When you are over six feet tall, the first thing that your body needs in the morning is to stretch out all of its very long limbs. As Karlie reached her arms up into the air in an attempt to do just that she felt her hands touch something soft. She directed her gaze upward and found Taylor asleep as she sat upright in Karlie's bed with her head resting against the wall.
Karlie remembered the position she had fallen asleep in, but had they stayed like that all night? She slowly sat up, trying not to disturb the sleeping girl underneath her in the process. But as soon as Karlie shifted her weight she also felt Taylor wake up. As Karlie looked up the blue eyed girl looked at her and gave her a sleepy smile.
"Good morning, sunshine." She said as she started to stretch her arms the same way Karlie had.
"You stayed like that all night?" Karlie asked as she tilted her head to one side.
Taylor laughed at Karlie quietly. This new look for confusion had become a staple for the tall girl any time Taylor did something nice to her. It made Taylor feel good to be able to do nice things for Karlie but it also made her sad that she seemed so surprised every time Taylor was kind to her.
"You really needed sleep, so yes." Taylor said smiling as Karlie started to sit up and leave the bed. "But if I'm being honest I did try to move you once and had zero success so I left you be. Did anyone ever tell you you sleep like a rock?"
Karlie's smile faded as Taylor finished her sentence. That was something Josh had always teased her about. It was as if Taylor could read Karlie's mind and knew she was remembering things about her now ex boyfriend. The blue eyed girl quickly sat up and wrapped her arms around Karlie's waist and pulled her backwards and closer towards her.
"It's okay, everything is going to be okay." Taylor said quietly with her face buried in Karlie's back. Taylor made a very important note to remember how Karlie smelled like a spring morning. It was a crisp and bright scent and Taylor was sure it had a more awakening effect on her than a cup of coffee ever could.
As the shorter girl loosened her grip, Karlie started to move forward and ready herself for the morning. She shook her head quickly as if trying to shake the memories of Josh loose from her mind and gathered clothes to head to the bathroom to change.
"Hey, do you mind if I search for something to wear while you're in there?" Taylor asked just before Karlie closed the door.
"Sure," Karlie said and made her exit, leaving Taylor in the room by herself.
Taylor looked around the room as she continued to wake herself up. Selena was nowhere to be found but when the blonde looked at her phone she saw she had a message from Selena saying that she and Ed were going to the library to work on their music theory papers. She laughed a little at the fact that her friends had left the paper til the last minute when she was finished with it days ago. Taylor texted a quick reply and Selena responded almost right away asking how Karlie was this morning. The two messages back and forth for a bit both expressing their concern for their friend as Taylor searched for some of Karlie's clothes to borrow. She found a pair of skinny jeans and a sweater and tried to slip into them quickly before Karlie emerged from the bathroom.
"Oh, shit! Sorry!" Karlie says and Taylor nearly jumps out of her skin as she quickly pulls the sweater over her head. Karlie couldn't help but continue to stare at Taylor as she finished dressing and putting the dirty clothes she had removed into the laundry basket.
"No that's alright I should have waited until you were done in the bathroom. I'm sorry." Taylor says blushing as she tries to busy herself around the room.
Karlie is so busy admiring Taylor that it doesn't even register that she had been speaking to her.
"So Selena and Ed are at the library, and they'll be gone most of the day trying to get a paper done." Taylor continues when Karlie doesn't respond for a minute. "And I didn't realize how late it was, we seriously overslept." She gathers up her clothes from the night before and puts them in her bag as she talks. "I should really, um, get going back to my place...I've got a lot to do to get ready for classes this week..." She finally stops and stands in front of Karlie who had been watching her the whole time from the bathroom doorway. "Mind if I use it now?" She says which seems to snap Karlie out of whatever trance she is in.
"You...have to leave?" Karlie asks slowly hoping that she misheard Taylor. She didn't want Taylor to leave because with Taylor and Selena both gone Karlie would have to be alone with her thoughts about the way things happened with Josh last night. She also just really wanted to be around Taylor for a little longer if she was being honest with herself.
"If I leave now I can get a little studying in and then maybe I can come back?" Taylor says as she steps into the bathroom and starts to wash her face. When she looked in the mirror she saw a very sad Karlie standing in her dorm room.
"You could study here..." Karlie said quietly. She really wanted Taylor to stay but she didn't want to press her luck.
Taylor continued to watch Karlie as she moved around her dorm room. The tall girl was starting to gather up the various photos of her and her boyfriend that were placed throughout the room. When Taylor left the bathroom she noticed just how much of Josh there really was here. There was a picture of him and Karlie on the night stand by the bed. There was a photo set of the both of them making funny and serious faces on the wall above Karlie's desk. And there was a Harvard pennant thumbtacked to the wall next to Karlie's NYU one. This was just what Taylor saw at first glance and she was sure she'd find more if she really looked.
"What are you doing today?" Taylor asks Karlie as she leaves the bathroom.
"I was just going to clean up and then nothing really." Karlie says with her eyes on the ground.
"Come back to my place." Taylor says as she takes a step closer to her friend.
Karlie looks at Taylor with hesitation and when it seems like she might say no Taylor speaks again.
"Come on, just come over." She snakes a hand around Karlie's waist and pulls her in for a hug. "I think you could use a change of scenery for the day, it'll be good for you to get out for a bit." She talks softly to Karlie who seemed to be changing her mind. "It'll be fun! I'll cook and you can bring some books to study and then we can take it easy and just watch more movies." She says as she starts to hold Karlie at arms length. "Plus, I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I think we really should talk at some point."
"About what?" Karlie says shyly as she avoids Taylor's glance.
Of course Karlie knew they needed to talk. She had been tiptoeing around Taylor all morning. They needed to talk about the song, about last night, and about what all of that might mean for the two of them.
"Come over and you'll find out." Taylor said. She wasn't sure if Karlie had been playing coy or playing dumb but either way a conversation needed to be had and she really wanted to spend time with Karlie today.
"I'll go get my books." Karlie said as she started to back away from Taylor. She was hesitant to leave that hug. Truth be told Karlie would stand there like that all day if she could - breathing in Taylor's very unique scent and enjoying her embrace.
"Okay, yay! This is exciting you haven't been to my apartment yet!" Taylor bounces on her toes as Karlie starts to gather all of her books in her backpack.
Once Karlie appears to be ready they head out of the building and towards Taylor's apartment.
Taylor lived in a much nicer area than Karlie could have ever imagined. They traveled south past Canal St. and into TriBeCa. It was only a ten minute walk from Karlie's dorm but the change was almost shocking. Large brownstones lined the streets and Karlie didn't see a single commercial building on Taylor's block. "Damn," she said as the climbed the stairs to the front door of Taylor's building.
"Yeah, my mom and dad spoiled me a little when it came to finding a place to live. They're a little overprotective and wouldn't entertain the idea of their first child spending four years at school in New York City unless they knew she was living in the safest area possible."
