Phoenix [Kaylor]

Super Bowl Sunday

Taylor wasn't entirely sure why it mattered so much to Karlie to host their first Super Bowl party. But it seemed to matter deeply, and Taylor liked hosting parties, so she went along with it. Even when Karlie insisted on it being in their St. Louis house, despite the unusual location meaning that many of their friends wouldn't be able to make it. Any excuse to throw a party, she supposed, and they really hadn't been able to do much at this one yet, with the whirlwind that had been their lives since she decided this was the come out album. She'd been thrilled when Karlie agreed to it, after hearing the album, and things had been going well, if busy, ever since. This would be a chance to sit around in their jeans and sweatshirts and just chill.

She hadn't expected it to still become the event it had. If they were in Tribeca she was sure they'd have had people in and out of the house all day as friends swung by just to say hi and have a nibble even if their schedules didn't allow for them to stay for the full game. But she figured St. Louis would be a much more intimate affair. She hadn't counted on so many of them being willing to go out of their way for a party. Karlie's family was always a given, since they'd been raised around football and baseball, even if it meant flying in. Austin joining them for football wasn't a shock either, nor was her Dad flying up for football and catch up with Kurt. And her mom could never resist both her children being in the same place - an increasing rarity as they'd gotten older and busier.

But she hadn't expected Abigail or Lily to be willing to fly in, nor some of their New York friends like Martha and Gigi. It'd only been when they said it was also sort of a housewarming and really any excuse to get together and have a few drinks was a good one that she'd stopped being so surprised. Karlie had surprised her by telling her Ed would swing by since he was working in Nashville and she made a mental note to ask where he was working and why he hadn't told her so she could come see him. She wasn't even sure why Cara was flying in for it, but she knew the Brit was always up for a good time even if American football made as much sense to her as it did Taylor. Maybe a little less, actually. After four years with Karlie, she knew the game better than she had even when Austin played. Though it was still fun to ask a question and watch Karlie fondly roll her eyes and shake her head at how Taylor could not know this after so long.

Taylor knew she'd probably be far less calm about the amount of people if it weren't for Karlie's sisters and Derek. Kristine, Kimby, and Kariann had been life savers when it came to decorating and arranging the furniture to allow for enough space and Derek and Karlie had teamed up to get the food put out and distract her when she started to stress by cheekily stealing bites when she almost wasn't looking. This wasn't even her party, exactly. It was Karlie's. But lately everything was theirs, and she liked that. But it also meant she felt like she needed to take ownership of this event, even though she wasn't entirely sure who was playing. Justin Timberlake was the halftime, and Pink was the National Anthem, was that enough?

There was something truly lovely about seeing their home fill up with people they loved, even if she was a bit stressed about the sheer number of them. She'd made a lot of food, but the more who came through the door, the more she worried there weren't enough pigs in a blanket to go around. Karlie laughed and said they could always order Irmo's, but Taylor thought her laugh was a bit tighter than normal. Perhaps being the real hostess for once was getting to her too.

Taylor had just wrapped her arms around her, about to check in and soothe any nerves if needed before there was a knock at the door. She knew part of her worry was that she was so tempted all the time to ruin her own surprise. Every time Karlie smiled at her or wrapped her arms around her, her impatience grew. Perhaps it was a good thing they were in St. Louis then, Taylor thought wryly. She sighed, knowing this was the beginning of the chaos and possibly one of their last chances to steal a moment as truly alone together for the rest of the day. Stealing a quicker kiss than she'd have liked, she reluctantly pulled away to begin their hostess duties in earnest. As Karlie went to greet the first of the arrivals, Taylor took a deep breath and reminded herself to be patient.