And We Run (Kaylor Fanfic)

Chapter Seventeen

            It would all have to be kept on the down-low for now, until they’d spoken about the whole situation. What exactly the media would make of the girls’ relationship, they weren’t sure – and that was the problem.

“You do know that we can’t come out about this just yet, right?” Taylor asked as she sat over the breakfast bar, reaching for her cup of coffee. The model closed the fridge casually and turned to sit opposite, holding a piece of crisped toast in between her teeth.

“Of course.” She said as she took a bite and chewed lazily on the buttery bread, “although I think that the media will start to suspect that you’re bisexual soon enough anyway – maybe we could use their powers of rumour-spreading to our advantage?” The girl with the blue eyes nodded, taking Karlie’s idea into account before sipping at her coffee and stealing a scrap of the other girl’s toast.

“Perhaps. But I’m not interested in what the media will think; I’m interested in what my family will think.” She sighed, looking to Karlie for a response. The taller girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not really sure what to think about Taylor’s parents, considering they’d never met.

“Straight-laced?” She questioned as she dropped the crust of her toast onto the plate. The other girl shook her head.

“No, but I wouldn’t put it past them.” She pondered over whether to tell Karlie about what she’d said to Austin, “Honestly though, I think they’d be pretty accepting. Austin was when I told him about us.” And she just let it out, watching Karlie’s eyes widen and her back straighten in surprise. She looked at Taylor, not exactly sure what she was supposed to say.

“Y-y-you told your brother? How much did you tell him?”” The girl with the green eyes stuttered, listening intently for answers. The singer shrugged.

“About the same amount as I told Cara – nothing more, nothing less. It didn’t seem to bother him, and it probably will have the same effect on my parents.” She answered casually before standing up to put the coffee mug in the sink.

As the shorter girl rinsed out her mug, Karlie turned to watch her, following each movement with her eyes.

“So, we tell them?” She asked. Taylor turned to look at the model, leaning against the sink. She took a deep breath, deciding what would the best way to tell her parents about the situation, and the best way to explain this to the taller girl.

“When I next go to Nashville, you can come with me, and we’ll invite them over for dinner. Tell them everything.” The girl with the blue eyes suggested, breaking the silence.

“Even the sex!?” The model teased, winking from the breakfast bar. Images of the girls’ kinky activities flashed before Taylor’s eyes and the idea of telling her parents about them was physically disturbing.

“Ew, what the fuck is wrong with you? No one tells their parents that sort of stuff!” She laughed, hitting Karlie playfully with the dish towel. She slid quickly off of the bench as she dodged the towel, rushing over to the shorter girl and pulling her in for a soft kiss.

“I’m kidding.” She grinned as she pulled out of the kiss, “so we’ll tell them. Meanwhile, we can keep quiet and just laugh at everything the media wrongly accuses us of doing.” She continued to joke, leaning in for another kiss. Taylor smiled as she felt Karlie’s lips brush against hers.

“You know, that might not be a bad idea…”

            There wasn’t a great deal for the pair to do that morning, considering it was cold and rainy outside, but the singer had one great idea hidden up her sleeve that could perhaps be considered exciting.

            She trod carefully as she carried her guitar down the stairs with her, heading towards Karlie, who sat in the living room. When Taylor entered with the twelve-string, the girl on the couch was slightly taken aback – she wasn’t exactly expecting a live performance. Oddly enough, the girl with the blue eyes had never really confided in her about music - perhaps because it wasn’t her forte – but maybe this was the start of something new for them.

“I haven’t really told you much about the new album, have I?” The shorter girl asked as she sat down, guitar across her knees, ready to play. Karlie shook her head.

“Not really, no. It’s not that I haven’t been interested in it, because I think it’s amazing music, but I feel that the things you tell people through your lyrics, you tell me face-to-face anyway.” She admitted, knowing Taylor wouldn’t be offended, considering the fact that the model openly listens to her lover’s albums.

“Well, I think that could be about to change. Are you up for me playing a couple of the tracks that I’ve been working on for the past year?” She asked, leaving the choice to the taller girl.

“I’d love to.” The girl with the green eyes smiled, leaning forward with intrigue. Taylor smiled before taking the plectrum and strumming the first chord of Shake it Off.

            Karlie knew that the album wasn’t finished. She knew there were songs that were yet to be written, yet to be developed and yet to be named. She wasn’t even sure of whether the girl with the guitar had a name for the new album, or a release date. She liked this new vibe, though. Shake It Off was different from anything Taylor had done before, and she liked it a lot. She couldn’t help but notice how much the singer had grown and developed since her first album and something about it was saddening because it reminded her how quickly she had grown up too. And that was one thing she didn’t like, but couldn’t be helped.

            Two songs later, the girl with the blue eyes slid the guitar from her knees onto the floor, nervously awaiting a verdict.

“So, what do you think?” She asked eventually. Karlie couldn’t stop smiling as she brought her hands to her face.

“I think it’s the best thing you’ve ever done. It’s really different and I love it, and I think it’ll confuse people – but in a good way, if that makes sense?” Taylor furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “you see, you’ve never done anything like this before and it’s insanely good. It’s pop music, and that’ll throw people because they think you’re ‘country’, but it’s too good to throw them in the wrong direction. And I’m glad that, this era, you’re really sticking up for yourself and telling the media to suck your ass. After this, after Blank Space and Shake It Off, you’re going to rule because it’s so damn sassy and I’m so damn proud of you, honey. I love you.” And Karlie leant forward to kiss the other girl, congratulating her. Taylor’s eyes started to water as she tried not to cry about the fact that the taller girl was being so positive.

“I’m really really glad you like it. I’m thinking of releasing it in late-October. What do you think?” She asked. Karlie smiled.

“I think that’s a good idea, and you can release a single in summer. Do you know what you’re going to call it yet?” She asked, curious to find out what this breakthrough would be christened as. The girl with the guitar smiled, realising this was the first time she’d unveiled the name of her fifth album to anyone outside of the music industry. And she nodded.

“1989.”