There's a nagging twinge in the model's lower back that pulls her from her otherwise blissful sleep. She tries to stretch the pain away, but can't without moving the body next to her. Karlie's eyes flutter open, focusing on her girlfriend sleeping peacefully beside her. She reaches over and gently sweeps blonde locks to the side, smiling at the content little hum the songwriter makes at her touch. Unable to stop herself, she leans over to kiss her girlfriend's forehead. She gazes adoringly down at the woman before her, continuously in awe of how incredibly lucky she is to have this beautiful woman in her life.
"Ahem."
It's the sudden clearing of a throat that startles the model, making her whip her head around to locate the voice. She turns around and sees Kristine standing behind the couch with her arms crossed. "You know, you have a perfectly good bed upstairs."
Karlie just kind of freezes, her mind going completely blank because she was so caught off guard. She was still trying to wake up, so she didn't really have proper brain function yet as she just stares apprehensively at her older sister.
Kristine smirks at the worried look on her sister's face, moving around the side of the couch until she's in font of the pair. She observes their position and chuckles. "I'm sure you two would fit much better on your queen sized mattress than you would on this couch. Though, I'm still trying to figure out why you two are down here to begin with." She says with a suggestive lift of an eyebrow, making sure to keep her voice down so she doesn't wake the other woman.
"We weren't doing anything. We just fell asleep."
"Mmhmm."
"We did! We got back late and laid down to watch tv and just fell asleep. That's all."
"Okay."
"Can you drop it please?"
The older sister puts her hands up defensively. "I didn't say anything. You're the one getting all flustered and bent out of shape about it. It kind of makes me wonder why that is."
"Kristine. Come on. Do you really think I'd try anything in Mom and Dad's house?"
"Relax will you? Geez. I just came in here to wish you happy birthday and ask what you wanted for breakfast. Mom wanted to know so she could start making it."
"Thanks." the model blushes, realizing she might have overreacted a bit. "Whatever she wants to make is fine. I just wanna let her rest a little longer." Karlie says, motioning with her eyes to her girlfriend still asleep.
"You're such a pain. It's your birthday you know. But whatever. Keep snuggling and being ridiculously cute with your girlfriend. But the twins will be up soon, and you know Kimby is making it her mission to embarrass you as much as possible this weekend." Kristine reminds her before heading back to the kitchen.
Karlie glances back at the sleeping blonde in her arms and begins lightly running her finger down her cheek, stroking her face gently. She observes her girlfriend's breathing and notices the pattern has changed. "How much of that did you hear?" She asks quietly, sensing the blonde wasn't really asleep.
Taylor rolls over, sheepishly looking up at her girlfriend. "All of it." She admits with a blush. "I woke up when I felt you moving. Do you need me to get up? Am I squishing you?"
"You're fine." The model chuckles. "My back hurt a little from sleeping on the couch, but it's okay now."
"Are you sure? I can get up."
"You're not going anywhere." Karlie grunts, rolling over and wrapping Taylor in a bear hug, nuzzling into her neck. The model litters her girlfriend's upper body with playful kisses and tickles, which makes the songwriter burst out in giggles. "Kar- Karlie stop! Karlie!! Why do you always do this to me?!"
Karlie's stops her tickle attack, looking down at her girlfriend. "Because I love hearing you laugh. And I love making you smile. And I can't help it. I just..." She trails off, fighting with herself to be completely open and honest about her feelings. "I'm so happy when I'm with you."
Green eyes gaze into blue with so much intensity and sincerity that it takes the songwriter's breath away. She lays there stunned, letting Karlie's words swirl around her head. She ducks her head to hide her blush, but Karlie's there with a gentle hand to keep that from happening, pulling her into a meaningful slow kiss.
"Good morning beautiful." Karlie murmurs, pulling back to look at glistening blue eyes.
"Morning." Taylor replies, stroking her girlfriend's sharp jawline with her thumb. "Happy Birthday Kar."
"Thank you." The model smiles sweetly, kissing the songwriter's inner wrist and smiling dopily at her.
Taylor doesn't know why Karlie's looking at her in that way that makes her feel like she's the most amazing thing in the world. She sees so much love and affection and adoration swirling in her eyes, it makes it hard to breathe. She just looks so damn happy, she's even more radiant than usual. She looks down, unable to hold the intense stare. "Are you hungry yet? I could go help your mom get started on breakfast."
"Or..." The model trails off, twisting her body and pulling her girlfriend against her, making them lay back on the couch, though now with a bit more room. "You could stay here and snuggle with me some more."
Taylor smiles, rubbing the model's forearms that are wrapped around her. "I'll admit... It's a tempting offer. But we have to get up eventually."
"But I don't wanna get up. I just wanna stay on this couch and snuggle with my girlfriend all day."
"I don't think your parents would appreciate that." Taylor chides playfully.
"I can do whatever I want. It's my birthday." The model pouts.
"Exactly. And we're here to spend time with your family for your birthday. Which means..." The songwriter trails off, untangling herself from her girlfriend and forcing herself to stand.
Karlie flops back on the couch, pouting adorably and making sad eyes that makes the songwriter's heart melt as she chuckles at her girlfriend's pouty expression. "Getting out of bed and spending time with them."
"Technically, we're not in bed." Karlie mumbles, but Taylor just rolls her eyes.
"Karlie." She warns halfheartedly.
"Fine. Let's go spend time with my family." The model playfully huffs, standing up and linking hands with the songwriter. Taylor kisses her girlfriend on the cheek as Karlie leads them into the kitchen.
*******************************************************************************
After breakfast, Taylor helped Tracy clean up the kitchen. The twins, Kurt, and Kristine were off running errands, and Karlie was off on a run. She tried to convince the blonde to come with her, but the songwriter was adamant she would only slow the model down since she got tired just trying to round up the cats in her apartment. Tracy had laughed at that and Karlie reluctantly left, only after stealing a kiss from her girlfriend.
"How many cats do you have?" Tracy asks, interested in learning a bit more about the woman her daughter was in a relationship with. She heard bits and pieces from the twins, and Karlie obviously gushed about the blonde every moment she got. But Tracy was still weary, knowing how Karlie's previous relationships panned out, she couldn't help but worry for the sake of her daughter.
"Just two. Meredith and Olivia." Taylor laughs nervously, knowing too well the stereotype behind being a "crazy cat lady". She pulls her phone out to show Tracy a picture of her girls. "Meredith is the gray one and Olivia is the white one. They're both Scottish folds."
Ironically, the picture she pulled up happened to be one of Karlie fast asleep on her couch; one arm and leg practically dangling off the side on the couch while the other arm rested near her temple. Olivia was sprawled out on Karlie's chest, somewhat mirroring the model's sleeping position, while Meredith laid curled up on top of the pillow Karlie was using. It was one of the few times the cats were lounging on the same couch.
Tracy smiles at the picture, noting that her daughter's sleeping habits haven't seemed to change. She would always find Karlie laying in the strangest, most uncomfortable looking positions as a kid. "They're very cute. And so is that picture." She finishes wiping down the sink, rinsing the last of the suds out of the sponge. "How did you come up with their names?"
"Oh." The songwriter blushes in mild embarrassment. "I named Meredith after Dr. Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy. And Olivia is named after Detective Olivia Benson from Law and Order."
"That's very creative. I'm sure Karlie enjoys being around them."
"Oh, trust me, they feel the same way. I'm pretty sure both of them prefer Karlie over me by now. I don't know how she does it. Especially Meredith. I think the only person she likes other than Karlie is Lily's daughter Dixie."
The older woman chuckles, motioning for them to sit at the kitchen table. "I'm not surprised. Karlie has always loved animals. Her and Kariann both. I thought for sure she was going to be a veterinarian when she grew up. Kurt was convinced she'd end up being an astronaut or a scientist."
The songwriter smiled. She was really enjoying learning what her girlfriend was like as a kid. Everything she had seen and heard about the model only made her fall even more in love. "I'm surprised she's not an engineer or something. She's always watching documentaries and reading articles about advancements in technology. Oh, and when she was still in school, she would try and tell me what they were doing in her coding classes and it all went way over my head. She's crazy smart. I don't know how she does it."
Tracy regards the woman before her. Listening to the way she talked about her daughter warmed her heart. It sounded like Taylor actually really knew Karlie, and it made her happy to see how proud she was of Karlie. She could see why her daughter spoke so fondly of this girl. "You know, Karlie says the same about you. She thinks very highly of you."
"Really?" Taylor asks shyly, looking up to meet the eyes of her girlfriend's mother.
"Really." Tracy nods. She remembers that Karlie told her Taylor can't take a compliment, and it makes her smile even more seeing the same things her daughter does. "I'll admit, I was very concerned when Karlie told us she was dating again. Unfortunately, my daughter doesn't have the best track record when it comes to relationships and she seems to have a certain type."
Taylor heart sinks and she feels her body fill with dread. This is what she was afraid of. She tried so hard to make Karlie's family like her, but maybe it wasn't enough. She was bracing herself for the inevitable 'You're not good enough. My daughter deserves better.'
"But you're not at all what I pictured. I don't know much about your relationship, but I do know my daughter. And I know what I've read in the tabloids is far from the truth. Kurt and I had no idea Karlie was dating again, and then one day we came to visit and she told us she had been seeing someone for months. Months." She emphasized. "And she never said anything to us. I was instantly worried because Karlie has a heart of gold, and I know how easily she can be blinded by love."
Blue eyes widen in surprise, but Tracy continues. "I love all of my girls, and Kurt and I raised them all to be strong independent women, and they are. We're both very proud of each of our girls. But, Karlie has this need to do everything for everyone. She wants to help people and be there for them in anyway she can. And that means she often gets less than what she deserves. And I just don't want to see that happen again. You seem like a lovely girl, and I haven't seen my daughter this happy in a long time. But I don't want to see her get hurt."
Taylor shakily takes in a deep breath, looking directly at Tracy and deciding to be as honest with the woman as she possibly could. "I understand why you're worried. Karlie is an amazing person. I know she would give the clothes off her back to a stranger on the street without even batting an eye. And that is one of the things I love most about her. Her ability to move on from all the terrible things that have happened to her and for her to still be such a positive happy person.
We started off as friends initially. She was always willing to listen and she gives really good advice. She never judged me or forced me to talk about things I was uncomfortable with. But she also knew to push a little and she got me to open up, which is honestly not an easy thing to do. I knew I could talk to her about anything. She quickly became my best friend.
Much like your daughter, I have not had the best luck when it comes to relationships. I was not really in a good place when Karlie and I met. I was still lost and barely coming out of my shell, but then, she came along and drew me out. And suddenly, we were talking every day, and then she was always on my mind. I mean, how could she not be? This woman who's so smart, and beautiful, and just an incredibly genuine person.
And then she was asking me on a date, which eventually lead to her asking me to be her girlfriend. I still don't know how it happened; how this amazing woman ended up in my life. But, I'm so incredibly grateful that she is. She just makes everything better."
The songwriter was blinking back tears, trying not to cry. She needed to be strong and get out what she wanted to say.
"Ever since I met her, she's brought something into my life that I've never really had before. It just kind of slowly started until it spread into every part of my life. She's like sunshine. She's brought light back into my life when I honestly didn't think I deserved to be happy again. But she was so persistent. She's so warm and inviting and everything is just better when she's around. She makes me believe that I'm worthy of being cared about. She's the best friend I've ever had. And she's the most incredible person I've ever met. She's always so careful and protective of me; checking to see if I'm okay or making sure I don't feel pressured. She has been so, so patient and understanding with me. I don't know what I did to get her in my life, and I know I don't deserve her, but I will spend the rest of my life trying to make her feel as special as she makes me feel because she deserves nothing less."
Tracy covers the songwriter's hand with both of hers, blinking back her own tears as well. "Thank you for telling me all that. I can see how much you love her."
Taylor nods her head, swallowing the emotions building inside her. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Tracy nods approvingly, a warm twinkle in her eyes as she squeezes the songwriter's hands. She can tell the love her daughter has for this girl is definitely reciprocated. "Based on how happy Karlie has been since she met you, I think it's safe to say the feeling is mutual. Thank you. Thank you for making her happy again."
Taylor manages a watery smile, comforted by Tracy's approval. She soaks in the warmth and kind words, feeling much more at ease now that she knows Karlie's parents don't hate her. Their moment is soon broken by the sound of the front door opening; the twins constant bickering filtering through the house.
*********************************************************************************
Apparently, it was a Kloss family tradition to go to the local fun park when it was any of the kid's birthdays. So the whole family piled into two cars, Kurt, Tracy, and the twins in one car, while Kristine, Taylor, and Karlie took another. Kristine offered to sit in the back, not having the heart to separate the two lovebirds. The drive there was filled with Kristine and Karlie telling embarrassing birthday stories about each of the siblings. The songwriter was crying from laughing so hard; treasuring every detail of these stories, secretly hoping she would be around to maybe make her way into these stories some day.
When they got to the fun park, Taylor was a little surprised to see how busy it was. Everyone exited their vehicles and headed inside. The songwriter kept looking around, seeing so many kids and people in the area. She was waiting for the moment someone would recognize her girlfriend.
"Alright. So what's the plan?"
"It's Karlie's birthday. Why don't we let her decide?" Tracy offers.
The model shrugs her shoulders. "It doesn't matter to me. Did you guys want to stay together or branch off and do our own thing?"
"We should split up!" Kimby says, eyeing a table of cute guys that looked to be about her age.
Kariann follows her twin's line of sight and rolls her eyes. "Ignore her please."
Taylor brings her hand up to cover her mouth, attempting to muffle her laugh. The model just shakes her head and grins knowingly.
"What do you wanna do Kar?"
"Well, how does a round of mini golf sound? It's something we can all do, and it shouldn't take too long. Then if you guys want, we can split up after and do our own thing." The model offers, looking around to see if anyone objected, but surprisingly, everyone seemed to agree on that idea. So they headed over to the mini golf course to pick out their putters and golf balls. It took a few minutes to search through the bin to find 7 different colored balls, but eventually they figured it out and stepped onto the course.
They decided to play according to everyone's ages, going youngest to oldest. So Kimby went first, then Kariann, Karlie, Taylor, Kristine, Tracy, and Kurt went last. Kimby was lining up her shot when the songwriter sidled up to her girlfriend. "So, are you as good at mini golf as you are at pool?"
The model shrugs her shoulders, feigning innocence. "I guess you'll find out soon."
Before long, the songwriter had her answer. Her girlfriend was definitely as good at mini golf as she was at pool. Karlie had the lowest score by far, managing to get 3 hole in one's before they were halfway through the course. Kimby was definitely the worst, constantly calling out "do over", accusing everyone of cheating, and taking far more turns to sink her ball than anyone. She also lost several golf balls to the waterfall that ran throughout the course. Surprisingly, Kariann and Taylor were fairly competitive with each other, battling it out for second and third place. Kurt and Tracy fell in the middle, while Kristine and Kimby fell further behind. Kristine was the least competitive of the Kloss sisters, and she made it her mission to mess Kimby up as much as possible, knowing it irritated the youngest to no end.
Once they were done golfing, Kurt and Tracy decided to head to the restaurant inside to cool off, insisting the girls keep going. So Karlie, Taylor, the twins, and Kristine headed over to the Go Kart course. While they waited in line, Karlie held Taylor's hand, talking to her sister's about their plans for the rest of the summer. The songwriter had zoned out of the conversation; her eyes focused on the cars that raced around the course. She had never seen go karts move so fast. The tries screeched around every turn and people were crashing into each other left and right.
"Do you wanna ride together, or individually?" Karlie asks, reading the hesitant expression on her girlfriend's face.
"Individually is fine."
"Hmm. Well, what if i wanted you to ride with me? Are you really going to deny the birthday girl her wish?" She teases, knowing Taylor is nervous, but doesn't want to draw attention to herself.
"That's what you're wasting your wish on?"
Karlie shakes her head, squeezing their intertwined hands. "Hey, if it involves spending time with you, it's never a waste."
The songwriter feels her cheeks heat up, but she doesn't care. She leans over and kisses the model in thanks for her sweet words. Karlie picks up on it easily, and smiles into the kiss, both girls pulling back with adoration and love in their eyes.
The attendant lets them through and the girls all settle into their cars. Karlie sits in the driver side as Taylor buckles herself in beside her. The other siblings all choose to drive their own cars.
"You know you're gonna lose right?" Kimby teases from the next row over.
"Psh. In your dreams." The model scoffs.
"Actually, Kimby has a point. The double rider cars are notoriously slower than the single riders." Kristine points out, lifting her arms as the attendant walks around; checking everyone's straps and buckles.
"That's not true."
"Yes it is." Kariann agrees. "The car is heavier, so there's more drag around the corners, plus the additional weight of the passengers."
"Well, it doesn't matter cuz we're gonna wipe the floor with you guys."
"Is that so?" Kimby challenges.
"Yep." The model nods, turning to gaze lovingly at her girlfriend. "Cuz I've got my good luck charm."
"Oh my god. You are ridiculous." Kristine groans while Kimby murmurs something that sounds a lot like 'yeah... ridiculously gay'.
Karlie just grins cheekily while the songwriter blushes before breaking into a small amused smile. "So, do I get a kiss for good luck?"
Taylor rolls her eyes, unable to resist her girlfriend's cuteness. She leans over and whispers in the model's ear, "Let's kick their asses babe." before planting a quick kiss on her cheek. Karlie grins in response, her foot hovering over the gas, waiting for the light to turn green.
Taylor and Karlie end up completely smoking everyone. It turns out that Karlie was really good at timing her turns, easily drifting around other drivers, and she was also good at using the car in front of her to block the drag from the wind before hitting the gas to easily overtake them on the straightaways.
Taylor loved seeing the competitive side of her girlfriend and the easy teasing shared every time they passed one of the Kloss siblings. Karlie on the other hand loved the carefree squeals of laughter and the bright smiles she managed to pull out of her girlfriend as they raced around the track.
A little while later, the girls all head back inside to meet up with Kurt and Tracy. Kurt suggests a few games of bowling and everyone quickly agrees. After getting everyone's shoe sizes, Kurt and Tracy went up to the front desk to handle things while the Kloss sibling and Taylor went looking for bowling balls.
Kimby stands up, hands on her hips as she huffs. "They never have my size."
"That's because they don't make 8.5's unless it's customized." Karlie reminds her as she helps Taylor look for an 8. "There's a bunch of 9's here."
Kariann pokes her head up and looks at her twin. "And I saw at least four 8's on the rack you just checked."
"But those were all really ugly."
"Oh my god." Kristine groans, glaring at her sister. "Just pick a damn ball. Who cares what it looks like."
Taylor tries to muffle her laughter as once again, everyone seems to be ganging up on Kimby. Karlie bites back a smile, knowing perfectly well why the songwriter was laughing. "Are you sure you want to play? You don't have to you know."
"I'll be fine Karlie."
"I just, I don't want you to hurt yourself. Especially since you don't have the brace."
"Kar, please stop worrying about this. I'll be ok. If my wrist starts hurting at all, I'll stop playing, okay?"
"Okay. I'm sorry." The model apologizes sheepishly. She wasn't purposely treating her girlfriend like she was this fragile thing.
"It's okay." Taylor presses a quick kiss to her girlfriend's cheeks. "I know you're just looking out for me."
"So... do you want a pink one again?" Karlie asks, eyeing the other racks to see if she could find a pink ball for her girlfriend.
The blonde shakes her head, lifting the dark purple ball in her hand. "This one will work just fine."
"Are you sure? I can look for another color." The model offers, using her hands to push of her knees and stand.
Taylor grabs her girlfriend's hand, halting her movements. "It's fine. I'm sure." Taylor assures her, cutting off any protest the model may have had with a quick kiss. "Thank you anyway." She adds sincerely, knowing Karlie would check every ball in the building if it meant finding one she liked.
Karlie squeezes her girlfriend's hand with a smile; a light pink tinge coating her cheeks. Their little bubble was broken as Kurt and Tracy finally made it back to their table. Kurt handed shoes out to everyone while Tracy started typing names into the computer.
Kristine was tying up her laces when she looks over at her mom. "Don't put Kimby first. She still hasn't found a ball."
Karlie looks up from tying her own shoe to glare at her sister. "Seriously?" She cries.
"I can't help it! Taylor found the only cute ball in the place!"
"Oh my god." Karlie groans, annoyed that her sister is making such a big deal about this. Her annoyance doesn't last long though. Before she even has a chance to say anything, Karlie sees Taylor moving towards her sister.
"Here. Take this one. I can find another one." The songwriter offers, holding her ball out.
"No, Taylor. It's ok. I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it."
"Seriously. Here. I know you like this one. I can grab another one." Taylor gives the young girl a sincere smile.
"Are you sure?" She asks, but the songwriter just smiles and nods her head. Kimby returns it with a bashful one of her own. "Thanks." She says, finally accepting the ball.
Taylor heads back over to the rack she found her ball at, recalling seeing a couple 8's over there. Karlie was so busy staring in admiration at her girlfriend's benevolence that she didn't notice someone had walked up right behind her.
"Wow. I love her already. I've never seen your sister cave in so quickly."
The model whips around and breaks into a huge smile. "Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" She cries, pulling them into a hug.
"Did you really think I'd miss your birthday? Or the chance to meet your girl? Honestly Karlie, it's like you don't know me at all."
Taylor takes her time heading back to the table. She didn't want to interrupt her girlfriend's reunion with whoever she was talking to, but the decision was made for her when Karlie turned around, gesturing for her to come join her. She made her way back, setting her green ball down before standing beside the her girlfriend.
"Derek, this is my girlfriend Taylor." Karlie says, breaking into a huge smile as her arm immediately goes around the blonde's waist. "Taylor, this is Derek; my big brother from another mother."
The songwriter cracks a smile, endeared by her girlfriend's dorky wording. "It's nice to meet you." She offers, extending her hand out, but she is quickly wrapped up in a hug.
"It's so nice to meet you." Derek smiles as he releases his hold on the girl. "Karlie honestly won't shut up about you."
"Hey! You're not supposed to tell her that." The model pouts in mock betrayal.
Taylor chuckles, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend's rosy cheeks before nestling herself into the model's side; Karlie's arm immediately going back around her.
Derek watches them with a smile; genuinely happy for his friend. "Aww. Well aren't you two adorable." He coos.
Karlie sends him a glare, which only makes him break into laughter at how easily he can rile up the model.
Everyone gets up to hug their honorary family member, Karlie realizing her parents must have invited Derek when she saw they had extra shoes for him and his name was already on their scoreboard. Now that they had an even 8 players, they split up 4 and 4 on each lane. Karlie, Taylor, Derek, and Kristine were on one lane, while Kurt, Tracy, and the twins were on the other. Karlie demanded her girlfriend would always be on her team, pulling out the 'it's my birthday card'.
"How old are you again?" Taylor teases her. Karlie merely rolls her eyes, wrapping her arms around the blonde before resting her chin on the songwriter's shoulder; both girls snuggling closer to the other.
Derek turns to the oldest Kloss sister, making sure to keep his voice down. "Oh my god. Are they always like this?"
Kristine nods her head, trying not to grin at the dopey smile on her sister's face. "Always."
Derek cracks a smile, glancing back to the two girls that were obviously infatuated with each other. As much as he loved teasing the girl he felt was like a sister to him, he really was genuinely happy she found someone to make her smile like that again. He's had to listen to Karlie and their friends gush about this girl and after spending the last 10 minutes with her, he understands just what the fuss is about.
He continued to watch the pair, noticing how easily they got lost in their own little bubble. It would take several attempts to get their attention, usually a teasing jab was the most effective, but it never lasted long. The two girls rarely take their eyes off of each other; Taylor alternating between sitting on Karlie's lap or beside her with Karlie's arm slung around the blonde; always in constant contact. It was a constant flow of shy soft smiles and silent meaningful conversations with their eyes. They were just unbelievably adorable and he honestly could not be happier for them.
Once they were done bowling, Tracy invited Derek to join them for Karlie's birthday dinner, and of course he jumped at the chance to have a Tracy Kloss homemade meal; the model rolling her eyes at her friend's ass kissing. So Tracy, Kristine, and Kurt went home to get dinner ready, while the others hit up the arcade.
They played a few rounds of skee ball together, Taylor surprisingly getting the highest score. Kimby went off to play the claw machines, while Kariann went off to play virtual trivia, and Karlie, Derek, and Taylor played a few rounds of basketball. They played a bunch of other games and ended up amassing a huge amount of tickets in a short period of time.
A few games later, Karlie pulled her phone out to check the time. She realized her parents had left almost an hour ago, so they probably should head home soon. "I'm going use the restroom really quick, and then I'm going to see if I can find the twins. Will you be alright to stay here, or do you want to come with me?" She asks, her question directed at her girlfriend.
"I'll be okay. Derek wanted to show me something anyway."
"Are you sure?"
Derek laughs incredulously. "Geez Karlie. Give me a little credit. Do you think I'm going to torture the poor girl or something?"
The songwriter cracks a smile. "I'll be fine babe."
"Okay." Karlie says unsurely. "You, behave yourself." She says pointedly, narrowing her eyes at Derek. "And you," She adds, her gaze softening as she looks back at her girlfriend, "I'll see you soon." She says quietly, gently squeezing her hand. Taylor leans over, planting a parting kiss on the model's lips. As they pull away, Karlie whispers in her ear, "I'll kick his ass if he says anything inappropriate to you."
Taylor chuckles at Karlie's over protectiveness. "I know you will." She smiles, gently pushing her girlfriend's chest as the model takes a step back linking their hands. "I'll be okay. I promise. Just don't take too long." She adds with a wink.
"You got it." Karlie chuckles, pulling her girlfriend in close enough for their fronts to be touching. "I'll see you soon beautiful." She whispers, pressing one last kiss to her Taylor's forehead before turning away to find her sisters.
"What have you done to her?"
Taylor turns around, her face showing her confusion. "What? I haven't done anything."
Derek just shakes his head with a smile. "Karlie has always been pretty lovey dovey and touchy feely with people she's close to, but this is like, next level. I have never seen her like this."
"I don't..." The songwriter looks away as she trails off, finding herself at a loss for words.
"Hey." Derek rests his hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "It's not a bad thing." He says, waiting for Taylor to meet his eyes. When she does, he flashes a smile. "It's great seeing her so happy. For the last few months, I wasn't sure I'd ever see her happy again. I saw firsthand how she shut down after things with her ex ended. She shut everyone out, including her family, which is something Karlie never does. She's very close with them and tells them practically everything. I remember she stopped coming home and stopped hanging out with us because she felt like she had to punish herself for what happened. And it wasn't even her fault."
Taylor has seen how Karlie chooses to place the blame on herself and she can't imagine how hard it must be to always be so selfless like that.
"It's actually a relief to see how openly affectionate and caring she is with you. I know she tried to close herself off to protect herself, but she doesn't seem to be that way anymore." He hesitates before looking up at the blonde. "She hasn't been shutting you out or anything, right?"
Taylor shakes her head no, noticing how nervous Derek seems to be. She doesn't understand why he's suddenly nervous that Karlie seems happy. She's really confused and has no idea what he's getting at. Her eyebrow lifts in a questioning look.
"It's just..." He sighs, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Like I said, I was there when they broke up, and I saw how she was; how she shut down and tried to keep everyone at arms length. She's not doing that with you is she?"
"No. Of course not." Taylor crosses her arms in front of herself, as if shielding herself from something. She understands that Derek is like an older brother to Karlie, so she feels like she's about to get another intense talk about their relationship.
"Has she opened up to you?"
"Yes." The songwriter mumbles, wondering if Derek was about to reveal something Karlie hadn't told her.
"Good. That's, that's good." Derek sighs in relief.
Taylor just watches him shuffle about, beyond confused.
"So you guys are good, right? Everything, everything is good between the two of you?" He stutters.
"Derek." She says quietly, stepping forward to put her hand on his forearm, halting his pacing. "What's going on?"
"I just," He sighs, trailing off once more. He knows he's confusing the poor girl in front of him, but for some reason, he's having trouble wording what he wants to say. "I guess I just wanted to make sure she was treating you well."
Taylor blinks owlishly. She thought she was going to get a protective brother kind of speech, not the other way around. She never thought Derek would be making sure Karlie was treating her well. She gently squeezes his arm and smiles. "Karlie is absolutely amazing. She has always treated me well and she's been nothing but patient, and respectful, and an absolute angel during our relationship."
She sees the way Derek smiles and the way his eyes light up. She can tell he must really care a lot about Karlie. "She means more to me than I ever though possible. She's just..." The blonde trails off, grinning like a love struck fool as she thinks about her girlfriend. "She's my best friend in the whole world. And I don't know what I'd do without her."
Derek blinks away the tears forming in his eyes. He can see the love shining in Taylor's eyes and knows that these two are the real thing. "That's my girl." He laughs, holding back a sniffle. "Guess I raised her right."
The blonde chuckles in agreement. It was crazy to her that someone Karlie was close with, someone that loved her and knew her so well, was actually worried about the way Karlie was treating her, and not the other way around. It made her feel better knowing not everyone suspected her of being some terrible gold digger.
A few minutes later, the model comes back with the twins in tow. They all decide they should probably get going, so everyone heads over to cash in their tickets. Karlie had the most tickets by far, and of course she used them to get her girlfriend something. "Pick something."
"Karlie. They're your tickets." The blonde protests.
"And I want to use them to get you something. So pick whatever you want." The model argues back.
"Oh my gosh. You two never stop." Kimby groans, handing her tickets to the worker that opened up the other register.
Taylor ended up picking the smallest cheapest thing she could; a roll of kitten stickers. Karlie rolled her eyes in amusement; choosing not to get anything herself and put the ticket points on her member rewards card. She had her eye on a drone, but it was over 80,000 tickets and she only had about 50,000 saved up on the card.
Everyone headed out to the cars, the twins forced into the back seat since Karlie was driving and there was no way she was going to let her girlfriend sit in the back. Derek was going to run to the store and then he meet them back at the house, so the girls climbed into the car and headed home.
Karlie glanced over at Taylor, noticing her girlfriend had been unusually quiet for most of the ride. She squeezes their intertwined hands that were resting on the console. The songwriter turns to meet her eyes. "You okay?" She asks, keeping her voice low so the twins wouldn't hear. The volume of the radio and Kimby's off key singing she be enough to drown out their conversation from the back.
"I'm fine." She says quietly. She really was fine, but her mind was admittedly wandering. She had already gotten a talk from Tracy and Derek. The twins didn't seem to mind too much, and she had a feeling they wouldn't say anything. Kristine didn't seem too bothered either, so she thought maybe she was safe on that front. But she was worried about the person she had talked to least; the one who honestly scared her the most. Karlie's dad.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Karlie wasn't completely convinced, but she didn't want to push it. She adjusted their hands, using her thumb to trace aimless patterns on the back of the blonde's hand, hoping to soothe whatever seemed to be bothering her.
Taylor could see the genuine concern in her girlfriend's eyes. She didn't know why the thought of talking to Karlie's dad scared her so much. Probably because things had been going so well this trip. Everyone seemed so nice and inviting, and she was getting along so well with Karlie's family. And usually when things were going too well for her, something had to go wrong.