Anyone but Her

by Erica Lee

  Charlie’s smile widened to the point that it almost seemed fake, and she looked past me to raise an eyebrow at her brother. “Hear that, Jamie? Your girlfriend doesn’t seem to think you’re much of a gentleman.”

  Jamie simply chuckled and reached back into the car to grab my hand. “Oh, she’s just messing around. She knows I’m a big softie at heart. Right, sweetheart?”

  I tried my best to smile lovingly over at him. “Total softie. You should see him when we watch—” Before I could finish my sentence, Jamie gave my hand a strong squeeze, as a warning that I needed to shut up. “Just kidding. He’s my big macho man. Aren’t you, boo boo?” I joked, attempting to imitate every annoyingly affectionate straight girl I had ever met.

  Jamie shook his head playfully, then let go of my hand so he could get out our luggage. I took this opportunity to get out of the car and stretch my legs, which were killing me from being cramped during the car ride. When I stood back up after bending down at the waist to reach for my toes, I noticed that Charlie was staring at me. Great. She was probably trying to size me up and figure out if I was good enough for her brother, which I’m sure I was failing at.

  “Shall we go meet the ’rents?” Jamie asked, as he awkwardly tried to carry all of our luggage.

  I smiled. “Of course. But let me help you with the bags, babe. Everyone already knows you’re a tough guy. No need to prove it.”

  Jamie let me take my bags without putting up a fight, and the three of us headed toward the house. As soon as we entered the doorway, we were greeted by a hallway filled with pictures of Jamie and Charlie. Jamie in his football uniform. Charlie in her cheerleading outfit. Charlie leaned up against Jamie, both wearing their respective uniforms. Jamie in a suit and tie, standing behind some girl, both in a typical prom pose. Charlie in a knee-length dress, with what looked like a homecoming crown adorning her head.

  Before I could take in the rest of the pictures, a voice came booming into the hallway. “Is that my MVP?” A man walked around the corner with a wide grin on his face. He was close to the same height and build as Jamie, but his hair and eyes were much darker. Completely ignoring Charlie and me, he pointed one finger at Jamie. “Fourth and fifteen!”

  To my surprise, Jamie dropped his bags and pointed back. “Ball on the 45 yard line. Three seconds left on the clock.”

  “Buckstown, down by five. James Miller gets the snap.”

  “Looks right—no one is open. Looks left—no one is open.”

  “Dodges a defender, only to have another defender grab him by the legs. Breaks himself free. Looks down the field. Does he dare?”

  “Oh, he dares.” Jamie’s eyes became tense with these words. Meanwhile, my eyes ping-ponged back and forth between the two of them, watching in horror as the scene played out in front of me.

  “Miller makes his way down the field. He crosses the fifty. He’s at the forty, the thirty, the twenty. He…could…go…all…the…”

  “WAY!” Jamie shouted, doing some weird sort of combination between a chest bump and hug with his dad. I looked for Charlie, curious to see how she was reacting to this, but she was no longer in the hallway.

  Just then, a short, somewhat stout, blonde woman walked into the hallway, shaking her head. “Can’t you two tone it down a bit?” Shrugging her shoulders, she added, “Boys will be boys, I guess.”

  Jamie took this opportunity to drop back and stand next to me, taking my hand in his and leaning in close, as if he was about to place a kiss on my cheek. Instead, he whispered a barely audible apology into my ear. It took everything in me not to burst into laughter. This was already too much to handle.

  The blonde woman smiled at our interlocked fingers, then reached her hand out toward me. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, dear. We were afraid it was never going to happen.” Her tone was pleasant, but I didn’t miss the bite behind her words.

  I cleared my throat in order to give myself a moment to think. “Of course. I’m very sorry it has taken so long. Family is so important to Jamie and me, and we wanted to make sure that we were at the point where we were ready to truly commit to each other, before we introduced each other to our families.”

  A wide smile spread across Jamie’s face in response to my words, and I could tell he was thanking the gods above that his best friend was such a good bullshitter. His mom’s face softened a bit with my words as well. “That’s nice to hear. Although, I must admit that I don’t like the thought of you two sharing a bed until you are truly committed to each other either.” She looked down at my hand, as if she was searching for something. “And I still don’t see a ring there.” She looked back up at me and lifted both eyebrows. This woman was relentless. I was quickly realizing why Jamie was so worried about coming out.

  “Oh, Mrs. Miller, you don’t need to worry about that. The thought of sharing a bed with your son honestly makes me sick. We each have our own bedroom at our apartment. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I squeezed Jamie’s hand and he smirked at me in a way that told me he was trying not to laugh.

  Mrs. Miller’s face lit up and she reached out to grab my hand, shaking her head slightly. “I need to apologize to you. I misjudged you. I think you will make an excellent addition to this family once my son finally gets up the nerve to ask.” She released my hand and chuckled. “I’m also relieved. I thought it was going to be a fight when I told you that you were sharing a room with Charlotte while you’re here.”

  Charlotte? As in Charlie? As in Jamie’s bombshell of a twin sister?

  “What?” Jamie and I responded at the same time.

  “Yeah. What?” a third voice piped in, as Charlie walked into the hallway.

  I looked over at Charlie, hoping that she had somehow become less attractive in the five minutes since I had seen her last, so maybe sharing a room wouldn’t be such sweet torture. I had no such luck though and realized that she was even more attractive than I had previously noticed. Great. “I wouldn’t want to impose,” I answered, trying to think on my feet. “Five weeks is a long time to make Charlie share her room, especially when she just got back home. I’d be happy to sleep on the couch.”

  Mrs. Miller laughed way too loudly at my suggestion. “That’s just silly. I’m not making our guest sleep on the couch. Charlotte would be happy to share her room with you. Wouldn’t you, Charlotte?”

  Charlie visibly cringed at her mother’s words, although I wasn’t sure if she was cringing at the fact that she might be forced to share a room with me or that her mom insisted on referring to her as Charlotte when she clearly preferred Charlie. “I’m more than happy to share,” she answered a bit too enthusiastically, leading me to believe that it was a lie. “But I’m also fine with sleeping on the couch, so Reagan can have her own space.”

  “Or I could sleep on the couch,” Jamie suggested. “I am the man here. The women should be comfortable.”

  Mrs. Miller waved her hand at us. “Don’t be silly. Nobody is sleeping on the couch. Plus, I figured you girls would enjoy sharing a room. It will give you the chance to get to know each other. After all, it’s only a matter of time before you’re sisters-in-law.”

  “You’re right, Mom. That’s a great idea,” Charlie conceded.

  Mrs. Miller clapped her hands together. “Perfect. Charlotte, show Reagan up to your room and, James, for the love of God, please carry Reagan’s bags. I thought I taught you to be a gentleman.”

  Before I could argue, Jamie grabbed my bags out of my hands, leaving his own sitting in the hallway. We followed Charlie up the stairs then down the hallway, to the farthest bedroom. As soon as we were inside, Jamie dropped my bags onto the floor. “I’m going to go grab my stuff. Will you be okay if I leave you for a few minutes?”

  I didn’t have a chance to respond, because Charlie stepped up beside me and placed an arm over my shoulder. This simple contact sent a shiver down my spine that I was hoping she didn’t notice. “She’ll be fine. Mom was right. I need to bond with my future sis.” I tried
my best not to grimace at her words. The type of bonding I wanted to do with this girl was anything but sisterly.

  Once Jamie left the room, Charlie let her arm drop, and I used this opportunity to slip away from her and take a look around the room. The walls were a blush pink color, which matched the flowers on the mattress of her queen-sized bed. A large bookshelf stretched most of the length of one wall and was filled with a mixture of textbooks and cheerleading trophies.

  “So, how long have you been dating my brother?” I jumped at the sound of Charlie’s voice behind me.

  I froze for a moment, realizing that Jamie and I hadn’t talked about the “story” behind our relationship. I decided it was probably for the best to be as honest as possible, to assure that I didn’t confuse anything. “I met Jamie during our freshman year at NYU. We had a gen-ed math class together.” I thought about the timeline that Jamie had told me and quickly added, “We were friends for a while though. We didn’t officially start dating until our junior year.”

  A smile bloomed across Charlie’s face. “Making him wait. I like that.” And I like that smile. I mentally slapped myself for having these thoughts. Chill out, Reagan.

  Our conversation was cut short by Mrs. Miller calling for us to come down to the kitchen. When we got to the stairs, a small white-haired woman who looked to be well over eighty was slowly making her way down. “Let me help you, Nana,” Charlie suggested, while reaching out to take her arm.

  The old woman swatted her away. “I’m not dead yet. I can walk myself.”

  Charlie quickly let go, then turned back to smirk at me. She lifted one eyebrow, and I started to wonder if everything she did was ridiculously sexy.

  After an excruciatingly slow walk to the kitchen behind Nana, Jamie came up beside me and placed one hand on the small of my back. “Nana, this is my girlfriend, Reagan. Reagan, this is Nana.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you.” I reached my hand out, but instead of taking it, Nana looked me up and down, then back toward Jamie.

  “Huh,” she muttered. “I thought you made her up.”

  Jamie initially tensed up at her words, but once everyone else in the room started to laugh, I felt him relax again. The laughter was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

  “Charlotte, could you get that? It should be Mary Beth.”

  “Mary Beth? Why is she coming?” Charlie asked, without budging.

  Mrs. Miller turned and gave her a pointed look. “Because I invited her. I saw her at the store today, and she was surprised to hear that both you and your brother were home. She’s a family friend. I thought she was one of your best friends.”

  Charlie looked over at Jamie and then back at her mom. “I mean, sure she is. But I just think it’s awkward that you would invite Jamie’s ex-girlfriend over on the first night that Reagan is here.”

  “Calm down,” Mrs. Miller laughed. “That was high school.”

  Before Charlie could say anything else, a voice yelled in from the hallway, “Knock knock. Anyone home?”

  “In the kitchen, Mary Beth,” Mrs. Miller yelled, before giving her daughter a look that said she was unhappy their guest had to let herself in.

  Within a few seconds, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair, tight muscles, and a deep tan entered the room. She was pretty, if you were into that sort of look. I noticed how she gave me a once over before turning her attention to the rest of the room. “It’s so nice to see all of you,” she spoke sweetly. Her eyes landed on Charlie, leading me to believe that she was trying to avoid eye contact with Jamie. Wow. Time to move on, sweetheart. You’re barking up the wrong tree.

  Within a few minutes, we were all seated at the dinner table, Mary Beth placing herself right between Jamie and Charlie. We made small talk, and the dinner seemed to be going well until the topic of careers came up.

  “So, what do you do, Reagan?” Mrs. Miller asked.

  “Oh, I am in charge of advertising for a nonprofit. I work from home, which is why I was lucky enough to be able to come along on this trip.” I smiled, satisfied with my answer and happy that I had found a way not to mention that the nonprofit was an LGBTQ organization.

  “That’s a nice pastime,” Mrs. Miller answered nonchalantly. “I’m glad to hear that you don’t have a real job. That way, when you two finally get married and start a family, you can be a stay-at-home mom. That’s the most important job in the world, you know?”

  I could feel my face turning red with embarrassment over the fact that she had so easily blown off what I do for a living. While I contemplated how to respond, I reached out and squeezed Jamie’s knee, hoping he would say something in my defense. Instead, it was Charlie who spoke up. “It is a real job, Mom. Advertising is what keeps companies running these days. Between the internet and social media, I’m sure it’s far from easy. Personally, I find it really cool that Reagan is able to do that from home.” She smiled at me, then added a wink that made my whole body react.

  “I second what Charlie said. It’s super cool,” Jamie finally added. Thanks, dude.

  As I gave them both an appreciative nod, I noticed that Mary Beth was no longer smiling. “Working on the farm means that I work from home too,” she said, trying to sound chipper, but failing. Instead, her voice was laced with jealousy. It took everything in me not to stand up and scream, he’s gay! Move on!”

  Luckily, her little jealous outburst took the attention off of me. Mr. Miller’s face lit up at the mention of her farm, and he spoke for one of the first times since I had arrived. “How is the farm doing? You guys still have a bunch of chickens?” I took a deep breath, as the conversation drifted to farm life, and away from me.

  Once dinner was over, I offered to help with the dishes, but was relieved when Mrs. Miller refused to let me. I excused myself and motioned for Jamie to follow me to the back porch. Once outside, I plopped into a chair that faced a lake located at the edge of their property. I let my head drop back and let out a long breath. After a few beats, I finally looked over at Jamie, who had sat down beside me. “So, your family is… nice.”

  Jamie laughed lightly and shook his head at me. “You don’t have to lie, you know. I get it. They’re a lot. I promise you they mean well. They just see things backwards.”

  “Your sister is nice at least, and Nana seems cool.”

  Instead of looking at me, Jamie stared out across the yard. “Yeah, Nana is a hoot. The jury is still out on Charlie. I do adore her, but we’ve never been super close. She tries way too hard to impress my parents.”

  “Says the guy who brought home his fake girlfriend and does a choreographed touchdown dance to say hello.” I lifted one eyebrow in an attempt to keep my words light-hearted.

  Jamie sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You make a good point. Sorry about that by the way.”

  “You don’t have to apologize. I’m just saying. Your sister didn’t even hesitate to stick up for me in there, and she barely even knows me. Maybe you should give her more of a chance.”

  Jamie smiled slightly, while reaching over to take my hand in his. “You don’t have to do this. It’s only going to get worse from here. My family is really into doing separate male and female activities. That means you’ll be spending a lot more time with my mom. I could take you back home and tell them you died.”

  I chuckled at his words. “As much as I’d love to hear what your mother would have to say at my funeral, I’ll stick it out. We’re in this together.” I knew I’d made the right decision when Jamie’s body relaxed. “With that being said, this was a lot for Day One, so I think I’m going to head to bed early if that’s okay.”

  Jamie simply nodded, and I stood to head inside. Before opening the door, I turned back around. “By the way, that ex of yours is something.”

  Jamie rubbed a hand over his forehead again and tilted his head slightly to the side. “Do you think she…?”

  “Still wants to be with you?” I finished. “Absolutely.”

  “That’s what I was af
raid of,” Jamie groaned.

  I simply laughed in response, because what else could I do? This was going to be a very interesting five weeks.

  Chapter 2: Charlie

  Of course. Of freaking course. These were the words that kept repeating in my head as I helped my mother with the dishes. Of course Jamie’s girlfriend was gorgeous. I’m not sure why I expected anything different. He had the perfect life in the perfect city with the perfect job. Why wouldn’t he also have the perfect girlfriend? Part of me had the same thoughts as my Nana. I half-believed that my brother had made up his long-term relationship. Why else would he have waited six years to bring her home? I thought she might at least have a hair out of place or not know how to speak to parents, but neither of those were true. She even handled my mother beautifully, never once slipping up, no matter what she threw at her. And that bit about not sharing a room with my brother? Well, I call bullshit on that. Unless she was some perfect, holier than thou church girl, there was no way that was true. I knew for a fact my brother was a virgin when he left for college, but I had trouble believing he had made it over halfway through his twenties without ever getting it in, especially when he was dating a girl that looked like Reagan.

  Either way, I was now stuck sharing a room with her. She seemed to be cool and someone I could get along with, but that only made things worse. I never knew I had a type until I looked over into my brother’s car, and my eyes locked with Reagan Cooper. In addition to sharing at least 50% of our DNA, Jamie and I also seemed to share the same taste in women.

  Don’t get me wrong. The whole gay thing wasn’t some big epiphany that occurred when I saw Reagan’s face. It had started to click that I was probably gay during my senior year in high school. I confirmed that when I kissed a girl just a few days after graduation. Since then, I had been with a plethora of women. Okay, that may be an exaggeration. I seriously dated one girl during college and had hooked up with a handful of other girls. None of them looked alike though. Some were tall. Some were short. Some were feminine. Some were butch. Some had dark hair, while others had light hair. I was starting to believe I didn’t really even notice physical appearance, but I had noticed Reagan. How could I not? That long brown hair that became more caramel near the bottom, had the perfect loose curls that begged to be touched. Those big, deep, dark brown eyes looked like they had countless stories to tell. And that smile. I could think of a few things that mouth could do that I might enjoy more than the smile, but it was still perfect.