After Karlie told her mom about breaking up with Josh, she started to talk to her all about Taylor. Tracy was supportive and listened to Karlie ramble on about how Taylor took care of her at a party. Karlie's mother smiled wide as her daughter told her how smart and talented her new "possibly more than a friend" was. And as all mothers do, she asked the typical overprotective questions about the new love in her daughters life. The conversation went on and on until Karlie received a text from Taylor.
TAY: Hey hon, heading backstage now. Hope your day with your mom is going well I'll see you after the show!
Once Karlie saw that she paid the bill and rushed her mom back towards campus.
The Kloss ladies managed to arrive just as the first act was walking on stage.
Karlie recognized him right away. The tall slim frame, the ridiculous blonde hair, that narcissistic tone in his Scottish voice. She knew immediately it was that jerk Calvin Harris.
Taylor had been complaining about her class time with him for as long as she and Karlie had known each other. It killed her that he was going to be close to Taylor tonight while she couldn't be. Karlie's already green eyes became even more so with envy. It wasn't until she felt her phone vibrate that her eyes softened. She had another text message from Taylor.
TAY: Send me a picture of your view of the stage. I need to be able to look in your direction tonight just in case.
Karlie quickly took a snapshot of the stage in front of her. Karlie was able to get a dead on view. After she sent the photo to Taylor she began to type an addition message.
SUNSHINE: I'm all the way in the back though! And hey, don't think about "just in case," you're going to be amazing out there!
Karlie sent the message and immediately felt it insufficient. She began to type again.
SUNSHINE: You are amazing and I am so proud of you for doing this. Everything is going to be alright. You've got this, babe.
That's better. Karlie thought to herself as she placed her phone in her bag and turned her attention to the next performer.
-----------------
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next performer." The announced spoke as the lights shifted to the newest person on stage. Taylor walked carefully out to center stage and looked up towards the back row of seats. The lights were bright but she could still make out some facial features and she scanned the whole row for Karlie. Seated directly at center stage, she found her favorite pair of green eyes. The eyes that most of her songs were about. The ones that Taylor could clearly see squinted with joy. Karlie's eyes were smiling right at her.
Taylor felt her heart rate slow down as she took a deep breath. "Hi, I'm Taylor." She breathed out. "I have some songs, two that I wrote and one that I didn't, that I'd like to play for you if that's alright?" She managed to playfully smile as she spoke.
Even though Taylor was speaking to hundreds of people she was really speaking to only one. Taylor could honestly have been talking to 76,000 people and the only one she would care was listening is Karlie.
Taylor quickly named her first song and started to play.
She sung out to Karlie all the things she wished she could verbalize to her alone. Taylor knew that what they were doing was a dangerous slope. They might be moving to fast, they might be getting totally swept away by each other, but she liked it. It was new and exciting and amazing and it made Taylor feel in a way she never had before.
This slope is treacherous
And I, I, I like it
Taylor closed her eyes as she played the last chord, taking just a moment to catch a deep breath, and then quickly opened them as the room in front of her erupted with applause.
The sense of approval and acceptance Taylor was feeling was incredible. She started to feel more and more at home in front of this crowd by the second.
Taylor thanked everyone as the crowd settled. She had decided to play her cover song second, and she gently strummed the opening chords as she prepared herself to sing.
I was scared of dentists and the dark
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations
All my friends are turning green
You're the magicians assistant in their dreams
Taylor happily sung the words to a song she truly loved. It made her think of Karlie at some points (where you could see Taylor's smile suddenly grow) and Taylor hoped that Karlie knew that was why she decided to play it.
It wasn't very often that Taylor Swift found herself at a loss for words. But whenever she was around Karlie, she became a stumbling mess- tripping over the ends of sentences and falling off of explanations. Taylor knew that the one way she could get feelings across to Karlie was to write a song about them and to sing it tonight.
As the crowd cheered for her again she waited, smiling, for them to settle. When they did she spoke.
"So, I'm going to mess up the routine a bit here and introduce the next act to you all. This last song is one that I wrote with him. He's my best friend, my musical soulmate, the James Taylor to my Carole King. Ladies and gentlemen...Mr. Ed Sheeran!"
The lights shifted to Ed who happily walked out onto the stage to join his friend. He was sporting a pair of jeans and an old flannel shirt and Taylor couldn't help but laugh and admire how comfortable he looked with being in front of people.
The pair played the song from the open mic night and Taylor sang it louder and prouder than ever. She let Ed take the entire second verse as she stepped back and watched her friend shine. Taylor knew that once enough people heard Eds songs that things would take off for him, and she wanted that for her best friend more than anything.
Taylor smiled and hugged Ed as the song finished. She quickly waved goodbye to the crowd as she let her friend take control of the stage. Once she was offstage, Taylor stayed close in the wings to watch Ed's performance.
Ed sang one amazing love song, one song that showed off his amazing rap skills, and one scandalous cover of "Pony" that even made Taylor blush. The whole entire set was incredible and Taylor bounced up and down with excitement as she moved towards Ed to congratulate him.
After the two friends sang each other's praises, Taylor rushed out into the lobby of the auditorium. When she got there she found her family smiling proudly with their arms open.
"Oh my goodness honey! That was absolutely incredible!" Andrea exclaimed as she hugged Taylor close to her.
Scott patted his daughter on the back and said a few words of praise and Austin lifted Taylor off the ground in a bone-crushing hug. After the family moment ended Taylor started to scan the room for her favorite pair of green eyes. And when she found them, they were staring right back at her. Karlie's head stuck up just a little higher than those of the other people crowded around her.
"And who are you looking for?" Austin said teasing with a sly grin.
Taylor playfully shoved Austin and the two began a small banter which ended quickly after Taylor noticed the uncomfortable look on her fathers face. She made eye contact with him and fell completely silent.
"I'm sorry," Scott finally said after his wife nudged him. "It's just an adjustment honey, you understand?"
"Yeah dad, I understand." And she truly meant it. It was so hard for Taylor after she came out to her father. He was a fairly conservative guy and also felt that it would ruin any chance she had at a career in country music. So things changed between the two of them. Taylor stopped confiding in her father the way she used to and Scott stopped trying to get to know his daughter. It wasn't until recently, when Andrea had sat the two of them down to force a reconciliation, did things begin to improve. They were able to finally talk and clear the air and since then it kept getting better. When Taylor finally gained the courage and told her father about Karlie he actually asked a few questions about her rather than just dismiss it. And he wasn't made completely uncomfortable when Andrea asked Taylor if they could meet Karlie during this visit.
Just as Scott was trying to respond, Ed came up and put a hand on Taylor's shoulder.
"Hey Taylor, there's going to be an after party and my mate's place. You and Karlie should stop by if you have a bit of time."
"I'll ask her about it." Taylor said smiling. "Ed, this is my family! That's my mom Andrea, my dad Scott, and my brother Austin. Guys this is Ed!"
The group exchanged greetings and Taylor's family stated to ask Ed questions about his life and family. Taylor excused herself from the conversation and took off to the other side of the room where she had spotted Karlie.
When she got close enough, Taylor quietly tapped on Karlie's shoulder which caught the tall blonde off guard.
"Oh! Hi!" Karlie said excitedly after she turned and saw Taylor. She quickly swept the shorter girl into a hug, "You were absolutely incredible." Karlie said. "Im so proud of you." As the two released Karlie firmly grasped Taylor's hand and intertwined their fingers. She turned around to face her mother who had been talking to Selena's parents. "Mom, this is Taylor. Taylor, this is my mom Tracey."
Taylor let go of Karlie's hand and extender hers towards Tracy. "It's nice to finally meet you Mrs. Kloss. I've heard a lot about you and the rest of your wonderful family."
Tracy Kloss smiled and accepted Taylor's hand. After a quick shake she pulled Taylor into a hug that caught both blondes off guard.
"Call me Tracey dear, please. It's very nice to meet you as well. Although I can't say I've heard much about you, I am excited to get to know you."
As Taylor looked over Tracy's shoulder she met her favorite pair of green eyes. Karlie had a smile spreading from ear to ear and Taylor couldn't help but match it. As the embrace ended Tracy spoke again. "When Karlie told me we were going to a concert tonight I had no idea you would be performing. You are quite good Taylor."
"Thank you ma'am." She said shyly as she blushed at the compliment. "Oh! Karlie! Ed wanted me to tell you there's going to be an after party, he wants to know if we will be there. I didn't want to answer for you in case you and your mother had any plans for tonight."
"We actually have a late dinner reserva-"
"Oh don't be silly Karlie! You should go and be with your friends and celebrate tonight!" Tracy interrupted. She was happy to see her daughter making friends and being invited to gatherings. "I'm feeling a little tired from the drive anyhow. I might just head back to the hotel and turn in early."
Karlie looked at her mother quizzically before finally agreeing as long as she could walk Tracy back to her hotel. Taylor turned to let her family know she would be going out for the night, hoping they wouldn't be too disappointed, and left the Kloss girls to walk back to Tracy's hotel.
"She is a very sweet girl, Karlie." Mrs. Kloss finally spoke when they were a block away from the concert venue.
Karlie smiled and linked arms with her mother. "I'm really glad you think so.
------------------------------------------------------
"Well it's about bloody time!" Ed called from across the room as he spotted Taylor and Karlie. The girls smiled and rolled their eyes collectively at their already drunk friend. After greeting a few other people Karlie took off into the kitchen to grab drinks for her and Taylor. When she returned she found Taylor and Ed at one end of a beer pong table with Selena and their friend Cara at the other. Karlie wrapped her long arms around Taylor's waist and kissed her on the cheek as she set her drink down on the table in front of her. "For good luck" the taller girl said as she stepped away from the table to watch the game.
"Yeah good thing too cause she's gonna need it." Selena says as Cara sinks one of the ping pong balls into the front cup.
"Yaaassss! Suck it Suffolk!" She says as she sticks her tongue out at Ed. The two exchange a quick banter in their thick accents as Selena takes her shot.
When it's Taylor's turn to throw she aims way to far to the right and air balls off the side of the table. She let's out a grumble of disappointment when Ed makes a joke about how she clearly never played basketball. The red head takes his shot and it bounces off the lip of the cup and starts to roll back towards him on the table. Just as he reaches across for it, Selena dives forward to grab it and the two nearly bump heads and knock all the cups over. Karlie throws her head back laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and Taylor decides that laugh is her favorite sound in the world.
The game goes on for about a twenty minutes before Cara sinks the final cup and takes the victory. Ed and Taylor give up their spot at the table for a new challenger.
"You'll get em next time, hon." Karlie says encouragingly as she hands Taylor another drink. Being the light weight that she is, Taylor is already feeling the first one and what she drank during the game.
The three friends walk into the next room to find a group of people pouring a round of tequila shots. Ed quickly finds three glasses and throws them into the mix to be filled. A toast goes around to the concert, to new friends, and to a kick-ass semester together as everyone cheers and takes their shots. That whole process repeated three times in less than five minutes and Taylor feels the shots warm the entire inside of her body and can feel herself crossing the boarder from tipsy to drunk which was a fairly new feeling for her.
It wasn't very often that Taylor allowed herself to drink more than her fill. If she really thought about it she had only been drunk one time and it was with Abigail when they drank a bottle of her mom's wine when they were 16 and Andrea and Scott were away for the weekend. She didn't think much of it at the time because she was in a safe place with her best friend and didn't need to have her guard up. But in this situation, Taylor suddenly became very aware of how out of her own body she was starting to feel. She felt her weight shift and then Karlie's hand quickly grab onto her hips to steady her. Taylor wrapped her arms around Karlie and leaned into her. "Thanks" she said clumsily as she took a deep breath in. "You smell nice," Taylor slurred.
In her current state of mind there was no denying the intense attraction she was feeling for the beautiful green eyed girl in front of her. She didn't want to rush Karlie, even though they both knew they feelings were mutual. Taylor knew there was a right and wrong way to go about this, but in this particular moment she didn't really care.
"Well thank you." Karlie said blushing as Taylor started to pepper kisses all over her cheeks.
Karlie could feel her face getting warmer, mostly from the alcohol but also partly from the contact it just had with Taylor's lips. Any guilty feelings or doubts about being ready to move on, they were nowhere to be found tonight as Karlie finally let herself have fun with Taylor and let her guard down.
Both girls laughed and drank and danced. They played flip cup on opposing teams and Karlie picked on Taylor when her team won four out of the five games they'd played.
The party finally started to die down at around 2am and Karlie and Taylor started to make exit with Ed and Selena stumbling behind them. After expressing some concern about going back to her apartment and having her family see her like this, Karlie had invited Taylor to spend the night in the dorm with her. Ed split from the group at his building and Selena decided she was just drunk enough to text the cute boy from her music production class and went off to hang out with him. Karlie and Taylor made heir way back to Karlie's room on their own from that point, laughing and holding hands the whole way.
As they stepped into the room Karlie immediately went to the dresser to find pajamas for both of them and tossed a pair to Taylor who completely missed and felt the soft impact of the clothes against her chest and then watched them fall to the floor. "Oops!" She exclaimed a little too loudly as she bent down to pick everything up. "Gotcha," she said as she headed off towards the bathroom. Once Taylor had changed, she reached under the sink for the extra toothbrush Karlie bought for her and stood in the mirror smiling. It was the ear to ear kind of smile Taylor would only develop when she spent a lot of time with Karlie. Suddenly Taylor felt a familiar presence next to her as Karlie appeared in the bathroom and began her tipsy nightly routine right next to Taylor. The pair brushed their teeth, washed their faces and got ready for bed in a comfortable silence. Nothing was forced and nothing was awkward. They were comfortable simply being together doing the every day mundane type of tasks that most people take for granted.
Sleepiness started to overpower both of them as they crawled into Karlie's twin sized bed and got comfortable under the blanket. They laid facing each other with just inches of space between them.
"'My mom really likes you." Karlie finally broke the silence.
"That makes me really happy, I really wanted her to like me." Taylor said smiling.
"Why? We're you worried?" Karlie asks.
"No, wasn't worried. I just really like you. So it would be a bummer if I made a bad first impression with your mom." Taylor said plainly and it caused Karlie to get quiet for a minute.
"I really like you too."
"That makes me really happy too." Taylor said as she moved closer to Karlie, which she didn't think was even possible, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. The girls laid like that, faces close and exchanging smiles and kisses for a few more minutes before Karlie nuzzled her head into the crook of Taylor's neck and sleep took over.
"Goodnight sunshine." Taylor said as she played with Karlie's hair. Before long Taylor was staring to drift off herself, the sound of Karlie's slow and steady breathing and the feeling of her breath on her neck lulling Taylor into a deep sleep.