And We Run (Kaylor Fanfic)

Chapter Four

Taylor rolled over, dragging the duvet covers with her, leaving Karlie in the cold. The model tugged them back, half-asleep. Taylor opened her eyes and sat up, flustered and obviously unsettled by something or other. She flicked the bedside light on, in order to wake up Karlie, who groaned at the bright beams pestering her eyelids in the early hours of the morning.

“What are you doing? Turn the light off, for fuck’s sake.” Karlie cursed, her eyes still closed. Taylor scowled, smacking her friend’s arm lightly in a further attempt to get her to listen.

“No, we need to talk about last night.” The blue eyed girl insisted. Karlie grunted angrily, finally sitting up in bed to look at the girl she had pleased earlier that night.

“It’s half past four in the morning, what do you want?” The model asked, almost shouting. Taylor flinched slightly, surprised at how impatient and unreasonable Karlie was. She hoped it was just a hangover; she didn’t want to deal with this too often. Karlie’s expression lightened as she watched her friend cower away, realising how she’d acted. She sighed and turned around to fluff the pillows before laying back down, her hands behind her head, looking up at the ceiling. Taylor sat cross-legged on the mattress, looking at the model in the dimly lit room.

“What happened last night?” The shorter girl asked, breaking the silence that seemed to have materialised. Karlie laughed mockingly before the sentence was even out. She sat up, joining Taylor in her cross-legged position, facing her.

“Sex.” Karlie stated, jokingly pretending that it was something the older girl had never heard of before. Taylor smiled sarcastically, sick to the back teeth of Karlie’s drunken punchlines already.

“I meant, what did it mean?” Taylor specified, emphasising her words. Karlie looked down at her hands, unsure of how to answer.

            Both girls knew that they were completely wasted, and they couldn’t deny that. But the thing they couldn’t quite answer is why they did it. Experimentation? Frustration? Boredom? Or were there truly underlying feelings there, all along, that were only brought out by a bottle of wine?  Karlie shook her head, laughing softly.

“You looked hot and I was drunk. That’s all I know.” She explained the best she could. Taylor breathed deeply – she wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that the evening’s event were just the results of a sudden impulse. She thought about how to reply.

“I’m not sure how I feel about it, quite frankly.” She admitted. Karlie nodded her head, understanding what her friend meant, but still in need of the answer to a certain question. She reached out and touched Taylor’s chin, lifting her head until their eyes met. The taller girl pierced through her friend with a definite look.

“Do you regret it?” She asked, entirely serious. Taylor thought for a second, not taking her eyes off of Karlie for a moment. She shook her head slightly.

“No.” She whispered. Karlie made not a single reaction, and instead penetrated even deeper into Taylor’s eyes, making the act of lying completely impossible.

“And would you do it again?” She asked. The shorter girl clenched her jaw and returned the stare, before answering with little hesitation.

“Yes.”

*  *  *

            The model sat at the kitchen countertop, looking at Taylor as she washed the dishes. The morning had been solemn. No one could know about this, whatever this was. Not now. Karlie examined the way her friend’s hands delicately stacked the plates to dry. She remembered where those hands had been the night before, and couldn’t help but smile to herself. Taylor stacked the final plate and turned, smiling, to sit facing Karlie. The girl with the green eyes was ready to go; her coat and shoes were fastened, her makeup was crisp and her bag was packed with everything she’d brought with her.

“Anything else?” Taylor asked, smiling as if nothing had happened between them. Karlie laughed slightly. The concept of things being normal between them now was just ridiculous, and Taylor knew this just as well as Karlie.

“Not unless you have anything to add, no.” She smiled at her friend, holding in a giggle. Taylor threw her head back laughing, and the taller girl chucked under her breath as she did so. But Karlie’s laugh came to a close as quickly as it had started, unlike Taylor’s, which continued echoing through the empty house. The green eyed girl sat and watched her friend, nibbling her lip, at war with her own mind.

“Do you love me?” Karlie asked, controlled but sudden. Taylor’s laugh settled, but a huge smile was still printed across her face, as if she hadn’t heard quite rightly what Karlie had asked. She looked at her friend and leant in.

“What?” Taylor asked, realising it was a serious question. Karlie’s expression remained neutral and she repeated the question once more.

“Do you love me?” She asked a second time. Taylor’s expression dropped into a frown, and she looked down at her lap. Although this was the reaction Karlie had anticipated, she still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She didn’t understand what she was feeling either, but the idea that perhaps at least one of them knew how they felt was somewhat comforting.

            Taylor put her elbows on the table and cradled her chin in her hands. She looked at Karlie for a moment or two, still indecisive. She smiled and held Karlie’s hand.

“As a friend, yes.” She admitted, “but as anything more than that..? You’ll have to give me some time. I’ve got a lot to work out in my head, and I hope you can understand that.” Karlie could tell that what Taylor was saying was the truth, and nodded. She looked at those blue eyes for a moment longer before opening her mouth to speak.

“Then I shall wait.” She smiled, squeezing Taylor’s hand affectionately.

            The girl with the blue eyes waved her friend off, as Karlie pulled out of the driveway in her car, and turned the corner as she made her way back to New York City. Taylor lowered her hand and sighed. Alone again. She was so confused. This incredible girl with beautiful face, a magical personality and an electric soul managed to completely occupy Taylor’s thoughts and feelings ever since they met, yet, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what she wanted them to be. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to be friends with the green eyed girl without bursting every time that they touched, but the idea of becoming more than just friends was terrifying. However, taking the leap of faith was becoming more and more attractive to the girl with the ocean blue eyes.