Karlie laid awake, her body buzzing with this newfound energy. She rolled over to check her phone, the time 6:05 A.M. flashing back at her. Her movement pulled a groan from the body beside her. The model carefully rolled back over and hugged the songwriter closer to her, deciding to lay there a little longer. She traced her finger along her girlfriend's arm, Taylor sighing contentedly as she snuggles closer in her sleep; her mind still reeling from what had happened only a few short hours ago.
She had been dying to tell Taylor she loved her for months now, but she didn't want to pressure the blonde into thinking she had to say it back. Their relationship has always been strong, but she knows the ghosts that continue to haunt her girlfriend even now. She knows the issues the songwriter has and how hard it is for her to truly open up and trust someone. She's so incredibly proud of how much Taylor has grown since the start of their relationship.
A few months ago, Taylor was still trying to push her away and keep her guard up. Now she was the one to make the first move and say I love you. Well, sing it first anyway. She never could have anticipated the turn their night would take, but she's so glad it happened. It's like a weight has been lifted and the burden she placed on herself to restrain her feelings is gone. She can shout it from the rooftops just how much she loves this woman and it doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks because she knows Taylor loves her too.
After laying there for about 20 minutes, she decides to get out of bed and go for a run. As much as she would like to stay nestled in bed all morning with her beautiful girlfriend, she has too much pent-up energy and she needs to do something with it before she explodes. So, she carefully starts to peel herself away from her koala bear of a girlfriend; though she doesn't get far before the songwriter is shifting over onto her side looking for her and the cutest whimper escapes the blonde's lips.
"Shh. It's alright. Go back to sleep love." Karlie coos, her heart melting when Taylor subconsciously smiles at her words. She waits another moment until she's sure the blonde is still asleep and finally slips out of the bed. She quietly goes about the room getting ready, gathering her things to change in the bathroom so she doesn't disturb her girlfriend. Once she's done with her morning routine, she slips out the door; turning the handle as she pulls it closed to avoid the loud click.
*************************************************************************
Taylor cracks one eye open as she wakes; groaning at the tiny streak of light coming through the curtains that weren't completely closed. She closes her eyes and huffs, shifting across the mattress to nestle back into the warmth of the model, but there's nothing but cold sheets. She lifts her arm and pats the mattress, finding that side of the bed empty. She sits up and looks around in confusion, not seeing any sign of her girlfriend. The songwriter pulls the blankets aside and gets out of bed, instantly grateful she has socks on as she feels the cold of the floor attempting to permeate her socks. "Kar?" She calls out shuffling towards the door, though she doesn't receive a response. She walks down the hall and still sees no sign of the model. She goes to the kitchen and finds that also empty, aside from a plate with paper towel draped across it on the counter. She walks over to it and finds a note written in her girlfriend's loopy scrawl beside it. She picks it up and reads:
'Good morning my love,
You looked so cozy and peaceful while you were sleeping, I didn't have it in me to wake you. I know it's not much, but I wanted to have something ready for you when you got up. There's a fresh pot of coffee and the cream is on the top shelf in the fridge. Hopefully by the time you see this I'll be on my way back from my run.
I'll see you soon beautiful.
Love,
Karlie <3'
Taylor smiles at her girlfriend's cute little note. Her stomach fluttered at seeing Karlie address her as 'my love.' She's actually surprised that she feels no trepidation or any sense of unease about her relationship with the model. Normally she would be second guessing her decision, worrying Karlie had taken off or something. But she feels none of that. That's how much she's grown in her relationship. She trusts Karlie completely.
She finally said those words and not only did they make her feel amazing, but to hear Karlie say them back and know she meant it? It was everything. It's like, hearing the model affirm what she already knew in her heart managed to drive away her usual doubts. Karlie has proven her fears and insecurities wrong time and time again. She has been there for her in every way possible and she just knows in her heart that Karlie is a good person and would never try to hurt her. It feels incredible to not only get to love her, but to also be so wholly loved in return by this amazing woman.
She was so happy she finally worked up the nerve to tell her how she truly felt because she knows Karlie wouldn't have said it first. That woman is always patient and giving, never pressuring her. Never asking for anything in return. She had been so worried about finding the right moment, or the right time to say it, and she realized that she didn't need a "perfect moment". She just needed to stop holding back and be honest, not only with herself, but with Karlie. And she's so glad she did because the warmth and love in Karlie's eyes when she said those three words will forever be burned in her memory.
The only downside of all of this was that she didn't get to wake up in her girlfriend's arms this morning. Though, she should have known Karlie wouldn't completely give up her routine on their vacation. She can't imagine what time the model had gotten up that she had already made food and went out for a run.
The songwriter gets a mug out of the cupboard and fills it with coffee. She also gets the cream out of the fridge and adds a splash, knowing Karlie likes to make her coffee a little stronger. Taylor decided to uncover her plate and finds a few pieces of toast, but they were cut into the shape of hearts, which she thought was adorable and also such a Karlie thing to do. She hurried back to their room so she could grab her phone and take a picture of it.
She then grabs her plate and mug and heads for the back door, swiping the blanket off the couch and draping it around her shoulders, unsure if it would be cold outside. She slips through the back door and heads for the chairs scattered around the patio, setting her food and her cup of coffee on the arm of the chair as she situates herself. She tucks the blanket around her, glad she had the forethought to grab it because it was still a little chilly.
As she nibbles on her toast, she looks around the property, wondering where Karlie went running. There were quite a few trees and wooded areas, and she spotted a lake just beyond the edge of the property that she didn't notice the night before. She wasn't sure if the model would have looked for a trail to run through the woods, or if she would just run along the road they drove in on.
She also can't help but notice how quiet and peaceful it is out here; birds chirping and bugs making noises as they wake up. She doesn't see any other houses or cabins around, but she can hear a dog barking in the distance, so they're not completely alone out here. It's so different from the sounds of NYC in the morning. There are no loud car horns honking or angry people yelling. There aren't people bustling about, in a hurry to get wherever they're going.
Her mind inevitably wanders to fashion week, knowing next week will be absolute chaos compared to this. She's been stressing about it for a while, and now that it's practically here, she was really starting to freak out about it. She called Selena a few days ago on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Of course, her friend calmed her down and talked her through everything. She encouraged her to talk to someone, especially Karlie. But the songwriter didn't want to add more stress to her girlfriend's life. Selena even suggested reaching out to Lily to find out what it will be like. She hadn't even thought of that and planned on doing just that when they get back from the trip.
She knew Kristine would be there with her and that Karlie was going to do everything she could to make her feel comfortable, but the whole idea of fashion week was intimidating. Does she have to dress up for it? It's kind of implied in the title that it will be about fashion. She doesn't want to embarrass Karlie by showing up in the wrong thing, but it's not like she has a closet filled with designer clothes to wear. How long do the shows last? Is she supposed to get there really early? Does she stay late to wait for Karlie, or will she be off running to her next show? She doesn't even know how much she'll get to see of her girlfriend during the week. She wants to be able to do these kinds of things because it's important for her to be there for Karlie. That girl is always a rock for her, and she wants to be able to do the same.
Just as her mind starts spiraling too far into the negative thoughts, she sees her girlfriend's form bobbing towards her. The model is wearing dark grey work out leggings, a black jacket tied around her waist, and a neon pink sports bra. She swallows thickly as the she gets closer, knowing she turns into a bumbling mess when Karlie's tan skin is all sweaty and her muscles are exposed like that. It almost makes her feel like a perv to objectify her girlfriend in that way, but she's pretty sure Karlie knows that and uses it to her advantage.
Karlie ends her jog about 20 yards away, slowing to a walk and stretching her arms over her head as she breathes. She walks towards the blonde, closing the last few feet of distance between them with a smile on her face. "You're up." Karlie says softly, her voice still breathy from her run.
"Mmhmm." Taylor hums, taking a sip from her mug in an attempt to hide her flushed cheeks.
Karlie plants one hand on each side of the chair and leans down to press a kiss to the blonde's forehead. "Good morning."
"Morning." The songwriter gulps, watching the sweat rivulets slowly drip down her girlfriend's lean and toned body.
"Mind if I sit with you?" Karlie asks sweetly, already settling into the chair beside her.
"I'd prefer it if you took a shower stinky."
"Ouch." The model laughs and it's such a bright and cheerful laugh that it makes Taylor smile too. Karlie's energy is just too infectious. "Are you saying you wouldn't love me if I smelled like this?"
Taylor blushes, still not used to being able to use those words so freely. It reminds her of when they officially got together and Karlie kept saying girlfriend. "I'm saying that I don't love the way you smell right now. Not that I don't love you."
"Ahh." Karlie nods sagely. "But you do love me?" She teases, her smile growing larger by the minute.
Taylor rolls her eyes fondly. "Yes, you goof. I love you."
Karlie can't help it and twists in her chair, leaning over to the point it starts tipping towards the blonde, but nothing was going to stop her from kissing her girlfriend in that moment. She plants a tender kiss on the songwriter's lips, and when their eyes open, Taylor's blue eyes are dazzling in the morning sun. She knows they're still in the honeymoon phase and it won't always be this way, but god she could get used to this. The model smiles dopily at her before shifting back in her seat, though she moves her chair much closer to her girlfriend. "What do you want to do today?"
"Well, we probably should go to the store at some point. Other than that, it doesn't matter to me."
"I found a few trails on my run that we could do if you wanted to go for a walk or a hike. They weren't too crazy. I also found a gravel path that leads down to the water. It looks like a decent sized lake. We could head into town, or we can stay inside and have a lazy day, and just hang out here."
"Well, let's get ready and then we'll run to the store. That way we have food and stuff for meals. And we can grab some bug spray and sunscreen for later."
"Sounds good to me. Do you want to shower first?"
"You can go first. I don't need a shower, unlike someone."
"Oh, come on." The model laughs. "Do I really smell that bad?"
"No." The songwriter grins. "You actually smell kind of sweet when you're sweaty."
"Is that so?" Karlie questions, arching her eyebrow at the comment.
"Mmhmm."
"Interesting." Karlie takes a big sniff, inhaling extra deeply to draw attention and exaggerate her actions, wrinkling her nose in disgust when she does catch a whiff of herself. "I think you might be biased my love because I smell like a sweaty gym bag."
"Maybe." The blonde hums. "But I would much rather be around you than a sweaty gym bag."
Karlie blushes at the offhanded comment and Taylor smiles, pleased with herself.
"I'm gonna change out of this and take a shower. Do you need anything before I go? Do you want more coffee?"
"No thanks." The songwriter shakes her head. "I'm good."
"You sure? I can warm your cup up if you want."
"Positive. Go shower so we can go to the store stinky."
Karlie stands from her chair with a smile, sure to steal a kiss from her girlfriend before she goes. As she pulls away, she hovers; their face inches apart and says in the softest voice ever. "I love you."
Taylor beams right back at her. "I love you too."
About an hour later, the girls head out to the store. They happened to drive through a cute little town about 15 minutes away from where they were staying. There were flowerpots hanging from the lamp posts and people were wandering aimlessly up and down the sidewalks checking out all the cafes and small businesses. They easily found a parking spot on the street and the songwriter's eyes lit up at the antique store they parked in front of.
"Do you mind if we go in?"
"Not at all." Karlie sends her girlfriend a smile. "We can check out all the stores if you want. There's no rush."
"Okay." Taylor beams back at the model, unbuckling herself so they can go in the shop.
The pair got out of the car and entered the store, the little bell on the door jingling as it was opened. The shop was filled with all kinds of antiques: books, rugs, jewelry, clothing, furniture, pictures. The girls browsed through the shelves and aisles, showing each other things they found that the other might like. Taylor was really drawn to this antique music box she found. It had an old-fashioned key you had to insert into the lock any everything. There was a light floral pattern with beautiful ornate gold furnishings. The songwriter was instantly taken with it, wondering the story behind something so beautifully made.
"My gram used to have one that looked really similar to that." Karlie comments, loving the enraptured smile on her girlfriend's face. "My grandfather gave it to her when they got engaged."
The songwriter turns her attention from the box to the model, caught up in the wistful tone of Karlie's voice as she tells the story.
"When he gave it to her, he told her the story of how he found it when he was actually looking for a ring for her. But he came across the box first, and when he saw it, he knew he had to get it for her. My gram loved to collect music boxes. So, he bought the box and kept it a secret from her. He ended up finding a ring a few months later, but he still kept the box hidden in the back of his sock drawer, waiting for the right moment to propose. When he finally did, he gave her the music box, and when she opened it, the engagement ring was inside."
"How long were they together?"
"58 years." Karlie smiles at her girlfriend, wondering if she would have a love story as wonderful as her grandparent's. "Married for 55 of them. I don't think they spent more than a day apart the entire time, right up until my gramps passed."
"I'm sorry." Taylor offers, holding her hand out to the model.
"Don't be." The model flashes her girlfriend a watery smile, tangling their fingers together and squeezing the songwriter's hand. "My gram followed him about a week later. So, it was kind of nice that they went together. It just adds to their story for me."
Taylor does end up buying the music box along with a pair of vintage earrings. Karlie contemplated buying an old polaroid camera, but it was a little too pricey for her, and there was a crack in the housing, so she put it back. Once they exited the shop, they decided to check out a few more. Karlie ended up buying a really intricately carved wooden end table and some history books. Taylor bought a framed picture of the New York City skyline from the viewpoint of the Statue of Liberty and a new rug for her living room.
"Are there any more stores you want to go to?"
"I just wanted to run in to the little record shop on the corner."
"Okay. How about you set your stuff down here and I'll run everything to the car while you do that?"
"Do you need help? That's a lot of stuff Kar."
"I'll be fine. We only parked a few stores down."
"You sure?"
"Positive." Karlie nods, pulling her girlfriend in for a quick kiss. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."
After another moment of hesitation, the songwriter takes off for the record store as the model carries everything to the car. Once she's done unloading everything, she makes sure to lock the car before heading back to the shop her girlfriend is in; though something catches her eye on the way. On the corner right across the street from the record store is a little stand selling a variety of items from flowers, to a handful of fruits and veggies, and homemade jams and jellies. Karlie decides to head across the street and check it out.
"Well hello there dear." The old woman greets.
"Hello." The model returns politely with her usual sunshine smile. "I saw your stand from across the street and I just had to come check it out."
"Oh, that's wonderful. Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"Not really."
"Well, everything is homemade and home grown by myself and my children. We have a little farm about 45 minutes away from here. My 2 sons tend to the vegetables and fruits, while my daughter does all our flowers and helps me make the canned goods."
"Oh my gosh, banana jam. Is this real?"
"Yes." The older woman laughs. "We have a few other unique flavors. We have watermelon jelly, dandelion jelly, honeysuckle jelly, mint jelly, and rose petal jelly. We also have ginger preserves, cantaloupe preserves with cinnamon, apple butter, and in a month or so, we should have some pumpkin butter ready. Those aren't quite in season yet."
"This is amazing. I didn't know banana jam was a thing."
"It's actually one of our best sellers year round. A lot of people like to use it as a spread for a peanut butter and banana sandwich, or they'll use it in a lot of baking recipes." The woman pauses her spiel, watching intently as Karlie steps closer to examine some of the brightly colored petals, inhaling the sweet floral scents.
Karlie finds this beautiful deep blue flower with darker blue coloring on the edges, that gradually turns a lighter shade of blue. She's never seen anything quite like it in a flower, though it reminds her very much of her girlfriend's bewitching blue eyes.
The model looks up, her cheeks flushed at the knowing smile directed at her. "These flowers arrangements are stunning."
"Oh, thank you dear. Might you be looking into getting flowers to give to a special someone?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Maybe not to everyone." The older woman says with a gentle smile. "But there is a certain something about the look of a woman in love."
"You're good." Karlie chuckles, slightly embarrassed by being called out like that.
"These are blue diamond orchids. I don't know if you know much about flowers or not, but the different types of flower as well as the different colors have different meanings."
"I have to admit, I knew that was the case with roses. I didn't know that about all flowers though."
"Most people don't." The older woman smiles. "Orchids are a symbol of love and affection, similar to roses, though orchids are a bit more rare. They come in a variety of colors: pink, purple, white, red, yellow, green, and orange. Pretty much any color except for true blue. These here, are blue toned, which are actually very rare. The rarity of the color gives way to it's meaning."
Karlie grins as she catches the meaning "A rare love."
The woman nods, her smile growing at the glow on the young woman's face.
"How much would these be?" The model asks, gesturing to the blue flower.
"I tell you what, I'll take $10 for these, and I'll throw the banana jam in there as well."
"Are you sure?" Karlie asks, knowing a bouquet of flowers usually cost at least $10 and guessing the jam alone costs 6 or 7 dollars.
"Positive." The older woman nods, taking the money the young woman hands to her. As she goes to hand back the change, she notices a pretty young blonde with blue eyes approaching.
"I was wondering where you had wandered off to." Taylor chuckles, finding her girlfriend at a stand across the street. She had gotten worried when Karlie hadn't met her in the store, but she figured the model had gotten caught up. Karlie can be very chatty and friendly.
"Hey you." Karlie smiles as she turns around and the older woman notices the way both of the girl's light up around each other. "Look what I found." The model says, holding up her jam.
The songwriter playfully scoffs and lovingly rolls her eyes at her girlfriend. "Oh gosh. Leave it to you to find something banana related."
The older woman watches the pair, easily able to see the love they share. The lightness in their eyes when the other talks, the youthful playfulness they have together. She also recalls the look on the taller one's face when she saw the orchids. It's nice to see a couple so happily in love. "You two make a lovely couple."
"Thank you." Taylor says quietly, smiling shyly at the woman.
"You're very welcome. Oh, don't forget these." She says, handing Karlie the bundle of orchids. "I hope you two have a wonderful day."
"Thank you, you as well." Karlie takes the flowers, smiling at the woman before handing them to her girlfriend. "These are for you."
"They're beautiful."
Karlie's eyes instantly lock onto an incredibly similar shade of blue. She might be a little biased, but she definitely thinks Taylor's eyes are even more beautiful than the flower. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl."
The songwriter laughs, leaning into her girlfriend's side as they walk back towards the car. "You're such a cheeseball. Come on, we still have to go to the market."
"You know what I would say if I saw someone trying to hit on you?"
"I don't think I want to know. It's going to be cheesy."
"You're right, it is." Karlie admits with a laugh. "I'd say, 'Hey! That's nacho girl!'"
"Oh my god!" Taylor bursts out laughing. "I take back what I said yesterday. That was literally the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me."
"Lucky for you, there's plenty more where that came from my love."
"God I love you."The blonde sighs, leaning her head on the model's shoulder. It was nice that they were able to just stroll along the streets here, where nobody cared who they were. It was getting harder and harder for them to be able to walk outside like this in New York. The streets were so much more crowded, and they had to deal with paparazzi and fans following them or wanting to take pictures. She really did love living in New York. Moving to that city was one of the best decisions she's ever made. But sometimes it was exhausting. She had to worry about holding her girlfriend's hand or kissing her in public, in case someone saw or took a picture and tried to sell it to a magazine. There was still a small part of her wished they could stay here in this little small town forever.
"I love you too," Karlie replies, kissing the top of her girlfriend's head.
***********************************************************************
Once they enter the market, Karlie grabs a cart for them while the songwriter pulls out their list. They decided to get things they could use multiple times for different meals. Since it was just the two of them, and they were only here a few more days, they didn't need too much.
"Let's see, we've got bread, but we need tortillas... do you want to do burgers? Or hot dogs? We'll need to get buns for those."
"Hot dogs we could do over the fire." Karlie comments, grabbing a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk as they pass through the dairy section. "Do we need cheese?"
"Um, yes. Grab a package of whatever sliced cheese you want and a bag of shredded colby jack. We still have some American leftover at the cabin. So no on burgers, yes on hot dogs."
"Is provolone okay?"
"That's fine with me."
The model puts the cheeses, a pack of bacon, and hot dogs into the cart. "What meat do you want for sandwiches?"
"I was thinking turkey? We could use it for clubs, or just turkey and cheese sandwiches. And we have bacon for B.L.T.s."
"Perfect."
The songwriter grabs a pack of chicken breasts and adds it to the cart. "I think we're set here. We just need some fruits and veggies, condiments, and stuff for side dishes."
"I'll grab condiments if you want to head over to produce."
"Okay. I'll meet you over there." Taylor heads off to the produce section, grabbing whatever they need from their list. Karlie joins her a few minutes later, dumping her items in the cart.
"I grabbed a pack of Spanish rice. I figured we could use that for fajitas or quesadillas."
"That sounds perfect. I think I have everything on our list." Taylor murmurs, scanning over the cart. "Excuse you, what is this doing here?"
"What?" Karlie asks innocently, her cheeks flushing as her girlfriend pulls out the bottle of tequila she tried to sneak in there.
"I don't remember this being on the list."
"It goes well with Mexican!" The model insists.
The songwriter shakes her head with a smile but decides to let it go. "Can you think of anything else?"
Karlie checks over their cart, trying not to laugh at the amount of stuff they got. "I think we're set. If we forget anything, we can always come back."
"True. Okay, let's head to check out."
********************************************************************
A short while later, the girls are back at the cabin putting all their groceries away. It was a bit of a tight fit in the car with all their groceries and purchases from earlier, but they made it work. They had to stop at a gas station on the way back because the model forgot to buy some ice. The cabin had a freezer with an ice maker in it, but they needed bags of ice for the coolers.
"We definitely bought way too much."
"Nonsense. We're on vacation."
"Karlie, it's just the two of us. We went with a list and we still bought way more than necessary."
"Mmm." Karlie hums, making her way over to her girlfriend. "I think it just looks like a lot." She says, wrapping her arms around the songwriter in an attempt to ease her worries. "When we're at home, we don't necessarily plan to eat three meals a day. I'm lucky if I manage to remember to eat more than a banana or something until I get home and forgot I have nothing for dinner."
"You worry me, you know." Taylor mumbles. "Contrary to what you seem to believe, bananas are not a sufficient food source for all meals."
"I didn't say bananas are all I eat." Karlie rolls her eyes at her girlfriend's teasing. "But I usually wake up late, which means I don't have time to make breakfast. So I just grab a banana cuz it's quick and I can take it with me. Then by the time I'm off work, I'm too tired to make something for just myself."
"Well, we're just going to have to work on that."
"Which part? Me eating too many bananas, or waking up late?"
Taylor hums with a smile. "Both."
After enjoying the quiet for a few minutes, the model pulls back. "Are you getting hungry?"
"A little." Taylor admits. "I could throw something together for us if you want."
"It's not like we don't have enough food." Karlie teases, sticking her tongue out at the blonde.
"Hey Kar."
"Yeah?"
"How are we going to have a fire when we never bought any wood?" The songwriter questions, holding up the smore's stuff with a smile.
Karlie pauses, wondering how she forgot to get wood for them. She packed a lighter and some scrap paper, but she completely forgot to buy wood. After thinking on it for a minute, she comes up with an idea. "You just leave that to me my love."
Taylor watches her go, noticing the weird look on her girlfriend's face. She just figured the model would run back to town or something. So she decides to get started on lunch for them, not knowing how long Karlie would be gone.
Once she's done with lunch, the songwriter notices it's been over 40 minutes and Karlie still hasn't returned. She finds Karlie's keys on the counter, so she knows her girlfriend' didn't take the car anywhere. "Kar?" She calls out, wondering if maybe the model had snuck back into the cabin and she just hadn't noticed. She checks everywhere, but doesn't see her. Taylor goes to the back door that over looks the patio and her jaw drops in shock at what she sees.