Who am I to You? (Kaylor/Torlie AU)

2

The blonde moves forward, out of the shadows, giving the two women standing opposite her a better chance to see her clearly.

She stops about ten paces away from them placing her hands in the pocket of her jeans. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry but my name's Taylor," she answers.

"Oh how silly of me! I'm sorry, dear. I just thought..." the woman smiles up at her kindly, "You'll have to excuse this old girl."

"It's alright, ma'am," Taylor returns the smile easily.

"That's enough of the 'ma'am' right there. Helen will do just fine, dear!"

An awkward silence settles over the three women, each exchanging glances that don't meet the others' eyes. Despite the chill, Karlie could feel the heat in her cheeks thanks to the rushing of blood and quickened pace of her heartbeat. Who the hell is Toni?! And why did Helen think this girl, Taylor, was Toni? I need to find out the truth. She lightly touches Helen's arm, wanting to break the dead air between all of them.

"Taylor and I...we were just talking about Romeo and Juliet's horrible ending," Karlie winks at Taylor and raises the book for Helen to see.

This elicits a giggle from the blonde and a blush on her cheeks. Exactly the reaction Karlie was hoping for, although she tries her best not to let it be known too much so she looks down to her feet, smiling.

"What can I say? I love happy-but-justified endings," Taylor says matter-of-factly.

Helen gives Karlie's arm a slight squeeze, "Why don't you join us for dinner? It's not often we have a guest and we always love to meet any new friends of Karlie's." The elderly woman's request causes Karlie's heart to beat even faster, oh shit she's gonna say no, I know it! The brunette's eyes dart to where Taylor stood, readying her outward reaction in case she did say 'no'. Deep inside though, every bit of her being screamed, Baby just say-

"Yes," Taylor replies, "I'd love to, if it isn't any trouble." Her blue eyes shine in the light as she says it, smiling. And when Karlie looked at her, she couldn't help but do the same. As blue met green with their bashful smiles, any trace of the earlier cold air between them left and the warmth returned slowly but surely.

"Of course not, my dear," Helen smiles a kind, knowing smile, watching Karlie's face carefully. She says no more. With a final gentle touch on the brunette's arm, she looks back at both girls and walks toward the farm home.

Karlie beckons Taylor over to follow her and they walk alongside each other. "You're really not much of a romantic, are you?" Karlie says, raising an eyebrow at the girl beside her, "'Happy-but-justified endings'? Really?!"

Taylor merely shakes her head and shrugs. Sidestepping closer to the brunette, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I find romance in the small, well-thought out pieces that build the puzzle. I love when it gets set up for it all to fall into place. I live for the stories that build up, then push you above and beyond, then you crash..."

The hairs on the back of Karlie's neck rise with the heat from Taylor's breath touching her bare skin as she speaks.

Crash...

And then all too soon Taylor steps away, leaving Karlie flushed.

Crash...

They fall into a tense silence much like the one earlier, save for the different kinds of tension acting on them.

Crash...

One which lay within both of them bubbling in the pits of their stomachs, and the other an outward force gravitating them closer together.