the lakes [Kaylor]

4 - Pt. I

Karlie sat silently, observing her girlfriend animately discuss details about regularly playing at this New York City venue. Still a bit amazed at the opportunity they had come across, she didn't quite know how to process it all but was unbelievably proud. Her ears popped up when Dan mentioned that she would receive a minimum of $600 per show, along with the possibility of bonuses based on revenue earned during each show. Her eyes widened and locked eyes with Taylor's who turned around just as shocked. That was a lot more money than both girls had expected. Taylor took that as unspoken confirmation from Karlie to continue. 

Agreeing to play bi-weekly, Taylor then moved onto Dan to determine what time worked best for both parties. Ultimately, they decided on Saturdays at 5 pm for her to play, as it gave Taylor and Karlie enough time to drive there, without interfering in their class schedules. Taylor began to read off the dates of the nearest shows, checking her calendar to make sure she had no urgent plans. The 11th, 25th, and 9th were all clear on her calendar, much to the delight of the owner. The two finished up some other details, and Taylor agreed to sign the contract.

Dan told them to wait as he went to print the contract out. Taylor sat there content and looked over to her girlfriend as Dan closed the door of the office behind him. Karlie was leaned back with her arms crossed and with a blank expression on her face.

"The 25th is free, huh?" She snarked.

Taylor scrunched her eyebrows together, confused at the comment. 

"Yeah, it's fr-" she stopped mid-word as her hand shot up to her mouth, "Oh my god, the 25th."

"You forgot our anniversary," Karlie deadpanned.

"No, no, I've just been excited by this!" Taylor pleaded, "I promise, I didn't forget."

Karlie's eyes gave no signs of emotion as she remained stoic as ever. "I made plans for us, I have everything set up," she pointed her finger at Taylor, "You forgot."

Standing up and moving towards the door, Karlie's hand touched the knob and she spoke out, "I'm going to get some air. Sign your contract, Taylor."

The blonde sat in her chair, her head buried in her hands. Karlie's footsteps echoed through the hall, sounding further and further away. Her mind raced going back and forth at what she should do. 

"Karlie, wait!" she yelled out, beginning to run after her girlfriend. She turned the corner out of the office and narrowly missed Dan walking the opposite way with the papers in hand. 

"Taylor?!" He let out a questioning exclamation, after being startled.

"I'm really sorry Mr. Morrison, I'll be right back, I just need to take care of something really quick!" She shouted, already halfway down the hall.

Taylor sprinted down the hall, finally seeing Karlie at the bottom of the staircase they had walked up just a short bit ago. "Karlie!"

Turning on her heals, the taller girl looked up the stairs to see her girlfriend rapidly step down the stairs in her boots.

"I won't sign it," she blurted out, "not if you're not okay with it." Karlie's face softened as she looked at the desperate face of the girl now standing in front of her. Taylor continued her plea, "Or I can see if we can reschedule that show, that was my fault, it slipped my mind I've been a little overwhelmed by this and I forgot about our anniversary."

Taylor looked up, into the green eyes staring back at her, waiting for any sort of response or sign.

Karlie sighed and looked around the corridor around them before bringing her eye sight back to ones waiting for her. "This is a really great opportunity for you, Taylor, you should accept it. We can see if we reschedule the plans I made, if not we'll celebrate however we decide on Friday or Sunday. I'd love to stand in the crowd watching you play music to this crowd on our anniversary, I'm just hurt that you forgot, babe." 

She then added, her voice cracking a bit, "I'm your biggest fan, but I will not be a second priority to this."

Taylor felt her eyes well up at the words coming from the other girl. "You're my number one option. Always."

Karlie smiled, leaning down and placing her lips between the familiar set across from her, and grabbing the hand of the girl. They broke the embrace and Karlie smiled while leading her up the stairs, back to the office. 

A/N: Sorry for the really short update. I've been really busy with moving into my new apartment and haven't had much time to work on this, so I figured I'd give what I have since it'll likely still be a few days until I have time to work on this more extensively. I really really thank you for reading this, it means a lot. Once I get back into a normal routine, I'll update more frequently.