Sky Full Of Stars (Kaylor)

The Great Escape ; Chapter 17

Author's Notes: A little shorter than normal, but I'm trying to update as frequently as possisble these days. Hope you like this new chapter!

P.s my amazing and talented friend elore813 just published her first kaylor fic, so please go show her some love because she deserves everything that is good in this world!

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Karlie didn't know for how long she stood there, motionless, in the middle of the sidewalk.

All around her, it was all a blur; the cars speeding by, the people laughing, talking, walking past her frozen body. Her hands were shaking, her lips were ever so slightly parted. Time seemed to stop, as her eyes never diverted their attention from the spot where Taylor was previously standing on. Her broken voice still echoed inside her dazed mind, her words still digging a grave of remorse in the deepest hollow of her soul. Karlie felt powerless, as if the mistake she had so wrongly made was beyond repair, irremediable. But had she known that waiter was Taylor's father, she wouldn't have said those words. She would never hurt Taylor intentionally. But was Taylor mad at Karlie, or was she mad at her father for still being so present in her life when she obviously didn't want him to be?

Karlie closed her eyes and sighed deeply, but behind her closed eyelids, her consciousness brought back the image of Taylor's hopeless and upset face. She shook her head, as if to chase away that haunting memory. And just when she was about to take a step forward and drive back home, thinking that for now, it was for the best, to leave Taylor alone, an unrecognizable and unfamiliar voice called for her attention. Karlie turned round, and in the midst of passersby, stood the waiter from before, hands fiddling and face illuminated by the lamppost.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night," he said apologetically, unable to meet her gaze. Karlie stared at him, and he appeared to be nervous and incredibly guilty. When the veterinarian replied with only silence, his lowered face slowly rose, and his blue eyes finally met hers. For a moment, Taylor's father eyed her. Then, he asked, "I'm Richard—Taylor's father. Are you a friend of Taylor's?"

Before Karlie could furrow her brows, she remembered that he had abandoned his daughter at the tender age of fourteen, and that he didn't know a thing about the adult version of her. "Yes," she replied, surprised to feel her throat so dry. "Yes, I am."

He nodded, seeming lost in his thoughts. Karlie wondered if he was about to say something else, and she didn't know if she wanted to hear what he had to say. Just as she was about to leave, he finally spoke, his voice uncertain and quivering. "I'm a good man," he stated, nodding his head. "I'm a good man, I swear. I know that I treated Taylor horribly by...leaving. But I'm a good man."

Karlie narrowed her eyes and averted her gaze. She was at a loss for words. She didn't know how to act around this man that had so suddenly turned Taylor's world upside down. Should she be polite, nod and then leave? Or should she confront him, look for the answers that perhaps Taylor would never be able to give her? Karlie swallowed, then looked at him again. He expected her to answer, but she pursed her lips and stayed silent.

Richard chuckled quietly, pushing his hands in the pockets of his small black apron. Then, he took a step forward, and said, "Taylor always leaves after an argument. She's always done that, even when she was a little kid," he smiled, as if reminiscing an old memory of Taylor's childhood. "She's stubborn, and she always wants to be right during arguments. That's why she leaves when it gets too bad. She needs time for herself. Time to think. And then she comes back," Richard smiled. "She always comes back."

Karlie was reminded of all the fights they've had, of all the times situations got too difficult for Taylor to deal with, and realized that he was right. She always left, but she always came back.