UNSOLVED

16

"So, I was gonna tell you something ..." Karlie started when she came back from the salad bar and placed her bowl on the table. She sat down and took her fork but didn't start eating.

From across the table Taylor was looking at her with an expectant gaze. She mindlessly twirled her pasta around her fork as she was waiting for Karlie to continue. They were at a restaurant two subway stations away from the Blaze office, but Karlie had insisted they meet there and try the lunch buffet.

Karlie took a sip of her smoothie before she spoke. She cleared her throat. "I came out to my sisters."

Taylor's jaw dropped, but she quickly caught herself. She put her fork down. "I'm so happy for you! How did it go?"

Karlie laughed. "It went well. They weren't that surprised."

"Seriously?" Taylor laughed too.

"Well, my older sister Kristine kind of was, but even she said she found it odd that I had never brought a guy home before. Had to explain to her that my 'best friend' from high school, who practically lived with us she was at our house so much, was my girlfriend at the time. I can't believe none of my family ever caught on to it." She giggled.

Taylor's eyes went wide, not having heard that story before.

"But yeah, the twins said they already knew. So that was that." Karlie laughed again.

Taylor smiled at her and reached for her hand across the table. She squeezed it gently. "How are you feeling now?"

"I feel great. I wish I could've told them in person, but I couldn't wait until I see them again, I don't even know when that will be, I'm not going home for the 4th of July. So yeah." Karlie smiled back at Taylor, though it didn't escape Taylor how she nervously glanced around them since she had taken her hand.

She put her hand back in her lap. "What about your parents?"

Karlie looked down at the table and gulped. "I didn't tell them yet ..."

"That's alright, Karlie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you" Taylor said hastily, leaning forward.

Karlie gave her a sad smile. "Yeah ..."

"Hey, you made a lot of progress Karlie, and I'm so proud of you. It will all come in time." Taylor wanted to take Karlie's hand again but decided against it, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Thank you."

They smiled at each other and kept eating. Taylor didn't know if the conversation was over, but she also didn't want to intrude. She desperately wanted to know if Karlie had told her sisters about her or if they had asked about her. However, there was no way to really ask.

Being around Karlie had become increasingly difficult for her. They were friends and Taylor enjoyed every minute she spent with Karlie – it had become a lot of minutes, actually. They saw each other constantly, going to lunch or for coffee, hanging out at each other's houses or going outside, and had filmed another collaboration video. Being around Karlie was something Taylor was looking forward to and it was always the most exciting part of her day. But there was also the tension, all the unspoken words between them. Taylor was giving Karlie time to figure herself out. But that didn't mean she wasn't longing to be with Karlie romantically. She wondered if Karlie felt the same or if she was content with their situation.

"I saw that video someone posted of you on Twitter" Karlie said suddenly and grinned.

Taylor, who had been lost in her thoughts, perked up. "What? Oh. Yeah. Everyone seems to have seen it ..."

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed. It was awesome. I had no idea you used to perform in front of an audience. You should do that again here in NYC, there's plenty of bars always looking for new acts."

Karlie smiled. "Have you been writing songs recently?"

Oh, all the songs about how gorgeous you are and how much I want to be with you?

"Yeah, I have ... I don't know", Taylor tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. She shrugged.

"I'd love to hear them one day!"

I'd rather die.

"Sure!"

They finished their lunch and lined up at the buffet again for dessert. Digging into their chocolate cake, Karlie dropped another news bomb on Taylor.

"I applied to take college classes."

Taylor's eyes went wide. "Really? That's awesome! You've been talking about that!"

Karlie smiled. "Yeah. I think I'll take introductory classes for programming, starting in the fall semester. Just one or two at a time, I need to take it slow because I've been out of school for a while." She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "But I hope I'll get in. I'm super excited. I need a breath of fresh air."

Taylor nodded along. She felt excited for Karlie, who seemed to be taking steps into several new directions.

"My women in STEAM series has been getting so much positive feedback that I feel confident that I can explore my interests in those fields more."

"That's amazing. I'm so proud of you!"

Karlie smiled at her shyly. "Thank you. You've been a great inspiration to me, Taylor. You just live your life and you're so unapologetically you. I want to be more like you." She blushed.

Taylor sat still in shock. "Me?"

Karlie wanted to be more like her? Taylor had spent the last two or so years admiring absolutely everything about Karlie – her work, her success, her personality – and this very same Karlie said she wanted to be more like her? She needed a second to process this.

"I ... wow. I feel very honored that you think so." She looked at Karlie, and their eyes met.

"I mean it. You moved to the Big Apple all by yourself to start your life over, and you've just been doing whatever you want and what interests you. That's super cool."

This time it was Taylor's turn to blush and feel shy. "Thank you." This was the second time within a few weeks that someone had described her as 'cool'. She didn't want to get used to it, but it did feel pretty good.

They finished their dessert and went outside. The sky was overcast, and it was hot and humid. Taylor couldn't wait to be back in her air-conditioned office. They hugged good-bye for a long moment, then took the subway in different directions. Taylor spent the rest of the day replaying their conversation over and over again in her head.