Chapter Text
Thursday
Karlie’s hand is tangled in Taylor’s blonde curls as she kisses her. She had pushed her against the door of Taylor’s dressing room backstage as soon as the singer had come through the door.
“I didn’t know you’d be in here.”, Taylor says breathlessly, Karlie’s hot lips on her collarbone, roaming up to her ear, making it hard for her to speak. She hears the other girl giggle against her neck. “Of course, you did so great out there.” She pauses for a moment. “So, so breathtaking.”, she says supporting every word with a kiss on her flushed skin. “Thank you”, Taylor breathes. She had been told about this appearance months ago by her publicist and even though she knew Karlie couldn’t be seen, when the model had asked her to be her secret plus one, she couldn’t say no.
So while she had been on stage, Karlie had waited backstage for her to finish and go back home with her after. Karlie softly puts her hand on the older girl’s back, her thumb stroking Taylor’s skin. She pulls back to look at her, “Can I see you on the weekend?” Taylor looks confused. “What?”, she asks, obviously not believing what she just heard. “I want to see you.”, Karlie repeats, her smile slowly fading from her face.
“Karlie, I-“, she stocks for a second. The younger girl shakes her head. “No, shit.”, she mumbles, shaking her head slowly, “I shouldn’t have asked that.” Taylor is refusing to look up at her, “Sorry.”, she adds. “You know I am busy.” Karlie notices the girl’s hurt undertone immediately.
“I am London next week. I am flying there tomorrow for an additional interview and to have some more time to sleep off my jet lag.” Taylor says, suddenly feeling the need to explain herself. Karlie doesn’t respond
Of course she is.
And if it was just London it would be okay, but London ultimately always means Joe. Karlie contemplates saying she doesn’t want Taylor to go back to him, that she could stay with her. She definitely wouldn’t mind, but she knows that’s simply not fair. It’s really not her fault. She thinks of asking Taylor to stop leaving her for him and to just stay here with her, hide in New York but Karlie knows that that is also not fair.
After a few seconds of silence, that is only interrupted by Taylor’s heavy breathing, which still hasn’t slowed down completely, the girl still leaning against the door softly pushes Karlie away and walks past her to sit down on the chair at the makeup table. The air in the room is heavy on their shoulders and Taylor leans closer to the mirror and starts taking off her makeup while Karlie is still standing in the middle of the room. She is now turned around to look at the singer through the reflection, observing her moves, simply not knowing what to respond to what Taylor just said. She doesn’t want to make her feel bad. There’s no point in that. There is nothing to say.
Karlie knows that this is Taylor’s job, that it’s not her fault that she is going to London or that she is staying with him. She should be grateful for it, she knows. Taylor and Joe doing this is helping them to hide their relationship after all. She should probably like him even, but she can’t help feeling jealous when he is the one to hold her when she should be.
___
Monday
Taylor opens the apartment door and is welcomed by the smell of freshly baked bread and the soft music coming from the kitchen, in addition to Joe singing along. She puts her purse down and walks into the room. Joe turns around smiling at her, “Hey Tay.”, he says as he walks towards her to wrap his arms around her tightly for a second. She cringes at the nickname but he doesn’t notice.
It almost feels obligatory.
Taylor sits down on one of the chairs at the bar. He goes back to cutting up vegetables on a board on the kitchen counter and looks at her for a moment, “How was your interview?”, he asks, turning his attention back to the vegetables, careful not to slice his finger. “It was good I think”, Taylor answers, “They asked about the album and the lead single, which is what we want.” “That’s good. You have another one later today, right?”, Joe questions and adds “Another interview, I mean”, when he notices Taylor frowning in confusion. She nods slowly. “Tree told me about it when she came by this morning.”, he says.
“She was here?”, Taylor asks confused, “Why?” Joe pushes the vegetables from the cutting board into the pan. “She just dropped by to leave some documents for you to look through and told me about your upcoming interviews.”
“Oh, alright.”, Taylor thinks for a moment. About the press and Tree and then Karlie.
Always Karlie.
The noise of Joe cracking eggs reminds her of where she actually is right now. London, with Joe. Not Karlie. Now that she is thinking about it, she’s ever been to London with Karlie and decides that she is wants to take her the next chance they have to get away. It’s beautiful in the autumn.
“You know”, he says and pauses while cracking a second egg. “I saw someone opening an egg with just one hand.”, he says and she looks up just fast enough to see him try. It ends with eggshells and egg white all over the countertop, but it works better the second time. “I think this could be my new thing.”, he smiles, “Imagine me at parties.”
Taylor can’t stop herself from laughing and for the first time she doesn’t feel the need to. She nods while he tries again on the forth egg. “That would in fact be your thing.”, she agrees.
It’s easy with him, maybe even too easy and she wishes it was different but she just isn’t sure that that is what she wants. It would be easier, that’s for sure, if she actually liked him and yet Taylor has not even once in her life chosen ‘easy’.