Cliffs Edge [Kaylor]

eleven

Karlie lets out an incredulous laugh but Taylor pointedly turns her head to look back at the TV.

"You were all over me a few days ago." Karlie points out, nudging Taylor lightly.

"Honestly, babe, don't make me choose between Toy Story and you, because you'll lose."

"Oh, so I'm babe now?" Karlie raises an eyebrow, a little smirk playing at her lips.

Taylor is quiet for a moment, her ears heating up in embarrassment. The term of endearment really had slipped out of its own accord, but Karlie doesn't look like she minds at all.

"I guess you are."

They smile at one another for a long moment, and then Karlie presses a kiss to Taylor's lips. Needless to say, Toy Story is the farthest thing from Taylor's mind after that.

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"So you never told me why you needed the weekend off." Derek says as he leans up against the bar. He's just finished carrying in a fresh shipment of whiskey, and Karlie is busy organizing the bottles by alcohol proof to make sure their storage closet remains easy to navigate. Derek doesn't understand the purpose behind it, but Karlie figures it's because he's just a businessman and doesn't actually mix drinks.

"I'm going out of town." Karlie answers vaguely, keeping her eyes downcast and focused on the task at hand.

"St. Louis?" Derek's eyes have widened, and his voice has lowered to make sure Gigi doesn't overhear anything. With all the hours that Karlie has now cut back on, it seems as if Gigi is quickly coming into her own at the bar. Karlie even finds her less annoying, and the younger girl is getting better at mixing.

"Rhode Island."

Derek looks confused for a long moment, and then understanding slowly dawns on his face.

"Taylor Swift?"

"Yeah, we're getting away for a bit."

"Nice. I'm happy for you Karls." Derek looks like he actually means it, and Karlie can't stop herself from hugging him. When she lets him go he looks startled and a bit unnerved.

"What the hell was that?" He asks, looking extremely befuddled.

"Shut up, it was nothing. Thanks for the time off." Karlie goes back to organizing the whiskey bottles, but a grin spreads across her face after Derek awkwardly shuffles away.

After her shift that night, she goes home and finishes packing her suitcase. She only needs one, because she and Taylor are only going to be in Rhode Island for four days, but she does pack more than necessary just in case. She doesn't know what their plans are once they touch down in Watch Hill, but she does no that Taylor has a private beach entrance and it's supposed to be warmer than usual for a couple days while they're there. Maybe they can take a swim.

The idea of seeing Taylor in a swimsuit plagues Karlie for the rest of the night, and not even her dreams are safe.

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Karlie is nervous as she boards Taylor's private jet. She's only flown once before in her entire life, and she was too young to remember it fully. All she knows is that planes tend to crash sometimes, and despite her self-loathing temperament, she's not ready to die. Maybe she was at one point, long before Taylor became a fixture in her life, but now things don't seem so bleak. There are a few people on this world who think she's worth something, and maybe that's enough.

So getting on this huge flying deathtrap doesn't appeal to Karlie in the slightest, and she makes sure Taylor knows that as they board.

"Why couldn't we drive?" Karlie's voice is tight and a few octaves higher than usual.