You did a number on me
But honestly, baby, who's counting?
A story in which Taylor Swift, a junior and TA at New York University, falls for her student.
NYU, Fall of 2016
New York, New York
"Do you realize how sketchy this is? I'm practically blindly following a stranger through a city I'm not familiar with. You could murder me if you wanted, you know that right?" Karlie rambles, her thoughts spilling freely from her lips as she walks with Taylor down city sidewalks. It was Thursday, only two since their last New York adventure. When they met for tutoring earlier Karlie suggested they go on another tour of the city and Taylor was quick to agree. The two girls had been texting nonstop since Tuesday night anyway, so it was safe to say that they couldn't get enough of each other.
"I've never gotten permission to ... murder someone before?" Taylor replies, a lighthearted sense of confusion coating her voice. "And I'm not a stranger, I'm your TA. Don't be rude," she adds dryly, her hands shoved in the pockets of her overcoat for protection from the wind.
"Yeah, that doesn't make it better. Worse, maybe," Karlie offers back. Taylor shrugs then.
"You'll just have to trust me, Karlie Kloss."
The two walk in a comfortable silence for a while, the sounds New York traffic drowning out any need for conversation. Taylor had found the city peaceful for the exact reason most people would feel the opposite. Instead of irritating her, the sounds of the city quieted her mind. The hustle and bustle of New York reminded her that there's so much more to it all than her and her thoughts. When things got loud in her head it showed her that everything would keep moving anyway. New York and time were similar that way. It was a comforting thought.
"Where. Are. We. Going," Karlie huffed finally, once again repeating the question she'd been asking for the last 8 blocks. The blonde wouldn't budge.
"Oh, are we reverting back to the age of 3?" Taylor teases. Comparing Karlie to a toddler made the brunette glare at her, yet Taylor could still see playfulness in her eyes. "If you do start throwing a tantrum, no one would look twice. It's New York, babe. We've seen it all," the blonde adds.
Karlie's eyes widen slightly at Taylor's use of 'babe,' not expecting such a pet name from the her. She tries quickly to think of a witty response, but she's met with nothing.
Babe.
Instead, the brunette clears her throat and focuses her eyes back on the sidewalk ahead of them. Willing her mind to think of anything else but the word babe now was useless. If Taylor notices the brunette's sudden quietness she doesn't show it, she just continues walking next to the girl absentmindedly.
Before Karlie knows it, they're approaching a set of metal stairs to the side of the road. It seemed like an odd place for a staircase, Karlie thought, but she followed the blonde up them anyway. At the top was a walking path that extending for as long as Karlie could see. It hovered about 30 feet over the rest of the city, the sounds of traffic slowly disappeared as they climbed up.
"What... is this?" Karlie asked slowly, taking in the greenery and fairy lights along the well lit path. It was quiet, only a few others sitting on benches and overlooking cityscapes.
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