Chapter Text
In which doubts are cleared, and a long-overdue breakfast date takes place.
Taylor Swift was terrified.
To anyone else, it was just a normal day. But to Taylor, that day marked a realignment of her entire world. After a lifetime of dreams and unanswered questions, she had finally found her. She had finally found Karlie.
The pair were still in the small gallery of the Met, locked in an embrace neither were willing to break. Around them, the Met was steadily beginning to fill with early morning crowds, some staring at them curiously.
Taylor sighed against Karlie’s shoulder. They had to let go sooner or later. Taylor had been recognised in far less conspicuous locations throughout her career, and she didn’t have her security team with her to make an escape.
But she only held Karlie tighter, her internal logic warring with the fact that she had never felt as safe, as warm, as at peace as she did in that moment, holding the girl from her dreams.
It was that exact sense of security that terrified Taylor.
How could it be possible? How could the girl she had been dreaming about since she was a child actually be real? How could she have known Karlie for only a few minutes, and yet feel so sure that this was the person she would spend the rest of her life with? It was exhilaration and terror all at once, a blind leap into the unknown.
For a horrifying moment, Taylor was convinced Karlie would disappear if she let go, fade away like another dream. Through all the uncertainty this new situation brought, she knew for a fact that she would shatter if she lost Karlie now.
But the noise of the crowd was increasing, and their moment of solace, for now, was coming to a close. Burying her face into the taller girl’s shoulder, she pulled Karlie impossibly closer.
“I’ve been dreaming about you,” she whispered. “For so long.”
“Me too,” Karlie, whispered. “For years.”
“Promise me you won’t disappear if I stop hugging you?” Taylor mumbled.
“Oh god no. I’m not going anywhere. Just…” Taylor felt Karlie’s hand cradle the back of her head. “Promise me the same thing? Please? I still feel like I’m dreaming.”
“I promise. I feel the same way.”
“Good.” Karlie whispered.
A sinister voice in the back of Taylor’s head was telling her it wasn’t real. That it was too impossible for someone she had only ever dreamed about to be standing before her. That she would wake up the second she stopped touching Karlie.
“Okay,” Taylor took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay.”
Inch by inch, she peeled away from Karlie, a mantra of “please be real, please be real, please be real” looping through her mind. Heart racing in her chest, she took a step back until only her fingertips were brushing Karlie’s arm.
Time for a leap of faith.
“Okay,” she said to herself again, and took her hand away, eyes still clenched shut.
There was a horrifying beat of silence, a moment where Taylor was certain Karlie had vanished, and her whole world threatened to crack apart.
“Taylor?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you gonna open your eyes?”
Hands balled into fists, shoulders tensed up around her neck, Taylor blinked open one eye, then the other.
Karlie was still there. Beautiful, gangly-limbed, sunshine-of-a-smile Karlie was still standing in front of her.
Every muscle in Taylor’s body seemed to relax at once, and she let out an audible sigh of relief, earning a laugh from Karlie. She was still so hopped up on adrenaline and nervous energy, it felt as though her heart was going double-time.
Wait.
Taylor frowned. Something weird was happening with her heartbeat. Pressing a hand to her chest, she closed her eyes, focusing.
She could feel her own heart under her palm just fine, but she could have sworn there was something else echoing through her chest. Almost as if she was feeling someone else’s heartbeat alongside her own.
“Oh,” she whispered.
“Taylor?” She looked up to see Karlie holding a hand against her own chest, a slight frown on her face.
“Karlie? Is that…” Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “Is that you?”
“I think so!” Karlie’s eyes shone with excitement as she took Taylor’s hand and placed over her heart.
Sure enough, the heart under Taylor’s fingers beat in tandem with the echoing pulse in her body. She was feeling Karlie’s heartbeat, fluttering with excitement.
“That’s you!” Taylor exclaimed, hopping up and down with joy. “Oh my god that’s you!”
Karlie’s jaw hung open in disbelief. “Wait, so are you feeling a weird thudding in your chest? Like, just behind your heart?”
“You feel it too?” Taylor grabbed Karlie’s hand and placed it over her heart, mirroring her earlier action.
“Wow,” Karlie whispered, a crooked grin on her face. “We can feel each other’s heartbeats without actually touching! That’s so cool!” Karlie jumped with excitement, long legs tucking under her body with each exhilarated leap.
Taylor laughed at Karlie’s antics, hands cradled to her chest, savouring the way she could feel each beat of Karlie’s heart, each change in tempo, how it started thudding harder with each jump she took.
That moment was so precious, Taylor wanted to memorise everything about it, so that she could tuck it away somewhere safe, remember it always. Every little detail.
The way Karlie’s smile lit up her entire face. How the loose t-shirt and leggings she wore, obviously for comfort, hung so perfectly off her frame. The way her eyes sparkled, despite their slight redness that Taylor could only assume was the result of a long flight. How the sunlight filtering through the museum’s windows hit her hair, turning the light brown strands into a haze of gold.
“I like your hair,” she blurted.
Karlie stopped jumping. “Thanks,” she said, “I grew it myself.”
“No,” Taylor laughed. “Oh my god. I like the colour.” She stepped into Karlie’s space, hands coming up to gently toy with the ends of her hair.
“In my dreams you were always blonde. But you look so good with brown hair.” She smiled as she felt Karlie’s heart stutter through their new connection.
“Thank you,” Karlie whispered, shaking her head. “I still can’t believe how beautiful you are,” she said quietly, staring at her in awe.
“Oh no,” Taylor covered her face, embarassed. She had been in such a hurry to find Karlie that she had grabbed whatever clothes were on the floor of her bedroom. Suddenly, her messy hair, baggy hoodie and cat-print sweatpants made her feel vulnerable.
“I must look like a mess! I only just woke up, I’m not wearing any makeup…”
“No, you’re perfect,” Karlie pulled her hands away, clutching them tightly. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. And I don’t lie about stuff like that.”
Taylor gave a shy smile, the honesty and openness in Karlie’s voice making her shiver.
“Your heart rate just kicked up a beat,” Karlie grinned.
“Shut up,” Taylor laughed playfully. “The girl from my dreams turns out to be real, and on top of that she’s gorgeous and charismatic. What do you expect my heart’s going to do?”
It was Karlie’s turn to blush, ducking her head bashfully to stare at the floor. “Yeah, well, I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you. Gotta make a good first impression.”
“You already have,” Taylor whispered, then shook her head. “God we’ve really done this backwards haven’t we?”
“How?” Karlie frowned.
“Well, we’ve never met until now. I don’t know anything about you, not really. But I feel like I have everything I need to know already, even though you’re a total stranger. And it’s scary having that much faith in someone I’ve only just met! We’ve never even been on a date or anything. I haven’t even introduced myself…”
“We can fix that!” Karlie stepped back, holding out a hand. “Hi, I’m Karlie Kloss. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Taylor smiled and took her hand, giving it a firm shake. “Taylor Swift. And the pleasure’s all mine.”
“There! Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, Taylor Swift, would you give me the honour of taking you out to breakfast?”
“Are you asking me on a date Miss Kloss?” Taylor said playfully.
“You’re the one who suggested it in the first place!”
“Did I? I can’t remember,” she teased.
“You did! You said we haven’t even been on a date yet. This is my attempt to fix that.”
“I’d love to,” Taylor whispered, voice heavy with sincerity. “There’s nothing I’d love to do more.”
Karlie grinned that sunshiney smile of hers and took Taylor’s hand, gently leading her out of the gallery. Marvelling at the feel of Karlie’s fingers against her own, Taylor knew then and there that she had already fallen for the other girl, and had fallen hard.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Karlie turned to her, eyes sparkling. “I have no idea.”
How true that was, Taylor thought.
The pair had finally found each other. Fate, the universe, whatever force had once again pulled them together had done its job. The connection between them was obviously strong, but as Taylor said, they were strangers, past lives or not, linked only by a curious set of dreams.
Now, they were heading into unknown territory, with no more dreams to guide them. They may have been destined to meet each other in this lifetime, but what happened next, how their lives would pan out, was entirely up to them.
They really had no idea where they were going.
In her heart, Taylor knew she wouldn’t have another one of those dreams again. That adventure, that journey had ended.
It was time to begin a new one.
A few steps ahead and keeping a firm grip on her hand, Karlie led her through the crowds.
As she always had, Taylor followed.
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“This looks perfect,” Karlie said confidently.
The pair stood in front of one of the museum’s smaller cafes, tucked away in between galleries, almost in the corner of the building.
Karlie had spent the past twenty minutes determinedly striding between the various cafes and bars spread throughout the Met, searching for the best spot to have breakfast. Taylor had spent most of those minutes in a daze, still too blindsided by the abrupt turn her life had just taken to do much else besides stare at Karlie as she trailed along behind her.
“Is this alright?” Karlie asked, “I wanted to pick out someplace small. Plus, they have croissants, muffins and cookies, so breakfast is going to be great.”
Taylor was shaken out of her reverie at the question. “No, this looks good,” she agreed. “Why did you want to pick out a smaller place? There’s plenty of bigger cafes here.”
Karlie seemed suddenly nervous. “I mean, I hope I’m not being too forward, but I know you’re a songwriter. I’m guessing people are starting to recognise you out in public more often? I thought we’d find somewhere more out of the way, so you won’t be noticed as easily.”
Taylor’s heart warmed at the thoughtful gesture, the butterflies in her stomach starting to take flight again.
“We can find somewhere else if you want,” Karlie hastened to add.
“No,” Taylor said quickly. “No this is perfect, really it is. That’s so nice of you to think of that.”
Karlie smiled, leading them to the far corner of the café, away from prying eyes.
“So, you know who I am then?” Taylor asked.
“Yeah, you’re Taylor Swift. You introduced yourself to me about half an hour ago.”
“No, I mean, you know what I do? Why people recognise me? I know there’s been some… things the media have said about me already that have been a little-.”
Karlie sharply turned on her heel, fixing her with a hard stare. “Yes, I know who you are. I know some people are scared of your success and how genuine you are. I’ve been reading what they say. And I don’t care.”
Unable to help herself, Taylor gripped Karlie in a tight hug, a tension she didn’t know she was carrying in her gut loosening at last.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I was so scared you’d think badly of me before you met me, if I ever found you.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to even if I tried,” Karlie said.
The two separated, and Karlie quickly pulled out a chair for her.
“Do more people recognise you now?” she asked.
“It’s starting to happen more and more,” Taylor admitted. “Sometimes it’s a lot to handle, but when it’s a genuine fan, someone who’s been really touched by what I write, then that’s always worth the time.”
“Yeah, I’ve listened to all your music. I’m not surprised so many people love what you do.” Karlie said, sitting across from her.
“You’ve heard all my songs?” Taylor asked with a smile.
Karlie ducked her head, an embarassed smile playing on her lips. “Maybe once or twice. Maybe twenty times on repeat. I listened to everything as soon as I figured out you were the one from my dreams. You’re very good at what you do.”
“Thank you!” Taylor gushed. “Do you have a favourite?”
“Oh no,” Karlie laughed. “Don’t make me do that! I can’t choose.”
“I’m curious! Tell me.”
Karlie thought for a moment. “Love Story,” she said. “If I had to pick one.”
“Really?” Taylor smiled. “How come?”
“It was the first song of yours I heard. I knew it was you the second I heard you sing. And I got your name and another dream out of it, so,” she shrugged shyly. “I don’t know, that one will always be special to me.”
The smile on Taylor’s face couldn’t be bigger even if she tried. It was incredible, she thought, how the songs she created and released into the world found their way to Karlie, even years before they met.
“So many of them were for you, you know?” Taylor whispered. “I didn’t realise it then, but I think I was writing those songs for you to hear. Some part of me always hoped you were real, ever since I was little.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Taylor nodded. “Actually, writing that song made me dream again as well.”
“Seriously?” Karlie’s lit up. “Which one?”
“You were a florist. I was a-”
“Tattoo artist,” Karlie finished.
“Yeah,” Taylor breathed, amazed. “You had that one too?”
Karlie nodded, “So just to make sure I’m not completely insane, have you been having dreams about us? Like, through different time periods and stuff?”
“Yes! Since I was-”
“Five,” they said in unison.
“Oh my god this is crazy,” Taylor shook her head in wonder. “Completely crazy.”
Karlie leaned forward on her elbows eagerly, attention fixed solely on Taylor.
“Tell me everything.”
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Four scones, two muffins, a shared croissant and a plate of cookies later, the pair were all caught up.
Any doubt Taylor had that this girl was the same Karlie from her dreams disappeared the more they talked. Karlie had experienced the exact same dreams that she had been having for so long. She knew everything that had happened in those dreams, down to the tiniest detail, the smallest piece of dialogue.
She was amazed at how different, and yet how similar their journeys were. The intricacies and serendipity that eventually led to their meeting just hours ago was nothing short of a miracle in Taylor’s eyes.
She made herself a new promise then. No matter what was thrown at her, throughout all the highs and lows she was likely to face, she wanted Karlie in her life. She was ready to fight for that. Nothing was going to separate them again.
Except maybe the museum crowds.
By midday, the museum was packed, even the secluded seats they had chosen ineffective against the countless pairs of eyes.
Taylor had already caught a few curious, suspecting glances her way, had seen the faint glimmer of recognition in some gazes. While she knew their quiet corner and her casual clothes were likely throwing people off track, she knew it wouldn’t last.
It was making her fidgety.
“Hey, you okay?” Karlie frowned in concern. “You look nervous.”
“Yeah, um,” Taylor faltered, anxiety kicking in. She didn’t want to say goodbye to that moment. If it were up to her, she would have breakfast with Karlie for years more. But people were going to notice her sooner or later, and she didn’t want to deal with that, she didn’t want Karlie to have to deal with that. She wanted to leave but she didn’t want to disappoint Karlie and god she was going to have to say goodbye to Karlie again what if she disappeared…
“Hey, woah,” Karlie leaned over to hold her hand, her frown deepening. “Taylor, your heart just started going super fast, I could feel it. What’s wrong?”
Taylor took a deep breath, clutching Karlie’s hand tightly. “I, um, it’s getting pretty busy in here and I’m scared we’ll get noticed, and I don’t want to trouble you with that and I do not want to be caught here in my pyjamas,” she rambled.
“Okay,” Karlie said simply.
“Okay?” Taylor asked hesitantly.
“We can leave if you want to,” Karlie reassured. “I’ve probably eaten too many cookies anyway, and I still need to take my stuff home. I only just got off my flight,” she gestured with a nod down to the suitcase by her feet.
“I don’t want this moment to end,” Taylor whispered. Karlie’s face softened.
“Neither do I,” she said quietly. “I’m still convinced you’re going to disappear when I’m not looking. But there’ll be more moments like this one. A lot more. We have time.”
“We have time,” Taylor echoed, smiling shyly. Thousands of words in the English language, and she had never heard three words that gave her so much hope.
They had time.
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With the help of some fast walking, her hoodie, and a pair of sunglasses Karlie had whipped out from her suitcase, Taylor was able to leave the Met unrecognised.
The pair stood on the sidewalk, each trying to get a taxi home. Taylor still hadn’t let go of Karlie’s hand.
“Here,” Karlie took out her phone. “Can I grab your number?”
“Oh, of course,” Taylor made a new contact in Karlie’s phone. “When can we see each other again?”
“As soon as possible,” Karlie said.
“Tonight?” Taylor asked hopefully. “I’d love to take you to dinner.”
Karlie nodded eagerly, then seemed to stop herself. Taylor frowned as she felt Karlie’s heart skip a few beats, as she watched the taller girl retreat deep into her own head.
“Not tonight,” Karlie said with resignation. “There’s something I need to do first.”
“Oh, okay,” Taylor tried to hide her disappointment.
“Hey believe me, there’s nothing I’d rather do than go to dinner with you tonight. But there’s something I’ve got to take care of and want to get it done as soon as possible.”
“Okay. What about breakfast tomorrow then?”
“Perfect!” Karlie grinned. “I know the best place for it. And I’m friends with the owner so they’ll be able to get us some fairly private seats.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Cool! I’ll text you later?”
“You’d better!” Taylor laughed.
With a honk, a taxi pulled up beside them, closely followed by another. It was time to separate again.
With a sigh, Karlie stepped closer to Taylor. “Promise me you’ll still be real tomorrow?”
Taylor reached out and took Karlie’s hand, placing it over her heart. Such a simple action now carried so much weight, and Karlie understood instantly what she was trying to say. As long as she could feel the heartbeat echoing alongside her own, Taylor was still real.
“I promise,” she said seriously, stepping forward to hug Karlie. “Text me, okay?”
“I will,” Karlie held her tightly, so reluctant to let her go.
The taxi honked again, and Karlie turned enough to send the driver a glare.
“I’d better let you go,” Taylor stepped away. “Thank you for today Karlie.”
“You’re welcome,” Karlie smiled. Taylor knew that if she didn’t walk away now, that addictive, warm-as-sunshine smile wouldn’t let her leave anytime soon.
Taking her time, and keeping her eyes on the other girl for as long as possible, she stepped towards her own taxi, reaching for the door handle before pausing.
Fuck it, she thought.
“Karlie,” she called. The taller girl turned from where she was putting her suitcase in the car in time for Taylor to step into her personal space again.
Coiling herself up on her toes, Taylor pressed a gentle kiss to Karlie’s cheek, before resting their foreheads together.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she laughed, feeling Karlie’s heart rate spike.
“Tomorrow,” Karlie whispered, dazed.
Satisfied, Taylor turned and climbed into her taxi, waving through the window as the car peeled away.
Karlie watched Taylor disappear from sight. Closing her eyes, she brought a hand up to her chest, feeling the singer’s heart beat strong and steadily against her palm.
“Hey miss, are you getting in or what?” the driver snapped.
Rolling her eyes, she climbed into the car. As she drove home to her small apartment, Karlie scrolled through her contacts, eyes resting lovingly on Taylor’s name shining from her phone screen. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.
Taylor was real. Taylor knew she was real. Their entire lives stretched out before them, ready for the taking.
But Karlie hadn’t been lying. There was something she needed to do first.
Heart filled with a newfound determination, Karlie swiped through her contacts, finding who she wanted and hitting the call button. After a few rings, an impatient voice answered the phone.
“Karlie. What is it?”
Karlie took a deep breath. “Josh, we need to talk.”