Meant for each other?

-33-

"Cara knows."

Panic overtakes the blonde. "What do you mean?"

Clasping Taylor's hands, Karlie reiterates her sentence- "Cara knows about us."

"Oh god." Taylor snatches her hands away from her student and gets up, pacing back and forth with enough force to wear a hole in the carpet. Karlie watches in helplessness. In the relationship Taylor is always the calm one so seeing her in panic mode is unsettling to the brunette who sits quietly, unsure of how to proceed.

"She says it's not noticeable though, if that helps."

Taylor pauses mid-step. Her crystal eyes seem to have regained some of the strength that she usually possesses and she leans onto the sofa. Neither of the girls fill the silence. Taylor is still processing things and Karlie has no clue as to what to say, knowing she'll mess things up if she even tries.

So instead she plays with her thumbs, fiddling with the hem of her jumper as she waits for Taylor to break the silence. It's moments like this when the brunette wishes she had some ounce of social skills but she doesn't so she clears her throat awkwardly and fidgets some more.

In the meanwhile, Taylor studies her lover. She can see that her small freak out has unnerved the younger girl, making her wonder how reliant Karlie has become on her providing the stability in their relationship. Knowing that Karlie's whole persona revolves around a highly compulsive nature, Taylor finds herself wondering how she can make her student become more socially aware, as well as helping her to cope in situations where she's the one in control.

"Hey Karls," she starts, "are you okay?"

Looking up with earnest green eyes, the brunette nods.

"Are you okay?" Karlie says cautiously.

Nodding fervently, the blonde beckons for Karlie to join her on the sofa as she settled back into the cross stitch cushions. Their eyes meet, Karlie swallowing nervously, creating a moment that is quite unlike any other they've had before. Both of them are showing off hidden vulnerability. Karlie feels like a naked figure in a shop window however Taylor seems to be at ease, intertwining their fingers subtly. It's a special moment even if the brunette isn't confident that she likes it.

"Well I'm okay with her knowing. She's a highly complex individual but I trust her," Taylor starts diplomatically.

Karlie hums her agreement but her eyes seem to be a maze of conflicting emotions. The want to trust is tangled with hurt; needing protection makes her weaker. Now Cara has to be the one she goes to for everything as she technically knows her biggest secret.

"You can trust her. Let yourself trust her," the blonde nudges, going to kiss the younger girl to comfort her.

However something stops her as their lips meet, Taylor pulling away as a glimpse of flowing disappointment fleets across the brunette's face. But the older woman wears a look of deeper sorrow. Her blue eyes are soft whilst she rearranges herself further away, fluffing some cushions, never leaving Karlie's strong gaze.

"Smoking huh?" The blonde says calmly, the close moment they shared a moment ago now history.

Karlie is immediately on the defensive. Her green orbs harden as she stands up. Taylor watches her close up like a flower at night with interest thinking about how different things would be if her student were a normal transfer student.

"It was one."

"That still means you've broken your promise," the older woman points out.

"It was social."