Cowboy Like Me.

Chapter 20

Karlie's pov; 

I arrived at Josh's around six pm. I used the key I still had to open the door and make my way into the apartment. Josh was waiting for me at the lounge entrance, and he smiled at me before he stepped out of the way so I could enter the room. 

'You look amazing, Kar,' he greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, 'Taylor is a lucky woman; I'm probably going to have to watch my back,' he joked though it sounded a little uncomfortable. 

I understood why he was acting awkward; I, too, felt a tad nervous about tonight. It would be the first time we attended an event together where I was in a relationship with someone who would also be there tonight. And well Taylor didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to controlling her jealousy over Josh and me. Tonight would really be a big test for all three of us. 

'Well, let's be thankful that there's no sand tonight,' I joked back, also feeling out of place. God, tonight was going to be torture. 

'Should we go?' Josh asked after a few minutes of silence in which we both just awkwardly looked around the room. 

I nodded. 'Yes, this is, um, a bit strange?' I said, but it came out as more of a question than a statement. 

Josh chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. 'I mean, it was always bound to be a little weird. We haven't been broken up long, but now you're with someone else, and not just anyone, it's Taylor flipping Swift,' he laughed again, 'and I'm your beard. We're going to this event together and your girlfriend-?' He posed it as a question and I nodded with a bit of blush, 'will be there too and we both know she definitely isn't a fan of me. So yes, it's going to be a peculiar evening all round, but I think we can pull it off,' he shot me a reassuring smile 

I smiled back at him before I hooked my arm through one of his. 'Tay knows this dinner is important to me too so she won't do anything that will get any of us in trouble,' I assured him before I added, 'However, I can't say the same about Lou, but I'm glad that you managed to get him a seat at our table so I can keep an eye on him. He can be unpredictable at times, but he listens to me…  well, most of the time.'

 I let go of his arm and walked towards the front door; Josh followed my lead and once we were outside, we made our way to the car. Josh's driver opened the door and we both thanked him before we got inside.  

Josh looked over at me after he'd finished putting on his seatbelt. 'I'm just going to assume that these boy band people that you're now associating with aren't at all like they show them on the television,' he said, sounding rather pompous. 

I rolled my eyes at him as I straightened my dress. 'Actually no, they're exactly the same. They're fun, chaotic, sweet, loyal and supportive. They've very quickly become some of the best friends I've ever had… apart from Liam. We don't talk about Liam,' I told him a bit defensively. 

Josh nodded but he seemed skeptical. 'I just never thought you would willingly surround yourself with people so-' he seemed to struggle for the right word for a few seconds, ' I don't know, um, wild, I guess. They just don't seem like the type of people that you would enjoy being around. You're a lot more mature than people your own age, Karlie, which was why you fitted in so well with me and my friends. Taylor, I can understand, she comes across as very intelligent, and she's a skilled businesswoman, but I don't get the same energy from those boys,' he finished as he looked at me with an expression that told me he wanted me to explain it to him. 

I took a few moments to think about his words before I decided to be truthful with him. 'I never showed you that side of me because I knew it wouldn't fit with your lifestyle. I never realised it until recently but I changed myself to be what I thought you wanted. I was so grateful to you for saving me, and I wanted to please you and your family. Only it didn't work, did it? Because they still hated me and you still put your work before me,' I told him, causing him to frown, 'with Taylor and our friends, I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not. We're all very aware that we're still young and still trying to navigate the world and adulthood while also having the added pressure of being celebrities. It's difficult and confusing, and we're going to mess up on more than one occasion but when we do, we're there to support each other. It's hard to explain but they're more like family these days; it feels like we've already been through so much together and I couldn't imagine not having them in my life,' I said earnestly, meaning every single word.