Brooklyn - Taylor Swift

Part 39

The Lake House bore witness to the aftermath of a wild New Year's Eve party. Glitter, an inexplicable interloper, adorned the floor like a glistening confetti carpet, and I couldn't fathom its origin. Yet, gold sparkles clung to my skin, hinting that I was complicit in this glitzy mess. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say the dynamic duo, things one and two, or perhaps Cara, played a role in the glitter mayhem. It is just the sort of thing those numbnuts would do sober, so once a few drinks are in them, I have no doubt they would do it.

With a bin bag in one hand, I attempted to scrape the wax off the floor, another mysterious party souvenir. There weren't any candles around last night because, unlike the twins, I'm not stupid and didn't want the house to burn down. So, where the wax came from is even more of a mystery to me than the glitter.

Empty bottles and scattered Polaroid photos lay strewn around, each one capturing the smiles of last night's revellers, making me smile at the memories when I spot one that has Tay grinning like the Cheshire Cat in it. Tay being happy is worth so much more than me getting up and cleaning the living room.

A voice interrupted my cleaning efforts, making me jump slightly, not expecting her to be up for at least another hour. I have learnt my lesson the hard way that nothing wakes Taylor up in the mornings before she is ready to be woken up. "What are you doing? Do you know some partygoers are only just leaving? I spotted three girls in the lobby stumbling, and Auggie was their knight in shining armour as they all left, the girls with their high heels in their hands," a familiar voice asked.

"I'm tidying up," I replied, pausing to examine a snapshot of our gang before it slipped from my hand and into the little pile I had started. "Auggie better be escorting them to the bed-and-breakfast, not our guest house. If he is, he's in charge of sterilising it afterwards," I wince at the thoughts of what the four of them are about to get up to.

"Why?" Tay inquired while offering her assistance; her curiosity mingled with her playful nature. She laughed as she tossed a Polaroid of us onto the pile. "Because I don't want to subject some unfortunate soul to cleaning up after Auggie's... ahem... sexual escapades. I mean, there isn't enough money in the world to pay that poor person. And there is no way in hell I am cleaning that up. If he's in the guest house, I might just burn it down and get it rebuilt. Yeah, that's the best option," I explained, eliciting a chuckle from Tay as she continued to help with the cleanup.

"Why are you cleaning, though? And where did all this glitter come from? Why are we both covered in it?" Tay probed, prompting me to shrug as I wiped glitter from her cheek. "Well, someone has to restore order in this chaos, right? As for the glitter mystery, I'm as puzzled as you. I don't remember being that drunk last night, yet the glitter seems to defy logic. My guess? One of the wonder twins, or Cara, discovered a leftover glitter cannon from the 'Glitter' music video and fired it when we returned from the lake, stupidly forgetting one of us would have to clean it this morning. Guess I'm the unlucky sod," I teased while surveying the room. It was certainly looking better than an hour ago, but cleanliness was still a distant dream.

"And why not hire a cleaning crew for this?" Tay inquired, passing me some empty bottles to add to the bin bag. "We don't let strangers clean our messes here. Everywhere else, fine. But this is our home, so we are responsible for cleaning it," I explained, reflecting on an unspoken rule instilled over time. The Lake House, our haven, was our responsibility when it came to tidying up after a party. Sure, we have a housekeeper, but that is more for upkeep when we're not here, not for cleaning up after one of our ragers.

"Most people spend New Year's Day cuddled in bed with their amazing girlfriend," Tay teased as she began organising the scattered photos on the living room table. "Well, I'm not most people. You should know this by now, love," I quipped as I continued to tidy.