happy sunday!!!!
— Taylor Swift Spotted at the Gym with Kaia Browne – They went grocery shopping right after! Big Girls' night?
— Watch this clip of Kaia Browne yelling at a photographer!
— Kaia Browne Rude to Photographer Outside Grocery Store with Best Friend Taylor Swift...
———
"So... where are we going?" Kaia asked as the sun began to set. She looked outside her window, trying to recognise anything around her but all she saw were tall trees.
"Uhm, I believe we're pretty close to Philadelphia," Taylor told her, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. There was some traffic around them, but it wasn't too bad. Taylor leaned forward, glancing up at a large sign, and pointed at it. "Right, the exit is just a few miles away. I'm... not entirely sure where I'm driving actually. I was hoping you might tell me to stop somewhere."
The blonde chuckled, sitting back in her leather seat and holding her head with her left hand, her elbow pushed against the window.
"I'll be honest with you," Kaia responded, turning her gaze toward her girlfriend. "I don't know any places in this country of yours besides Manhattan, and maybe Los Angeles."
"That's fair enough," Taylor laughed, changing her grip around the steering wheel from her right hand to her left and grabbing Kaia's hand. "I'll just drive around until something looks interesting."
Kaia nodded, not minding that plan at all, or rather the lack of a plan. The spontaneity of their getaway holiday just made it all the more exciting. The only issue was that it was almost night time, and they had no idea where they were going.
"We are going to have to stop and find somewhere to sleep soon enough, though. We're not driving around in the middle of the night," Kaia told her, looking outside at the slowly darkening line of forest trees.
"We'll find a hotel or a bed and breakfast or something," Taylor reassured her, squeezing Kaia's fingers gently, being careful to avoid the bandages around her palm. The local anaesthetic hadn't worn off yet, anyway, but Kaia still appreciated how gentle she was being.
Kaia nodded and leaned her head against the cool window, turning sideways to watch Taylor and the way her face shone in the soft light of the sun setting behind them, turning the world around them fiery orange. She held Taylor's hand in her lap with her uninjured hand and fiddled with her long fingers, brushing her rough fingertips with her own; the callouses and scars left from years of pressing down on guitar strings always tickled her skin and it made her smile.
"You grew up in Philadelphia, didn't you?" Kaia asked, looking up at the sign that told them the exit was ten miles away.
"Wyomissing," Taylor corrected her, glancing quickly at her before turning her attention back to the cars in front of her. "It's about an hour away from Philly. Why do you ask?"
Kaia shrugged her shoulders and smiled sheepishly at Taylor. "It was a Christmas Tree farm, wasn't it?"
"Yeah... you're not going to make me take you there, are you?"
But even as Taylor spoke with the dramatic hint of dread in her tone, she turned on her indicator and changed lanes to head toward the exit. Kaia grinned widely at her and nodded.
"Yes, I am. I love Christmas Trees."
"It's November."
"It's never too early for Christmas, babe," she told her with a roll of her eyes. "I will not have any Christmas slander!"
"Relax, it's one of my favourite seasons," Taylor chuckled softly, smiling amusedly at Kaia.
"Good. And besides, you owe me as much."
Taylor narrowed her eyes at her playfully and scrunched her nose. "Fine. Only because I love you."
Kaia smiled so wide, she had to bite down on her bottom lip. "Say that again."
"I love you," Taylor repeated, giving her knee a light squeeze.
"I love you, too," Kaia murmured, holding Taylor's hand up to her lips and kissing her knuckles. "I'm never going to get tired of hearing you saying it."
Taylor turned to gaze at Kaia with her little toothy grin, running her thumb over Kaia's hand. "I'll never get tired of saying it."
Taylor found a cute little Inn on the outskirts of town she recalled from her childhood days spent in Pennsylvania. She did make Kaia go inside and get them a room, though, in case anyone did recognise them together. Kaia even used her best acting skills, faking an American accent to avoid any possible questions, though with her hood on and Taylor's reading glasses, she doubted anyone would be able to tell it was her. She paid for the night and grabbed their key before heading back outside to help Taylor out with their luggage.
"Apparently, we got the room with the best view!" Kaia explained as she opened the boot of the car. "And with an en suite bathroom! Our lucky night, because the previous guests postponed their trip last minute."
"There are no views..." Taylor pointed out while she pulled out the two bags. Kaia held out her hand but Taylor walked past her, the car keys between her teeth. "Can you get the door?"
Kaia sucked her teeth in frustration, letting the door close with a bang to make her point. "I can still use my right hand, you know. I'm not completely useless."
"Yes, but you're left-handed," Taylor told her, already a few feet away. She dropped her own bag, locked the car, and picked it back up before Kaia could even get to it. "Let me take care of you?"
Kaia sighed and pushed past her, making sure to playfully shove her shoulder. Taylor at least did let her hold the door open for them. They made it safely towards the staircase when a voice called out from behind them.
Kaia stilled completely, slowly turning around.
"Hey... ain't you that girl from that show, you know, with all the big, poofy dresses and the giant wigs?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! The one with that fancy lady from Yorktown or something? Her dad's like a prince or an earl or something?" The same kid behind the counter who had checked her in butted in, snapping his fingers in recognition.
"Elizabeth something?"
"That's the character's name, dude."
Kaia looked at Taylor with panic in her eyes, but she was slightly relieved that the blonde had already made it halfway up.
"Oh, goodness, no!" Kaia laughed softly, sending them her most charming grin and hoping they wouldn't see past it, still using that American accent. "No, but I wish! I don't know the first thing about acting, me..." She took a small breath and then laughed again, shaking her head at them as though they were the silliest people ever. "No, but thank you. You guys have just made my whole day!"
She climbed up the first set of stairs, having a hard time containing her laughter when she met Taylor's eyes and the blonde was giving her a funny look.
"You know, I did a play in school. Yeah, I played the second murderer in Macbeth," the guy behind the counter started and Kaia tried to smile politely to him though her legs were begging her to leave, and so was Taylor. She hated small talk, anyway.
"Oh, that's nice... goodnight."
It looked like the guy had a lot more to say but Kaia started running upstairs after Taylor until they were safely hidden in the hallway. That was when the blonde burst out laughing.
"Dude... you don't know the first thing about acting, and yet you gave your best performance ever! Oscar worthy!" Taylor laughed, her head falling back against the wall.
"Right?" Kaia giggled, back to her usual English accent. "The second murderer in Macbeth? I didn't want to break his ego by telling him I played Lady Macbeth."
"That would've totally been hilarious," Taylor laughed harder, waiting for Kaia to open the door for their room and dropping the bags on the floor. "I think I remember that guy. His mom owns this place. Back in like the fourth grade, he had a birthday party in the back garden."
Kaia laughed softly and tossed the keys over the small dresser near the door. The room did look cosy enough, with nothing more than a king-sized bed in the middle and a television with a minibar under it. She crossed over to the bathroom on the other side and nodded in approval when she saw the bathtub.
She kept the door slightly ajar as she used the toilet, well past the point of being shy around her girlfriend.
"Ooo... how do you feel about a bubble bath right now?" Taylor asked with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.
Kaia grabbed the wad of toilet paper, shaking her head as she ripped a few sheets. "I would love to... after dinner."
Taylor shifted her weight from one foot to the other, chewing softly on the inside of her cheek. "Okay," she mumbled quietly.
"We'll get something small, and a bottle of wine," Kaia told her as she adjusted her pants and stood by the sink to wash her hands. "We'll eat in the tub if you want. It'll be great."
Taylor smiled a little but then she slowly raised her eyebrows, tilting her head in the direction of the running water. "You can't get any water on your stitches."
Kaia let out a huff in realisation. "I know. Can you help me wash the other one?"
"'Course," Taylor chuckled softly, standing behind her. She ran the bar of soap over Kaia's uninjured hand, making sure she got some foam over every bit of skin and then washed her own hands.
"Thank you," Kaia murmured, leaning her head over Taylor's chest as she patted her hands dry with a towel.
"Don't mention it." Taylor kissed Kaia's forehead and slipped her hand into hers as they walked back into the room. "You wanna go into town? I think there was a small store not too far from here."
Kaia scrunched her nose and shook her head. "No grocery stores."
"You're right," Taylor chuckled softly and slipped the keys into her pocket. "We'll find a pizza place or something in town. Come on."
They managed to slip back outside fast and undetected. It wasn't until Taylor almost drove past a stop sign that Kaia realised she was still wearing her glasses. She handed them back to the singer and blinked a few times as her vision cleared.
"I forgot I still had them on," Kaia chuckled, rubbing her eyes gently. "How do you even see without them?"
"I squint a lot," Taylor shrugged. "Were they not bothering you this whole time?"
"Not horribly, no," Kaia realised. She blinked some more, her brow furrowing in thought. "I could see some things."
"Kibbles?"
"Yes?"
Taylor slowed down at a red light and faced Kaia. "Honey, I'm practically legally blind."
"I could tell," Kaia snorted and then grimaced apologetically at Taylor. "Sorry... it must be horrible, having to depend on glasses all the time."
"It is. Kibs, you should've been very uncomfortable in these glasses, not just a little bit. I mean, Austin has tried them on before and they made him very dizzy. You're not dizzy?"
"If you're suggesting that I need glasses, I think you may be wrong," Kaia told her with a little click of her tongue. "I did in fact get my eyes checked not too long ago, and my eyesight was obviously great. The lights turned green."
Taylor took a look at the traffic light, another glance at Kaia, and took her foot off the brake pedal. "How long ago was that eye test?"
"I don't know," Kaia huffed, adjusting her seat. "Like, last year maybe? I remember it was while we were filming the first season of the show so..."
Kaia trailed off to count on her fingers. "Uhm... probably around April."
"Of twenty-sixteen?"
"No, twenty-fifteen."
"Honey, I really think you might need glasses now," Taylor told her, her tone gentle as she hated being the bearer of bad news.
"I'm pretty sure I don't!" Kaia shook her head and pulled her phone out from her pocket. "Look, I can read this tiny font perfectly fine. And it's a message from your mother, asking me to check on you since you don't seem to have your phone on you— oh, I really think we need to call your mum back."
"We will after we figure this thing out," Taylor responded, pulling the car to a stop in front of a small diner that looked packed at eight o'clock in the evening. "Can you read that sign over there?"
Kaia rolled her eyes and looked in the direction that Taylor was pointing at. "Which one? The red mug one?"
"Yup. What's that diner called?"
Kaia blinked a few times as the letters muddled together. There wasn't enough light for her to see any shapes. "JoJo's Diner," she said with a little smug smirk.
"Okay, I'm going to ignore the slight delay and ask you to read the phone number right under it."
Kaia cleared her throat and turned around to prove her girlfriend wrong when she realised she seriously couldn't read the fine print of the restaurant's number.
"It's too small, and the light's not all that great around here."
"It's not too small, nor too dark."
"You read it out, then."
"Six, one, oh, nine, two, nine, three, four, oh, four."
Kaia let out a cough and turned to her phone instead, opening up the message that Andrea had sent her about an hour ago.
"Oh my god, Kaia, you definitely need glasses. You're literally using the largest font size available!" Taylor exclaimed loudly, leaning over the armrest to look over Kaia's shoulder.
"It's better for your eyes!" Kaia defended, but she knew it was a lame attempt at saving her pride.
"Baby... you're just proving my point. Those three lines are literally taking up your whole screen!" Taylor told her as she reached for her phone.
Kaia grumbled under her breath as Taylor called her mother. Andrea answered on the second ring.
"Oh! Kaia, sweetheart! I was worried sick. Are you okay?"
"Hey, Andrea—" Kaia started to say when Taylor interrupted her.
"Mom, will you please convince Kaia to go see an eye doctor?"
The other end of the line went silent for a good few seconds.
"Jesus, Taylor. You've had me worried sick all day long. Did you dump your phone in the toilet?"
"No, I just left it back in New York," the blonde explained casually, turning the car off and pulling the key out of the ignition.
"Back in New York?" Andrea repeated, the fear evident in her voice. "Where the heck are you?"
"Right outside JoJo's Diner."
"That could be literally anywhere!"
Taylor's face split into an amused grin. "Nope, Not Anywhere. West Reading."
"Taylor, what in the world's name are you two doing in Pennsylvania?"
"Getting dinner!" The blonde responded with a soft laugh. Kaia shook her head at her, though she couldn't fight off her smile.
"Hey, Andrea, do you think we could come over, like, in two days?" Kaia asked, watching as Taylor's eyes slowly widened and she started shaking her head furiously.
"What, all the way to Nashville?"
"Where else?" Kaia grinned, nodding her head enthusiastically instead.
"Well, I already have a room ready for you since you guys were coming for Thanksgiving anyway. You plan on staying the extra week, then? That would be just wonderful!"
Kaia's mouth hung open as Taylor hit her head against the steering wheel.
"Well, I don't know about that... given that your daughter never told me I was invited for Thanksgiving!" Kaia responded, narrowing her eyes at Taylor who hit her head, again.
"Right, well, it slipped my mind. Mom, I'll call you in the morning from Kaia's phone. Love you, see you soon! Bye!"
Taylor ended the call before anyone could say anything and hung onto Kaia's phone, watching her carefully.
"Taylor."
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you tell me I was invited for Thanksgiving?"
Taylor scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
"Why did you just invite us over to my mom's house? In Nashville?" She shot back, narrowing her eyes at Kaia but it wasn't going to work on her.
"Taylor," Kaia said simply and the blonde sighed and leaned forward, hugging the steering wheel.
"Well... I kinda haven't told mom yet that we're, you know, dating."
Kaia's eyebrows flew up, and she tried not to feel a little hurt, considering the fact that she had told her family almost immediately, and Taylor, who was closer to her mother than anyone else, had not yet told her anything. She remembered Taylor mentioning it during their argument earlier, but now, the thought was actually settling in and it did hurt a little.
"She knows we're living together though," Kaia remembered and Taylor confirmed it with a nod.
"Yeah, I just... every time I tried to tell her, I just kind of, well, I'd remember all the times she'd like give me advice whenever I told her about a certain partner, and I just... I know she loves you and she would definitely be really happy. And I just— I, well... I know the advice she would give me this time around would be something along the lines of 'take good care of this absolute angel god has dropped right in your lap," and something like "don't you even dare try and do anything stupid!" and she would be absolutely right, of course. And... well, I want her to see that I'm not messing around this time. I've told her those same words before, and I've never meant them as much as I do when it comes to you."
Kaia's heart was swollen as she was hit with the realisation that their relationship truly meant so much to Taylor that she was worried her own mother would think that she wouldn't be good enough.
"Taylor..." Kaia said and the blonde closed her eyes with a slight grimace, shaking her head softly.
"I know, I know. I should have told her sooner! I'll tell her as soon as we see her, okay? I don't wanna do it over the phone, but you're right. I need to—"
"No, that's not what I meant," Kaia chuckled, cupping Taylor's face in the palm of her hand. She ran her thumb over her cheekbone in a gentle caress, watching as her electric blue eyes blinked open again. "We already got all the stupid out of the way, right?"
Kaia shot Taylor a cheeky grin that only widened when her face turned red.
"Yeah, we did. Stupid Taylor is dead to me. You're looking at the new Taylor, who's going to always show you just how much she loves you," Taylor replied with a small smile, pressing a kiss on Kaia's palm.
"The old Taylor's dead?"
"Yup. You're looking at a new and improved Taylor."
Kaia leaned in until their foreheads were touching. "I don't want the old Taylor gone. I only want my Taylor to be happy and healthy. And for you to take care of yourself."
Taylor nodded and kissed Kaia's hand again. "I will. I promise."
"Je t'aime, mon coeur," Kaia murmured, brushing her lips over Taylor's. The blonde smiled widely and lifted Kaia's chin up to kiss her properly.
"Say that again?" She whispered and Kaia let out a laugh, kissing her small nose.
"Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime!" She repeated much louder, extending the syllables the third time until Taylor was laughing.
"I love it when you tell me you love me in French." Taylor unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her purse to leave the car.
"Hey, stay here. I'll grab the food and we'll eat in the tub, just like you wanted," Kaia told her with a small, suggestive smile. "What do you say?"
"Okay, yes. That sounds great."
"I'll be right back," Kaia planted a kiss on Taylor's cheek before exiting the car and jogging over to the diner.
She got a turkey sandwich and a grilled chicken one with a side of fries for them to share and was surprised and glad to find the service to be quite fast. She was in and out of the diner in just a little over ten minutes.
"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I just got light sandwiches, in case you didn't feel too hungry," she explained as soon as Taylor started up the car again and drove back toward the Inn.
"Sandwiches are fine!" She reassured her, dropping her right hand in Kaia's lap.
When they made it back to the Inn, Kaia stopped by the front desk to ask them for a bottle of white wine. She walked back upstairs, bottle in hand, and found Taylor already letting the tub fill up with water and some of the nice, vanilla scented complimentary bath bubbles.
They got undressed and slipped into the warm water, sitting on opposite ends of the bathtub, and Kaia beamed at her girlfriend who was busy trying to tie her hair up in a bun.
"What?" Taylor asked with a little chuckle but Kaia only shook her head and started pouring the wine into the two glasses.
They clinked them together and took their first sips which may have been a little too big but who cared? It was quite the emotional day. Kaia wanted to be pleasantly drunk and do nothing but cuddle Taylor till the new year.
"There's a chip in the bathtub," Kaia pointed out, pointing limply at the floating piece of potato that was currently swimming toward Taylor.
The blonde chuckled and picked it up between two soapy fingers. They had long since finished eating and were currently enjoying their wine and each other's company with some quiet music playing on Kaia's phone.
"A chip, you say?" Taylor mocked Kaia's accent, her tongue poking out between her teeth as a smile brightened her face.
Kaia rolled her eyes and flicked some foam toward her. "Would you rather I call it a fry?" she responded, exaggerating a Californian accent.
Taylor laughed softly and tossed the wet piece of fry toward her girlfriend who tried to lean away to dodge it but only ended up making the bath water overflow.
"Jeez," Taylor giggled as she accidentally spilt some wine in the bathtub. "What is it in French?"
Kaia grimaced as she adjusted her seat, leaning her elbows over the side of the tub. "Frites."
"Like the steak?"
Kaia snorted and shook her head. "No, that's a steak. The Frites bit literally means fries."
"Frites," Taylor repeated and it sounded like she was choking when she tried to imitate the throaty R that Kaia generally used when speaking French, and which also occasionally and unintentionally slipped out.
"Now, you say that again!" Kaia told her with a small laugh, leaning over toward her.
"Frrrrrrrrites?"
Kaia laughed hard, splashing some water over everywhere as she reached over to squeeze Taylor's cheeks in her free hand and kiss her puckered lips.
"That's what you sound like when you're gurgling your mouthwash," Kaia told her, pressing another kiss on the corner of Taylor's mouth.
"That's what you always sound like," Taylor shot back with a wide grin, wrapping an arm around Kaia to pull her against her. The actress almost slipped but somehow caught herself at the last minute while managing to keep her injured hand dry and the almost empty wine glass safe. It really was a close call. She wrapped her arms around Taylor's shoulders and scrunched her nose at her.
"I sound a lot hotter than that," she said with a click of her tongue.
"Mhm-mm, yes, you do," Taylor murmured against her lips, pulling her in for a very tipsy kiss. Kaia smiled and kissed her back, pushing her tongue past Taylor's lips.
Taylor leaned all the way back and pulled Kaia down against her without breaking their kiss. In fact, she tried to deepen it, grabbing Kaia's face with her free hand when the actress started feeling something cold trickling down her shoulder.
She laughed quietly to herself, opening her eyes. "I think you just spilt the rest of your drink down my back."
Taylor pulled away to check her glass which was indeed now empty.
"Ah... well..."
Kaia laughed harder and set her own glass down on the counter before she stood up. "Well, now I need a shower!"
Taylor followed her by standing up as well and allowing the tub drain. "Let me help you," she told her, pressing a small kiss on her shoulder. "You know, just so you can keep your stitches dry."
"Sure," Kaia nodded with a little amused smile, watching as Taylor adjusted the shower until a gentle spray of water drenched her.
"So much for trying to keep my hair dry," she chuckled while undoing her ponytail.
Taylor was quite gentle while running the bar of soap over Kaia's back and all along her body. As she held the shower head over her body, washing away the soap, she left a trail of loving kisses all along Kaia's shoulders and the back of her neck, leaving the younger girl breathless and smiling widely.
Kaia returned the favour and helped her out as best as she could, stealing a kiss every chance she got. They wrapped themselves up in towels and sat down under the bedsheets in only their underwear, limbs tangled together as they snuggled up closely. Kaia buried her face in Taylor's neck, and inhaled deeply the soft sent of the Inn's complimentary vanilla scented soap mixed with the familiar smell that was Taylor, and god, it was more intoxicating than the few glasses of wine she had just had. Taylor ran her nails ever so gently over Kaia's back, tickling her just right. It was rather comforting, even when it made her giggle softly under her breath.
"That tickled," Taylor mumbled with a laugh, nuzzling Kaia's hair and kissing her head softly.
"You're tickling me with your nails," Kaia laughed, her voice muffled by Taylor's neck. Her hand stilled over Kaia's back.
"I'm sorry, I'll stop—"
"No— don't you dare!" Kaia glanced up at Taylor, meeting her soft gaze. "It's comforting."
"Okay," Taylor smiled, kissing Kaia's forehead as she went back to scratching her bare back. "Are we actually spending the next two weeks with my mom?"
"You don't want to?"
"Of course I do," Taylor replied with a small exhale. "But you don't have to. So, we can just go on Thanksgiving."
"I want to," she mumbled, holding Taylor's hand and lacing their fingers together.
Ever since her mother had passed away, Kaia had quite appreciated how often Andrea had taken some time out of her day to check up on her and make sure she was okay and her family was doing well. She loved Taylor's mother and how easy she was to talk to. Frankly, one night when Kaia had felt incredibly emotionally drained, she had called Andrea for some comfort, for a hint of motherly affection, and the older woman was more than happy to offer all the comfort she needed.
"We'll need to have Greg fly over with the kids," Taylor mumbled, moving her hand up into Kaia's hair and gently massaging her scalp.
"The kids?" Kaia chuckled, smiling amusedly.
"Have you forgotten the three balls of fluff currently fighting each other probably for the best spot on our bed back in New York?"
"I could never forget them," she responded with a roll of her eyes. But her smile only widened at the thought of Taylor tossing out the word "kids" so casually while referring to the two most important things in her life and including Katara into the mix. "So, am I their second mother now?"
"Yep. You now have legal obligations when it comes to Dibbles and Meredith, and I am officially adopting Katara as my third child," Taylor confirmed with a lopsided grin.
"You're crazy," Kaia laughed, rolling over until she was lying right on top of Taylor. She beamed brightly at her, resting her arms over Taylor's chest. "Hi."
"Hi," the blonde laughed, placing her hands on Kaia's hips.
"I'm not squishing you, am I?"
"Nope, this is perfect." Taylor pecked her nose lightly and Kaia reciprocated by kissing her. But she moved to plant another small kiss on the corner of her mouth, and then her cheek, and then her other cheek, and every corner of Taylor's face that she could reach until she fell in a fit of laughter and Kaia almost slipped off. She left a final kiss on Taylor's chest before rolling off again and lying on her back.
Taylor had other plans though as she placed her hands on either side of Kaia's body and hovered over her. She leaned all the way down until her bangs were tickling Kaia's face. She reached up and brushed them back, taking in every detail of Taylor's face that she loved so much.
"How are you so perfect?" Taylor whispered, her lips brushing over Kaia's, leaving them tingly and begging for more contact.
"I'm not," Kaia responded, cupping Taylor's face in her hands. "You're just so in love with me," she added coyly, grinning widely when Taylor dropped her head into her shoulder and shook with laughter.
She recovered soon after and smiled back down at her girlfriend, her eyes glowing. "I really am so in love with you."
"Hm, good," Kaia murmured. She grabbed Taylor by the face and pulled her in for a long and loving kiss that left them both breathless with their heads spinning.
They snuggled up under the bed sheets again, with Taylor spooning Kaia from behind and tangling their legs together.
The next morning, they took their time getting dressed and checking out of the room. They stopped by a coffee shop to get their morning fix and after a little bit more begging from Kaia, Taylor parked her car in front of the old Christmas Tree Farm she grew up on. She hadn't been back there in a very long time and it felt great to walk around and point out all the different places she remembered to Kaia.
"This is where I got that scar under my chin," she said, pointing at a particular corner with a very short stone wall around a couple of potted plants. "My very first scar, I think. I was maybe six. I just kinda..." she made a sound with her mouth, imitating a cartoonish splat sound, "slipped on thin air and hit my chin there. Didn't notice I was bleeding until I saw that my favourite dress was all red. That's when I started crying."
Kaia laughed softly, wrapping her arms around Taylor's and leaning into her. "I have the same scar!"
"What? No way!"
"Yes, way!" Kaia giggled, throwing her back so that Taylor could see the very thin white line on her chin. "I had to get stitches. I was playing at my grandma's house when I was eight, I think. Layla and I and the neighbours' kids. It was some version of tag. We called it police-voleur, which just means cops and thieves and Layla grabbed the back of my shirt and I just face-planted on concrete. I even chipped a tooth! It was horrible."
"What are the odds?" Taylor laughed softly, brushing her thumb over Kaia's scar, her finger lingering when Kaia leaned into her touch.
"In every other kid's defence, I think most people have that same scar," she chuckled, entwining their fingers as they continued walking. "That, or the eyebrow slit."
"That sounds legit."
They both laughed softly, swinging their hands between them as they walked back to the car. Taylor drove past her old house as well, pointing out all the different spots she fell down in, and all the places she spent hours drawing with chalk on the sidewalk or riding her bike and playing with her old friends.
"My best friend when I was in the first grade, maybe about six or seven, she lived here..." Taylor said, slowing down at a stop sign. "Oh my god, it was this house right there. I— wow, I haven't seen her in almost twenty years..."
"Oh, how come?" Kaia asked, looking out the window at the small, cottage-like house with weeds growing all around it.
"I think she moved away. I don't know, around the third grade, I think they just moved states or something... what was her name?"
Taylor let out a small sigh and continued driving.
"I don't even know if I still remember her well... I'm pretty sure she had like black hair," she continued, mostly talking to herself, but Kaia was listening. "And I think one time she invited me over and I told my mom I didn't wanna go, I always thought her house was haunted."
Kaia chuckled softly, gently caressing Taylor's knee. "It did look a little eery, if I'm honest."
"Yeah, it didn't look like anyone's lived there in a while either," Taylor murmured and with another little sigh, she continued driving quietly until they left the small town and were back on the highway. "Her name was Georgia," she added after a while.
"Well, I hope Georgia's doing great things in life," Kaia told her with a smile.
"Yeah... me too," Taylor breathed out, squeezing Kaia's hand. "You know it's funny. I can't even remember her face, but, like I can remember just how much I really loved her back then. We probably wouldn't be friends if we met today."
"Yeah, but she meant a lot to you until the last day you saw her. You'll still care for her, even if you can't understand why," Kaia answered with a small shrug. "People are funny like that."
"Do you think she remembers me?" Taylor asked after another few minutes and Kaia turned to face her, chuckling softly.
"I don't think anyone could ever forget you, love," Kaia laughed. "I think she hears your songs at parties or in cafés and tells people 'Hey! She used to live just down the road from me!' and she'd probably also be wondering if you remember her."
"I should probably find her and let her know that I do remember her."
Kaia nodded, smiling at the small joke. "Wouldn't it be so funny if she didn't actually remember you?"
"Don't say that," Taylor laughed, poking Kaia's waist to annoy her.
"Argh," Kaia swatted her hand away but Taylor was faster and grabbed it. "Do you want to listen to music?"
"Sure, whatever you want."
Kaia connected her phone to the car's Bluetooth and pressed shuffle on her everyday playlist. She dropped her phone in her lap and leaned back in her seat, eyes closed.
"Kaia."
"Mhm?" She hummed, too comfortable to bother opening her eyes.
"Change the song."
"It's a nice song!"
"Kibbles!" Taylor laughed, reaching to grab the phone from her lap. "You enjoy listening to me singing about my exes?"
Kaia opened one eye and looked suspiciously at her girlfriend while keeping her away from grabbing the phone. "Wonderland is about an ex?"
"Do you not listen to my lyrics?"
"I don't think too much about them," Kaia told her with a shrug. "Is this song about Harry Styles? The fans would like to know."
Taylor glanced at her with a small glare and shook her head. "Nope."
"Who else did you date with green eyes?"
"Why do you want to know?" Taylor asked, stealing another glance at Kaia.
"I don't," she replied, which was true. She didn't actually care; it was Taylor's business. But it was fun to tease her. "I just want to finally let your fans rest. They've been dying to know."
Taylor gave her the side eye, but Kaia could still see the smirk she was trying to fight off. "You just want to know who I found Wonderland with."
"Yeah, and it's not me!"
Taylor patted Kaia's thigh and gave her knee a squeeze. "Honey, I didn't know you back then."
"Pft, but I knew you."
"Kibbles," Taylor breathed out a laugh, shaking her head at her girlfriend and her antics while the young actress couldn't help but grin in amusement. Kaia hummed along to the chorus and even Taylor joined in; it was her song after all. "Do you know Dianna?"
"Lady Di? Sure, I've heard of her."
Taylor chuckled at Kaia's joke, grabbing the steering wheel with her right hand and leaning her left elbow on the door.
"No, the actress," Taylor continued, taking a quick glance at Kaia every few seconds.
"Oh, sure!" Kaia responded dryly, looking at Taylor with a straight face.
"Okay, yeah... well, it's her."
Kaia didn't respond, though she kept staring at Taylor with that same "are you serious?" look.
"What...?" She asked, Kaia's silence concerning her.
"Babe, I'm sure there's more than one Dianna in the acting business," Kaia deadpanned, smirking at the blonde whose cheeks instantly turned a deep shade of red.
"So, you don't know her?"
"Tay, I don't even know who you're talking about! There's a million Diannas out there!" Kaia laughed at how ridiculous the conversation was. "I'm sure you're not talking about the same Dianna who was with me in school."
"I don't think so," Taylor mumbled, smoothing down her bangs. Kaia could see her cheeks were flustered. "It's uh, Dianna Agron."
"Oh my god, the actress from Glee?" Kaia unintentionally exclaimed loudly, her eyes going wide.
"You like Glee?" Taylor asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"No... well... it's horrible. But I've seen it all. I just... well, it's my guilty pleasure, really."
"It used to be mine as well," Taylor chuckled quietly, focusing on the road again, both hands on the steering wheel.
Kaia watched her closely for a few moments, letting Taylor's revelation sink in. The past two days, she had learned a lot more about Taylor than all the six months they had known each other. She was finally truly opening up to her and it made her feel so much closer to her.
Kaia grabbed Taylor's right hand in hers and squeezed it softly. She pulled out her phone and started recording with the camera on, taking a quick clip of the scenery around them, which really only consisted of tall trees and a never-ending highway in front of them, and turned to aim the camera at Taylor, huge smile on her face.
"Baby?"
Taylor hummed in response, chancing a quick glance at Kaia.
"I love you."
Taylor smiled widely, turning a little shy when she noticed the camera but she looked right at it as she pulled Kaia's hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles.
"I love you more," she answered, brushing the back of Kaia's hand with her thumb.
Kaia slipped her phone back in her pocket after changing the playlist to her Classic Rock Acoustic Hits one and leaned her head against Taylor's shoulder as she continued driving.
They drove in comfortable silence for a few miles, occasionally mentioning a thought or two, sometimes singing at the top of their lungs with the windows open when a particularly nice song came on, and even slowing down to talk to Kaia's father when he called. He was a little surprised to find out they were on their way to Nashville of all places but wished them a safe trip before heading back to his online game of chess, which made Kaia laugh at him.
They stopped at a gas station a few hours in to fill up the tank and grab a few snacks for the road, and Kaia drove the rest of the way. They were both exhausted after almost eight hours of driving and stopped at another bed and breakfast for the night, passing out as soon as they hit the mattress. And the next morning, they found themselves right outside the large Nashville home. Andrea hugged them both closely and prepared a large breakfast for them and with a piece of bacon halfway up to her mouth, Taylor asked Kaia to pass the salt for her eggs.
"Thanks, baby," she replied with a quick smile while chewing on her food.
Kaia wasn't sure if Taylor hadn't noticed the pet name or simply didn't care anymore, but she glanced at Andrea who continued eating her own breakfast like nothing had happened. She turned back to Taylor, tilting her head subtly in the direction of her mother and watching as Taylor's eyes widened.
"Mom," Taylor started after swallowing her food, coughing to clear the throat.
Kaia's eyebrows shot up in alarm. She was going to do it right now? At breakfast?
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"Kaia and I have something to tell you."
"You didn't elope without inviting me, did you?"
The two young girls looked at each other in shock before turning to Andrea who was smiling at them.
"You already knew," Kaia stated with a light laugh. Of course, she did.
"How?" Taylor asked, her eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"Honey, you're not as subtle as you think you are!" Andrea laughed, dropping her fork gently on the side of her plate.
"Well—" Taylor struggled to find a response. She grumbled incoherently under her breath and stuffed her mouth with a mouthful of toast.
Kaia wasn't bothered at all. In fact, she sent Andrea a wide smile and sipped from her glass of orange juice.
"I was just waiting for one of you to tell me."
"In my defence, I thought Taylor would have already told you," Kaia immediately threw her girlfriend under the bus, earning herself a little kick under the table.
"I didn't have to tell her in the end, so," she huffed, making her mom and Kaia laugh.
"Well, either way... I'm happy for you girls. And I'm really happy you're here, and as a mom I feel the need to tell you not to hurt my daughter," she turned to give Kaia a very stern motherly look, but then she turned to Taylor with the same look and pointed a finger at her. "And you better take care of this angel."
Kaia turned to Taylor and they both burst out laughing.
"What did I tell you?" Taylor murmured, shaking her head and smiling down at her plate.
"Yeah, and you better listen to your mum," Kaia told her with a teasing smirk.
"All right, well," Taylor clapped her hands together and got up to grab her plate. "I'm going to shower."
"Please don't drown," Kaia told her playfully.
"Uh-huh, are you staying down here?"
"Yep, I'd like to gossip with Andrea about you."
"Well, have fun, you two!" Taylor rolled her eyes and dropped her plate into the sink.
"Love youuu," Kaia called after her in a singsong voice. She felt the older woman watching their interaction and it made her feel a little shy, but when she turned her attention back, she truly felt comfortable and at home. It didn't matter that this was her first time in this house. Wherever she was, as long as she was with Taylor, it felt like home, and she felt part of the family.
She felt a lump form in her throat as her heart swelled with joy. Andrea placed a hand on her own, patting it gently.
"You wanna help me out with the pie I was gonna make?"
"Oh, I would love to!"
Kaia helped her clear the dishes and lent her a hand with the ingredients until Taylor came down to find them in some clean clothes. She kissed the back of Kaia's head and sat on the counter, watching them work.
"You don't plan on helping out?" Kaia shot at her but Taylor shook her head, leaning against the glass cupboards behind her.
"Nah, I'm good! But I would like to take you out!"
"Why not? You girls go have fun. Just don't be too late. Austin should be here for dinner," Andrea told them, walking around them to slip the fruit pie into the oven.
"Alrighty, we'll see you later, mom." Taylor jumped off the counter and kissed her mom's cheek. "Kaia's got her phone with her if you need anything. Bye!"
"Bye, Andrea," Kaia chuckled, letting Taylor drag her out through the backdoor.
———
these chapters have been longer... i hope that's not too annoying heh but i kinda really like these ones!!
I hope you enjoyed it. Seriously though, i cant thank you guys enough for all the constant support!!! i love yall x