Page 69 of Anyone But Her

"Okay, this is gonna sound strange but just go with me here."

"What is it?"

"When I was a kid and Albert got me interested in golf, we'd sit at his house and watch all the tournaments. My dad would get mad if I watched them at home so I'd go to Albert's house. One day, when I was around ten, Albert and I were watching a tournament and after it ended the sportscaster was interviewing your dad. He wasn't in the tournament. He was just commenting on it. You and Cal were standing behind him. When I saw you I couldn't take my eyes off you. I thought you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen."

"Wait. So you're saying you've liked me since I was nine?"

I smile. "Not really. I thought you were pretty but at that age I had no interest in girls. My focus was on golf, and only golf. That's why I couldn't understand why my mind kept going back to you. I'd lie awake at night, imagining my golf ball sinking in the hole, dreaming of going pro someday, and then all of a sudden, my thoughts would be interrupted by a picture of this girl with blond braids and bright blue eyes standing behind her dad as he talked on TV. It was annoying but part of me also liked it, because for some reason, the girl made me smile."

"Are you sure it was me?"

"Yes. Albert confirmed it."

"You asked Albert about me?"

"I asked him who you were."

"And what did he say?"

"He said you're Tuckerman's daughter. He said your name and I said, 'like the golf clubs' and Albert laughed."

"But then later, you must've forgot about me, right?"

"No. Never. In fact, whenever Albert and I would watch a tournament I'd search the crowd to see if you were there."

"Did you ever see me?"

"Not on TV but I was hoping to see you at golf camp when I was 15."

"Golf camp? But I didn't go to a co-ed camp. I—" She stops, like she suddenly realized what I meant. "The one Cal went to. That's when he met you. When he got home he talked about you but I tuned him out. So did we see each other?"

"No. I got there late. Cal said you guys had just left."

She bursts upright in her chair. "That was you!"

"Me? What are you talking about?

"There was this guy, a really cute guy. Birdie and I were talking in the parking lot when this car drove past. There was this really hot guy in the passenger seat. Birdie was talking but I didn't even hear what she said. I was too busy staring at the guy."

"It couldn't have been me. Cal said you guys had already left."

"But when did he tell you that?"

"When I was checking in."

"That was later, after we left. When you first got to camp we were still there."

"And you're sure it was me?"

"Positive. I just never put it together. I can't believe you were that guy! You have no idea how much I thought about you after we left that day. I even had dreams about you. And this whole time you were Cal's friend! Why didn't I realize that when I met you last year?"

"I look a lot different now than I did when I was fifteen." I grin. "So you really had dreams about me?"

"Okay, that was embarrassing. I shouldn't have told you that."

"What about now? Do you ever have dreams about me?"

"Maybe." She smiles.

---