It's All Part of the Story

November 2019

When Taylor wakes up she's alone and even though she knows Karlie is working all day, she can't help but pout softly in disappointment at the sight of the empty bed before her.

She rolls over onto the cool sheets and snuggles into Karlie's pillow breathing deeply, when her gaze is caught by the large bouquet of roses on the bedside table.

Taylor shuffles up into a sitting position and leans over to pluck the small white envelope out of the sea of red flowers.

"My darling Taylor, happy November 13th! I know it's not technically the day we met or even our anniversary, but it is the day my life changed forever.

I'm grateful for every day I get to spend with you. I love you. I can't wait to celebrate with you tonight.

All my love,

Karlie"

Taylor can't help but smile at Karlie's sweet words and she reaches under her pillow for her phone so that she can thank Karlie for her gift. Neither of them really make a big deal out of the day but they still both like to mark it in some small way. Taylor decides against calling Karlie, she's not sure if she has meetings today so doesn't want to risk it, deciding to settle for a text instead.

She pulls up the acoustic version of the Lover remix that she had recorded the week before on her phone and sends it to Karlie with the caption the girl in my story has always been you. The version that she recorded with Shawn Mendes will go live later that day but Taylor thinks that Karlie deserves a preview before anyone else.

Taylor shuffles out of bed and plucks up the vase of flowers to bring downstairs and feed the cats and make some coffee, smiling when she realises that Karlie has forgone the traditional dozen roses and opted for 13 instead. As she shuffles around the kitchen of their apartment, she can't help but reminisce on her relationship with Karlie and how far they have come in the last six years.

If anyone would have told Taylor that day that she was about to meet the person who would change her life forever, she would have had a hard time believing it. She hadn't been expecting to fall in love but had been completely blindsided by Karlie as soon as she had met her.

But looking back on it now with the benefit of hindsight there were so many signs that Karlie was always meant to be someone incredibly important to her.

The first time it happened, Taylor hadn't been surprised. She'd heard enough about Karlie from Lily and other mutual friends to know that they were probably on to something when they said that Taylor and Karlie would be fast friends. But neither of them had expected to have quite so much in common.

It had all started with a simple text. Well, technically it had all started with a quote in Vogue magazine. A quote in Vogue and then a tweet in response to said quote. And then a lingerie fashion show. And then some flirting, some drinks, some kissing and a lot of texting.

That's how Taylor had ended up at Karlie's apartment in New York one afternoon in December a couple of weeks after they had met for a Christmas cookie baking date. Karlie had been banking on the cookies being enough of an activity that she would have something to focus on besides the fact that Taylor Swift was standing in her kitchen, looking adorable concentrating on her frosting and wholly kissable.

But they had spent the afternoon baking and decorating their cookies, settling easily into the same light-hearted banter with a side of flirting that they had been enjoying over text since Karlie had slipped Taylor her number the day they met.