Daylight

* ~ six ~ *

'My thoughts will echo your name
until I see you again'

"Do you want to come inside?" Taylor offers as Karlie pulls into the driveway, past the vast gates that were put up as soon as the singer moved into the house. They provide a nice sense of privacy, in addition to the large shrubs that are neatly trimmed and lining the yard. "I can make us coffee or something, and we can talk, if you'd like."

Karlie smiles sweetly at Taylor's slight awkwardness and nods. "That sounds great. I'd like that."

Taylor smiles and laughs nervously as Karlie opens the car door for her and tangles their fingers together as they walk up to the porch and into the house. The physical touch is enough for Taylor's beating heart to stop from flying out of her chest, or pounding in her ears loudly enough that Karlie might be able to hear.

"I hope it's not too much of a mess," Taylor says, unlocking the front door. "Whenever Skylar has a friend over, I always try to keep them in her room and playroom, so that the majority of the house stays neat, but you never know what can happen, especially when Cara is involved."

Karlie lets out a light laugh. "It's fine. I don't mind a little bit of a mess."

They enter through the entryway, and Karlie can sense the relief Taylor feels when she sees that in fact, the house isn't a mess. The two women pass by the large picture wall that Taylor has created by the stairwell, complete with frames of different sizes holding pictures of friends and family. Karlie stops to admire the pictures, and focuses on one in particular.

"Is that Skylar?" she asks, pointing.

Taylor turns around to examine the picture that Karlie is gesturing to. "Yeah, that was the day after she was born. She was born at night, and my mom and dad flew in that day, but they didn't get there until the next day, so they came to visit at eight o'clock sharp the next morning. My dad is holding her in the picture. He and Austin fell head over heels in love with her as soon as she was born."

"Oh?" Karlie asks, intrigued to hear more about Taylor's life.

"Yeah, ever heard of the uncle and grandpa that like to spoil their niece-slash-granddaughter?" Taylor asks, a small smirk decorating her features. "Austin was convinced that he was going to become the cool uncle, and I guess it worked, in a way." She laughs at herself. "Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee is good," Karlie says as Taylor expertly maneuvers her way around the large kitchen with ease and grabs the ingredients, pulling out the coffee maker as she does so. Karlie continues to admire the vast picture wall. "What about this one?" She asks, pointing to another picture.

"That's when my parents gave us Olivia," Taylor says. "I had insisted on not celebrating my birthday that year, so when they came to stay with us the week of Christmas, they immediately surprised me with the kitten, saying it was a belated birthday present." She smiles at the memory, and the picture, showcasing a toddler Skylar reaching out to the little cat and Taylor holding Olivia with a huge smile on her face. Even though the picture, just like all of the other ones on the wall, is in black and white, Karlie can still tell that Taylor's eyes were shining.

"What about this one?" Karlie asks softly, pointing to one of the smaller frames on the wall. Taylor's eyes widen as she recognizes it, just by its familiar black shape. She approaches the picture from behind Karlie's shoulder.

"That's Skylar and her father," Taylor responds quietly. "I would have taken the picture down but last time I tried to, she started crying, and honestly, it's easier to just kind of ignore it than have to deal with explaining why I don't want to have a picture of her daddy hanging in the house."