As the end of the month neared, both girls became extremely busy. Karlie was constantly running from fittings to meetings to the gym and back. She had upped the intensity and frequency of her workouts, practically doubling her training time. On top of the extreme workouts, the model had also been sticking to a strict new diet; relying on greens and lean proteins. She was starting to really wear herself thin, and Taylor obviously noticed.
It wasn't hard to tell her girlfriend was stressed out. When the songwriter voiced her concerns, Karlie assured her it's something she goes through for every fashion month, and it's perfectly safe and normal for her to train this way.
It wasn't that she felt like Karlie was blowing her off; her girlfriend was just as attentive and doting as always. So she knew they'd be fine. But the songwriter knows Karlie takes her job very seriously. She just didn't want to be a distraction for her. So Taylor threw herself into work instead.
She had been working with a friend on a new project that was taking up most of her attention and was really excited with the direction things were heading so far. The light buzzing of her phone on the desk top brings the blonde out of her thoughts, smiling as she taps on the screen to answer.
"Hey you."
"Hey Beautiful. How's your day going?"
"It's been really good actually; even better now that I'm talking to you. I was just thinking about you."
"You were, huh?" The model quips; her tone softening from teasing to demure as she continues. "Hopefully good thoughts."
"With you, they're always good thoughts." Taylor admits, smiling at the flustered chuckle she hears in response.
"Good to know."
"How's your day been? "
"Well, that depends."
"On what?"
"Are you busy right now?"
"Um," The songwriter glances around her desk at the various items she was working on, though nothing was really a pressing issue. "Not really. I'm just working on some stuff."
"How would you feel about me stealing you away for a bit?"
"Okay." Taylor agrees, an unbridled smile on her face. "When were you thinking?"
"Well, I'm kind of down in the lobby."
"Kind of?" The blonde deadpans. "Someone was confident I'd say yes."
"More hopeful than confident." Karlie nervously chuckles. "Are you up for it?"
Taylor can't help but smile at her girlfriend's nervous tone. "You're so cute." She gathers her papers and puts them in her folder, cleaning up her desk a little before responding. "I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Take your time." The model replies easily, and the blonde can hear the smile in her voice. "I'll be waiting."
The songwriter chuckles. "I'll see you soon." She says, ending the call so she can finish putting her things away and go meet up with her adorable girlfriend.
*****************************************************************************
The pair stop somewhere for a much needed coffee fix before continuing on their way. They stroll hand in hand through the crowded city streets. "How's your day been?" Taylor asks, her hand linked with Karlie's, swinging slightly in the space between them..
"A little crazy." The model admits, taking a sip of her drink. "I still have a few more meetings and one last fitting to go to. And then I have to try and find some time to go to the gym."
"You know, you could always skip the gym." The songwriter murmurs playfully, hiding her grin behind her cup. She knows full well her girlfriend will not be cutting her gym time out; no matter how busy she gets.
"Not for the next few weeks I can't."
"One day won't kill you."
Karlie chuckles at the blonde's persistency. "You could join me, you know?"
"And embarrass myself in front of you and your trainer again? I think I'll pass."
"You didn't embarrass yourself. You did really well actually."
"Karlie." The blonde dead pans. "I couldn't move for like, 3 days straight after that. And that was after you guys altered the workout to make it easier on me."
"It wasn't that bad."
"It's cute that you're willing to lie about it, but it's not happening." Taylor jokes.
Karlie coughs, nearly choking on her drink at the comment that had unknowingly hit a little too close to home.
The songwriter eyes her girlfriend, concerned by her reaction. She sees something flicker in those green eyes, but the model manages to blink it away and changes the subject before she can question her further.
"Hey, out of curiosity, do you have any plans for Labor Day?"
"Umm, I don't think so. Why?"
"Well," Karlie trails off nervously. "I know next month is going to be kind of crazy for us and we probably won't get to spend much time together. I was thinking we could go away for the weekend."
"Just the two of us?"
"Unless you want to bring your other girlfriend along or something."
The songwriter rolls her eyes, leaning into her girlfriend's side with a playful shove. "So like, it would just be you and me?"
"Well yeah." Karlie chuckles, wrapping her arm around the blonde's waist. "That's what I was hoping for."
Before she even gets a chance to respond, someone shouts the model's name.
"Karlie!"
The pair separate as they look up, finding a small group of 3 paparazzi shuffling their way.
"Karlie, look here please!"
"Are you ready for fashion week Karlie?"
The model audibly groans beside her, and Taylor knows Karlie will be beating herself up for this interruption later. "Come on." She says, tugging her girlfriend's arm towards the nearest store. The paparazzi press their lenses to the glass, snapping photos as they continue asking questions even with the glass barrier.
The girls move a little further into the store to get away from the chaos and are stopped by a salesperson. "Hi, I'm Sarah. Welcome to-" The girl pauses, her jaw dropping in surprise as recognition flashes across her face.
Karlie feels the need to break the awkward staring. "Sorry for the trouble. We just ducked in here to hide from the paparazzi for a bit."
"Oh, it's totally cool." Sarah says, trying not to smile, but failing miserably. She fiddles with the key rings attached to her belt loop for a few moments. "They're probably really intense around fashion week."
"They're pretty bad all year round, but yeah. There's a lot more of them out during fashion week."
"I don't know how you do it all the time. Walking the runway in shows in front of all those people, dealing with the paparazzi, travelling all the time. I know I couldn't do it."
"It's a lot." Karlie agrees. "But it's really amazing to have world class designers ask you to wear their clothing. The rest of it you just kind of accept comes with the job."
"That makes sense. Do you ever get to keep the clothes?"
"Sometimes. Usually whatever you're wearing is custom fitted for the model, so they'll let you keep it as a thank you. But not always."
"Does it ever get to be too much?"
"Sometimes it's hard. I'm fortunate enough to have a really supportive family and a good group of friends and coworkers in different industries. So it's fun going to all these shows because I get to catch up with all of them."
"Do you ever get sick of travelling?"
"No. I love getting to travel and see all these amazing places I never thought I'd get to see. The only downside is being away from home for so long." Karlie squeezes her girlfriend's hand, causing Taylor's face to flush.
It's then that Sarah finally registers the songwriter's presence. Her eyes bounce between the blondes, putting two and two together. She had seen pictures of them on a few articles, but she hadn't recognized the shorter blonde until now.
It's painfully obvious to them that the girl is dying to ask questions or say something, but thankfully she doesn't. The bright flashes and shouting outside continue, reminding the small group what brought them together. "You know, I could probably sneak you guys out the back." Sarah offers.
"Really?"
"Yeah." She says, gesturing for the pair to follow her. "We have a big loading dock out back for deliveries. It leads out to the alleyway that'll take you to the next street over."
"That would be amazing. Thank you so much."
Sarah leads them through the back storage room and out the door, directing them over to the bay door. She points to the alley, explaining where to turn to take them to the next street. The girls thank her; taking off down the street and quickly putting some distance from them and the paparazzi. They start heading back to Taylor's building, knowing both of them have quite a bit of work to do before the day is over.
"You never answered my question."
It takes the blonde a moment to figure out what her girlfriend was even talking about, having almost forgotten the entire conversation after everything. "I don't know Karlie..." She trails off. "Work's been really busy, and I'll be taking some shorter days to come to your shows next month. Plus what would I do with the cats?"
"We can bring them with us if that's a deal breaker."
Taylor shoots the model an unimpressed look."You are fortunate to have never been locked in a car with Olivia. She doesn't travel well. Meredith on the other hand couldn't care less."
"Which is normal for Mere." Karlie chuckles.
"You laugh, but Meredith used to be the sweetest kitten. She was just like Olivia at first. She loved people. Now she only likes me because I feed her."
"Well," Karlie trails off, grinning as she wraps her arm around the songwriter. "For what it's worth, I like you all the time."
"Sweet talker." Taylor murmurs, leaning into Karlie's side. They walk in silence for a few moments until the blonde eventually caves, sighing quietly. "Where would we even go?"
"Is that a yes?"
"That depends. Are you going to tell me where we're going?"
"Nope. It's a surprise." Karlie grins, bracing herself for what was coming.
"Karlie!" The songwriter laughs. She honestly should have expected that answer. "You know I don't like surprises."
"I do know that. And yet you still seem to like me." The model counters smoothly.
Taylor sighs in exasperation; leaning fully into her girlfriend's lean frame, her head on her shoulder as they walk. She doesn't need to look up to know Karlie's smiling at her, proud of herself for her witty comeback.
***********************************************************************************
"Are there any particular shows you do or don't want to go to while you're here?"
"I'm not picky. You know that." Kristine answers. "If you want me to go to certain ones, I won't care."
Karlie uses her shoulder to wedge the phone to her ear, leaving her hands free to continue typing her paper. She only took 2 online classes this semester, not wanting to overload herself. The only problem is they're both accelerated courses, meaning they cram 16 weeks of material into an 8 week span. She's already 2 weeks in, so she only has 6 left, but she's going to be really busy for the next month and is trying to get a good jump on everything while she still can. "I know. I guess I'm just really overthinking everything."
"Because of Taylor?"
"Well, yes and no. I mean, obviously I want her to be comfortable. But I'm just so worried something is going to happen and I won't be able to stop it."
"Like what?"
"I don't know." The model sighs, ceasing her typing and grabbing the phone with her right hand. "Paparazzi harassing her, people from the industry trying to get to me through her. I'm just so worried something bad is going to happen."
"Well... Have you told her about your ex? You always see her around fashion week."
"No." Karlie mumbles quietly.
"Karlie." Kristine sighs. "You probably should warn her so she won't be blindsided if it does happen."
"I know." Karlie sheepishly admits. "I've just been avoiding it."
"Why?"
"That's not what my life is anymore. Taylor doesn't jump at every opportunity to talk to the press and paparazzi, and she doesn't care about getting into every party she can because of my name. My life is about more than climbing the ladder in the industry. And I want to keep her as far away from all that drama as possible."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just, we're finally getting comfortable with each other and we're in a really good place right now. I don't want anyone or anything to ruin that."
Kristine picks up on the odd tone in her sister's voice. "Did something happen?"
"You mean other than tabloids and magazines constantly asking my team for an exclusive?"
"Okay, fair enough." Kristine concedes, though something tells her there's more to it. "I really don't think it'll be that bad. Besides, you know I'll look out for her."
"I know. And I appreciate that. It makes me feel way more comfortable knowing you'll be there to sit with her. I know she's trying to be brave about it for my sake, but I'm just worried it'll be too much for her."
"What part are you worried about?"
"All of it. I mean," Karlie sighs. "Fashion week is really intense. And we're both pretty private people, especially when it comes to our relationship. I'm worried about the press going after her, or people she doesn't know coming up to her and asking questions that make her uncomfortable."
"She's a big girl Kar. I'm sure she can take care of herself."
"I know she can. I just feel bad because I'm the reason she's being brought into this craziness. And it's never been this bad before. I just want to do everything I can to protect her."
"God, you're so whipped." Kristine says, making her sister laugh. "Have you guys said the L word yet?"
Karlie sighs at the playful teasing. "No."
"I don't get why you won't just tell her."
"I don't want to rush her. Like I said earlier, we're both at a really good place in our relationship right now." The model sits back in her chair, switching her phone to the other hand. "She's been so amazing with everything so far, but the only time she ever freaks out is when I mention the attention our relationship gets and how it affects my job. She feels like she's a burden and not worth it, when that is honestly so far from the truth. She's been through so much and she's still doesn't see all the wonderful things that I see.
She doesn't see how beautiful and talented she is. She doesn't see how cute she is when she gets flustered over the tiniest things I do for her, like compliment her or tell a corny joke just to make her smile. She's doesn't see how much I want to make her happy and care for her because she's been treated so poorly in the past that she thinks no one would want to.
Every moment I'm with her, I realize how lucky I am to be with her. And believe me, there's nothing that I want more than to tell her I love her. But when I tell her, I don't want her to have any reason to question it. I want her to know without a shadow of doubt that I mean it."
"You're in so deep Twiggy."
"I know." Karlie sighs. "She's it for me Kris. I honestly can't picture my life without her."
"I'm really happy for you Kar."
"Thanks Kris."
"Oh, don't thank me yet. I'll be spending a lot of one on one time with your girlfriend. I fully intend on bonding with her over all the embarrassing stories I have on you."
Karlie chuckles. "I expect nothing less."
**************************************************************************************
"So, have you decided if you're going to fashion week with Karlie yet?" Selena asks.
"Yeah. I'm going to try and go to as many shows as I can when she's in New York." Taylor replies, happy to be catching up with her friend. "I know she said I don't have to, but I really want to be there for her. And I was thinking I'd really like to go to London. The others I want to try and be there for some of it, I just don't know if I can swing that much time off."
"Don't you have a ton of vacation days saved up though?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to take them all in the same month. Especially because we've got a lot of projects going on at the moment."
"That's fair. Have you told Karlie your plans?"
"Not yet. She's been super busy lately, but I'm going to try and convince her to come over tomorrow night. We can talk about that and some other stuff."
"Stuff like you guys getting hounded by the paps again?" Selena questions knowingly.
The songwriter cringes. "You heard about that?"
"Yeah. There was a tabloid clickbait article about you guys running from them."
Taylor sighs and rolls her eyes. "I don't even mind them that much. I mean, yeah it sucks having to cross the street or duck into shops and try to avoid them, but for the most part, it doesn't bother me. I know Karlie hates it though."
"Shouldn't she be used to it by now?"
"She is used to it. That's not why she hates them."
"Why does she not like them then?"
"Because of me."
"I don't get it. She's used to them, but doesn't like them because of you?"
"Sel," Taylor laughs at her friend's obliviousness. "She doesn't like them because she wants to keep me out of it. Karlie doesn't care about paparazzi or the attention when it comes to her. She does everything she can to protect me and keep our relationship out of the headlines. She's always worried it will affect me or they'll corner me when she's not around or something. That's why they bother her."
The line is silent for a few moments until the Latina finally speaks. "Have I mentioned how much I like her?"
The songwriter chuckles. "A few times."
"I'm really happy for you T."
"Thanks Sel."
"So wait, what are you gonna wear to fashion week?"
Taylor bursts out laughing at her friends quick change in subject. "I have no idea."
*******************************************************************************
The girls are curled up on the couch having a Law and Order Marathon, enjoying a quiet night in after everything that happened a few days ago. The model had come over after another long day at work to find her girlfriend surprising her with a homecooked meal. The songwriter had made some Mediterranean vegan wraps, making sure to make something hearty that still followed Karlie's strict diet.
Taylor grabs their empty plates and gets up off the couch. "I'm gonna get some water. Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm okay. Thank you." She moves to get up off the couch. "Let me take those for you."
The songwriter waves her off. "It's okay. I got it." She takes the dishes into the kitchen and places them in the sink. The meal was easy enough to make and didn't make much of a mess, so the kitchen was cleaned up in a few minutes. The blonde grabs herself some water and goes back to the living room to find her girlfriend looking deep in thought. "Everything okay?" She asks, placing her water on the table before settling onto the couch.
Karlie looks up, so lost in thought she didn't notice the songwriter's return. "Yeah." She says, cracking a small smile. "Just, thinking about some things."
"Anything I can help you with?"
"Not really. I guess I'm just overthinking things a little."
"Well that makes me feel better." Taylor jokes, making her girlfriend smile.
"Sorry. I'm just," The model sighs. "I just can't stop worrying about what could happen next month."
"You mean during fashion week?"
"Yeah. I just have a bad feeling the press is going to be all over you, and I really hope that doesn't happen."
"Well, if it does happen, what do you want me to do?"
Karlie's eyes lock onto Taylor's. "You don't have to do anything."
The songwriter cracks a smile. "I know. But do you want me to answer them? Ignore them completely? Say no comment?"
"You really don't have to do anything. Just do whatever you're most comfortable with."
"So you wouldn't mind if I struck a pose and flashed a group of paparazzi?"
The model bursts out laughing at her girlfriend's unexpected dry humor. "I mean, if you're comfortable with that, go for it babe." She manages to get out through fits of laughter.
Taylor leans into Karlie's side with a smile, please at herself for making the model laugh. Karlie's arms easily wrap around her, pulling the blonde against her front as she leans back on the arm rest of the couch. "I'll think about it. Might need to save that money shot for a special occasion."
"Oh my gosh." Karlie chuckles; the songwriter able to feel the vibrations of her laughter as she lays on top of her girlfriend. The pair lay there in comfortable silence for a minute, enjoying the lightness of the moment. "Maybe I should hire security or something. Just in case."
Taylor lifts her head and turns to face her girlfriend, regarding her carefully. "Do you think that's necessary?"
"I don't know." Karlie shrugs, unsure what to do. She lifts her hand and tucks a loose curl behind the songwriter's ear, continuing the motion down her jaw until her palm rests against the blonde's cheek. "I just know I'd never be able to live with myself if something happened to you."
Taylor sighs and leans into the soft touch, studying the soft green eyes before her. She can see something else swirling there; something that she can't put her finger on, but it makes her a little uneasy. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
The heavy sigh the model lets out all but confirms the blonde's suspicions. "Karlie?"
"It's..." Karlie trails off, trying to find the right words. "It's complicated."
Taylor leans back, putting some distance between them. "Complicated." She parrots back, clearly unimpressed by that answer.
"I..." The model groans in frustration at her inability to communicate properly communicate her concerns. "It's not anything bad."
The songwriter arches her eyebrow, sending her girlfriend an unimpressed look.
Karlie opens and closes her mouth for a few moments, struggling to come up with an answer that is both truthful, and will hopefully appease the blonde and not worry her further.
Taylor can see the obvious struggle in her girlfriend's eyes and that only makes her worry more. It must be something big if the model is struggling so much to talk about it. "What is it?" She questions softly, inching closer and taking Karlie's hands in her own, hoping to comfort her in some way.
The model closes her eyes and sighs. "There's a good chance we'll run into my ex during fashion week." Once she manages to get the words out, she cracks one eye open to gauge her girlfriend's response.
The songwriter is silent as she processes the new information. With everything going on, she kind of forgot that was even a possibility. She hasn't thought about bumping into Karlie's ex in a while, but now that's all she can think about.
How much Karlie's ex can relate to this world. How she would know what to say to the press and how she wouldn't be phased by the paparazzi following her. How much better suited she is for Karlie's lifestyle. How much better off Karlie would be if she was still with her. She's so lost in her downward spiral of thoughts that she doesn't register Karlie repeatedly saying her name until soft hands are on her face.
She blinks, clearing the haze from her mind and locking onto concerned green eyes. She can feel the warmth coming from her girlfriend's soft hands, helping to ground her as the last bits of her growing anxiety attack dissipate. "Taylor?" She questions, her voice cracking slightly in obvious distress.
The songwriter blinks, forcing herself to be present. She closes her eyes, trying to calm her racing her heart and mind. "I'm okay." She whispers.
The model slowly removes her hands. "Are you sure?"
The blonde exhales deeply and nods, assuring her girlfriend she was okay.
"I want you to know that there is nothing between me and her anymore. Okay? That's not why I was worried to tell you. It's just, unfortunately we work in the same industry and run in similar social circles. It's very likely we'll run into each other a few times a year for that reason. I didn't want it to look like I was hiding that from you, because I mean it, there's nothing there. I just wanted you to know so you weren't blindsided if it happens."
Taylor is quiet for a few long moments and Karlie becomes increasingly worried with each passing moment. She waits for any kind of acknowledgment or sign, but gets nothing. She inches forward on the couch and takes the songwriter's hands in her own. "Please say something."
Taylor finally blinks out of her haze and sighs, squeezing the hands she feels trembling around her own. "Thank you for telling me."
"Are..." She hesitates. "Are you mad?" The model questions, unsure of what her girlfriend was thinking.
"No. I'm not mad. " The songwriter chuckles. "I'm glad you told me because I honestly forgot that was something that could happen. But I do appreciate you being so forthcoming and telling me about it."
"Of course. I really wasn't trying to hide it from you. I guess I just wasn't sure how to bring it up without making it seem like it could be something more than what it is, you know?"
"I understand. You said you two were still on good terms right?"
"Yeah." Karlie sighs. "That's why I thought it might be better to tell you in advance. We have mutual friends that I'll probably see and there's a good chance we'll run into each other either at a show, or an after party, or just in passing."
"You don't talk about her much."
"Who, my ex?"
Taylor nods. "Yeah."
"There's not much to say." The model shrugs. "She's not really part of my life anymore."
"Is it hard? Seeing her around?"
"It was at first." Karlie admits. "I haven't really had to deal with it much except for right when it happened. We broke up around this time last year, so having to see her so soon because of fashion week made it a little tough. I was kind of a wreck, but luckily I had my mom and my sisters with me. That made it easier."
The songwriter places her hand on her girlfriend's forearm, tracing soothing patterns on the soft skin. "That must have been awful."
"It was. And I know my family was worried because I really wasn't ready to talk about it all, so I just kind of started shutting them out and threw myself into work. It was easier to focus on that instead of process everything I was feeling at the time."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I can't even imagine what that must have been like."
"It got better by the time the spring shows rolled around. I had finally dealt with it and balanced my life out better. I wasn't working as much and I started opening up to my family again. Everything just felt right and all the pieces of my life that I had been missing the last few months started falling into place. And then fashion week ended and well..." Karlie trails off, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Then I met you."
The simple admission makes an eruption of butterflies take off in the blonde's stomach. Blue eyes roam across Karlie's face, the model looking at her with so much softness and affection. Taylor can't stop the smile that finds it's way onto her face and leans forward, their noses brushing slightly until the pull is too much and get lost in each other's lips.