The Soldier's Girl (Under Editing)

Chapter 6

CAROLINE'S POV

I was awake but still in bed. I didn't want to get up if Taylor wasn't up so I just laid there. I had made it through night number one with no bad dreams and I was proud of myself. Every time my dad was gone I got nightmares, even the time when I was really small. The worst was at my last foster home, I'd get them every single night, dreams of being on a battlefield of some foreign country watching my dad being tortured. I would always wake up out of breath or crying.

I got up and went to the window. We were on the top two floors of this building and you could see the whole city. I watched out the window until I heard noises in the kitchen downstairs. I thought that that must be Taylor, so I went downstairs. I found her with her back towards me, cooking on the stove, she was wearing yellow pajama pants and a t-shirt. When she heard me walking in she turned around and her makeup-less face lit up. Her hair was going in all different directions but she still looked cute. I smiled back at her and sat at her kitchen table.

"Hey girl." She said greeting me. She started talking about everything she had planned to do today. We'd go shopping and then in the late afternoon we'd go to her parents house for supper.

"Is that okay?" She asked after saying the thing about her parents. I nodded. I didn't know why it wouldn't be okay, she was the only person I knew so I was obviously going to do whatever she did. She sat down next to me and handed me a fork and a plate of French toast. She told me that her parents names were Scott and Andrea and that they didn't live too far from here, she said that they were really nice and meeting them would be great. I wasn't too worried, although there was a knot in my stomach that had been there since my dad left.

"Are you alright?" She asked me, at first I didn't know why she asked that then I realized I hadn't said a word this whole time. I guess I was just listening.

"Yeah." I said, reassuring her, but when I said it my voice was hoarse because I hadn't said anything since last night. I tried to laugh it off to let her know I was alright and said yeah again.

"Are you sure? We could just stay here today if you don't feel up to doing anything." She told me concernedly. I knew she was asking this because she thought I was upset about my dad. And I was upset about him leaving, but think I was up to do things today.

"No, I'm fine." I told her again. I could already tell that Taylor was the kind of person that really cared about other peoples feelings, I liked that about her. I had already gotten that weightless feeling in my stomach lots of times when I was around Taylor because I would remind myself that she is a huge celebrity and I admired her a lot. Taylor was also already a lot more motherly than my last foster mom ever was, I liked it, it made me feel like I was an important priority in her life.

"Do you like this?" Taylor asked holding up a nice shirt that afternoon. We had been at the mall for an hour and a half already. Taylor and I had gone to many stores, there was lots to look at.

"Yeah, that would look good on you." I replied.

"No! For you!" She said smiling. I was soon in a dressing room trying it on. I came out and modeled it for her and we decided to get it. At the counter I pulled some wadded up money out of my pocket but Taylor stopped and said that she'd pay. As we walked out of the store a girl that looked about my age stopped us and asked Taylor for a picture.

They stood there talking for a good five minutes. This happened a number of other times already while we had been here. None of the fans seemed surprised to see me, some even knew me by name. Evidently Taylor had already somehow told them about me. Taylor and the girl hugged one last time and then we were out of there. I checked the time on my phone and it was 3:30.

"Let's go to one more store then we can go home and get ready to leave." She told me as we walked through the mall. A bodyguard of Taylor's that honestly intimidated my walked in front of us, making way for us to walk. The mall was packed today and there was people everywhere. I walked close to Taylor so I wouldn't get separated from her. When we really had to get trough a crowd I grabbed her arm so I didn't get left behind.

We had to go up the escalator to get to the store she wanted to go to. It was upstairs in the far corner, it was a lot less crowded in that part. Her heels clicked on the hard floor as we walked side by side toward the corner store.

When we finally reached the store there was nobody else shopping in it. It was filled with wooden decorations and little knick knacks that reminded me of Taylor. Her apartment was full of stuff like this. Everything in the store looked kind of rustic and whimsical.

The whole place was so quiet that she talked I me in a whisper. We wander around the store until we got to the back where the picture frames were. Taylor picked a couple up and examines them without taking a glance at their prices and I stood to the side. She picked up a blue frame that was medium sized and looked at it for a long time.

"Do you like this?" She asked me, running her finger along the edge.

"Yeah." I replied.

"I was thinking that we should decorate your room." She said looking back at me. Soon we had picked out lots of frames and decorations that would match some of the stuff I already had. And just for a minute, I forgot that my dad was gone, I forgot about how Taylor was my foster mom. I let it all slip my mind while we were shopping, I lost myself in it and I felt like there was nothing dragging me down.

TAYLOR'S POV

Caroline's eyes lit up while in that old store. I got the same feeling I got yesterday at lunch, I just wanted to hug her. Except this time I actually did. I wrapped my arms around her and she wrapped hers around me. Her head was pressed against the spot where it fit perfectly and I could feel her smiling.

When we pulled away we grabbed our things and payed. We walked through the store with our bags and when we got back to my car we put them in the trunk. It was a nice feeling walking outside and there being no paparazzi. That was only a luxury I got in Nashville, everywhere else I was always followed by them.

Back at my apartment I was getting ready to go to my parents house. I reapplied lipstick in front of my bedroom mirror when Caroline came and stood outside the door, she was already ready.

"You can come in Care." I said. She hesitated a little before coming in and shyly sitting on the side of my bed. It occurred to me that she had never been in my room before now. She sat and watched me put my makeup on. I was excited for her to meet my parents, I new that they would love her as much as I do.