//After 39852 years we're back to Taylor's POV
pd: I recommend you to browse through chapter 19 and the beginning of 20 a little bit for the final part of this chapter, just to freshen things up (if you want, not strictly necessary)
She woke up to an empty bed, she was sure as soon as her arm tried to find the source of heat that kept her warm the previous night and found nothing more than air and sheets. Taylor frowned at the absence, the bed now surprisingly big just for her, but didn't open her eyes. She was so tired, all she wanted to do was fall back to the happy slumber, but she knew it was going to be impossible as soon as she curled up, with nothing to hug but herself. She also knew that insomuch as she opened her eyelids and the bright light startled her orbs, it was going to be hopeless for her to go back to sleep.
Taylor sighed, tiredly opening her eyes as she stretched her sore joints. As she feared, the light made her squint, the curtains were open wide, the first timid rays of sunlight dared to pass between the lively green leaves, illuminating brightly the whole room, an incredible contrast from last night.
The only sound she could hear was the chirping birds at the other side of the glass. Taylor's frown deepened when she gazed at the open bathroom door, which revealed a room just as empty.
Where was Karlie?
Taylor sat up, resting her back against the wooden wall. Karlie's side of the bed was still warm, even though she couldn't really tell if it was her own heat that was keeping it warm. If she didn't know better, she could swear last night was just a dream. It didn't feel real, but the abandoned blankets and pillow on the floor told her that her memory wasn't tricking her. Taylor had slept in the same bed as Karlie. But she was not there. A pang of guilt creeped through Taylor's chest, it was almost palpable. She couldn't blame Karlie for leaving, it was being too good to be true. She didn't deserve her kindness, she didn't deserve her patience, she didn't deserve anything from her.
She stayed in the same position, looking at the window and all the life that elapsed behind it. Thinking of her bad luck, of Karlie's laugh and in how much she needed a real hug, not a forced or a faked one. She sighed as she looked at her watch, realizing how early it was, at least for her, six thirty-two in the morning should not be an acceptable time to face the horrors of the mundane world.
Where the fuck was Karlie at six thirty-two in the morning?
Taylor groaned in resignation, getting out of bed to start her morning routine, not wanting to go on with the joke that was being alive but having no other choice. Really? Six thirty-two in the morning? Her mental clock was betraying her at stratoscopic levels.
Only when she dropped on the bed, fifteen minutes later, all dressed and hair knots combed, did she realize that she had nothing to do. She had nothing to do. That was a strange concept. She always had something to do. Taylor got up, sick of the silence, opened the window, letting the fresh breeze flood the room, then went out. The door was unlocked, and the keys nowhere to be found. The air at six forty-nine in the morning was much colder than anticipated, which made Taylor go back for Karlie's hoodie. It still smelled like her, at cinnamon, lavender and mint, a strange combination that somehow worked just fine and relaxed her almost instantaneously. But as much as Taylor smelled Karlie, Karlie was not there. The blonde sighed, going back inside.
Had Karlie just run away from her? Taylor couldn't blame her if that was the case, as much as it hurted. She cursed again her stupidity for the millionth time. How could she let all this happen? When did it all escape her control? Taylor knew when, even if it was hard for her to admit it, all this was, indeed, her fault.
