Cliffs Edge [Kaylor]

twenty-two

"It's from Karlie."

Her mother doesn't look surprised at all, and Taylor's suspicions are confirmed when she sees the woman nod knowingly. Her mother has probably known it was Karlie since that very first bouquet was sent.

"And does Adam know about this?"

"There's nothing to know. They're just flowers."

"They're not just flowers, Taylor. I've read some of those other cards, and I see how happy you are when you get them. And I hear you two on the phone sometimes."

"Mom!" Taylor hides her face in her hands, mortified beyond belief. She and Karlie talk after her shows, when time permits, and their conversations are always hushed and intimate. Some of the things that Taylor has said are things she wouldn't wish anyone else to hear, and the fact that her mom has been snooping is equal parts horrifying and annoying. 

"What? Don't I have a right to know?"

"Not really!" Taylor groans, wondering if she'll ever outlive the embarrassment she feels. "We've just missed one another, and we're making up for lost time." 

"I don't approve." Andrea states as she continues to shake her head. "You're being selfish."

The accusation shocks Taylor, who looks up with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. She and her mother don't always see eye-to-eye on certain topics, but this is different. Her mother looks disappointed, and Taylor feels her chest clench painfully.

"You don't know the whole story. Karlie and I talked when I went to New York a few weeks ago, and I told her I needed time to think about what I wanted."

"So you've got her waiting for you in New York and then you have Adam thinking everything's just fine between you two? All you're doing is playing with two people's hearts, and I raised you better than that."

"I don't know what to do." Taylor admits, her voice cracking as she rubs at her eyes, trying to keep her emotions in check.

This issue has resulted in a lot of sleepless nights for her, despite the fact that the answer should be obvious. She doesn't love Adam. If anything, she simply tolerates him. Every conversation they have turns into an argument, and he aggravates her to no end.

Then there's Karlie. Sweet and patient and unbelievably selfless. Everything Taylor could want or need, yet there's an air of caution hanging over her. She and Karlie had had a wonderful relationship but it had ended almost as quickly as it had started. Taylor had been so blindsided by it, and the fact that that could happen again terrifies her, because she never wants to feel as bad as she did last year. She never wants to feel like she can't get out of bed and face the day.

Being with Karlie is like running into love with a blindfold on. It hits you when you least expect it, and it can leave you bruised and scarred.

"You have to choose, darling. It's the right thing to do."

Taylor closes her laptop and sits it off to the side, scooting over so her mom can sit down next to her on the couch.

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Taylor whispers, wrapping her arms around her legs and propping her chin up on her knees.

"Someone's going to get hurt, no matter what you decide."

Taylor sighs, knowing that her mother is right, just like always.

Her show in Tampa closes out the North American leg, and she has a few days to herself before she and her tour crew make the trip to Singapore.

When Taylor's jet flies out of Florida, it heads west to Los Angeles instead of north to New York.