a personality online.

"I got some snacks," she told her instead, dropping the bag in Taylor's hands.

Taylor looked inside curiously, raising her eyebrows at the contents. "Liquorice?"

August pointed a finger in her face. "I'm walking right out if you talk shit about liquorice!" She threatened playfully.

Taylor's grin widened. She held her hands up defensively. "I didn't say anything," she said and eyed the bag again. There was an assortment of all of August's favourite candies from gushers and peanut m&m's to takis and chocolate bars.

"Did you get everything the store had?" Taylor asked with a little laugh, moving to leave in the direction of the kitchen again. "Oh, shoes off, if you don't mind."

August kicked off her vans by the door and followed the artist into her kitchen. Despite all the clattering she had heard earlier, it was relatively neat. There were two trays full of chocolate chop cookies over the counter top, cooling. A few bowls and utensils were scattered around but for the most part, it was clean. August recalled the last time she had tried to bake something. It wasn't pretty...

Taylor grabbed a large bowl from one of the cabinets and emptied the candies inside. August watched with an amused glint in her eyes as the artist grabbed a bottle of disinfectant that was nearby and sprayed the packages and the countertop all over.

Was she just extremely cautious which was completely understandable, or was she just a germaphobe? August found her cute anyway.

She didn't ask, spotting the sink behind her, and going to wash her hands before touching anything. Taylor tossed her a clean rag and then moved to the cookie tray, picking one up and breaking it in half.

August watched as she took a small bite and her eyes almost rolled all the way to the back of her skull.

"You need to try these," Taylor said through a mouthful, handing the other half of the cookie in her hand over to August who took it gladly.

"They better be as good as your reaction was," August teased her, holding the piece of cookie with the gooey chocolate chips up to her mouth.

"What? What about my reaction?" Taylor demanded, still chewing on the rest of her cookie.

August smirked, pulling her mask down. "Nothing," she said. "It was cute."

The look on Taylor's face was unreadable. She watched August curiously as she bit down on the cookie and August could tell there was a lot more than looking forward to her own reaction.

... Niko couldn't have been right... could he, have?

"What do you think?" Taylor asked as the chocolate melted in August's mouth. It was just the right amount of chewy, and the perfect amount of sweet and she could have eaten the entire batch if she had been given the chance.

She just smiled at Taylor instead and chewed silently until she had swallowed the whole thing.

"Not bad," she said and Taylor rolled her eyes, standing up straight.

"You know you loved it," she said and the smile was back in her eyes. "Come on, let me show you around."

August had seen most of Taylor's house already through their many video calls and the pictures she would send her. But even then, it had never really registered in her mind just how normal the two story home was. Sure, it was large, and there were music awards in every single one of the rooms, but the singer was definitely not trying to show off. In fact, some of the furniture was mismatched and there were weird artefacts, mostly statues of cats, all over the place. The house looked like it was lived in. It looked comfortable

Taylor had started off at the top floor, showing her the guest bedrooms first and a small office turned into a cute library.

"Didn't know you liked to read," August said as they walked outside the room, almost stepping over yet another cat. She recognised her as Meredith from the countless pictures Taylor would send her.

"Are you calling me dumb?" Taylor gasped softly, pretending to be hurt. "Is it because I'm blonde?"

"Never!"

Taylor stopped in her tracks, her hand hovering over the handle of the last room on the floor. "Never as in you'd never call me dumb, or never as in you're still calling me dumb, but it's not because I'm blonde?"

August pulled her mask down just so that Taylor could see her smirk. "Never," she repeated and Taylor narrowed her eyes at August.

"Hmm," she hummed, though her eyes were still dancing amusedly. "And the master bedroom, or as I'd like to call it, The Kitty Committee Studio."

August frowned confusedly. "The what now?" She chuckled. "Who names their bedroom?"

"I do," Taylor responded, finally opening the door. August kept watching her expression; Taylor had a mischievous look on her face as though there was something absolutely out of the ordinary in her bedroom that August would never have expected. It kind of scared her.

"This is not gonna turn into a fifty shades of grey scenario, is it?" She asked, only half-joking.

Taylor gave her a weird look. "What?" She breathed out a laugh. "No, it's just the Kitty Committee Studio."

Taylor stepped inside and made room for August to get in. At first glance, it looked like a relatively normal bedroom. There was just a large, king-sized bed in the middle, a few paintings on the walls, small memorabilia on available surfaces. There was a single acoustic guitar in the corner of the room, next to the large glass windows.

And that was when August spotted the other corner of the room, where a blue curtain was hanging, covering whatever was hiding behind it on the other side.

"What's over there?" She asked hesitantly, knowing that was exactly what Taylor was talking about earlier.

"The Kitty Committee Studio!" Taylor said yet again, giggling softly.

"What the fuck is the Kitty Committee Studio?" August asked in frustration, though she still breathed out a laugh. Taylor's laugh was contagious.

"My own studio!" She finally explained, opening her arms wide and gesturing toward the curtain.

August took a tentative step forward and when Taylor didn't stop, she walked further inside. One of the Scottish folds zoomed past her and curled up over the pillows on the bed. August glanced at the comfortable cat for a moment before looking around the curtain.

Sure enough, there was an entire recording rig set up. Microphones, a laptop, an audio interface, and various other cables and headphones. For a home studio — scratch that, for a bedroom studio, it was still one of the best professional recording set-ups she had ever seen. It sure beat her lame set-up in her own room.

"This is so fucking cool," August exclaimed, letting out a laugh in disbelief.

"I know," Taylor replied amusedly.

"Wait, have you actually recorded any of your albums here?" August asked, craning her neck to look at Taylor.

There was a faraway look in her expression and she chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Well, just a couple songs," she finally said, but then, after a few moments of thought, she added, "so far."

That sparked August's interest a lot more. "So far?" she repeated and Taylor nodded her head enthusiastically.

"So far!"

"Taylor Allison Swift, are you working on some new shit?" August asked, stepping over toward her.

"Just a few ideas," she replied with a sheepish grin and August knew for sure that was bullshit. She was working on a big project. But she supposed she wasn't allowed to talk about it so she didn't press on.

Taylor led the way back downstairs and as they reached the final step, she spoke up again. "When you helped me write that small bit for that song the other day, it just... one song led to another. I sent them to Jack and we've kind of been working together. From our own homes, separately."

"Oh my god," August exclaimed excitedly. "Can I hear them?"

Taylor hesitated again and then she faced August fully and gave her a large smirk. "You'll have to wait and see."

August's eyes slowly widened. "So, there's going to be a whole, full-length album, isn't there?"

"I don't know!" Taylor replied, making them pass through the dining room first, and then the spacious living room.

"Oh, bullshit!" August called out and Taylor only laughed in response.

"Did you bring the movies or not?"

August glared at her, knowing she was expertly changing the subject by mentioning their movie night but she let it slide.

"Of course, they're in my bag," she answered, tapping the backpack that she was still wearing.

"Come on, then!" Taylor clapped her hands excitedly and August fought off her grin. She opened up her bag and pulled out the three DVDs, handing them over to Taylor.

She made herself at home immediately, sitting down on the sofa facing the large plasma screen and folding her legs under her. As Taylor crouched down to slip the first CD into the DVD player, August admired her for a moment.

As it turned out, it really was a pretty lowkey thing. Even Taylor was wearing just a simple pair of leggings and a matching black t-shirt. But even dressed in comfortable, monochrome clothes, August couldn't help but admire just how effortlessly beautiful the singer looked.

Taylor turned around and raised her eyebrows at August. "What?" She asked and August suddenly felt herself blush.

"Nothing, I just... zoned out," she mumbled, brushing her fingers through her curls.

Taylor frowned and looked around to her butt. The she turned around and beamed at August smugly. "Ah, I get it."

August wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

"I'm gonna get the candy and everything," Taylor announced and August nodded faintly. "Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, wine, vodka..."

August could tell Taylor was just having fun but honestly... she would need to be at least a little tipsy to get through the night. The only reason being that she was SITTING ON TAYLOR SWIFT'S COUCH. IN TAYLOR SWIFT'S LIVING ROOM. WITH TAYLOR SWIFT.

"Wine would be great," she smiled politely at TAYLOR SWIFT.

"Red or White?" Taylor asked from the kitchen. "Oh, there's a bottle of Rosé as well, if you like."

"White is fine," August called back, looking around the room by herself while she had the chance.

But it really was just a normal living room. Except for the real cat that was lying on its back on the rug.

She smiled, going over toward Olivia and rubbing her belly softly. The white cat instantly started purring, her tail tickling August's arm.

"Aw, she likes you," Taylor said as she returned. She set a tray down on the coffee table and flopped on the couch with the remote in one hand and a glass of white wine in the other.

"I like her too," August beamed, pecking the cat's forehead before moving back toward the couch, leaving a good space between her and Taylor.

She didn't really know where they stood yet.

"Shall we?" Taylor asked, pointing the remote at the TV and August nodded, still feeling a little excited for the movie to start.

She reached over to grab her own glass of wine as Taylor reached for a cookie from the small plate and as they returned to their seats, Taylor had suddenly scooted much closer to her. August wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but she was just highly aware of Taylor's proximity.

For the most part during the movie, August found it incredibly hard to focus on what was going on. She sipped on her wine slowly, she bit into some of the snacks every once in a while, she even sang along to Get Your Head In the Game because it's a banger, but her attention was mostly focused on the woman next to her.

In fact, every cell in her body was hyperaware of the fact that Taylor was sitting right next to her. At one point, Benjamin had jumped on the couch and curled up between them. Taylor's hand had absentmindedly slipped in his fur to pet him, but Benjamin had his back glued to August's leg. So, Taylor's fingers lightly grazed the side of her knee and she jerked at the contact. Thankfully, Taylor hadn't thought much of it and had proceeded to make fun of one of the outfits they had made Sharpay wear.

"I honestly think you'd look amazing in that hat," August said, chewing on a red vine.

Taylor clicked her tongue, taking full offence. "I know you're mocking, but I would definitely look amazing in that sparkly hat."

August shook her head at the artist and continued watching the movie.

By the time the first movie had ended they were both in fits of laughter and exhilarated from trying to recreate the dance from the last number. We're All In This Together required way more stamina than August had to offer.

They both slumped back against the couch in stitches, their heads just inches away.

"Hey," Taylor said softly, turning to catch August's gaze. "This turned out to be fun!"

August pouted. "Did you think I'd bore you to death?" She complained. "You invited me over!"

Taylor laughed and shook her head. "No, I knew you'd be fun. I didn't expect I'd enjoy the movies as much as I did when I was like, what, 16?"

August sat up straight, looking at Taylor in surprise. "You're telling me you haven't seen these movies since they had come out?"

Taylor smiled sheepishly. She leaned in close? cupped her hand over August's ear, and whispered, "I've never seen the third one."

August gasped so loud it made Taylor jump back and they hit their foreheads together. After a few grunts of pain, they were back with their bullshit, falling into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"That's it, we're skipping the second movie and jumping straight to the third!" August decided, already up on her feet and grabbing the DVDs from the coffee table.

"Wait but, how will I know what happens with a whole movie missing?"

August turned around, the CD in her hand, and blinked at Taylor. "You were singing Bet On It with me, that's the only important scene from that movie."

"What about the famous duet?" Taylor asked and August grinned, chuckling softly.

"We can put it on YouTube later."

"Ugh, fine," Taylor sighed and laid down on the couch, taking over most of the space with her long legs. "So like, Troy and Gabriella are together?"

"Uhu," August replied, crouching down to exchange the CDs. "Long story short, they break up, they sing a duet, they make-up, they have their first official on screen kiss in the last five minutes. And then Miley Cyrus makes a three second cameo."

Taylor snorted at that. "I remember that," she laughed, brushing her fingers through her hair.

August smiled amusedly and returned to the couch. She laid in the same fashion as Taylor, resting her legs on top of the famous singer's.

"I'm gonna need you to focus now," August said, "it's got some of the best songs ever written."