The Stars Look Very Different Today

"Ground control to Taylor Swift. Ground control to Taylor Swift. Come in, Taylor."

She didn't.

"Taylor Swift, come in."

Silence.

Once more, desperately, "Taylor, this is Houston. Come in, Taylor."

Next to her Harry slammed his hand on the desk. The loud thump it made shocked the others around them out of their stupor. "We lost her," he said.

"Ground control to Taylor Swift," Karlie said. Her voice was level, measured. She was cognizant of the people around her, standing up and shaking their heads. She knew Harry had his hand on hers, was trying to pull her away.

"She's gone, Karlie," he said. "She's gone."

"No."

Harry sat back down. He looked around the room, where most people were still standing near their chairs, uncertain. "You heard her," he said. "Get back to work."

He wasn't looking when Karlie shot him a thankful look, but he knew all the same. Mission control was usually a tense room. It had never hit this level of intensity.

"Can you hear me, Taylor?"

"Can you hear me, Taylor?"

She laughed, rolling across the bed and its endlessly white sheets. "Yes, Kloss, I can hear you. You're right there."

Karlie grinned back at her. "Just wanted to make sure your hearing hadn't gone."

"Not yet. We'll see when I'm back. One day when we're old I'll get one of those giant ear horns and hobble around asking young gentlemen to just say that one more time, please."

Taylor caught the pillow Karlie threw at her effortlessly, which was probably why she was the soon-to-be-astronaut and Karlie was just the programmer getting her up there. "And you'll get preferential treatment on airplanes."

"You will too," Taylor said, her tone suddenly suspiciously casual, "once we're married."

Karlie rolled her eyes. "Married to you? They'll have to cart me off to a mental ward if I ever agree to that."

"Wonder if they've still got electroshock therapy," Taylor mused. Karlie felt her slip off the bed but didn't turn to look. Taylor was just padding around in her socked feet.

"At least they don't do lobotomies anymore."

"Glad to know you'd marry me over getting a lobotomy."

"I'd marry you either way," Karlie said. "I'd just be crazy to."

"Crazy in love?"

"Maybe."

"So are you?"

"What?"

"Turn around, Karls."

She did. Taylor was at the foot of their bed on one knee. Olivia was next to her, pushing under one arm. But Karlie wasn't looking at their cat. Instead, she was looking at the delicate ring Taylor was holding.

"Karlie Elizabeth Kloss," Taylor said, solemn, "will you make me the happiest woman in the universe-on Earth or on Mars-and marry me?"

"Fuck," Karlie said. "I mean yes, but like-fuck. Fuck Taylor. Yes. I love you so much."

Instead of slipping the ring on gently and letting Karlie admire it, Taylor tackled her backward onto the bed. "I love you," she whispered into Karlie's ear.