And We Run (Kaylor Fanfic)

Chapter Two

            Taylor ripped her earpiece out as she hurried backstage, flustered and breathless.

“Taylor, backstage.” One of the stagehands reported into a walkie-talkie as he eyed the singer catch her breath as the commercial break ensued. He looked towards the hair and makeup area, quickly ensuring that everything was fine, before grabbing a bottle of ice cold water and jogging over to Taylor.

“Are you okay?” The stagehand asked, handing her the bottled water. Taylor took it and nodded graciously as she cracked open the screw-lid and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. The blonde screwed the lid securely onto the bottle neck once more and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her arm.

“Alright?” The stagehand repeated once again, slightly more insistently. Taylor nodded, grinning.

“Couldn’t be better.” She said with a slight giggle, “where should I go for the break?”

            Taylor sat in her dressing room, scrolling through her Instagram feed, double-tapping the occasional picture. And that’s when she realised she was completely alone. The first performance she had done that night had gone splendidly, as did the second, but there was just one thing the blue-eyed starlet couldn’t quite seem to forget. Taylor flicked up her camera roll and viewed the most recent picture to have been taken. She remembered. She’d handed her phone to a tech guy, asked him to take a picture of her with two of the models. Cara. And the other one, the beautiful one with the short hair and colourful butterfly wings strapped to her bra. The one that tapped her hip on the runway, the one that sent electrical impulses shooting through her body. Karlie.

            There was something magnetic about her. A strange, slightly sinister attraction. Addictive. Dangerous. Toxic. Taylor smiled to herself, she could go on and on about the different emotions a person could lead her to feel; but a runway show was not the time to do this.

            “She’s cute, right?” Cara asked Karlie and Lily as she pushed a lock of her behind her ear. Lily nodded, scrolling through her phone. Lily nodded, smiling.

“Yeah.” Karlie agreed verbally, “a sweetheart. We should hang out more, it’s been really great meeting her and it’ll be sad when this is all over..” At that moment, Taylor walked out from around the corner, not entirely sure of what to do with her spare time. She spotted Karlie, Lily and Cara sitting by a set of mirrors and a clothing rack, and beamed at them.

“Speak of the devil!” Cara grinned back at Taylor, patting the chair next to her for Taylor to sit on. She obliged and sat on the chair, as Karlie followed each movement inquisitively.

“Nice dance moves out there.” Karlie smirked, “couldn’t have done it without you!” Taylor laughed, scrunching up her nose.

“I just kind of panicked, to be honest, and just did whatever fit and it probably looked like the most flirtatious thing ever.” Taylor came clean, giggling.

“You guys looked so bloody cute. It’s so weird to think that you’d just met, you looked like best of friends.” Cara commented. Karlie nodded, and grinned at Taylor.

“The heat of the moment doesn’t always have to be bad! Anyway - Taylor, me and Cara were talking and we figured that maybe we should hang out sometime. After the show, I mean.” She edged her bets, hoping Taylor would be supportive. The blue eyed performer’s smile dropped into a neutral expression. Karlie’s heart skipped a beat; what just happened? Did she manage to creep someone out she’d known for two hours? Taylor suddenly beamed, nodding quickly as her smile grew.

“That’s a great idea! I mean, this was such an awesome experience and I’d love to grab coffee with you guys sometime, y’know, to reminisce. Remember the memories” She agreed, looking from Lily, to Cara, and finally to Karlie. She smiled wider, with her eyes, at Karlie.

“And make more.” Karlie added, mirroring Taylor’s smile. Lily leant forward, her phone in her hand.

“I always feel really awkward asking for people’s numbers but, can I..?” She asked Taylor, who nodded happily as Lily created a new contact page.

            Suddenly, a group of stagehands called for the girls to line up for the finale. Taylor turned back to Lily, smiling apologetically. Lily nodded. Understandable. There’s nothing stopping her getting Taylor’s number after the show.

“I’ll make sure you get it.” Taylor promised, standing up to find her place in the line. It’s crazy how something you’ve waited on for so long is over so quickly.

            Karlie made her way through the various other models slowly, until she reached Taylor, who waited patiently in line for their cue. Her shoulders brushed with the shorter girl as she came up behind her. The hair on the back of Taylor’s neck bristled as she felt the electric presence by her side.

“Better make sure I get your number too.” She smiled lightly, not looking directly at Taylor. The blue eyed girl couldn’t help but smile at Karlie’s upfront attitude. The smile she wore cracked into a small giggle.

“You know it, girl.” She winked as the line moved forward and the girls made their way onto the stage.

*  *  *

            Taylor rubbed her eyes as she reached for her phone from the bedside table. 6:56am. She could barely see without her glasses, but the notification from Instagram was something that couldn’t be missed. A tagged photo. Her and Karlie, in the shimmering cat suit. She smiled, taking it in for a second, before realising that this was the perfect opportunity to spark up a conversation with the green eyed feline. Taylor had promised to exchange numbers, and she never falls back on a promise.

            She texted Karlie, thanking her for the upload and asking for her to send the photo, before rolling out of bed and sliding her feet into a pair of worn yet comfortable slippers. She couldn’t help but find her Rhode Island home a little lonely after last night’s show, but perhaps that’s the price of fame – or, at least, that’s the way Taylor settled it in her mind.

            Meredith jumped up onto Taylor’s lap as she chewed on her oatmeal, which was oddly unsatisfying this morning. She reached down to stroke the cat, the only form of company she had on days like today.

“What do you say we do today, Mere?” The blonde asked as Meredith purred continuously. Taylor laughed through her nose. She didn’t know which was funnier: the fact that she was talking to a cat or that she could go from being surrounded by friends to completely alone in just a matter of hours. There was still half a bowl of oatmeal left, but Taylor wasn’t quite sure if she’d be able to stomach the sweet tang of the spiced apple and cinnamon. She had a feeling that it would just leave her feeling icky.

        Meredith jumped onto the floor and made her way outside, into the morning sunshine, as Taylor watched longingly. She was pretty envious of that cat. Meredith had more freedom than her; freedom to go where she pleased without being followed and photographed and scrutinised by the rest of the world. Apparently, they’re not stalkers if they have cameras. They’re just the paparazzi.

        Taylor managed to drag her emotionless body away from the kitchen counter, bin the rest of the oatmeal, and return to her bedroom. She’d worked out by this point that today was going to be severely unproductive, and took to the bed. As she lay on the mattress, with the crisp duvet cover lying perfectly over her body, Taylor reached for her phone, making a desperate attempt to relieve her boredom. Karlie had texted back, surprisingly. She didn’t expect the model to be awake this early, especially after the show. But, then again, why was she? Taylor swiped the screen and opened the message. Karlie had sent her the photo, just like she’d asked. And then Taylor’s eyes fell to the latest message:

“Wanna go grab that coffee you were talking about?”

 

        Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.