Calming the storm {Kaylor}

C3: business meeting

Her Saturday didn't go according to expectations. Where Karlie had expected to sleep in, get a workout done and maybe update her schedule for the next week, Josh woke her at 8AM sharp. 

Still a little sleepy, she asked, "Uhh, what are you doing? I told you I wanted to sleep in.." Without a lot of sympathy, he barked back, "yeah, no, we have a family meeting. Remember that Swift speech a few days back? Yeah, Jared said it's doing a lot of damage to our family. We need to strategise some damage control, and you need to be there too. So up, up, go get dressed, we need to leave at 8.30."

Jesus, chill, she thought to herself. And why she needed to be there was still a mystery to her. Karlie knew for a fact that the Kushner family didn't approve of her, even after all this time. When she was discussed, the men condescendingly addressed her as "the lingerie model", and Jared had repeatedly called her "not that smart".

When she and Josh got together, he was rebelling against his family and not very involved. Recently, that had all changed. She felt Joshua being swallowed by the family pressure, unable to get out of appointments and responsibilities. 

And where he was very liberal at first, aligning with Kloss' values, he was becoming more and more of a radical conservative, in the line of Jared's in-laws - being the current president's family.

It only added to the pressures of their marriage. And Karlie didn't feel like putting in the effort anymore. She was annoyed at the Kushners, and uninterested in Joshua. Her mind was with someone else, still wondering when she should contact Lily for Tay's information.

Joshua's words brought her back to where she was, still in bed, but 10 minutes had passed. He found himself becoming angry, and practically shouted at Karlie: "Hey, why aren't you getting ready? Come on, this is no time to get lazy!" With those words, he made it known that he didn't know his wife at all. Karlie was a lot of things, but she wasn't lazy. The words made her furious. 

But as it was still early, Karlie didn't have time or energy to argue with her husband. Not right now, she would bring it up to him later. She gave Josh a flat look and went upstairs to the bathroom.

Because Klossy had a plan. It was all slowly coming together in her head. She had found the perfect solution to most of her problems, and with that she killed two birds with one stone. Reconnect with Taylor, rebel against her in-laws. Content with her plan, she made her way to the shower, smirking. She had a quick shower and decided to dress for the occasion: She wanted to feel confident and strong going into the meeting. She wore her favourite black top.

They had a silent car ride going into the meeting, leaving behind even the friendly companionship the pair had earlier in their marriage. It was clear their relationship was coming to an end, if it even had a beginning to start with. Unable to form a lasting conversation, and not even appreciating efforts the other made. Karlie had done her best to look powerful, and she looked really good, if she said so herself. Joshua hadn't even glanced at her for longer than a second or 3, before stepping into the car. They found little moments of happiness sporadically, but they were becoming so rare. Karlie couldn't think to a recent, really happy moment that the pair shared, just the two of them. The contrast couldn't be bigger, thinking about a certain other someone. There, the happy moments were plentiful and sincere. Even yesterday, though their time together was cut short because of the photoshoot, felt so good in comparison to the interactions within the Kushner-Kloss marriage. It made Karlie sad in a way, but she didn't lose hope for a better future. She had the power to change her own course. And that's exactly what she set out to do.