Cliffs Edge [Kaylor]

four

Taylor wakes up with a splitting headache, and disoriented thoughts bouncing around her skull. There is an awful aftertaste in her mouth and her tongue feels heavier than usual, a testament to how much alcohol she consumed the night before. She is suffering from a severe case of cottonmouth and she sits up slowly, looking around at the familiar layout of her bedroom. Sunlight is trying to filter in through the drawn curtains and both of her cats are resting at the foot of the bed, curled up against one another. A glass of water is sitting on her nightstand, with two Advil placed beside it. Even in her disoriented state, Taylor knows that only Karlie could have put it there.

She swallows both of the pills and then gulps down the water. It is lukewarm from sitting out all night but it's still one of the most refreshing things Taylor has ever tasted. Getting out of bed is a daunting task but she manages to shuffle into the bathroom to try and pull herself together. Her reflection isn't pretty, and Taylor groans when she feels how dry her contacts have gotten from being left in overnight. She takes them out carefully and then splashes handfuls of ice cold water on her face, trying to wash away the last few tendrils of exhaustion. Last night's events come flooding back to the forefront of her consciousness while she goes about her morning routine. Going to the bar to see Karlie, leather pants, watching Karlie flirt with some Wolf of Wall Street reject, jealousy, and then lots of tequila. Taylor groans again, rubbing at her sore eyes with the heel of her hand. Drinking is definitely not her thing, and she's definitely not the type to drink to mask feelings, so she doesn't understand why she thought drowning in tequila was a good idea. Now she'll be nursing this hangover for the rest of the morning and will undoubtedly just lay on the couch and wither away into nothingness for the day. And to make matters worse, Karlie is nowhere to be found.

Taylor goes downstairs in hopes of seeing the brunette but she's not surprised to be met with an empty apartment. Karlie isn't the type to hang around in an unfamiliar place, and Taylor probably forced her out of her comfort zone last night, yet another reason to feel like shit on this fine Friday morning. Karlie probably thinks she's some kind of emotional train wreck who can't handle her liquor. That description sums Taylor up nicely, but Karlie didn't need to figure that out so soon. Taylor had had such high hopes for a friendship with the girl, and she had gone and ruined it before it could even develop.

Upon entering her kitchen, a few things stick out to Taylor. The cat bowls are already filled, her tea kettle is on the stove, and a plate covered with a paper towel is sitting on her island counter. Upon further inspection, Taylor sees that a little note is sitting next to the plate, and she picks it up quickly. The handwriting is unfamiliar to her but she knows that it belongs to Karlie without giving it much thought.

I slept in one of your guest bedrooms last night. You threw up on my shirt so I borrowed one of yours, along with a couple books. I hope you don't mind but you kind of owed me anyway. There's tea on the stove, and make sure you eat the breakfast sandwich I made you, it'll help. I fed your cats too because I didn't want them to starve if you slept too late. Talk to you soon.

It is short and to the point but Taylor's chest still tightens at Karlie's thoughtfulness. She never would have pegged her as the doting type, but Taylor was obviously wrong. She pours herself a cup of tea and then uncovers the food that Karlie had prepared for her. A bagel with egg whites, ham and cheese. It looks so intricately prepared that Taylor almost doesn't want to bite into it, but she's starving. Everything is perfect, and even the tea tastes just right, as if Karlie knew exactly how Taylor liked it.

Taylor looks over Karlie's note again while she eats, finding it more adorable with each reread. The girl had gone out of her way to make Taylor's morning just a bit less horrendous. From the moment she woke up, Taylor had been taken care of.