Sparks Fly: A Kaylor Love Story

Chapter 15: Trouble in Paradise

A couple of months passed, and Taylor gradually got used to the idea of Karlie and Toni. She was still jealous, and she still wished every time she saw them together that Toni would disappear in a puff of smoke, but the urge to cry and hide in bathrooms whenever they kissed had subsided. 

She and Karlie didn't spend as much time together, but Taylor understood that things were different now. As Karlie's girlfriend, Toni outranked Taylor. Taylor was just Karlie's friend - something which was pretty much her own fault - and that meant that she had to accept that Toni was Karlie's priority.

Secretly, however, in the back of her mind she entertained the hope that something would happen to push Karlie and Toni apart. She had absolutely no intention of making such a thing happen. She cared too much about Karlie to want to break her and Toni up.

One morning, as she and Karlie walked to school together, Taylor noticed that her friend seemed a little down.

"Are you okay Kar?" Taylor asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Karlie replied. "Toni and I had a fight last night is all."

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry." Taylor replied. Her concern was genuine. She didn't like Toni that much, and she desperately wanted to be with Karlie, but she couldn't stand seeing Karlie unhappy. She stopped and gave Karlie a hug. It felt so right holding Karlie in her arms, and it felt even more right when she felt Karlie's arms around her. The hug was short-lived, much to Taylor's disappointment.

"It's okay." Karlie said. "It's just we've been fighting a lot over the last two weeks."

"What are you fighting about?" Taylor asked.

"Nothing." Karlie said. "Y'know, just the normal stuff that couples argue about."

Taylor nodded, although in reality she had no idea what 'the normal stuff that couples argue about' was, since she'd never dated anyone long enough for there to be arguments.

She decided to drop the questioning, since Karlie's tone of voice told her she didn't want to talk about it, but said one last thing on the subject:

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here for you Kar. Best friends forever."

Karlie smiled at her. It was the first smile Taylor had seen on her face all morning, which was worrying, since from the day they'd met she'd known Karlie as someone who couldn't help but smile.

That evening, Taylor was sitting on her bed doing homework and listening to music. She had her curtains open since it was a hot night and the sun still hadn't completely gone down. Karlie's curtains were open as well, and Taylor had a perfect view into her bedroom. She didn't really pay attention to this fact. She was way too engrossed in her work. However at one point she looked up and saw Karlie on the phone. Karlie looked upset and, although Taylor couldn't hear anything, she was pretty sure she was yelling, or at least talking with her voice raised.

Taylor watched for a while, sad that Karlie seemed to be going through some difficulty with Toni - Taylor assumed it was her on the other end of the line - and wishing she could comfort her. Suddenly Karlie appeared to hang up, and sat down on her bed. She looked up at the window and the two girls made eye contact. Taylor grabbed a pad of paper and a marker and scribbled a message on it:

'You ok?' Taylor's makeshift sign read.

Karlie smiled a little and went looking for something. She returned with her own paper and pen and began writing.

'Tired of drama' Karlie wrote.

'Sorry :( ' Taylor wrote back.

Just then Taylor had an impulsive thought. She began writing on her paper, a message which she knew would be a bit of a gamble. Her heart pounding she finished the sign. It read simply:

'I love you'

Taylor looked up at the window and her heart sank. Karlie's curtains were drawn.

"It's fine." she whispered to herself. "Probably a stupid idea anyway."

She was left sitting on her bed, staring at Karlie's window. She wondered what would have happened if Karlie had seen the sign. Would Karlie have left Toni and rushed into Taylor's arms? Probably not. Karlie had moved on. They were just friends now. Nothing more.

To take her mind off it, Taylor put on music and found herself dancing around the room like an idiot and singing into her hairbrush. It cheered her up immensely, although she was glad no one could see her.

At least she thought no one could see her.

Had she looked out her window she would have seen Karlie peeking through her curtains momentarily and grinning at her ridiculous antics.