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

12

The hardwood floors felt cold and the walls bare despite having the heat switched on and the furniture vibrating with the echo of occasional trucks and cars. It was nothing like Karlie had imagined her home to be— it's missing something, she thought to herself.

Whatever she had imagined as she lay in bed back in Westerton was immediately scrapped from her mind. Her so-called 'home' in the city lacked any sort of warmth, character, and charm she thought it would've held.

As Karlie sits surrounded by a pile of her belongings in the closet, she's hit with the realization that she may never feel 'at home' because the person she was before she left it was now a mere stranger in her eyes.

Even her dog Joe, a usually cheerful and excitable pup had taken on this somber mood in her presence since she's returned. Although he sits at her feet and keeps quite in close distance, it's like he knows that the version of Karlie he knew had gone.

What if my memory never comes back? What if I never feel that same love I once did for my girlfriend? I don't think I can continue living in the ghost of a past life.

Standing up too quickly while trying to clear her head and calm herself down, Karlie accidentally sends a box tumbling down from the top shelf. Thus scattering an entire collection of pictures onto the floor and making a whole new mess for her to clean up.

Fuck, she curses herself. As she bends over to start throwing them back into the box.

Karlie stops herself short when a particular photograph of a familiar blonde looking beyond the camera catches her eye.

She holds it up close, inspecting every inch of the photo for a date or note or signature— anything that would indicate some background about the shot.

Karlie studies the image itself— a beautiful blonde with fair skin and bright blue eyes, sat in front of what looked to be her bookshelf by the window in the living room, in nothing but an oversized t-shirt. Her legs went on for days but were tucked neatly underneath her as she sat with her back towards the glass, the sun's light cascading along her long hair which looked golden. Her face was beautiful beyond compare, primarily because of the smile plastered on it. A goofy grin directed at someone beyond the camera, probably the photographer.

She's beautiful...and she seems so happy, Karlie's first thought upon seeing the image. She even kind of looks like Taylor.

And the thought of Taylor brings her back to her senses. Especially with the conversation in the car. For the life of her, Karlie couldn't understand why her mother reacted that way and she desperately wanted to reconcile the person she'd had in mind versus the person she was trying to get to know once more.

Putting the picture back into the box, and back to its place on the shelf forces Karlie to clearly look at the things around her. Racks of untouched clothing sat before her and one piece in particular stands out— the oversized shirt from the picture.

Toni.

Karlie pulls the shirt off of the hanger and brings it up to her nose, smelling the fabric for any remnants of it's owner's scent. An intoxicating smell of cinnamon with a hint of mint. She pulls it over her head and wears the shirt, trying to get lost in the memories of Toni and the times she'd worn it.