Darling You've Got Your Demons | Kaylor

twenty

Karlie

The plane ride seemed to pass by in no time, and Taylor and I soon found ourselves in the car on the way to her parents' place. I tried to push back my feelings about what was going to take place, but I soon felt the familiar anxiety bubbling up through me. The thought of meeting the Swifts terrified me. It couldn't help but amplify my feelings that I wasn't good enough, or that I didn't deserve Taylor. I was so afraid that they wouldn't accept me; all I wanted was to belong somewhere.

As I looked out the window, I could feel my heartbeat increasing rapidly. It became more and more difficult to breathe as my chest tightened, and I began to hyperventilate. Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I turned to Taylor. She had her slightly messy hair tucked behind her ears and was looking at her phone.

"Taylor?" My voice was soft.

She looked up at me, "Yeah?"

"I'm nervous."

She offered me her hands and I intertwined our fingers together. "You're overthinking this, love. It's just my parents." My eyes gazed deep into the blue of hers, hoping to find the comfort that I needed.

"Yeah, but what if they...they don't like me or-or something? This was a bad idea, actually, they're not going to like me. I-I'm-"

"Karlie." Her voice cut through my racing thoughts. "My family is so nice and so accepting. You are so kind and so intelligent and...and I-" she stopped for a second and broke eye contact. "You're just...really amazing, and I like you a lot. So my parents will, too. Believe me, they've liked every single person I've dated. Well, except for one. But that's-that's...different."

I smiled at her, even though the anxiety hadn't really lessened. We sat in silence for the next few minutes. The GPS finally broke the silence by announcing, "Your destination is on the right."

Taylor glanced out the window and bit her lips together to conceal her smile as the familiar landscape came into view. I looked over her shoulder. "Fuck. That's huge!" I whispered, trying to calm the pounding of my heart.

She giggled, "Yeah, I know." Then, turning serious, "Everything is going to be okay. Austin just texted me and said he's going to be here in like an hour. And," she paused dramatically, "He's bringing his boyfriend!"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. "Wait, since when does he have a boyfriend?"

Taylor shrugged. "Apparently he and that kid he's been crushing on for like two million years finally are dating."
I smiled, and before she could get out of the car, I pulled her into a hug.

Taylor

I could feel Karlie's heart pounding as we sat in the backseat of the car. So, knowing exactly how she felt, I embraced her as tightly as I could, and I thought about what I had almost said earlier.

I love you.

But I stopped short of actually telling her. Why? Maybe I was scared. Maybe I didn't know what she would say back. Maybe I didn't want to lose her.

"Okay, I'm ready to go now. I think," Karlie said, and we got out of the car.
My security opened the trunk and helped us get all of our bags. I may have overpacked a little. Okay, a lot.
We dragged our suitcases up to the door, and I rang the doorbell. I heard footsteps coming towards the door, and it was promptly opened by my mom. "Hi, Mom!" I said, letting go of my bag and launching herself into her arms.

She chuckled, and enveloped me into a hug without missing a beat. "Well, hello there," then, letting go of me, she turned to Karlie. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Well this one's missed me." Karlie held out her hand for a handshake, but Mom waved it away and pulled her into a huge hug. I gave Karlie an encouraging smile when they parted.

We brought our stuff into the living room. "We have a room set up for you, but we can put your stuff up there later."

I couldn't help the large smile that spread across my face. It felt so good to be reunited with my mom. "Where's Dad?"

She rolled her eyes again. "He's just getting out of the shower," she turned to the direction of the stairs, "SCOTT! YOUR DAUGHTER AND HER GIRLFRIEND ARE HERE! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

I laughed, blushing slightly. "Classic Dad."

Mom walked to the kitchen. "Are y'all hungry? Thirsty? I made some cookies, and we have your favorite tea, Taylor."

I shrugged, having already found the cookies and shoved one in my mouth. "Tea sounds good," I told her, after swallowing the last of the cookie.

"How about you, Karlie?"

"Tea sounds fine, thank you."

As Mom made the tea, Dad came downstairs. "Hello, girls!"

"Hey, Dad," I said, pulling him into a hug. "This is Karlie."

He nodded. "I know. I've heard a lot about you. All good things, of course."

She smiled and Dad hugged her as well. "Nice to meet you."

Mom finally returned with the tea, so we all sat down in the living room and talked about everything and nothing all at once. Mom told us about what she'd been able to weasel out of Austin about his boyfriend Fernando. The warmth and love filled the room along with everyone's laughter. Karlie and I were sitting next to each other so that our thighs were touching, and I couldn't remember being this happy.