𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

TWO.

(we're still in the past when karlie & taylor are still dating!!)

KARLIE had returned home that day from looking for jobs around the neighborhood. money was ridiculously tight and the job at the local supermarket was barely enough for her share of taylor and her's apartment and let alone, food. karlie hardly called her sisters or her parents anymore. after their huge fight about moving, student debt, and her college major, she had decided to take a break from the toxicity. she soon realized that she was so dependent on her family for money and stability and so karlie picked herself up, learning to become independent.

taylor, too, was beginning to look for internships. but, to karlie's dismay, the only internships taylor was looking for weren't in state. mainly, the ones taylor became interested - okay, infatuated - with were in new york, too many miles away from connecticut where they both lived in their flat. this had worried karlie, was she losing taylor? lately, it felt that they barely saw each other. her girlfriend was always busy with interviews and family things in tennessee. taylor was a social butterfly, full of connections, quite the opposite to karlie. the blue eyed woman always made sure she got her way: a curse and a blessing.

the younger woman sighed as she entered her apartment, throwing the keys down, and plopping onto the couch. i need a miracle, thought karlie as she laid there. halfway asleep, the phone rang, a loud ring filling the apartment.

"hello?," karlie asked, groggily.

"hey, babe. how're you doing? how's the job hunt?," the sound of taylor's voice jolted her awake, "i-uh, good!" the last time taylor and karlie talked was a week ago. she was starting to believe taylor didn't have any time for her anymore but whenever such negative thoughts crossed her mind, she brushed them off.

her girlfriend hummed, "mm that's good, love. i'm so sorry i hadn't called. new york is so busy and all these jobs internships... but i'm coming home soon. i promise we'll do something fun. like before," she rushed.

"yeah, of course. i'm happy for you, taylor. i had an interview at the coffee shop down the street, home café? i think the boss likes me," karlie smiled. taylor huffed over the phone, "i hope not in a like like way, hm?"

karlie laughed. taylor was super protective over her. it was hilarious at times, "no, babe. i promise. but the pay and benefits are good at least. rent's getting higher and higher. gotta keep up with the bills," karlie replied jokingly.

"kar, if you need me to cover this month's rent, i'm more than happy to," there was a rustle, "i don't know why you always insist on paying, it's fine. really." taylor had grown up in a fairly well off family and she had side money from previous jobs during high school and college but karlie didn't find it fair for her girlfriend to pay for everything all the time. she felt like it was stealing.

"no, it's okay. i'm expecting to hear back from the boss soon. her name's cara, i think you'll like her. but, when i get the job, i'll be able to pay for my share," karlie said.

"okay, fine. i'm happy for you though, kar! those stupid supermarket employees treated you like crap. always giving you your pay check late and making you carry those huge boxes," karlie laughed. it was true. but she had no choice, she needed the money. karlie exclaimed, "yeah. maybe this coffee shop job will be a change of pace..."

there was a moment of silence between the two.

"i miss you, teff," karlie said softly. she put on one of taylor's sweaters that was strewn against the chair.

"i miss you, too, baby. i'll be home before you know it. i love, love, love you. to the moon and back," taylor stated.

"i know. and i love you too. but the distance is hard and if you get those jobs in new york..." she was cut off by taylor, "if i get these internships, we'll work something out. don't we always?"

this was true. once, taylor had to fly to tennessee for three months when her great aunt had passed away but this was different. internships were long term. jobs were permanent. karlie had a bad feeling, she bit her lip, "okay."

there was a rustle and then a muffled "alright!", taylor's voice became clear again, "i have an important call right now. i'll talk to you later, baby. i love you," and the line went dead.

a big pit sat in her stomach. this always happened. even though taylor was gone for one month, the days dreaded on and on. when taylor called, she always felt a dreadful melancholy within her after they hung up. it was a stark reminder of how lonely it had been.

—

it had been a few hours, karlie had binged watched a few episodes of friends and cooked herself microwave macaroni and cheese: her specialty, as taylor would call it since she ate it all the time. taylor usually made the meals in their household but since she was away, she resorted to junk food.

it was this moment where karlie remembers so distinctly: she was about to take a bite of the piping hot macaroni and cheese while staring at the TV when her phone blew up, almost quite literally since her screen was steaming with notifications. what the..., karlie thought. she picked up her phone and saw they were all from youtube.

83,345 new notifications!
18,789 comments!
55,006 likes!

karlie opened up youtube and to her astonishment, the video she secretly recorded of taylor had 200,000 views. her mouth hung open as she saw the comments:

elliegould: i've never heard anything like this!! hand this girl a RECORD DEAL‼️
1dbunny: my ears have been blessed thank u for uploading this 🥵
jennahsy: her voice is so pretty! i need more music from her asap!

karlie stared at her phone for a solid ten minutes before snapping back into reality. what the hell just happened? she didn't know what to do. call taylor? let the video go in its course? she checked soundcloud and taylor's song had even way more listens: about one million. she read plenty of comments begging for the song to be uploaded to spotify and people gushing in the comments over how pretty taylor looked in the cover for the song. she simply chosen a selfie of taylor that she sent a while back. while karlie was at work, the blonde had been redecorating her apartment and sent karlie a photo of herself.

karlie looked at the photo for awhile, smiling. she knew that taylor's song was going to go big. she had no choice but to tell her. it was the right thing to do.

karlie closed soundcloud and dialed taylor's number. it rang and rang and led to a voicemail. karlie groaners in frustration. she tried again and this time she heard a familiar faint and raspy voice, "hello? kar? why are you calling me so late?"

"taylor, babe. uh, i have something to tell you. remember when you played me that song a few months back?" karlie laughed nervously, fiddling with taylor's ivy ring.

1220 WORDS

👀 ooof cliffhanger!! but it's finally picking up. i hope y'all are enjoying it :') leave comments or votes below 🥰

question of the story;
put yourselves in taylor's shoes. how you'd handle your 'falling' relationship with karlie? or are you oblivious to it?

all the love,
kaela 🌷