Love Blind (Kaylor) | Completed

Chapter 5: Rise and Run

The two women woke up as the sun poured in through the window across from Karlie's bed. Taylor was the first to actually wake, the sunlight shining right into her eyes. She wrapped her arms tighter around the body within them. Wait, body? Who was she- oh. Karlie. A little spoon to Taylor's big spoon. Taylor released her grip slightly but didn't move to completely detach herself from Karlie.

Karlie woke from the movements behind her. She wiggled her butt into the hips behind her, enjoying the feeling of being held. Toni was always so warm, it made Karlie feel safe. Karlie opened her eyes to find- darkness. This wasn't Toni holding her. So who was? Her heart started to pound as she came to enough to realize. Taylor.

Taylor was sure that Karlie is awake after the butt wiggle (which she tried not to feel between her legs, but really, she's only human), so she decides to rip the band aid off. "Good morning," Taylor said.

Karlie just about moaned. The huskiness of Taylor's voice was about one hundred times more intense when she was just waking up. "Morning."

"Sorry for invading your space. Cara and Gigi like to cuddle a lot so we gravitate towards each other when we're asleep." Karlie felt a pang of jealousy. The annoying roommates get to cuddle with Taylor? "It's all a very weird, platonic, threesome kind of thing we have. It's been like that since we were kids though."

Karlie let the jealousy go a little, childhood stuff sticks, she knew how that was, and started relaxing into Taylor's arms. They lay there for a few minutes, content with their situation. Karlie's bladder has other plans for the early morning cuddle session, as it decided that it needed to be emptied. Now. She wiggled a bit in Taylor's arms and Taylor had to resist the urge to pull her in closer. But nature was not interested in letting Karlie be comfy. "Bathroom, be right back." She said as she maneuvered out of Taylor's arms.

As Karlie made her way to the bathroom, running her hand along the walls until she hit the trim of the bathroom doorway, she heard sirens outside of her apartment. Sounds of metal on metal flashed in her head. The smell of a gas fire, the sounds of agonized screaming coming from her right side. Toni's screams of agony. Karlie moved quickly into the bathroom and slid against the door, sitting on the ground to collect herself. It was not happening, she was safe.

Her heart raced and she instantly felt like she was going to be sick. Karlie opened and closed her hands slowly, curling her fingers tight into her palms and feeling her short nails indent the skin, trying to stop the trembling in her hands. She took deep breaths, attempting to calm her nerves and prevent hyperventilating. Panic attacks weren't something new for Karlie but usually she wasn't alone to handle them. Kendall was generally able to calm her before she got to that point. She took a few more deep breaths through her nose, blowing the air hard out of her mouth. "It's not happening. I am safe." Karlie repeated those words over and over out loud until the sirens had moved on. When she could think again, she moved sit on the toilet.

All good things come to an end. Toni was proof of that.

This would only hurt if she let Taylor into her life. Maybe being lonely would be better despite her previous fantasizing about someone special in her life. Someone who could have been Taylor. Karlie couldn't let it be Taylor. Karlie couldn't let it be anyone.

Kendall walked in the front door, making her presence known by yelling out to Karlie, "Hey, kiddo," before barging into her room where Karlie would usually be, either working on writing or just getting ready for their daily workouts.

Instead, Kendall found Taylor, who had sat up in bed, the sheets pooled around her waist, showing off Karlie's t-shirt. Taylor looked towards the doorway to Kendall smirking. Kendall noticed Taylor's bedhead paired with the t-shirt and wolf whistled loudly. Loud enough that Karlie perked up from washing her hands. This ended now, before it could really start.