Anyone But Her

by Everhart, Allie

  "End of August, but it doesn't matter because I'm staying here. I transferred, remember?"

  He looks at her. "What are you talking about?"

  "Taylor didn't tell you?"

  "Tell me what?" He sits up straight.

  "I'm going to Arizona State in the fall. I transferred so I could live at home and save money, although now the whole living at home thing is sounding less appealing. I won't have any privacy living with my parents."

  "I didn't tell you she was staying here?" Taylor says to Cal.

  "No." He lays back on the lounger. "You didn't mention it."

  "Don't worry," Birdie says. "It's a big school. I'm sure we'll never see each other."

  "Except for your swim lessons," Cal says. "Actually, it'll probably take more than a few weeks to teach you. I'm sure you suck."

  "Asshole," she mutters, a slight smile on her face.

  I could be wrong but I think those two are flirting. Either that or they're just being civil to each other for once.

  We spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool. Birdie and Taylor talk, Cal sleeps, and I keep checking for messages on my phone for updates either from Lou or my dad. I'm worried my dad will do something like tell the media something to make me look bad or get me in trouble. He'll do anything for money, even sell out his own son.

  Around four Birdie gets up. "I need to head home."

  "Are you sure?" Taylor says. "We could all go out for dinner."

  "I can't. I have a date tonight. I have to go get ready."

  Taylor gets up and hands Birdie her sundress. "You have a date and you're just telling me this now? Who's the guy?"

  I glance over at Cal who is now very awake, watching Birdie put on her dress and listening to her conversation with Taylor.

  "It's that guy who came in the coffee shop yesterday. I told you about him."

  "The bodybuilder guy?"

  "Yeah. He works at a bank during the day. Lifting weights is more of a hobby. He said he just does it to stay in shape. But you should see his body. It's amazing."

  "Those guys all do steroids," Cal says. "It's not natural."

  "That's not true," Taylor says. "Guys can get big muscles without steroids. Look at Luke." She smiles at me, a sexy smile she can finally do in front of Cal now that he knows the truth about us.

  I smile back at her. "Thanks."

  Cal hitches his thumb at me. "He's a mutant. Most guys don't look like that just from lifting weights."

  "Maybe you should try going to the gym now and then to find out," Birdie says.

  I chuckle. "She's right. You might want to hit the gym more than once a month."

  "Once a month?" Cal smacks my arm. "I go five times a week, asshole, sometimes six. Some weeks I work out more than you."

  "See you guys later!" Birdie waves as she leaves. Taylor follows her into the house.

  When they're inside I look over at Cal. "So how long have you liked Birdie?"

  He huffs. "I don't like Birdie. What the hell you talking about? I'm dating Alecia."

  "But you like Birdie, and I get the feeling you've liked her for a long time."

  "I don't like her. I can't stand her. She drives me crazy. Always has."

  I nod, smiling. "Okay."

  He rolls his eyes. "I'm not even going to waste time continuing this conversation. I don't like Birdie. End of story."

  "She looked pretty hot in that bikini," I say, just to see his reaction.

  He hits my shoulder. "What the hell? You can't say that shit! You're dating my sister!"

  "Shut up!" I glance back at the house. "Your mom's in the kitchen. She could've heard us."

  "Yeah, sorry," he mumbles.

  "You need to pretend Taylor and I are just friends, especially around your parents."

  "Yeah, got it." He lowers his voice. "I'm still pissed at you, by the way."

  "I know. And the offer still stands. If you want to take a swing at me, go for it."

  "I'm not gonna hit you. As much as I don't like it that you're with her, she does seem happier than I've ever seen her."

  "Really?" I smile at that.

  "Yeah. She's been like that for months. I couldn't figure it out, but now that I know the truth I'm guessing it's because of you." He looks at me. "You better treat her well or I swear I'll kick your ass."

  "I love her. I'm not going to hurt her."

  He sighs. "I can't believe you're in love with my—"

  "Cal," I say, stopping him as his mom comes out on the patio.

  "I don't feel like cooking tonight," Barb says, "so we're going out."

  "Sounds good," Cal says. "What time?"

  "In a few minutes. Your dad wants to go early. Luke, you're welcome to join us."

  "Thanks, but I think I'll stay here."

  "Are you sure? We'd love to have you come along."

  "Maybe some other time, but thanks."

  She goes back inside.

  Cal gets up. "I gotta go change. See ya later."

  I go back to the guest house and check my messages but still don't have any.

  "Hey." It's Taylor. She's at my door, changed into shorts and a t-shirt, her hair wet from the shower.

  I go up to her. "I thought you were at dinner."

  "I told them I didn't want to go. They just left."

  "So we have some time before they get home?"

  "Yeah." She smiles and puts her arms around my neck. "And since we didn't get to do anything last night I thought maybe we could do it now. Maybe it would take your mind off things. Help you relax." She kisses me.

  "It would definitely help me relax." I bring her to the couch and set her on my lap.

  She turns and straddles me. We kiss and my hands go to her backside, pulling her against me. I seriously can't get enough of this girl. I don't know what I'm going to do when she goes back to school and we can't be together every day.

  "I love you," I say as I softly kiss her neck, then up to her lips.

  "Luke, I—"

  Taylor jumps off me at the sound of his voice. I remain on the couch, too shocked to move.

  Lou is standing at the door. He didn't knock. He just came in.

  "Dad, it's not his—"

  "Taylor, get out!" Lou orders. His eyes are dark, aimed right at me, looking like he's about to kill me.

  Taylor runs up to him. "Dad, it isn't Luke's fault. It's mine. I know you told us not to but—"

  "I said get out!" he yells. "Now!"

  She looks back at me and I nod, agreeing she should go. This is between Lou and me. He had one rule and I didn't follow it. And now I have to deal with the consequences.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Luke

  "How DARE you go after my daughter!" Lou yells in a voice so loud I'm sure the neighbors heard.

  I stand up. "I'm sorry. I really am."

  He walks up to me. "I gave you one rule. One fucking rule! The only condition for you living here. And you couldn't follow it. You went behind my back and did the one thing I asked you not to do."

  "I know, and I understand what you have to do and why you're doing it, but just let me say this. I love your daughter. I have for a long time. When you told me to stay away from her, I tried. I really did. But I couldn't. Taylor couldn't either. She felt the same way about me as I felt about her and things just happened."

  "Don't you try and blame this on my daughter! This was you! All you! You could've told Taylor to stay away. Told her you weren't interested. Told her you wanted someone else. If you'd done that, this never would've happened."

  "I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't lie to her, knowing how she felt about me and how I felt about her. She means everything to me. Mr. Tuckerman, I know you don't want to hear this, but I really do love her. I love Taylor more than anything in this world."

  He points to the door. "Get out of my house."

  "Can't we at least talk about this? I know you're angry but if we could just sit down and talk then maybe—"

  "There's noth
ing to talk about. I made a rule and you broke it. You broke my trust. I've done everything I can to help you and this is the thanks I get."

  That hurts. It really does. Lou has become like a father to me and I feel horrible that he feels like I did this to harm him or betray him.

  "I'm really sorry," I say.

  "Sorry isn't good enough. I want you out of this house. And I don't want you calling my daughter or having any kind of contact with her."

  "I'm sorry but I can't do that. I respect your opinion but I'm not breaking up with Taylor. I love her."

  "I don't care if you love her. Do you really think I want my daughter with a boy who lies and goes behind my back and disrespects my rules while living under my roof?"

  He's right. I did all those things but that doesn't mean I'll stop seeing Taylor. I can't give her up. I love her too much. But I do need to leave.

  "Can I have a few minutes to pack?" I ask.

  "You have five minutes."

  He goes outside, slamming the door behind him.

  I check my phone and see a string of texts from Taylor.

  Are you okay?

  Is he kicking you out?

  Don't leave. Let me talk to him first.

  You're not texting back. Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?

  I'm getting scared. Text me back!

  I text her. I'm fine. But I have to leave. I'm packing my stuff.

  Luke, no, she texts back. Let me talk to him. I'll calm him down.

  It won't work, I text. He's too mad.

  But this isn't fair. It wasn't just you. It was me too.

  He had one rule and I broke it. I have to go.

  Where will you go?

  I don't know yet. I'll figure something out.

  I don't like this, Luke. I don't want you out on the streets. Just let me talk to my dad. Maybe he'll change his mind.

  He won't. He doesn't even want me talking to you anymore. He wants me to break up with you.

  She doesn't text back. I hurry and toss my clothes into my duffle bag, then gather the few personal items I have, including the yellow golf ball from Taylor. I love her so much. There's no way I could ever let her go.

  "Dad, stop it!" I hear Taylor say from outside my door. "This is ridiculous! You're being completely unreasonable! Even Cal didn't react this way."

  "Your brother knows?" Lou says, with anger in his voice.

  Great, now Cal is going to get in trouble too. I've really made a mess here. It's for the best that I'm leaving. I never should've stayed here.

  "You can't kick him out," Taylor says. "He has no money. He has nowhere to go."

  "He should've thought of that before breaking my one and only rule."

  "It was a stupid rule to begin with. Why can't I date Luke? You like him. Mom likes him. Cal likes him. Wouldn't you rather have me date him than some guy you don't know?"

  "He's Cal's friend and like a member of the family. It's not right for you to go out with him. You knew that from the beginning, Taylor."

  "If he's like a member of the family, then why would you kick him out on the streets? Especially now, when he's got all this stuff going on with his dad? He's so stressed about that he couldn't even golf today. And he'll be even more stressed if you kick him out. He won't be able to golf. So you'll make him homeless and ruin his golf career."

  "He's an adult, Taylor, and he made these decisions on his own. He knew the consequences. Now go back in the house."

  My bag is packed and I open the door and see Taylor standing next to her dad.

  "I'll walk you out," Lou says to me.

  "Dad, no!" Taylor has tears running down her face. I have to look away. It breaks my heart to see her cry.

  I did this. I caused it. I should've been more careful. I should've locked the door so her dad couldn't have walked in on us. I shouldn't have been doing things with her here at the house, knowing how risky it was. I got lazy. I let my love and desire for her take over when my brain was telling me to be more careful. Now, because I was careless, I have to leave, and Taylor is crying and sad and upset. I really fucked this up.

  "I'm sorry," I whisper to Taylor as I go past her with her dad following behind me.

  I can hear her crying as I walk around the pool to the patio door. I go inside and see Cal and Barb standing in the kitchen. Why are they all here? I thought they were going to dinner.

  As if Cal read my mind, he says, "We came back because Mom really wanted you to go with us."

  "I'll be having a talk with you later," Lou says to Cal as he pushes me to keep walking.

  When we reach the front door, Lou opens it and the two of us go out to my car.

  "It's too bad things had to end like this," he says as I toss my duffle bag in the trunk. "Good luck with everything."

  That's it? He's just sending me off? He's done helping me? He won't even help me find a lawyer?

  I shouldn't be surprised. He doesn't trust me anymore. Doesn't want me around. Doesn't want to ever see me again. I broke his rule under his own roof. Why would he want to help me?

  Driving off, I try to figure out where to go. There's no one else I could stay with. Cal's my only friend in town. I could stay at a hotel but that'll use up my money fast.

  I have to get a job, something that pays well. Maybe I could do construction. I could work early in the morning, be done early afternoon, and still have time for golf.

  Taylor calls as I'm driving.

  "Hey," I answer, pulling into a parking lot. I don't want to waste gas driving around when I don't know where I'm going.

  "I can't believe he did this. I'm so sorry, Luke."

  "It's okay. We knew it would happen if he found out."

  "Cal's calling his friends. He might know someone you could stay with for a few days or maybe a few weeks if you can afford to help with the rent."

  "I'll definitely help with the rent. I'll just take it from my golf money."

  "Luke, you can't do that. You need to keep playing. You're so close to making it big."

  "Yeah, but right now I have other things to worry about. Tell Cal I appreciate his help but that I need something cheap. A lot of his friends are rich so they probably have nice apartments. I can't afford anything too expensive."

  "Yeah, I'll tell him. So what about us? When can I see you?"

  "I don't know. Your dad will probably follow you everywhere you go."

  "It doesn't matter now. You don't live here anymore. I can do what I want."

  "You don't want him punishing you too."

  "He won't. You got the punishment for both of us."

  "I'll take it. I deserve it. I was being disrespectful, not doing what he asked. He warned me what would happen if I even flirted with you and I did a lot more than that."

  "But so did I. He acts like I didn't have a part in this. That's why it's so unfair. We both did this. It wasn't just you."

  "Did he say anything to you after I left?"

  "No, but he's still really angry. And now he's fighting with my mom."

  "Why?"

  "Because she's taking our side. She said my dad shouldn't have kicked you out."

  "She did?"

  "Yeah. She said you and I are adults and if we want to be together, we should be able to. My mom really likes you, Luke. She always has. She was actually happy to find out we were dating."

  "What about Cal? Is he taking your dad's side?"

  "He's staying neutral. Not really saying much."

  I sigh and rub my jaw. "I don't know what to do, where to go."

  "It's almost dinner time. Why don't you go get something to eat?"

  "I'm not hungry. I feel sick. I'm so stressed."

  "Then go to the golf course. Any golf course. Doesn't matter which one."

  "Why?" I ask, knowing the answer but wanting to see why she suggested it.

  "Because it's the place you love. It's the place that makes you feel better. Calms you down."

  "How did you know that?"

  "Bec
ause I know you. And I remember you saying that when you were a kid and your parents were fighting, you'd close your eyes and pretend you were at the golf course."

  I'm surprised she remembered that. I told her that last spring on one of our late night phone calls. I love that she remembers stuff like that. That she listens, and cares.

  "I love you, Taylor. I love you so much."

  "I love you too." She pauses. "So what are you going to do? You have nowhere to stay tonight."

  "I'll figure that out later. For now I'm gonna do like you said and go find a golf course. I need to calm down and think about what to do next. Can I call you later? On second thought you should probably call me, when your dad's not around to listen in."

  "I will. And Luke?"

  "Yeah?"

  "This isn't your fault. It isn't your fault that we fell in love and just happened to end up living in the same house. I should've told my dad I had feelings for you when you moved in. Maybe he would've been okay with it if we hadn't lied."

  "I doubt it. He still sees you as his little girl. He doesn't want to imagine you with a guy. Any guy. It's a dad thing. I get it."

  "If Cal can get over it, my dad can too. It'll just take time. I'll let you go, but I'll call you later. I promise."

  "Okay, bye."

  I do a search on my phone for the nearest public golf course. It's not that far away. I drive there and park, and just seeing the green grass makes me start to relax.

  Nobody stops me when I go through the place where you pay and out to the fairway so I continue walking until I reach a quiet spot along the edge of the course. I sit there on the grass, feeling the cool blades on the back of my legs, breathing in the fresh air, and suddenly I'm back to being a kid again. Back to being on the golf course with Albert.

  Looking over at the first tee I notice a boy around thirteen playing golf with an older man, probably his grandfather. The man is helping the boy line up his shot, just like Albert used to do with me. I smile, thinking back to those times and how proud I felt when I hit my first shot all the way down the fairway. Albert rewarded me with ice cream afterwards. I couldn't stop smiling. Then I got home and got yelled at by my dad for forgetting to mow the lawn. He made me do it that night in the dark but I didn't care. I was still happy about getting my ball down the fairway in one shot.