Back to me

Chapter 7

Even though Karlie had agreed to hang out with Taylor again, she was still shocked when the blonde invited her and a friend out ice skating via text message.

So that Friday, Karlie and Cara met up with Taylor and Martha at the front gates of the skating rink. All four of them were wrapped in layers, for the January weather was not kind.

"Hey," Taylor grinned at Karlie, almost leaping out of her seat on the bench.

"Hey," Karlie gestured to Cara. "This is Cara, my friend and roommate."

"Correction," Cara held up a finger. "Best friend and best roommate."

"Tell that to our dirty coffee table." Karlie muttered jokingly.

Taylor used both of her hands to point at the model. "Karlie and Cara, this is Martha."

Martha shook Cara's hand then Karlie's. "Sunshine girl, I've heard a lot about you." She smirked at Taylor.

Confused, Karlie's nose scrunched up.

Taylor elbowed Martha in the rib, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

"We should get our skates," Taylor clasped her hands together.

In a group they moved to the skate hut and stood at the end of the line.

"So are you guys good skaters?" Cara asked. "I can't imagine people so tall being able to balance on little skates."

"I'm okay, I had to learn for a photoshoot once. But Taylor," Martha chuckled. "She's a master on heels, but ice is a different story entirely."

Cara perked up. "Well that's alright, Karlie's great at this sort of thing!"

With a small nudge from the English girl, Karlie was toe-to-toe with Taylor. At the close proximity, Taylor had to look up at Karlie. She smiled sheepishly and peer at her through her long lashes. Karlie beamed down at her, and Taylor's heart jumped.

Then she jumped for real when two girls behind her called out.

"Can we get a picture, please?"

Started, Taylor turned to face her fans. She miscalculated the distance between her and Karlie, so she stumbled into the taller woman. Two hands on either of her shoulders kept her upright, and Taylor was a little sad when Karlie retracted her arms.

As Taylor took photos with the girls, Karlie turned to Cara. The blonde winked at her like she knew something Karlie didn't. With a curious look, Karlie stepped forward in the line.

All skated-up, the four girls hopped on the ice. Martha literally hopped onto the ice, she had sold herself short when she claimed that she was only okay.

As Taylor stepped onto the ice, she was softly singing "And the skaters gonna skate, skate, skate, skate, skate..."

Karlie, the only one close enough to hear it, giggled.

Taylor looked back at her with a shy smile and tucked some of her hair back into her hat.

As a pair of kids race by, Karlie grabbed Taylor's hand and pulled her out of their way.

"Whoop!" Karlie said as Taylor was pulled into her. "Careful, Swift, you almost got ran over by a pair of eager beavers."

The brunette release her hold on Taylor. The singer was determined to get the hang of skating by the end of the night.

Cara and Martha grinned, and when they caught each other, they exchanged knowing glances.

Then Martha took off with a start. "Catch up if you can!" She tossed over her shoulder.

Cara raced after her, navigating through a small pathway of free ice.

Karlie looked over at Taylor, who had managed to stay on two feet without grabbing at the railing. She extended her hand and grinned.

"We can beat them if we cut through the middle."

Taylor took the outstretched hand and playfully scolded her. "That's cheating, Karlie."

The brunette shrugged with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Then she lead Taylor by the hand across the center of the ice, ignoring Martha and Cara calling them out for cheating.

Taylor's hand in Karlie's, they crossed the imaginary finish line just seconds before the other blondes.

"That's cheating," Cara breathed deep breaths.

"I second that!" Martha rested her hands on her knees.

"You guys didn't say there were any rules." Taylor said coyly, Karlie's hand still intertwined with her own.

"Alright then," Martha removed her coat and tossed it onto a bench outside the rink. "Rematch. Cara and me against you two, and no cutting through the middle."

Before anyone could even say start, Martha grabbed Cara's hand and they zoomed off.

The other team followed closely behind. Taylor took a moment to observe Karlie as they skated. With little space between them, Taylor could clearly see Karlie's smile as the breeze blew her hair and scarf back. Their opponents were met with the small children that had almost collided with Taylor earlier. In an attempt to avoid them, Cara and Martha slid to a stop and toppled upon one another as they fell to the ice.

Taylor and Karlie threw their heads back laughing as they passed by the blondes and crossed the finsih line.

By the end of the night, Taylor hadn't gotten the hang of skating like she had planned, but even better, Karlie held her hand the entire time they were on the ice. She considered that a win in her book.