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December 4, 2014.
Karlie Kloss was not a fan of The 1975. She wasn’t even a fan of Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, especially after dark. She was pretty sure she would have never showed up tonight if it hadn’t been for Taylor’s multiple phone calls begging her to come out with her tonight. Martha was going to be there, Lily was going to be there, it was going to be fun. When Karlie mentioned Josh wanted to spend time with her because he was going to fly out to Boston the morning after and stay there for a week, Taylor had gone quiet for a second too long to be natural, before assuring her he could come, too.
“I don’t think it’s his scene.” Karlie tried, “Can I just come see you in a few days? I’ll have the entire week to myself; I can literally come over anytime.”
“But Karlie, it’s a concert. You’ll love it. Selena didn’t think she’d love it, but she really did, and it would just be really easy for me to just go see Matt again and then have a few weeks of paparazzi-free bliss. Please come with me. Please. Bring Josh. I’ll be so nice to him, I promise. Please come.”
She had agreed to it because even after a year of desperate attempts, she still had not learnt how to say no to Taylor Swift. Josh had agreed to the concert, albeit begrudgingly, confused why a girls’ night out was suddenly this important, and even more confused why he had been invited. She had almost felt him recoil when Taylor’s security detail ushered them into the building through the artist entry, slightly unnerved by the rush she had come to love the past months.
“I’m gonna leave at ten.” Josh reached for her hand, “I’m telling you now. This - do you even like this music, Kar?”
“I don’t even know who they are.” Karlie shrugged, “Taylor seems to like them, though.”
“Or she’s supporting her boyfriend,” Josh moved them through the crowd, following one of the ushers to the VIP section, “isn’t she dating the lead singer or something?”
“Oh, eh, maybe.”
The second she laid eyes on Taylor; she knew the singer had been having more than her standard two drinks. If she hadn’t known when the blonde lingered too long when she embraced Karlie, she definitely knew when Taylor turned to Josh and hugged him too. Judging by Josh’s surprised face, he too had no idea how to handle Taylor Swift at a concert. Karlie introduced Josh to the rest of the group and was about to leave for the bar to get drinks when Taylor gently yanked her arm.
“Come dance with me,” the shorter woman smiled, pulling Karlie aside and resting her hands on the model’s hips, “I’m so happy you came, Karlie.”
“I was about to get a drink,” Karlie smiled back, fighting the urge to pull Taylor in closer, “you seem in a very good mood.”
“I’m always in a good mood when I get to hang out with you.” Taylor didn’t skip a beat, “You look really beautiful.”
“Taylor,” Karlie pushed the singer back just a bit, “you’re so drunk.”
“Maybe, but I’m not blind. I like this,” Taylor ran her fingers down the hem of her top, “it’s really cute - oh hey, and it’s soft. I like it.”
Somewhere below them, the support act stopped playing and the cheering got louder, spurring Taylor on even more. Amidst all the clapping and bustling of the VIP crowd, Taylor leant in closer and brushed her lips against Karlie’s cheek.
“Hey,” Karlie immediately grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and pushed her back, “don’t do that. There are people around.”
“Don’t care.”
“Maybe drunk Taylor doesn’t care, but I promise you that you will tomorrow. Let’s go back to the girls and dance a bit, right?”
“But you,” Taylor cleared her throat, meekly letting Karlie guide her back to her group of friends, “don’t have a drink yet. Speaking of, neither do I. Let’s get another drink, babe.”
“Let’s just stand here for a bit, babe.”
Before Taylor could object, one of the Haim sisters - Karlie could not tell them apart - had joined in the fray, twirling Taylor around and pointing out at a small group of fans that had recognised her from the stalls below. Grateful for the distraction, Karlie moved back from the bannister and tried to look for Josh, finally spotting him near the back, eyes glued to his phone.
“Everything alright?”
“Karlie,” Josh looked guilty, “I’m gonna go. Traffic is going to be horrendous later on and this Boston business is really important - are you going to stay long?”
“I don’t really know,” Karlie shrugged, “depends on what the girls want to do.” Depends on what Taylor wants to do.
“Okay,” the dark-haired man ran his hand through his hair, “would you, um, mind sleeping at yours tonight? If you’re going to stay here for a while and then go to an afterparty and then come back to mine, I’m really not going to be well-rested, and like…”
“And the Boston business is really important,” Karlie grinned, “I know. Sure, no problem. You go to Tribeca, I’ll go to the West Village later on. And I’ll see you next week?”
“You are,” Josh paused, cupping her face to kiss her softly, “the absolute best. Do you want to excuse me with your girls? They look like they’re having a great time, wouldn’t want to disturb them.”
“Sure,” Karlie smiled, “Good luck in Boston.”
“Thanks. I’m just gonna go back there,” he nodded to the back, “to ring a cab and then I’m gonna go. You have fun.”
Josh kissed her again. When he pulled back and she quickly rubbed her thumb over his lip to get rid of the lipstick smear, she was faintly aware of the fact the band’s more popular songs had started playing. When Josh disappeared in the crowd and she turned around to join her friends again, she spotted Taylor staring at her, almost disappointed.
“Hey,” Karlie wrapped an arm around her as soon as she’d walked over, “what’s up?”
A pair of frozen hands to hold
Oh she's so southern so she feels the cold
“This is my favourite song,” Taylor mumbled, intertwining her fingers with Karlie’s, looking out over the crowd, “this is their best one.”
One moment I was tearing off your blouse
Now you're living in my house
What happened to just messing around?
“Are you okay?” Karlie shouted over the music, and over Taylor and one of the Haim sisters yelling along with the lyrics, “Taylor?”
The shorter girl turned to face her, their fingers still intertwined and Taylor’s other hand firmly on her waist.
“Why can he kiss you and I can’t?” Taylor shouted, loud enough for Karlie to hear. “I thought you liked me.”
“Taylor, quieten down,” Karlie leant in closer, “I like you. Please don’t make a scene.”
“I wanted to kiss you and you didn’t want to kiss me.” Taylor said not quite as loud, “And that fucking breaks my heart, Karlie.”
“You don’t want to kiss me here,” the model desperately tried, “you can’t, remember? No public spaces. You’re drunk, please trust me - you don’t want to kiss me.”
They're just girls breaking hearts
Eyes bright, uptight, just girls
In hindsight, she should have known. She should have recognised Taylor’s dramatic flair of making a situation work for her. She should have recognised the brief flicker Taylor’s eyes did, looking into hers one second and at her lips the next. Before Karlie could react, Taylor had leaned in and kissed her, drunkenly half missing the mark and ending up kissing the corner of her mouth. She quickly cupped Taylor’s face with one hand and pushed her back a bit.
“I’m sorry -”
“It’s you,” Taylor burst out laughing, “girl breaking my heart.”
Karlie allowed herself to be held onto for another few seconds, until Taylor leant over the bannister to sing the rest of the song to the group of girls waving at her from down below in the stalls. Fucking fantastic. She stepped back from the bannister and immediately made eye contact with Martha, who seemed to be the only one from the group besides Karlie to still be sober.
“Don’t worry,” the blonde model rubbed Karlie’s arm, “it’s fine, nobody’s seen.”
“Seen what?”
“Her kissing you,” Martha frowned, “well, apart from me and I think Alana. But that’s the least of your worries. Maybe we should get her out of here.”
“And go where?”
“Home, I guess.” Martha sighed, “Lily’s broken a nail and has been unbearable since, and I think those Haim girls are not digging the vibe at all.”
“Do you know what the final song of the set list is?”
“I don’t know any of their music.”
“Join the fucking club.” Karlie grunted, “Right, I’m gonna ask her security what to do.”
* * *
“Taylor, come on.”
All five of them had attempted to zip up Taylor’s jacket, much to the singer’s delight. With nobody succeeding and Taylor’s giggling becoming increasingly distracting, one of the security men had stepped in and finally managed to pull the zipper up, before shining a torch light at the group.
“Just follow me, ladies. There’s two cars, I’m not sure who wants to ride with whom.”
“How about you guys,” Karlie turned to the Haim sisters and another girl she didn’t know, “take the first and us four take the second.”
“Works for us,” Alana pulled Taylor into a hug, “text when you get in, yeah?”
“I love you,” Taylor gently patted Alana’s face, “I love you very much.”
The next two minutes were spent trying to manoeuvre Taylor through an alleyway that was too narrow, into the main street where the car was waiting. Karlie instinctively grabbed Lily’s hand, who then grabbed Taylor’s, who ended up almost yanking Martha down to the pavement. Karlie squinted to avoid the paparazzi flashes and the noise; grateful she could almost instantly climb into the car. She watched her model friends and Taylor climb into the car as well, Taylor happily squished in the middle.
“I think we best call it a night.” Lily was the first to break the silence as soon as the car took off, “Can your driver drop me off at First Avenue?”
“And me,” Martha looked through her bag, shaking it softly to find her keys, “I’ve come down with a massive headache.”
Karlie looked at Taylor, who was more focussed on the zipper of her jacket than the conversation going on in the car. Suppressing a sigh, she pressed the speaker button to connect to the driver.
“Could you make a stop at First and then go to the penthouse, please?”
“Are you going to take her?” Martha yawned, nodding her head towards Taylor, “I’m sure her security can take care of that.”
“Just want to make sure she actually doesn’t break her neck as soon as she’s in.” Karlie sighed, “Girl can’t hold her drink.”
“You,” Taylor cleared her throat, “are rude.” She added, gesturing at Karlie. “Girls, let’s take a picture. Here, let me.” She mumbled, trying to unlock her phone.
“Do you want me to take it?” Karlie asked, sitting across from the other three, “I can hold it.”
“No, I am fine,” Taylor mumbled, “I don’t need you to do anything for me.”
“Have it your way.” Karlie sighed, looking out through the window.
She watched Taylor’s multiple attempts at a semi decent picture, then got the notification on her phone seconds later when she posted it. The fact she wasn’t in it, felt hurtful somehow. She’s drunk, she doesn’t know. Cut her some slack.
* * *
The penthouse was warm. She felt the heat engulf her as soon as she opened the door with her key, a stark contrast with the December chill outside. Wrapping an arm around Taylor, she quickly helped her in before kicking the door shut. Security had helped her most of the way to the front door but had let Karlie take the lead from there. Despite the gym outings, carrying Taylor into her own home was deceivingly difficult as the blonde refused to cooperate at all.
“You can leave.” Taylor said coolly as soon as Karlie helped her sit down on a kitchen stool. "I'm fine."
"I doubt that."
"I'm fine. You don't need to stay here."
“I’m gonna make sure you are okay first.” Karlie mumbled, taking off her own jacket, “Jesus Christ, Taylor, how much did you have to drink?”
“Four before you got there,” the singer said softly, “and then a few more while we were there.”
“You are a lightweight,” Karlie knelt down in front of her, unzipping the jacket, “what were you even thinking?”
“I was thinking about you,” Taylor’s eyes slipped shut before she opened them again and started at the model in front of her, “the only thing I wanted to do was having a good time at a concert and have a good time with my friends, and then I had to watch my girlfriend make out with someone else.”
“I didn’t make out with Josh.”
“You let Josh kiss you,” Taylor pointed out, “you didn’t let me kiss you.”
“That’s because to the world, I am Josh’s girlfriend and not yours,” Karlie sighed, “and you would never have tried to kiss me if you weren’t as drunk as you are.”
“That’s a lie.” Taylor shook her head, “I would have. You know why, Karlie?”
“Because you love me,” the model sighed, “babe, we’ve done this before.”
“I don’t just love you, that was maybe the first few weeks of knowing you. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, which is why tonight sucks so fucking badly.”
“Stop talking,” Karlie suddenly felt annoyed, “you’re drunk.”
“I’m serious.” Taylor frowned, "I'd say this if I were sober, too."
“Stop.”
She took one of Taylor’s boots off and looked up, surprised to see Taylor look at her with more lucidity than she had done the entire evening. Suppressing a sigh, she took off the second boot and stood up, gently reaching for the singer’s jacket and shimmying it down one arm carefully, before repeating it on the other side. When she stepped back, Taylor suddenly looked very forlorn, to the point where Karlie felt bad for snapping at her moments before.
“I’m sorry.” Taylor said softly, “I know you are annoyed at me.”
“I’m not,” Karlie replied, not knowing whether she was or not, “come on, let’s get you to bed.”
“Are you staying?”
“Do you want me to stay?” Karlie fired back, “Earlier on you didn’t want me to take a picture, never mind being in one, so it’s up to you, isn’t it.”
“I said I’m sorry,” Taylor took Karlie’s hand to get up from the kitchen stool, then held onto her arm, “I just got jealous.”
“Yeah well,” the blonde mumbled, “don’t. It’s not fair on me. If you could just be out, I wouldn’t have to get myself in these dumb ass situations, Taylor. You can’t expect me to be your dirty little secret and refuse to let my boyfriend kiss me while we are all out in public.”
“You’re not my dirty little secret,” Taylor cupped her face, “I meant what I said, Karlie, I’m in-”
“Can we just drop it, please?” Karlie sighed, “It’s been a really long night, we have to get that make up off of your face before you get into bed, and I just - I’m really tired, Tay.”
“I can do it,” Taylor replied, not letting go of Karlie’s face, “Karlie - do you still want this?” Blue eyes looked at hers nervously, “Do you still want me?”
“Of course, you know I do,” the model groaned, “it’s just been a really long night, Taylor. I genuinely just want to get into bed.”
“Sleep with me?”
“I’ll sleep with you, yeah.” Karlie couldn’t help but smile, “We’re fine.”
“Thank god,” Taylor sighed in relief, leaning in and brushing her lips against Karlie, “I love you.”
“Love you,” Karlie whispered against hot lips, “let’s get you cleaned up.”
* * *
When Karlie woke up, it was already bright outside. In her focus to get Taylor’s face free of makeup and to get her out of her clothes, neither of them had remembered to draw the curtains, resulting in a vastly bright bedroom. Karlie squinted and looked beside her, Taylor tightly curled up against her side. She leant in closer and gently pressed her lips against the older woman’s forehead, wondering what had woken her up if not the light. Reaching out for her phone on the nightstand, she picked it up and glanced at the screen.
11:37
(4) missed calls
(2) voicemails
New message: Tree Payne
Almost immediately, Karlie felt panicked. Pressing the dial button, she listened to the dial tone two times before Tree picked up.
“Hey, you called -”
“Is she with you?”
“I’m with her,” Karlie rephrased it instantly, “what’s wrong?”
“I have tried to call her all morning and nothing has gone through. She has got an interview at one, please tell me she’s actually ready.”
“She is, eh”, Karlie glanced next to her, “asleep.”
“Karlie, honey,” Tree sighed on the other side of the line, “I’m not sure what the hell happened last night but I need her to be awake and ready to go in half an hour. I’m coming over to hers, in a car, please make sure she’s ready by twelve.”
“Tree, I don’t think -”
“So much is obvious, Karlie.” Tree sighed, “If you had been thinking last night, I would not have had media outlets asking me why Taylor Swift was making out with her best friend at the gig of her rumoured boyfriend.”
“We didn’t make out.”
“I don’t care about the semantics; I’ll deal with that part of this catastrophe. You just take care of your part and make sure she’s ready, at the door, at twelve.”
Before Karlie could get anything else in, a dry click on the other side of the line ended her conversation with Tree. Karlie sighed and gently shook the blonde’s shoulder.
“Taylor,” she cleared her throat, “Taylor. Wake up.”
“Ten more minutes.”
“You don’t have ten more minutes,” Karlie pulled the sheets down the blonde’s shoulders, “you seem to have an interview you’ve forgotten about; Tree has been trying to ring you all morning, she’s… not happy.”
“Oh,” Taylor grimaced, “oh shit.”
“Yeah,” Karlie sighed, throwing the covers off and getting out of bed, “do you need to look super presentable or is it radio?”
“Radio, I think. Or a sit-down. No pictures. Fuck, I really thought that was tomorrow.”
“Fix your face, I’ll get you an outfit of sorts.”
By 11:59 Taylor had managed to at least moisturise and put some foundation on, and Karlie had grabbed beige trousers and a black turtleneck from the singer’s closet, hoping it would at least give Taylor a less hungover appearance. Wayfarer in one hand, Karlie fixed up her collar and ran her other hand through Taylor’s hair right when the buzzer went. Seconds later, Tree barged in with a coffee in hand, immediately stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Taylor and Karlie looking back at her sheepishly.
“We’ll talk in the car,” the redhead sighed, grabbing Taylor’s arm less carefully than she normally would, “thanks for your help, Karlie. You can lock up when you leave.”
And just like that, Karlie watched them walk out of the penthouse, Taylor still slightly unsteady on her feet.
* * *
It had maybe been four hours before she heard the key in the lock again. Karlie sat up, craning her neck to get a full view of the front door. Taylor walked in and immediately kicked off the ankle boots she’d been wearing, before taking off her sunglasses. When she looked up and spotted Karlie, her face was one of both surprise and confusion.
“You’re still here.”
It was more of a statement than a question. Karlie nodded, gesturing for Taylor to come closer.
“Was it bad?”
“Horrendous,” Taylor sighed, taking a seat at the breakfast island next to Karlie, “Tree told me off, apparently there are pictures of me kissing you.”
“Trying to kiss me.”
“Trying to kiss you.” Taylor echoed, turning to face Karlie, “Was I horrible to you?”
“You were drunk.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You said,” Karlie shrugged, “it’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Taylor said, getting up, “get up.”
“What are you doing?”
“I asked you to come out with me last night and you said yes because you wanted to dance, and I ruined that, so I owe you a dance of sorts, come on.”
“Are you serious?” Karlie laughed, “You want to dance right here and now?”
“I’m hungover but my rhythm is like, really great. Alexa, play -” Taylor paused, “what do you want to dance on?”
“Don’t need any music.” Karlie sighed, “C’mere.”
With Taylor’s arms wrapped around her waist and her arms around Taylor’s neck, she enjoyed swaying idly through the singer’s kitchen, somehow amazed the older woman managed to actually sidestep without tripping or standing on her toes.
“You’re still wearing what you wore last night.” Taylor remarked gently.
“I didn’t want to go through your closet if you weren’t here.”
“I like this top,” Taylor added, gently touching the hem, “is it new?”
“No,” Karlie grinned, “you’ve already said you liked it, by the way.”
“Oh.”
“Hm,” the model added, “I liked what you were wearing last night.”
“Good,” Taylor shrugged casually, “I wore it for you.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I wouldn’t ever,” Taylor leant in, standing on her toes to brush her lips against Karlie’s, “I genuinely wanted to look nice,” she whispered softly, “nice enough for you to come back here with me.”
“It sort of worked.” Karlie breathed, very aware Taylor was almost flush against her, “I’m here now.”
Within seconds, she’d pushed Taylor against the kitchen island, kicking at one of the stools to create more space. Taylor let go of Karlie, putting her hands behind her on the counter. The model grabbed the back of Taylor’s thighs, lifting her up to sit on the edge of the kitchen island before stepping in between Taylor’s legs.
“I want you,” Taylor whispered against eager lips, “I wanted you yesterday and then today I couldn’t think of anything else,” she added as Karlie’s hands reached down for the button of her trousers, “and now I just want you to -”
Karlie stopped dead in her tracks, having just unbuttoned the other woman’s trousers. Taylor leant back with one hand, tangling the other in Karlie’s hair, holding her close as she kissed her, her breath gently tickling Karlie’s face as the model pushed the zipper down.
“Want me to what?”
It was barely a whisper. Part of Karlie hoped Taylor would voice it, say it out loud so Karlie did not have to guess what the singer would be okay with. Instead, Taylor brushed her lips against Karlie’s and reached for the younger woman’s hand, taking hold of it and dragging it up before sliding it down again.
“Fuck.” Taylor muttered against Karlie’s mouth as soon as Karlie’s fingers touched her.
If Karlie had been turned on before, feeling how soaked Taylor was at this point pushed her near her own limit. She withdrew her hand, much to Taylor’s temporary disapproval, before hooking her fingers into the belt loops of the singer’s trousers and yanking them down. Taylor helped by kicking them off, then wrapping her legs around Karlie as the blonde leant in, sliding her hand down Taylor’s sweater and finally down the hem of her underwear.
“Holy shit,” Karlie mumbled against Taylor’s cheek as her fingers met wet heat, “you’re so fucking wet.”
Stating the obvious made Taylor wrap her legs around Karlie’s waist even tighter. Karlie took a step back, grabbing the bottom hem of Taylor’s sweater and pulling it over her head in one swift motion, followed by pulling her own sweater off. She put the palm of her hand against Taylor’s chest and gently pushed.
“Karlie, I -”
“Lay down.”
Taylor leant back, resting her elbows on the cool marble as Karlie reached for her underwear and pulled it down as well, carelessly tossing it to the floor before nudging her thighs further apart. The blonde wrapped her arms around Taylor’s legs, pulling her closer to the edge before leaning in closer and running her tongue down slick warmth. Almost instantly, Taylor reached down and tangled her fingers into Karlie’s hair, holding a firm grip as Karlie continued to run her tongue up and down, sucking down on her clit each time she reached the top. Taking her time, Karlie ignored the whimpers from above her and dipped her tongue in between wet folds, making sure to stop each time Taylor bucked her hips upwards or gently pulled her hair, trying to get more friction going. After what felt like long enough, Karlie pulled back and pressed her lips against Taylor’s thigh gently.
“Don’t stop,” Taylor sounded husky, “please don’t.”
Not being one to disappoint, Karlie leant in again, this time sucking gently on Taylor’s clit while running her fingers through wet folds and finally slipping two in. Above her, Taylor moaned. She slowly started moving her fingers in and out, not taking her mouth off of the older woman’s clit. When Taylor’s grip on her hair intensified, so did her fingering. Karlie looked up, never slowing down as the singer looked down at her through heavy-lidded eyes. With only the sound of her fingers fucking Taylor and the shorter woman’s moans and pleas, Karlie kept going, vigorously fucking the woman beneath her while sucking down on her clit.
“Fuck,” Taylor moaned, arching her back up from the marble, “Oh fuck, Karlie.”
She felt Taylor tighten around her fingers, felt how she slightly shook beneath her, before she pulled back and ran her hand over Taylor’s thigh gently. Standing up, she smiled down at the singer before leaning over her and kissing her.
“You’re so fucking hot.” Karlie smirked when she saw the blonde’s flushed cheeks.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” Taylor mumbled, pulling Karlie in closer and kissing her again, holding onto her while she sat up, “come here.”
Karlie grinned as Taylor pulled her against her, quickly losing the grin as Taylor reached behind her and unclipped her bra, before reaching down for her trousers and mimicking what Karlie had done to her earlier. Taylor didn’t waste any time, slipping one hand down the front of Karlie’s underwear while her lips immediately found Karlie’s chest, lazily kissing hot skin while one hand rubbed down Karlie’s front and the other cupped the younger woman’s breast, palming it slightly harsher than she usually would.
“More.” Karlie breathed, cupping Taylor’s face and leaning down to kiss her, “I want you.”
Without wasting a single second, Taylor squeezed harder, running her thumb over a hardened nipple while slipping her fingers into wet heat. Karlie bucked and Taylor pulled back, not letting go of Karlie but keeping her at a slight distance.
“Look at me,” Taylor murmured, feeling Karlie’s uneven breath tickle her skin, “you’re so fucking gorgeous, Karls.”
“Shit,” Karlie whimpered as Taylor ran her hand over her chest and palmed her other breast as well, “don’t stop.”
“Want me to go down on you?” Taylor leant in again, gently biting down on Karlie’s bottom lip, “Let me get those trousers off and I’ll eat you out.”
“No, no,” Karlie moaned, “just do this, I’m almost -” she kissed Taylor again, “don’t stop.”
“Use my fingers then,” Taylor teased between feverish kisses, “ride them, baby.”
“So close, Taylor.”
“That’s it, Kar, just fuck yourself, babe, cum for me.”
“Just a little -”
Taylor leant down, dragging her teeth over a nipple softly before sucking down, meanwhile pulling out of Karlie and rubbing her thumb over the model’s clit, not stopping until Karlie buckled against her and reached for her wrist, squeezing it to make her stop moving against her. The singer let Karlie catch her breath before she pulled back and reached up, tucking blonde strands of hair that had fallen in front of Karlie’s face, back behind her ear.
“Karlie.”
“Yeah babe.”
“I’m in love with you.”
Karlie wanted to quip about being hangover, or maybe remark how people say things in the spur of a moment, how Taylor should not just say whatever came up in her head when it did. She looked down into blue eyes and whilst Taylor had looked at her with nothing but lust sheer minutes ago, there was now something else she didn’t quite recognise.
“Taylor.”
“I’m serious,” Taylor reached for her sweater that had somehow ended up in the sink, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’m… quite certainly in love with you. And I know that’s maybe not what you had expected, and I know it’s a bit out there, and I don’t expect you to… do anything about it? I think? I don’t even need you to acknowledge it. I just… wanted to tell you.”
“Since when?” Karlie tried, part of her dreading the answer in case it would not align with when she thought her feelings for Taylor had started to spiral out of hand. “Like when did you know?”
“Back in March.” Taylor admitted, “Pretty sure when you kissed me for the first time.”
Suddenly, all of the anxiety was gone. Maybe Tree would manage to sort Kissgate out in a few days. Maybe she could stay here until Josh came back from Boston and sit him down and explain how it wasn’t working anymore. Maybe this could be her life now, just her and Taylor. She smiled and took the sweater out of Taylor’s hand, putting it down again.
“You don’t need that,” she smiled, “let’s go to bed.”