Secrets

Chapter Twenty One

Karlie fiddled with the buttons on her coat as she waited for the door to open. When it did, she was met with the surprised face of a young man about her age. He was tall and had curly brunette hair. She had never met him before, but she knew exactly who it was. Before she could say anything, he turned around towards the inside of the house.

"Taffy?" he shouted.

Karlie could hear footsteps approaching.

Before long, she was face to face with Taylor.

"Oh ..." was all the singer managed to get out. She couldn't help but stare at Karlie. The younger girl had changed her hair, but that wasn't the only reason.

"I'll leave you guys alone. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me" her brother announced and retreated, not wanting to intrude.

Karlie and Taylor stood in the doorframe, having a silent staring contest. Neither of them knew how to act.

Taylor started freezing and waved towards Karlie to come in, then closed the door behind the taller girl.

"Do you want to talk in the living room?" she asked and let out a sigh.

"Yeah" Karlie said shyly.

They sat down on the couch with a considerable amount of distance between them. Meredith, who had been hanging out there, briefly roamed between Karlie's legs, then went out of the room as if she could feel the tension between the two women.

Karlie looked at her hands in her lap, then looked up at Taylor.

"Happy birthday" she mumbled.

Taylor only smiled weakly in response, but stayed silent.

Neither of them said anything for a while.

"I didn't think you would show up today" Taylor whispered quietly.

Karlie looked surprised at the statement.

"But I'm glad you're here."

Taylor was dressed in comfortable jeans and a black hoodie, her long hair in a ponytail. She wasn't wearing any make-up and had dark circles under her eyes.

"Can we talk, please?" Karlie pleaded quietly.

"Yeah" Taylor nodded.

She scooted closer towards Karlie. Their bodies still weren't touching, but she reached out her hand to hold Karlie's. Both of them felt emotions rushing through their bodies at the touch, having missed the other's presence.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. I was mad at you, I still am, but I should have answered your calls. I needed my space, but I dragged it out for too long. That wasn't fair to you" Karlie started, letting out a breath.

"I missed you so much. I want to resolve this. I can't go on like this. I needed to see you today" she continued.

"I'm happy you're here" Taylor said and squeezed her hand.

"And look, I'm sorry too. I was so stupid. I should have told you about the paparazzo when I saw him. The photos are taken down now, but that doesn't make it ok. I promised to protect you, and I didn't. I'm so sorry. And I missed you so much. I wanted to give you space to not upset you further, but I also thought you hated me now" she said sadly.

"No, I don't hate you Taylor. You made a mistake, but you apologized. And I was the one who didn't move on from it. But I want to resolve this now. I'm ready to move on. I'm sorry that I hurt you. And I know your life can be difficult with the media attention, and I didn't even pay attention to the fact that this situation was bad for you too" Karlie replied.