Tori Kelly: Each Other's Backs

After the third or fourth time, Tori decided to bite the bullet and dial the number. She was one block away from her destination. She leaned against a wall and waited while the phone rang at the other end.

Suddenly, she heard a voice speak "Hello?"

"Hello? Taylor?"

There was a few moments' pause before Taylor replied, "Oh, you're Tori, right? From the showers. I should have a serious grudge against you right now."

"What do you mean?" Tori asked, a little shaken. "What did I do?"

"I was walking into the stall right when your towel fell off, so I caught a view of your ass. And it refuses to leave my head."

"Oh, right... sorry," she said with embarrassment in her voice. "I had no clue you saw that."

"Hey, no need to apologize. I know perfection when I see it. So what's up?"

Tori rolled her eyes, "Thanks. I know at least one cameraman who would agree with you. Anyway, you gave me your number, and I thought I'd say hi."

Taylor let out a chuckle, "Cameraman?"

"Long story. Anyway, what are you up to at the moment?"

"I wanna hear about this. You know where the Sheraton is?"

"Uh... yeah... I have a room booked there."

"Are you close? I'm sitting in the cafeteria.

I can wait for you there."

Tori was rendered somewhat speechless by the information. She wondered how it was possible Taylor was on two occasions somewhere that Tori just so happened to be occupying. That seemed like too much of a coincidence. But Taylor seemed like a cool girl with an alluring presence about her.

After contemplating for a moment, Tori replied, "S-sure. One second."

Her agent had texted her again during the phone call asking where she was in what appeared to be a concerned tone. Tori answered "Heading into the hotel cafeteria" before entering the building.

She found Taylor sitting at a table by one of the windows.

"Hi, have you been here long?" asked Tori.

The room was far less crowded than it was just an hour earlier, what with lunchtime having given way to a mid-afternoon lull. Taylor was seated at a table meant for three people, but being the only person there, she had taken off her shoes and rested her feet upon one of the empty chairs. Tori took the seat across from Taylor, who greeted her with a smile and a toast with the reusable bottle she had with her.

"Not at all. How's your day going?"

"I met up with my friend Ariana after the gym. It was... interesting."

Taylor raised an eyebrow in curiosity, intrigued by the pause in her statement. Rather than dwell on it, however, she moved on.

"You're gonna apologize for the shower thing again, aren't you?"

"I swear, I had no clue anyone had walked into the stall before me."

Tori suddenly turned defensive, but Taylor continued speaking calmly.

"Chill, alright? It was a harmless mistake."

Tori nodded in relief, adding "Well, sounds like you saw a lot of me too."

"What do you mean?"

"You know... before I walked in on you, you saw my butt. And it apparently will not le-"

"Oh yeah, what were you saying about a cameraman?"

"Right, so I was playing this show yesterday, an MTV event, and they put a cameraman directly filming me from behind the whole gig."

Tori then lamented, "He was definitely committed to his job."

"If it bothered you so much, did you tell anyone?"

"I figured something like that would come with doing business with MTV."

Taylor shook her head, visibly let down about something in Tori's statement.

"Tori, listen. You-"

A voice could faintly be heard elsewhere in the room shouting a number, to which Taylor's ears perked up.

"Oh, that's my order. Be right back."

Taylor put her footwear back on and got up from her seat, her full outfit on display for Tori to notice. She wore a leather jacket and pants combo over a T-shirt which had "Soundgarden" written under a design Tori didn't recognize. In an effort to prevent herself from staring at Taylor's leather-clad backside, Tori got up and made some tea. When the two women returned to their table, Taylor got started on her grilled sandwich with a side of chips.

Tori sipped her tea and remarked "You were saying?"

Taylor nodded. After swallowing the first bite of her sandwich, she continued "You need to assert yourself."

"You make it sound easy," Tori commented in a tone of voice seldom heard without being accompanied by an eye roll.

She pointed at Taylor's shirt and wondered aloud, "Can't imagine they had this problem."

Taylor put down her sandwich and leaned forward, sensing that Tori couldn't think of some other way to reply.

"You know what?" said Taylor. "They didn't. They didn't take shit from anyone. And neither should you. If you don't want that kind of attention, you can just say so."

Tori took another sip of her tea while she processed what Taylor said. Her mouth then stretched pensively to one side.

"I take it you don't compromise too often."

Taylor put her hand in the air with the palm facing down and waved a bit.

"I'm in a band, so I kinda have to. It's more like I know when I shouldn't."

Tori was intrigued by Taylor's attitude, thinking to herself how the genre of music she was playing tended not to appreciate or encourage the challenging.

"I see, I see," Tori muttered.

Taylor offered Tori one of her potato chips, which Tori politely declined. As Tori took another sip of her tea, another question entered her mind.

"Taylor, can I ask you something?"

Taylor told her "Shoot."

"Do you hand your number to most girls you meet in gym showers?"

Taylor giggled, almost dropping a potato chip in the process.

"No, but that would make for more fun weekends."

Tori let out a "Ha!" in response to Taylor's answer. Then her expression changed as she quickly thought about the implications of what she said, flashing back to Ariana making advances on her earlier that day. Taylor couldn't help but take note of it. After a quick drink from her bottle, Taylor moved to the chair next to Tori.

"So if I can ask you something, are you sure you called me just to say 'hi'?"

Tori had to take a moment to think of an answer, unsure where it would lead. But she was enjoying Taylor's company; she had such a different energy to the people she usually met in her travels.

"I'm not sure. Something told me we should hang out again."

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving something out? It's fine if you don't want to say. I just, y'know, I get a hunch sometimes."

Tori smiled, "I can't put my finger on it. I just had a good feeling about you."

Taylor's expression turned pensive. It seemed odd to her that Tori wouldn't have some other reason for hanging out with her considering the first time they met was when they were completely naked. Taylor gave Tori her phone number on the assumption that, after the shower incident, Tori would never want to see Taylor again.

Tori's smile remained in place, but her eyes gave a look of "Did I really just say that out loud?"

The two women sat in silence as Taylor finished her meal. Then Taylor invited Tori to follow her. Despite Tori's reservations, Taylor had an intangible magnetic charm that made following her seem like an easy choice. Tori asked where they were going.

"My room," Taylor answered. "I'm having some friends over shortly."

Tori was put at ease. It seemed like Taylor had a simple group hangout in mind, rather than what she had initially expected. Taylor led the way to an elevator. There was no one else waiting for one at the moment.

"So," Tori inquired, "what floor are you staying in?"

"The fifth. I wouldn't mind taking the stairs, but I'd rather not put you through that."

Tori replied playfully, "No, no, let's do that! I'll race you!"

"I meant I don't want you to get hurt going up five flights while lifting..."

As Taylor trailed off, she pointed an index finger at Tori's front and then at her back. That led to the first full out loud laugh Tori had all day, in spite of her efforts to restrain it. After regaining her composure, Tori pointed to their shoes and insisted she'd have a better shot. The elevator opened not two seconds later. Taylor let Tori walk in first, then Taylor went in and pressed the button for her floor.

Taylor had taken a moment to get a peek at Tori's backside, just to remind herself of the shape and size that she saw in the nude at the gym showers. When the doors closed, Tori glanced over at Taylor, who flashed a smile back at her. Taylor's smile was genuine and disarming; Tori couldn't help being drawn to her more and more.

When Tori smiled back, Taylor remarked, "You know, my friends aren't supposed to show up for, like, ten minutes."

Tori started to feel concerned, but then Taylor added, "I have some gin I've been saving for them if you want a sip."

Tori wasn't a big drinker, but thought nothing of sharing a drink with a new friend.

"Sure," she responded.

The elevator opened on Taylor's floor. Taylor once again let Tori go first. Once they both made their way inside Taylor's hotel room, Tori was invited to make herself at home. Taylor took off her leather jacket and put it in the closet. She looked like an imposing figure with it on, but without it, Tori was reminded of the svelte, statuesque figure she saw in the nude at the gym showers. Both women took off their shoes, neither of them able to resist letting out a small sigh of relief upon doing so. Tori then allowed herself a moment to properly examine the room. Taylor only had one bag with her, and she'd put that at the foot of the bed. The hotel room was otherwise fairly standard.

"So what are you doing in town?" Tori asked.

"I have some time between tour stops," remarked Taylor as she approached the mini fridge.

Taylor took out a bottle of gin and two glasses from a nearby tray. She poured herself some gin, then passed Tori the bottle along with a glass.

"Where's the rest of your band?" inquired Tori.

"The promoter offered to take us around town and do whatever we wanted, but I had to do some media, so I missed out."

Taylor laughed and added, "They're probably coming back with three or four new guitars."

A smirk appeared on Tori's lips. She poured her drink and handed the bottle back to Taylor, who after putting the bottle away took a seat on the bed next to Tori.

"Well, Taylor," Tori commented, "for what it's worth, I'm glad to be killing time with you."

She then took a sip from her drink. Taylor did the same. A question then began to leave Taylor's lips that caused Tori's expression to turn mortified.

"Hey, um... you don't have to say if you don't want to, but in the locker room at the gym, I heard this moan coming from the showers. Would you know anything about that?"

Tori's face became slightly red. She said nothing and instead took another sip from her drink. Taylor addressed her with as much understanding as she could offer.

"If that was you, I'm not gonna judge or tell on you. I promise you that."

Tori remained silent as she tried to process her thoughts. Ultimately, she stammered out a reply.

"You saw my friend... she was there with me... she put out a certain type of energy in the room and it was hard to shake off... what can I say?"

Taylor looked at Tori sternly. She wasn't angry, but she could definitely see there was something Tori wasn't telling her.

"Tori... you can lie to yourself, but not to me. Now, if you're going to tell me what happened, please be honest."

"Okay, okay, fine. I was trying to get off in the shower."

Tori spoke with her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. A few moments of quiet passed before Taylor asked a follow-up question.

"You were thinking about the camera on your ass, weren't you?"

"Y-yeah, that's a... a new one for me. I was so mad about it at first, but the longer he stayed there, the more I was getting into it."

Taylor took another drink and continued, "So to a degree, you do like it when people see you from the back. But your friend got the wrong idea. That's why you called me."

Since Tori didn't drink regularly, it didn't take much for her to get a little more outspoken.

She stood up in front of Taylor, facing away from her, and spoke, "It's not like I shove it in people's faces. But since you let me walk ahead of you earlier, tell me, what's so special about it?"

Taylor stood up and gently took Tori's glass out of her hand, believing Tori needed to have this conversation sober.

"Sit back down and I'll tell you."

Tori let go of her glass, moved back toward the bed, and sat down.

Looking at Taylor's eyes, she said "Okay, tell me."

Taylor placed the glasses on the nightstand and then addressed Tori, making direct eye contact with her.

"Tori, I want you to know that I mean what I'm about to say as a compliment. Alright?"

"Alright, but that's a pretty ominous thing to say," Tori chuckled nervously.

Taylor nodded, then pressed her palms together.

"Tori, you have what might be the most perfectly-shaped ass I have ever seen. And I have a friend who used to be in porn, so that's saying something."

Tori was unsure how to react. She could sense that Taylor was being genuine, but Tori never thought of her own body in that way.

"Uh, th-thanks... that's... high praise... is this your way of saying I should be capitalizing on it?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," clarified Taylor. "Having looked up your stuff after the gym, I can tell you have a lot going for you aside from that."

"Thank you," Tori smiled. "That means a lot. Wasn't sure if it would be your cup of tea."

Taylor put her arm around Tori and replied, "Not a problem. It's the least I could do knowing my stuff definitely isn't yours."

Before Tori could ask what she meant, there was a knock on the door. Taylor excitedly figured her friends had arrived. She went to open the door and was greeted with a big hug from a tall, svelte brunette girl clad head to toe in leather.

"Hey, long time no see!"

"Great to see you too, Lzzy."

Another woman entered the room, a comparatively shorter blonde woman carrying a paper bag.

"Hey, Taylor, how have you been?" she asked, forming a group hug.

"Not too bad, just passing the time. How about you, Maria?"

Maria would've answered if her attention wasn't immediately drawn to Taylor's guest.

"Who's your friend?"

Taylor introduced Tori and said that she was also a singer. Tori stood by Taylor's side, a warm smile on her face with which to greet Lzzy and Maria. After introductions were concluded, Lzzy turned to Taylor to confirm their plans for the evening.

"Probably just watching TV or something," Taylor shrugged. "Say, Maria, what's in the bag?"

Maria answered, "Everything you asked for... and more."

The last two words were accompanied with a wink. Tori put on her poker face to avoid giving the impression of being intrigued, in case they formed any ideas involving her.

Taylor turned to Tori and asked "Would you like to join us for a little game?"

Tori paused, hesitant. She looked at Maria and Lzzy, then again at Taylor, hoping to God that Taylor had her back. As if Taylor hadn't just given Tori glowing praise for it.

"What kind of game?" Tori finally inquired.

"Ever play Truth or Dare?"

"Of course."

"Well, it's a bit of a twist on that. We call it 'Truth or Strip'."

Maria and Lzzy smiled as Taylor explained the rules. On a player's turn, she had to answer a question honestly (Truth) or remove an item of clothing if she declined (Strip). Maria reached into her bag and showed Tori a stack of cards with questions on them. Just then, Taylor had a realization, excusing herself as she took Tori aside.

Taylor spoke quietly and somewhat apologetically to her, "If this is reminding you too much of whatever Ariana did, you can say so."

Appreciating the gesture, Tori responded that it would be fine as long as everyone kept their hands to themselves. Taylor gave Tori a friendly nod, then returned to where she had stood a few moments earlier and asked who would be going first. To put Tori further at ease, Taylor volunteered to go first. Everyone took a seat on the floor except Tori, who sat on the bed. Taylor reached into the bag and pulled out a card.

"Oh, almost forgot," Taylor exclaimed. "Tori, while you're up there, could you please bring over the gin?"

"Sure."

Tori brought the bottle over to Taylor. Taylor asked Maria if she brought cups, which Maria confirmed by retrieving two plastic cups from inside her bag.

"So," Taylor explained, "we also have this rule where if you don't want to answer a question or strip, you can take a shot. But you can only use it a couple of times."

With the rules clear, Tori rested her room key on the nightstand. Taylor reclaimed the first card and read it to Lzzy. A small snicker escaped Taylor's lips as she asked Lzzy whether she liked sex soft and slow or hard and fast. Tori let out a barely audible gasp. Lzzy smirked as she pondered the question, ultimately choosing hard and fast.

Taylor responded, "Yeah, not surprised."

Taylor then put the bag in the middle of the circle the three women on the floor had formed. Maria drew a card from it and read it to Tori.

"Alright, I think I know the answer already, but do you like being nibbled on or lightly bitten?"

Tori quietly groaned and asked Maria if all the prompts were sexual.

"Most of them are," Maria responded.

Taylor and Lzzy nodded in confirmation. Maria added that Tori could take three drinks before she had to start stripping.

"I think I'll take that first drink," Tori answered.

Taylor poured her a shot in a cup and handed it to her, which Tori slammed back with determination. Then it was Tori's turn to read a card. Taylor picked one from the bag and giggled at the prompt before giving the card to Tori.

"Is there something you've seen in a steamy movie that you'd like to try?" Tori read out loud to Maria.

Maria couldn't think of an answer. Not immediately, at least. Lzzy chimed in and joked that whatever Maria tried, Taylor would probably copy it.

"Hey now," Taylor laughed. "Ouch."

Tori meanwhile gave a look of being completely lost from whatever the inside joke they were having. She just smiled and nodded along, feeling the alcohol taking more of an effect. Lzzy then took a card out of the bag and asked Taylor the next question.

"What's the highest number of orgasms you've had in a day?"

Lzzy leaned toward Taylor in anticipation of her response. Taylor simply smiled and removed her shirt. Despite being straight, Tori couldn't help but stare at Taylor's toned stomach, her sensual grin, and her black bra, which covered her breasts of moderate size but excellent shape.

Taylor then reached into the bag and pulled out another card. Tori meanwhile was still somewhat mesmerized by the sight of a shirtless Taylor.

"Have you ever taken nudes?"

Tori emphatically said no. The game went on like that for another twenty minutes. In the time that had passed, Taylor and Lzzy were now topless, although Lzzy had managed to keep her pants. Taylor was sitting topless in her black thong, Maria was still in her bra, and Tori still had her clothes on but was faintly tipsy. Lzzy asked to read a card to Tori. Her request was granted.

"Do you prefer giving or receiving oral sex?" Lzzy asked, knowing Tori had used her last save in the previous round.

Tori gave a worried look to Taylor. It became clear Tori was getting a bit uncomfortable.

"Easy, Tori," Taylor assured her. "It's just a game."

"If you want to stop, we can end the game here," Maria added.

Tori said nothing. She instead fell face first onto the floor. In the midst of the shock, Lzzy's drink spilled onto Tori's pants.

"Shit! Is she ok?" Lzzy asked.

Tori's soft giggling put everyone a little at ease. Taylor bent down to help her up. Despite Tori's comparatively short size, she was still heavy enough to require two people to lift onto the bed.