𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

ELEVEN.

EVENTUALLY, work, relationships, and hobbies crashed back down into karlie's life. a few weeks had passed and she had forgotten about taylor. or, well, the blue eyed girl had been in the back of her mind, simply lingering there. she didn't need to add more stress and worry to her life, so she made a pact with herself to stay focused on what needed to be done. today, she was whipping up a new recipe: salted caramel brownies; a rendition of josh's favorite dessert. he'd been begging her to make some for the café for months now and so she finally got to work on them. cocoa powder and flour dusted her apron as she mixed the batter.

"slow down there, karls. no rush," cara entered, chuckling. whenever karlie baked, she entered into a zone which she was so immersed into all the elements of baking. she loved it. it was addicting and the science behind it was had fascinated her, too.

she shook her head, "you know how i get when i bake. leave me be, peasant," karlie joked as she started on the salted caramel. cara pretended to be offended as she laughed, grabbing a croissant for a customer. josh entered behind her, eyes widening. "are you... no! brownies?! about time, honey!" he sassed, eyeing the batter.

"i thought since i had a little time, i'd make these. i added salted caramel - for a twist," karlie said, gesturing to the tan colored syrup. josh made an 'oo' sound and watched as karlie added sugar. she nudged josh away, "personal space, josh!" she laughed.

"fine," josh huffed and turned away. he exited, greeting a new customer.

—

a few hours passed and karlie's brownies were a hit. nice and gooey, the customers adored them. the salted caramel had a nice offset of saltiness, contradicting the sweetness of the browny. josh especially loved them as he wrapped some away for his own. it was around 7pm now. today, they closed early for it was a saturday. the dirty blonde closed the blinds, twisting the open sign to closed. cara walked out with vanilla ice cream and the remains of karlie's brownies, sitting down on the counter.

"thought i'd wind down with these, hm? good job on those brownies, kar!" cara exclaimed, taking a bight of ice cream.

karlie slumped down on the seat next to her, grabbing a spoon and scooping some ice cream for herself. the perks of working at a café were definitely the food. "thanks. it's all because josh wanted me to make them," she announced, looking over at josh who was wiping down the last few tables.

work days like these were her favorite: where after a long day, they'd hang out with some leftover treats, letting the afterglow sun filter through the blinds. josh joined them a few minutes later. they talked about their lives, family, and work, laughing like there was no tomorrow. karlie smiled, gazing at her two best friends: this was her family. her home.

a distant shouting snapped karlie out of her thoughts. it seemed like a crowd was forming across the street as there were numerous voices. "what could that be? at eight pm?" cara scoffed as she stalked over to the closed blinds.

"be careful, cara! you don't know who they could be" karlie whispered as she followed behind her. she saw josh lock the back door and retreat towards them. karlie had to admit, they were a very paranoid bunch, always making sure the café was as safe as it could be. the chaotic cacophony got louder as the sounds of click, click followed. cameras? karlie reached over and peeped through the blinds. across the street, bright flashes were all around. a sea of what seemed to be paparazzi followed a figure around. the dirty blonde tried to see who were they were following but failed as the crowd moved farther away from the café, the celebrity seeming to turn the other direction.

that was weird. why would anyone remotely worthy of being followed by a mob of paparazzi be here? home café was snuggled into a more suburban part of town, a bit from the nearest metropolitan area. "it seems like as if there was some like, celebrity? i saw some paparazzi - they were following someone. 'couldn't see who it was though. they left, though," karlie spoke to her best friends as she turned away from the windows.

cara seemed to share the same thoughts as her. "why the hell would anyone famous be here? we're thirty minutes from the city" she said. cara shrugged. "at least they're gone...i'm pretty tired. let's just call it a day?" she asked, nodding towards them.

"yeah, it's getting late. i'll put the ice cream away" josh followed, disappearing into the kitchen.

cara hummed, storing the brownies into the mini fridge below the counter. "you can go, karlie. get some rest, babe. you look tired. thanks for the work today."

karlie agreed. she was pretty tired. she went over to her bag and bid her goodbyes, ready to just unwind at home. she exited the café, gladly slid into her car and drove home.

—

as she entered her apartment, she flopped down onto her couch. she worked out earlier this morning, feeling it now. karlie flopped on the TV, picking up her phone. she scrolled through the local newspaper website: the hartford times. the hazel eyed woman liked being informed about her community and kept up with the tabs. as she eyed the website, tons of new articles popped up. what stunned her the most was the newest one:

9:03pm
Taylor Swift on the lookout? An inside look at the star's nighttime stroll in Hartford.

Taylor Swift, 27, has been spotted walking around East Hartford today around 8pm.

[All black: the star's turtleneck is from Tommy Hilfiger ($150) and her boots are from Givenchy ($500). Check out more of Swift's outfit details here: www.hartfordnews.com/celebrity.]

[Looking for somebody? Swift appeared to be searching for someone until paparazzi spotted the celebrity.]

Sources told Hartford News that Swift was on the lookout for someone tonight until she had been swarmed by the paparazzi. Swift's security escorted the celebrity back to her hotel after.

"She just jetted to Connecticut days before her tour starts. This is so unlike her. She's usually prompt and on schedule," a source told Hartford News.

"She went to Yale in Connecticut. She had a fallout with someone over there - a boyfriend maybe? She never told anyone. Taylor mentioned it once or twice. We thought she was over it. It was just weird that she left all of a sudden. Everyone was so worried," the source recalls.

Swift will be coming to Hartford for her 1989 tour on May 17th. Tickets can be purchased here: www.taylorswift.com.

More news about Swift's whereabouts will be updated soon.

1129 WORDS

i tried to make the article sound like a daily mail thing. success? u tell me LMAOOO. also, this chapter kinda sucked but i feel like i have no time to update :( IM SORRY. i love u guys!!! thanks for reading!

all the love,
kaela 🌷