Clean

Chapter 7

"Oh, you're one to judge, Karlie! Look around, you ran away from everything and everyone without a word, too. You're no better than me."

That silenced Karlie. She knew that Taylor was right. She couldn't judge her. Not when she was doing the exact same thing. "I'm sorry, Taylor. I shouldn't have said that. We made a deal not to hold that against each other. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Kar. Your family knows where you are, right?"

"My mom kinda does." Karlie nodded her head, "I told her that I'm in California when she called. I'm just constantly thinking about them worrying about me. And what if they have talked to Josh for some reason and already know about the breakup?"

"You have to talk to them. There's no other way."

"Is it weird that I'm actually scared of that conversation?" Karlie asked.

"No, it'll be one of the toughest talks you ever had but it'll be worth it. I think that you'll feel better afterwards."

"But I have to do it in person," Karlie trailed off.

"You have to do it in person," Taylor agreed.

"I don't want to leave," Karlie whined. She knew that her girlfriend wasn't doing well. She was worried about the things she might do while the model was gone. She couldn't just leave her alone.

"This conversation has come full circle," Taylor tried to lighten the mood a little. When she saw that Karlie still didn't feel any better she said, "You can start with Lily if you want. You can call her up and tell her everything. She won't mind you doing this over the phone and maybe you'll feel a little better."

"Can we do that together?" Karlie asked, sounding unsure.

Taylor nodded her head, "Of course."

"Can we do it today?"

"Yes, but we have to get home first," Taylor replied with a smile on her face. They had a big evening ahead.

---

"Who thought that painting the kitchen blue was a good idea to begin with?" Taylor asked as she put the shopping bags on the kitchen counter. Their conversation had taken a much lighter turn.

"I'd say the person you bought this place from is a save guess," Karlie replied with a laugh.

"Smartass," Taylor countered as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Karlie exclaimed. "Rude."

"Boo-hoo," Taylor laughed.

"Anyway it's only a light shade of blue and may I remind you that you are the one who decided to rent a place with a blue kitchen?"

"I get your point," Taylor surrendered.

"I think we'll have to paint the kitchen twice to get it completely white," Karlie observed as she stared at the kitchen ceiling.

"That's what I thought, too," Taylor agreed as she looked around the kitchen. She couldn't wait to finally get started.

"Why don't we paint the ceiling yellow?" Karlie asked still looking up at the bare wood above her.

"Yellow?"

"Yes, a light shade of course. It would make the place a little brighter. You said yourself that you wanted the kitchen to look brighter when you showed me around, remember?"

"You remember that?" Taylor asked her eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course I do," Karlie smiled. It was obvious to Taylor that the other girl had no idea how much something as simple as Karlie remembering some comment she had made about the kitchen meant to her. It showed Taylor once again how much Karlie cared.