September 6th 2019
"And what does the tone of this prose tell us about the metaphor being painted for the reader?" It's Friday afternoon and Taylor is in advanced poetry with Karlie. Usually nothing could drag her attention away from the woman as she teaches, she's so mesmerising, but Taylor hasn't stopped scribbling in her journal since the lecture started. Karlie didn't fail to notice this and something about it makes her nervous, she knows something isn't quite right.
She scans the room one last time and informs them all of their next paper due in a couple of weeks and even then Taylor's brow is furrowed as she focuses on her journal instead of the woman at the front of the room. "Alright, I'll see you all on Monday - stay out of trouble over the weekend," Karlie chuckles as she turns off of her projector, her eyes darting back to Taylor one last time as her students pack up to leave.
Taylor is only alerted to the end of the lecture as the people around her start to leave so she glances at her watch and then sighs as she closes her journal, tucking her notes away in her bag before getting up. "Hey, is everything alright? You were distant today - that's not like you," Taylor looks up as Karlie stands in front of her, worry evident on the older woman's soft features. Taylor opens her mouth to speak but can't come up with an excuse viable enough to even justify using it.
"Baby, you can talk to me," Karlie gives her a soft smile as she squeezes Taylor's arm but the blonde just shakes her head, she knows if she opens her mouth to speak then she's going to cry. Karlie notices the sadness in the younger girl's eyes and sighs, "just hold on, okay?" She gives her a kind smile before moving to close her door, blocking out the noise of the outside world as she leads Taylor into her office.
Karlie sits down on the couch and guides Taylor down beside her, the teen wrapping her arms around herself in a silent comfort. "You don't have to tell me what's going on, honey, but I'm not letting you go until I know you're going to be okay on your own," she has no clue what is going on with Taylor but she does know that this isn't like her. "I'm fine, Karlie," she shakes her head as she fiddles with the sleeve of her sweater but it's obvious that Karlie doesn't believe her. "It's okay, baby girl, you don't need to talk just yet if you're not ready," she's not going to push her but she's not going to let her lie either.
"Hold me?" Taylor's voice is small and timid and she could really just use Karlie's comfort in this moment, "of course, baby, come here," Karlie takes Taylor's hand as she gets up, guiding the dainty girl into her lap and wrapping her up in her long arms. Taylor rests her head against Karlie's chest as she sighs, she feels safe here. "I've got you, my love, you're safe and loved," Karlie holds her lips against Taylor's forehead, running her fingers gently over the girl's arm, Taylor is usually nervous but today she has retreated into herself and Karlie doesn't know how to help her.
Taylor sighs as she nuzzles her head into Karlie's chest, the steady beating of her heart helping her focus her anxiety and settle herself. "It's the anniversary," when she finally speaks her voice is shaky but Karlie nods, recalling what Taylor told her the other night in the car. "It's been four years since I saw them and the last thing we ever did was argue, my brother was only eleven," tears start to slip from her eyes and she clings on tight to Karlie. She tries not to let this day get to her but this year is a lot harder.
"It was a tragic accident, honey, it wasn't your fault," Taylor nods as she sniffles, Karlie using her thumb to wipe away the tears lining her cheeks, "but maybe if I had been there they would've left at a different time or taken a different route or something... Maybe they'd still be alive." She's been over this a million times since that day and it never gets easier to process. "You could never have known what was going to happen, baby, nobody can blame you," Karlie's brow furrows as Taylor tucks her face into the crook of the older woman's neck and she basically whispers the words, "most of our town did - they said that it was punishment from God for liking women."
