AN Karlie is a stagehand at a highly acclaimed theatre. She has a huge crush on Taylor, who is a main actress in multiple shows.
-
"We start in five minutes, folks. Rehearsals in five. Get Tay on the stage".
"Move that spotlight just a little more to the right".
"Clear the way for that three dimensional background, mind the set".
Karlie contentedly sips on her coffee cup gripped tightly in her fingers. Her forest green gaze scans the bustling blur of a busy morning at the Golden Dove Theatre. Her job is one that requires a lot of patience and a calm nerve. Everything seems to happen all at once here. Time happens differently. Fellow stagehand members hurrying this way and that, sound technicians yelling from above, directors demanding latte after latte. Oh yes, you need complete control of your own sanity. Karlie is a stagehand. And a very good one in her opinion. Heck, she's practically a robot at this point. She obeys every command given to her by the stage directors without question. She knows where everything is supposed to be and if anything is out of place. She knows every nook and cranny of the grand old theatre; every curve, every rope, how long the main curtains are. Nothing slips out of Karlie's view.
Nothing.
The tall framed girl pushes her glasses upwards so that they rest more comfortably at the bridge of her nose. She throws her coffee cup into a passing wheelie bin and makes her way to her seat beside her director. He'll surely be asking for something the second he sits down and Karlie will surely be there to complete his given task. Karlie is always ready. Karlie is always there. Karlie makes sure that everything is absolutely perfect, and everything is.
But then there's Taylor.
Taylor is... a distraction. She waltzes onto centre stage like a movie scene and Karlie's breath catches in her throat. Her long white dress just nearly touches the floor, making her look like some sort of bright angel. Her eyes are lightly shadowed and her lips are a bright red; shining against the stage lights. Taylor is something that makes Karlie's game weak. In a bad way? Not exactly. Karlie can't really explain it herself but Taylor makes her feel different. She makes Karlie feel unorganised and flustered. The way Taylor tucks her short, blond hair behind her ears? That makes Karlie blush. Blush - how can a human being be responsible for a shift in Karlie's body temperature? How can a person make Karlie feel light headed and dizzy? Don't even get Karlie started on the way Taylor walks. She's got a little sway in her hips and a spring in her step that sends Karlie into a daze. Her heartbeat quickens, her brow sweats. It's ridiculous and it's all because of Taylor. And Karlie is just bewildered by it.
"Lookin' like a dream, Swift", Robert, the director of the show calls as he enters.
"Oh, stop it, Rob", Taylor giggles, waving her script pages in front of her face.
Another thing that Karlie can't explain is the way she feels when Taylor talks to Robert. The way they flirt as they exchange suggestive comments throughout the day. Karlie doesn't really like it. This almost sounds sickening to her but somehow it makes her feel jealous. And again, she just doesn't know how this girl is doing this to her.
"Kloss, I said I want two hazelnut lattes, right now", Robert orders, snapping his fingers in front of the stage hand's face. "Then I want you behind the scenes with the others till I need you again, you got all that?"
"Yes, sir", Karlie mumbles as she hurriedly gets up from her seat to fetch the drinks.
Taylor's bright blue eyes seem to follow the stammering girl out of the stage. Karlie blushes again. As she makes the two lattes and gathers up the courage to face the blond again, Karlie's friend Suki stops her in the canteen.
