Begin Again

46.

"It's so good to see you again," Taylor breathed out, melting into the hug Sam was giving her. He had arrived earlier than Ella due to her being on a plane.

Instead of responding he simply nodded against her, agreeing with her words. Out of their whole group, Taylor and Sam were the closest. He was her younger brother away from home and she was his older sister away from home.

"Alright, where's the model?" He asked without hesitation. Taylor bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing; it was so like him to ask so soon.

"Karlie's in the kitchen going through emails. Her sister's upstairs getting dressed, we have time for a proper introduction before we have to pretend," The blonde explained as she pulled the British boy further into the house.

"So, this is the infamous Karlie Kloss?" Sam let out when the two entered the kitchen finding Karlie leaning against the counter looking down at her computer. The brunette looked up upon hearing her name.

"Hey, you must be Sam," She said standing up straighter and taking the few steps needed to reach the pair. Sam offered her a smile and pulled her into a hug much to both her and Taylor's surprise, "It's nice to finally meet you, Taylor's told me a lot about you."

"Same here, it seems like every time we speak it's 'Karlie this' and 'Karlie that'," The Brit said earning a laugh from the model and causing Taylor's cheeks to flush in embarrassment.

"Saaaam," The singer whined hoping her friend would spare her the teasing.

"I have to say, I'm flattered," The taller girl said as she reached for Taylor's hand on the counter. The action didn't go unnoticed by Sam, who would surely tease her about it later.

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"How's the tour?" Taylor couldn't help but ask once everyone around the table had gotten quiet once more. Ella had arrived shortly after dinner was ready and she now sat across from Taylor and Sam with the Kloss sisters beside her.

"It's so hectic. It's my first tour and I'm so exhausted, I don't know how you do it, Tay," The raven-haired girl let out in a sigh. The tour was taking a toll on her and it was noticeable with the dark circles under her eyes.

"I remember my first tour, I was only the opening act, but it was so draining. The energy of the crowd was the only thing that made it worth it," Taylor responded, reaching for her glass of white wine. Sam nodded in agreement before adding to the conversation.

"You're right about that. Seeing everyone singing your lyrics back to you, it's something you can't compare to anything else."

"I could never imagine what that's like," Kristine said, thinking out loud. Karlie nodded in agreement as she reached for Taylor's hand under the table. She squeezed it three times before tracing shapes into it with her thumb.

Everything about this felt easy and normal. Taylor had her friends around her while Karlie had her sister, all the while they were sharing a moment hidden away from them.

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Later that night, Taylor found herself looking up at her ceiling in frustration. She had been sleeping before being rudely woken up by a thought for a song. Karlie was fast asleep beside her, but the blonde couldn't will herself to drift off to sleep once more. Rolling her eyes, she let out a sigh and moved out from Karlie's hold around her.

The idea had been nagging at her since she and Karlie left Big Sur, but she couldn't formulate the words to express what she wanted to say. Once she was out of bed she reached for her phone and quietly crept out of the room. Taylor looked back at the sleeping model before smiling and shutting the door. Softly padding across the hardwood floor, Taylor crept around the house with one destination in mind.

"Are you coming in or not?" The blonde whispered out, looking down at the Scottish Fold. Meredith simply meowed before walking away. Taylor rolled her eyes before walking further into the room making sure to close the door behind her.

Sitting at the bench of the piano, she let her fingers glide along the keys messing around with different sounds. She slammed her hands down on the keys after minutes of being unable to find a sound she liked. Lifting her head, Taylor spotted her guitar on the ground and stood up making her way to it when she abruptly stopped. Glancing at the wall beside her she found her white bass guitar and opted for that instead.

After what felt like hours, the blonde songwriter finally found a rhythm she felt comfortable with. It wasn't long after that, that the words started spilling out of her like a fountain of water. Her journal and pencil lay beside her ready to have words etched into the untouched paper.

"She said 'let's get out of this town. Drive out of the city, away from the crowds'... Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress. Staring at the sunset, babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks. Say you'll see me again," Taylor sang, bouncing around with her words.

She knew pieces were missing, but she hadn't the slightest clue as to what it was. She knew the song was about Karlie and what she had asked the day they were coming back, but Taylor didn't know what else the song could possibly be asking of her.

Letting out a groan that elicited a cough from her dry throat, Taylor knew it was time to take a break. Setting her guitar aside, she stood up from her spot on the floor. She left the room and carefully maneuvered around the dark house, trying to make it to the kitchen without making any noise. To her surprise, she wasn't alone when she entered the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing up so late?" Kristine asked when she saw, or rather heard, the blonde.

"I got an idea for a song. My mind won't let me sleep until the idea is out," Taylor explained as she filled up a glass with water. Kristine nodded along before speaking again.

"Does that happen often? Getting ideas in the middle of the night, I mean."

"Sometimes, but not all the time. It's something that just happens I suppose, there was this one time it happened while I was driving, I had to pull over and sing into my phone," Taylor answered, she had been used to this question so much so that she had the answer practically memorized.

"I don't understand how you guys do it, Sam, Ella, and you. It seems like your lives are constantly on the move, it must be hard to find a moment to pause. Thank God Karlie still has time to come home, I couldn't imagine how hard it must be to not see your family as often as you'd like."

Kristine's words had Taylor stunned. Was that really what she thought? That her life was constantly moving and she had no time for family. What would she have to say about her and Karlie's relationship if this is what she thought it was like for people in the music industry? The singer couldn't let her think that not if it could affect her acceptance of their relationship.

"It is hard at times but there is time for us to stop, we're not always away from home. It's just when touring and album promos start that everything gets a little hectic, but overall, there's a balance. I have time off right now even though I spend time in the studio. It's just little things like that or management meetings that take up my time," Taylor explained with a lump growing in her throat. Kristine seemed to ponder over her words before replying.

"I guess, I never thought of it that way. It's just, you see these articles and reports on huge celebrities but you never see them getting time off. It's either they're doing their jobs, or they're off partying. It's hard to remember that they're human beings like the rest of us."

"I'm not like that."

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A/N
Thanks to all of you who are still following this journey with me. We're finally getting to some good stuff here. And I am LIVING for your comments, they are hilarious to say the least.

Important: Spring break just started for me so I'll have lots of time to write more stuff for you all. There'll be a new chapter out every Monday up until I hit a writing block.

Anyways comment and vote....please?