Young Love

Chapter 10

           
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Kimby exclaimed as she rushed down the stairs to greet her oldest sister who was waiting for them in the kitchen.

"Don't sound too happy to see me," Kristine laughed and gave Kimby a big hug.

"We just didn't expect to see you so soon again," Kariann said as she joined her sisters.

"I wanted to surprise you guys," the oldest Kloss sister shrugged with a look in Mrs. Kloss direction. That one look was enough for Kariann to put two and two together; her mom had told Kristine about Karlie. She had told her about how different Karlie was lately. She had probably told Kristine that Karlie's happiness had something to do with a guy named Ed Sheeran.

"Come here, Karlie," Kristine smiled when she saw her younger sister leaning against the doorframe.

"Hi, it's good to see you again," Karlie replied, still surprised, "Don't you have classes, though?" She wasn't trying to sound unwelcoming but she was caught completely off guard. When her sister had visited for her dad's birthday, it had been so easy to avoid her. There were so many people around. This time it was just them. This time she couldn't use her younger cousins as an excuse. This time she couldn't pretend to be interested in the pictures her aunt Judy was showing her. This time she might actually have to talk to Kristine.

"Don't worry; I'm on a break right now. I had originally planned to spend it with some friends from college but then I thought 'Why not go home and spend time with my family?' and then I decided to come home," Kristine explained.

The sisters continued to exchange the usual pleasantries and funny stories. Karlie tried her best to contribute something to the conversation but what was there to tell? Almost every interesting thing that had happened in her life had something to do with Taylor.

She couldn't tell Kristine that Taylor had written the most beautiful song for her. She couldn't tell her how adorable Taylor had been when she had asked Karlie to be her girlfriend. She couldn't tell her about the overwhelming happiness she had felt when she called Taylor her girlfriend for the first time. She couldn't tell Kristine about the cute expression on Taylor's face when they watched a movie together and the blonde hadn't seen the plot twist coming. She couldn't tell her how great it had felt to come out to Kimby and Kariann moments ago. She couldn't tell her anything about Taylor. Kristine still didn't know.

Karlie felt a pang of sadness in her chest when she realized just how little her older sister knew about her life. They had never had secrets from one another. They had always told each other everything. Karlie felt like she had broken an unspoken pact the moment she had decided not to mention Taylor during their first conversation after Karlie had asked the blonde out. She had created the distance between them. But it was easier for her to pretend like it was all Kristine's fault since she had decided to move away. Deep down Karlie knew that she was to blame, too.

"Earth to Karlie," Kariann waved her hand in front of Karlie's face.

"What?" The brunette asked. She hadn't realized she had completely zoned out of the conversation.

"You okay, Kar?" Kristine asked concern in her voice.

"I'm fine, it's just a slight headache," Karlie lied. "What were we talking about?"

Karlie was grateful when the twins continued to tell a story about one of their classmates who had eaten a peanut during lunch despite the fact that he had a peanut allergy. But she didn't miss any of the concerned looks Kristine was shooting her way. Her older sister definitely knew something was up.

"Guys, I'm gonna lie down for a bit," the brunette excused herself from the kitchen. She needed to breathe for a second. She had not expected to face her sister again this soon. She was not prepared at all.