March 27
11.13am
New York City
I'll come back when you call me.
Sunshine peered hesitantly around the corners of the thick curtains that had been drawn shut. The room inside was just beginning to light up and a long, solitary shape was gently illuminated on the bed in the middle of the room. Soft, golden shadows stretched over the sleeping woman's face and body. The scene was wistful and serene.
The girl in the bed was Karlie Kloss, and she was about to wake up by herself for the first time in over three months.
Karlie stirred, and the sheets twisted over her lanky frame. Sleepily, she rolled over. She didn't need to get up yet.
'Baby?' Karlie asked, her eyes still closed and her voice thick with sleep. Lazily, she reached an arm across the mattress.
The other side of the bed was empty. Karlie sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She still wasn't fully awake, and she wondered tiredly where Taylor was. Perhaps she was up already, and fixing coffee. Her beautiful girlfriend, with blonde hair and honest eyes. Karlie smiled at the memory and brushed her boisterous brown hair out of her eyes.
The haze of sleep lifted when she remembered, and she felt an ugly jolt to her lower stomach. Taylor had left last night, stepped onto a plane and flew across the ocean to Europe, where she was beginning the international leg of the promotional tour for her latest album.
There wouldn't be any coffee this morning.
Karlie stepped out of bed and took a step towards the window. The window had been left open overnight and there was a warm New York breeze moving the curtains. She brushed them open and stared out at Tribeca. To her right, the Hudson river caught the morning sun and its grey water glittered momentarily. The city was as alive as ever - even high up in the penthouse, cars horns and shouts drifted up to Karlie before being wafted away by the spring wind. New York hadn't changed just because Taylor wasn't there anymore. The taxis were still impatient little yellow beetles and Times Square was still a neon collage of advertisements.
Struggling with the latch, Karlie managed to open the window. The air smelt like car fumes and busy lives. Please come back soon, I miss you.
She headed downstairs in search of some caffeine. Yesterday's dishes were still in the sink.
***
The afternoon of the day before, Taylor had been in that same bedroom, folding clothes and toiletries into a carry-on bag. She hadn't straightened her hair that day, and bits of it fell over her eyes. Karlie watched from the doorway, soaking up the image of her, trying to cram her into her mind before she was out of sight.
Taylor looked up from the bed. "Hey. Come here, please," she said, pushing the curls out of her eyes. Karlie was across the room in an instant.
***
Lily had always been a good listener, for as long as Karlie had known her. She didn't judge, and she didn't give advice unless you asked for it. She made eye contact and she nodded and said yeah at all the right times. This was good, because Karlie had a lot of things to talk about.
She let Lily in and led her past the guest bedrooms to the kitchen. The usually gleaming surface of the bench was covered in crumbs, which Karlie hastily wiped onto the floor with her forearm. Lily looked at her for a moment. "Are you okay, Karlie?"
Karlie gave a little laugh. "I'm okay. I'm just not used to having to keep things clean." That was usually Taylor's job.
Lily took her by the arm and led her to a chair.
"Sit. You look frazzled and a bit lost, and your third button is undone. I'll make us some coffee," she said. Karlie looked down at her shirt sheepishly and saw that Lily was right.
Taylor had taken the cats with her. While Meredith didn't really like anyone much, Olivia always seemed to know when Karlie was feeling down, and would come and jump on her lap and nuzzle at her elbow. All of a sudden the house seemed unnaturally empty without the cats.
Lily busied herself at the coffee machine, which was making all sorts of strange grinding noises. Karlie cupped her chin in her hands and stared mournfully at the sink. She was brought out of her reverie by Lily placing a mug on the table in front of her.
"Kloss, this is pathetic. She hasn't even been gone for 24 hours and you're sinking into the void. Pull yourself together," Lily said. The words were offset by her gentle tone. "Come on. You can't live like this. Look at you, staring melodramatically into the distance like someone out of a cheesy romance movie!"
"My life feels like a cheesy romance movie, though," Karlie whined. "I miss her."
"Of course you miss her! But you can't just sit here moping for two months! That's called having co-depency issues." Lily narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure that's all? Or is there something else on your mind?" Karlie didn't say anything, and Lily poked her arm. "Come on. Have some coffee and tell Mama Lily about all your woes!"
Karlie rolled her eyes. Lily knew her too well. "I want us to go public, and she doesn't. I'm sick of hiding." She took a sip of her drink. "What is this? Jesus Christ, it's like Christmas in a mug."
"It's a cinnamon chai latte. But that's beside the point - what were you saying? About Taylor."
Karlie cleared her throat softly. "So, you know about us, obviously. Five months next week, I think. That's a long time for Taylor - I mean, if you look at all her other relationships, none of them lasted that long. I've been hinted at going public for a while, but every time I blatantly bring it up, she changes the subject," she said.
Lily nodded slowly. "Do you think she's scared? I would be if I was her, after what happened all the other times. Not to sound patronising, but look at it from her perspective."
"Yeah... I get that, I guess. But I don't - it's like she... never mind. Anyway, I miss her. I hate not being around her." Karlie took another cautious sip of her drink and surreptitiously wrinkled her nose.
Lily stood up. "I think she's just determined not to lose you, Karlie. Last time I was over for dinner, I saw the way she looked at you. She's fierce."
Karlie pushed away the mug. Lily obviously enjoyed weird spicy drinks, but they weren't particularly to her taste."
"You don't like it?" Lily asked. She grabbed the cup and downed its contents before plopping it in the sink.
"Not my thing. Although I bet they'd be Taylor's."
At that, Lily abruptly put down the dishes she was washing and turned around to face Karlie.
"Okay, you know what? You are positively mournful, and frankly, it's pathetic. We are going to watch dumb comedies on TV, and you are going to stop looking like a five year old whose pet hamster has just died." She prodded Karlie again.
"Ouch."
"Come on. I'll drag you out of that seat if I have to."
Karlie smiled a bit. "Okay."
Lily was right. She needed to stop moping and get herself together.
She couldn't believe that she actually missed those darned cats.
YOU ARE READING
No Need to Say Goodbye - a kaylor fanfic
Fiksi Penggemar"Do you remember that day by the sea? It was high tide and the water was ice cold. Everyone describes the ocean as blue, but it wasn't blue that day, it was murky and grey." "Yeah, I remember. You were there, so it was perfect." Karlie Kloss and Tay...
