Page 23 of Anyone But Her

"I know, honey, but it's still nice that Luke can come along. You two haven't seen each other for months."

It's because we've both been too busy, and because I didn't want to come here and run into Taylor. But since Taylor's off at college I agreed to Cal's invite, and now, oddly enough, I'm going to end up seeing Taylor even though she's not here.

"You should go change for dinner," Barb says to Cal. "Luke, let me show you to your room."

I follow her inside and upstairs to the guest room, which is twice as big as my room at Albert's house. And the bathroom is huge, with a large walk-in shower.

The house is more like a mansion, like one of those dream homes you see on TV. I wonder if I'll have a house like this someday. If I hit it big in golf, it's possible.

When Lou gets home we all go to dinner. I'm still in awe of Lou and his golf career so whenever I see him I get a little nervous. But then we get to talking and I start to relax and get comfortable around him again.

After dinner I ask when we're leaving for California. I assumed we'd be driving but Lou said it would take too long so we're flying instead. I offered to pay for my ticket, even though I don't have the money and would have to charge it, but Lou told me my ticket is already taken care of. He and his wife are really generous. They always have been. They're great people.

We fly out on Thursday morning. It's a short flight and when we arrive, we head to the nearest golf course. We golf most of Thursday and Friday, then drive to the town where Taylor's going to college.

I'm nervous about meeting Taylor but I shouldn't be. Even if she turned out to be really great I could never date her. She's Cal's sister. She probably wouldn't even be interested in me. In fact, she's probably already dating someone else. She's beautiful, athletic, smart. I'm sure she has guys lining up to go out with her.

I need to relax. I'm making this into a bigger deal than it should be. I'll just go there and meet her, we'll play some golf, then I'll move on with my life. I'll find some other girl, one who isn't related to Cal, and she'll be the one consuming my thoughts instead of Taylor.

On Saturday morning we arrive at the college. Taylor texts her mom that she'll be out in a minute so we all wait outside her dorm. Some girls walk by and smile at me so I smile back. One of them keeps her eyes on me as she walks. I break eye contact with her and look back at Cal.

"How long do you think she'll be?" I ask.

"A few minutes, maybe? Who knows? Girls are never on time." He grins. "So you thinking of asking her out?"

Shit! Cal knows I like his sister? Why hasn't he said anything before now? And why is he saying it in front of his parents?

"No! Of course not."

He gives me a confused look. "Um, yeah, okay. Why are you getting all mad about it?"

"Because I'd never go out with her. I don't know why you think I would."

He steps closer and lowers his voice so his parents won't hear. "Well, for one, that chick was basically eye-fucking you as she walked by. And two, she's hotter than hell."

I relax. He's talking about that girl who was looking at me, not Taylor.

"I'm only here for the day. It's not worth asking her out."

"If you talked to her you might find out she lives near you. Maybe she's from San Diego or LA. If so, you could see her when she's home from college."

"That's too much work. I'm not dating someone long-distance."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. That would suck."

"Okay, I'm ready." I hear her voice and look up and see Taylor walking toward us. Holy shit. She's even more beautiful in person. More beautiful than when I saw her on TV all those years ago. More beautiful than the photos I've seen of her online. She's not even wearing makeup, or if she is, it's subtle. She has natural beauty. Gorgeous skin. Bright blue eyes. And that amazing smile.

"Hey, sis." Cal gives her a hug as I stand there, staring at her. I need to get myself together. I can't act stupid in front of her. I need to get over my nerves and act confident. Girls like confidence.

Cal lets her go and Taylor notices me next to him. She doesn't say anything and neither do I.

Cal breaks the awkward silence. "I forgot you guys have never met." He turns to me. "How have I been friends with you all this time and you've never met my sister?"

"I don't know." I smile at Taylor and offer her my hand. "Hi, I'm Luke."

"Taylor." She smiles back and shakes my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." I should look away but I can't. She's so damn beautiful. Her shiny long blond hair is in a loose braid that hangs over her shoulder. She's wearing a sleeveless shirt, causing my eyes to wander over her exposed skin which is tan from the sun. Her arms are lean and toned. You can tell she's an athlete, although I read she had a knee injury a while back that slowed down her training. She's healed enough now that she can be on the college team.

I know way too much about this girl. All these years I've told myself to stop searching for her online but then I kept finding myself doing it. I wanted to know more about her. I couldn't get her out of my head.

And now here I am, standing in front of the girl I've had a secret crush on for years. And I have no idea what to do next.

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