"Shit." Karlie curses. She wasn't sure how much of the conversation Taylor may have over heard, but she was worried the girl might be overwhelmed, which was the last thing Karlie wanted. "Tay?" She calls out, moving from room to room. She checks her study, the bathroom, the living room, and the guest room, all of which were empty.
The model moves towards the stairs, each step she took seemed to echo through the apartment. "Baby, you up there?" She calls out, climbing the stairs slowly. Her heart fills with dread as she scans every room and sees no sign of her girlfriend anywhere. As she was leaving her room, a light breeze blew through the room, making the sash on the balcony doors sway, immediately catching her attention.
Karlie moves towards the doors, her heart beat thumping loudly in her chest. She pulls the door open a little more, and sighs in relief. She sees Taylor standing by the balcony, bent over so her arms are resting on the railing as she looks out into the night. The moon and the lights from the city create this kind of etheral glow around her girl, effectively taking the model's breath away.
"Baby?" Karlie whispers, wanting to alert the girl of her presence without startling her.
Taylor turns to look at the model, quickly wiping at her cheeks. "Hey." She says with a weak smile.
"Are you okay?" The model asks, moving closer to where her girlfriend is. It's a rhetorical question really. She can see the tear tracks and the puffiness in Taylor's eyes and her heart breaks at the thought of the blonde crying up here all alone.
"Yeah. Of course." Taylor says a little too quickly, making Karlie arch her eyebrow in a challenging manner. "I promise."
Karlie shakes her head a little. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Lie." Karlie says quietly, looking the blonde in the eyes. "You don't need to hide things from me." She says gently, coming to a stand next to the songwriter. "You're obviously upset. Don't shut me out."
Taylor looks down over the street, tracing the railing with her finger to avoid the model's stare. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize." Karlie says quietly. "Just tell me what's going on. What are you thinking?"
"I just..." Taylor sighs deeply, "Everything's so messed up."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know."
The model wants to sigh in frustration. Sometimes getting her girlfriend to open up is like pulling teeth. She knows Taylor doesn't do it on purpose, but it still bothers her that the girl still feels like she can't come to her with things like this. "Come on. Talk to me." She pleads, tentatively reaching her hands out. She wants to get Taylor to open up and she wants to comfort her, but she doesn't know if her touch would be welcomed when the songwriter seems to be in such turmoil. It truly breaks her heart seeing Taylor like this.
"I'm sorry." Taylor croaks out, not daring to look up just yet. She can't bear to see the pain and hurt she's caused looking back at her in those green eyes she loves so much.
"Baby, you have nothing to be sorry for." Karlie assures, taking her girlfriend's hands in her own. "What's going on?"
The songwriter finally looks up, tears brimming in her eyes. "I messed everything up. The pictures from that night and that stupid fight are everywhere. Your name is all over the papers, and they're dragging you through the mud because of me, and I can't even imagine what this is doing to your image, and now you're going to lose work-" The blonde cuts herself off, her breathing becoming so heavy and erratic that she was practically hyperventilating. "I'm sorry Karlie. I'm so, so sorry."
