stay here, honey {kaylor}

stay here, honey.

They've fallen into a routine of sorts. They drink, they kiss, they touch, they fuck, then one of them leaves.

They never talk about these moments when they're not intoxicated, and sometimes Taylor finds herself wondering if she's making it all up. But then they'll down two bottles of rosé, and Karlie will bubble over with giggles and place messy kisses on Taylor's cheeks until she finds her lips, and Taylor will know by the ache in her stomach and the softness of Karlie's breath that this is not something she is capable of making up in her head.

On this particular evening, Karlie is clutching a glass of cabernet franc and swaying her hips in Taylor's living room as "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival blares through the home sound system.

"Have you ever considered listening to music from, say, I don't know... this century?" Taylor quips from her spot on the couch.

A languid smile grows on Karlie's face and she pushes her blonde locks back with her hand. As the first verse kicks in, Karlie sings along.

"Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm. I know! It's been comin' for some time!" Karlie uses her wine glass as a microphone, staring down at the seated Taylor as she exaggerates every lyric.

Taylor rolls her eyes. "Here we go."

"When it's over so they say, it'll rain a sunny day. I know! Shinin' down like water!"

"So you're really doing this? This is a thing that you're fully doing?"

"I want to know! Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know! Have you ever seen the rain? Comin' down on a sunny day?" Karlie falls onto the couch with a laugh as she finishes the chorus, a drop of wine splashing out of her glass and landing on her upper arm.

"That was beautiful." Taylor says sarcastically and reaches out to brush the wine off of the younger girl's arm with her thumb.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Karlie smiles, pulling back from Taylor's touch. "I'm not drunk enough for that yet, T."

Taylor pulls her thumb away and rolls her eyes. "Well, you're clearly drunk enough to spill wine all over yourself."

"Hm." Karlie hums, tapping her long fingers against the stem of wine glass. Taylor watches her carefully—this is the time of night when the younger girl's actions become more erratic, more desperate. It's the time of night when Karlie could, at any second, crash into Taylor like a tidal wave of long limbs and blonde hair and eager hands.

But the crash doesn't happen. Instead, Karlie licks her lips with her wine-stained tongue and leans in closer to the musician. "I listen to your music."

Taylor feels her head spin. "What?"

"You said I only listen to old music. I listen to your music. Have I ever told you how much I love Love Story?"

Taylor smiles. "I think you may have mentioned it once or twice."

"It's a perfect song." Karlie continues. "Do they ever get married?"

"Who?"

"Romeo and Juliet." Karlie says as if the answer is obvious.

"Well, yeah. They get married in the song."

"No they don't! Romeo proposes, but they never get married. Maybe they die before they can get married. Maybe they fall out of love. Maybe Juliet runs away with someone else!"

"Who would she run away with?" Taylor laughs at Karlie's intensity.

Karlie shrugs and takes a sip of her wine. "I don't know. You're the one who wrote it."