MARRIED TO A STRANGER

Go away

So here I am, despite my protests, on the Carson family jet. I am curled up in a ball, my knees pulled up to my chest, doing everything in my power not to look out the window. I’m quite alright, I don’t need to see that I’m only a few thousand feet above the ground with only a thin layer of sheet metal keeping me from plunging to my death. I felt someone sit in the seat next to me.

“Tylor, if that’s you, go away.”

“My boobs look way too amazing to be Tylor.” I heard Dammy chuckle, and I knew she had a cheeky little grin on her face without looking.

“What do you want, Dammy?”

“To see if you’re doing alright?”

“No, why would I be?”

“I know how you are with flights is all.” Dammy murmured rubbing my back. “Why don’t we play a game and get your mind off of everything?”

“No.”

“Want some wine?”

“No.”

“Want to do anything but sulk?”

“No.”

Dammy sighed. “Then you leave me no choice.” I heard Dammy get up and relaxed a little until I heard someone else sit back down.

“Dammy said you wanted something,” I heard Tylor’s voice purr.

“No. She lied.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“She said you were terrified of flights.”

That b***h. “No, I’m fine with them. I’m just a little hung-over.” I assured him.

“Do you want to lie down?”

“I’m fine.” I repeated, now getting very annoyed.

“Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“No, but you can go away.” I grumbled into my lap.

“I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t be worried. I’m perfectly fine for starters, and secondly, just whatever.”

“Yeah, you sound fine.”

“Go away.” I groaned.

“Look at me.”

“No. Go away.”

“Kayla,”

“Go away.”

“Not until you look at me.”

I grudgingly looked into those greenish-grey eyes of his. “Fine, now go away.”

Tylor looked puzzled for a moment, shook his head, then got up and left. "I'll be back."

Someone hit me upside the head and I turned to see Jackie. “What was that for?”

“Manners, or rather lack thereof. Why are you so mean to him?”

“Last night should not have happened.” I growled.

“Well, it did. Deal with it. I believe everything happens for a reason. There’s more to life that just work you know.”

“Not for me there isn’t. I really don’t need anyone else. When I need other people, I have my research team.”

“Kaekae, you have to deal with this. You know we worry about you. We don’t want you to end up alone.”

“Jackie, that isn’t for you to decide.”

“It’s just cause we love you.”

“I know.”

“Kaekae, you’re my big sister and I love you more than anything.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“I think you should give this a shot.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to.”

“You’re being a little unreasonable.”

“How am I being unreasonable?”

“Kayla, as smart as you are, you’re really stupid sometimes.” Jackie huffed.

I raised an eyebrow and watched as Jackie got up in a huff.

When we landed in Atlanta, I tried to help Jackie and the girls with their things, but there was Tylor taking my bags from me, and having his hired help take the rest. “I can take my own bag.”

I growled.

“I am well aware you can.” Tylor retorted. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here.” Tylor looked abashed. “Are you not used to the men in your life being gentlemen?”

“No, she isn’t.” Jackie interrupted. “She pushes everyone away.”

“I wouldn’t push you away.” Betty cooed. “Unless you’re into that.”

“Betty, please,” Jackie scolded. “That’s enough.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Betty shrugged.

“Well, you aren’t helping.” Trina hissed.

“Come on, everyone, let’s give them some privacy.” Trina ushered everyone away from Tylor and me.

“Kayla,”

“What?”

“Why don’t you want to just give this a shot?”

“Because, this is a waste of time.”

“How so?”

“You want me to play along for a year, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Why would I spend a year getting attached to someone who already has an expiration date?”

“There shouldn’t have to be an expiration date.”

“Tylor, don’t do this.”

“Kayla,”

“No, Tylor, none of this, it can’t happen.”

“Why not?”

“Tylor, look, if it’s that important to you, I’ll protect your image so long as you leave me alone.”

Tylor c****d his head to the side and eyed me cautiously. “How so?”

“I’m due back with my team tomorrow morning, you can make some excuse as to why I’m there and you aren’t. I don’t really care, but I do care about getting back into my research.”

Tylor nodded. “What kind of research?”

“What?”

“What kind of research do you do?”

“I’m a marine biologist.”

“Where is your team?”

“I’m working with the Georgia Aquarium at the moment.”

“Can I watch?”

“What?”

“I’d like to see if you don’t mind.”

“Why?”

“I think it would be interesting.”

“Um, I guess.”

Tylor smiled. “Then it’s a date.”

“Wait what?”

“A date.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I never agreed to a date.”

“How about a date without romantic intentions?”

“Meaning?”

“A chance for us to just get to know one another.”

“I guess I don’t see the harm in that.”

“Marvelous.”

I sighed, feeling defeated. “Why does this feel like some ominous cloud over my head?”

“Because you’re doing something you might actually enjoy!” Jackie bounded out of nowhere and nearly tackled me.

“Jackie,” I groaned.

“Oh, and I might have called Mom.”

“What? Why?” I snapped.

“And she knows you got drunk and got married.”

“Really Jackie?”

“She was just relieved it wasn’t me and that he isn’t some deranged lunatic or a total loser.”

“Jackie, go home and call me when you get there. I am going home.” I hailed a cab and wasn’t entirely surprised when it sank down after I’d gotten in. “How did I just know you were coming too.”

Tylor offered a sheepish smile. “I have the bags at least.” He smiled. He had a boyish smile, it was hard not to smile right back, then I remembered I was supposed to be mad.

“Whatever. You are so not sleeping in my bed though.”

“As you like. I will be the perfect gentleman. If you so desire, I don’t mind the couch.”

“It’s not the Carson, but I do have a guest room.” I sighed. It was an hour and a half to my apartment through Atlanta traffic.

Tylor looked around the place and I felt nervous and awkward. Other than my research team and Jackie, no one had ever seen my apartment.

“It’s not much,” I offered.

“It’s lovely.”

I felt embarrassed somehow. The small two bedroom apartment had pastel blue walls. The living room consisted of a small love seat that was tan with gold embroidery, a small, antique coffee table that had belonged to my grandmother, and three five tier bookcases filled completely.

“I don’t own a television.”

“That’s alright.”

I stood awkwardly in the doorway. “I don’t usually have guests.”

“Really? Why not?”

“I don’t really have friends. A few members of my research team and Jackie are the only people who have been here.”

“And your parents right?”

I shook my head. “No, they’ve never been here. If they come up this way, they stay with Jackie.”

“Why’s that?”

“Jackie is the one who invites them. Besides, I’m usually out and about.”

“Okay.”

“I, um, I’m going to go unpack. Feel free to look around and stuff.” I retreated to my bedroom and was going to close the door when he was right behind me. “What?”

“You said to feel free to look around.”

“Okay,”

“So, I’m looking around.” Tylor chuckled. “Is this your room?”

“Yes.”

Tylor looked around. There wasn’t much to it. My apartment was small, but I really didn’t need much with it just being me. I had a full size bed with white cotton sheets and the comforter was a Native American print with blues and reds and greens and black woven through it. I had a small night stand on either side of my bed. Both of which held a small lamp, on the left was a phone and on the right was my alarm clock. Both of which frequently woke me up. My answering machine was flashing. I glanced at it. Seventeen new messages. Great. There was a beach painting that was on the wall opposite my bed so I saw it in the morning when I woke up and at night before I went to bed. There was also my dresser and that was it.

“It’s not much.”

“It’s cozy.” Tylor smiled.

“It’s tiny. Not like what you’re used to.”

“I could get used to something like this.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“There are more important things than money.”

“I agree with that, but when you have as much money as you have, that’s a really easy sentence to say.”

“You don’t think I could give it up?”

“I think it’s easy to say when you don’t have to.”

Tylor chuckled. “You are adorable.”

“What?”

“You.”

“Stop that.”

“What?”

“Whatever game you’re playing. Stop it. I don’t want to play.”

“I’m not playing a game.”

“Alright, sure.” I hit the play button on my answering machine and wasn’t surprised when Mom was the first message.

“Hey, darling, call me when you get home. Love you.” Then there was the second message.

“Darling, Mommy is a little worried. Call me when you get home. Love you.” Then there was another message from her. “Sweetie, how are you still not home? Call me, baby.” Then there was a break from Mom and a message from Roy from my research team. “Hey Kayla, I know you’re supposed to be back tonight. We got an urgent call. We’re about to head out. Call me when you get this, I don’t care what time it is, we could use your expertise.” The rest were from Mom each more frantic than the last. I rolled my eyes. Mom was ridiculous. I called Roy first.

“Roy,”

“Kayla, you just getting in?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“We’re on our way back now.”

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve got an injured pod of dolphins. Can you meet us?”

“Sure, when and where?”

“Should be back within two hours.”

“I’m on my way. I’ll be waiting.”

“Great.”

I hung up and started getting changed. I was about to pull off my shirt when I remembered I wasn’t alone. “Um, a moment please?”

Tylor smirked. “Don’t mind me.”

“Get out.” I laughed.

“Aww,” Tylor pouted. “Come on, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

“Get out.” It wasn’t funny at all anymore.

“I’m sorry.”

“Just get out.” Tylor left and closed the door behind himself. I changed quickly, pulling on a t-shirt, a pair of well-worn jeans that I didn’t care about messing up. I opened the door and pushed past Tylor, took out my contacts and put on my glasses, pulled my hair up into messy bun. “I have business to attend to. You wanted to see my work, right? Well, as I’m not leaving a stranger in my apartment, you will get to see it firsthand.”

“Alright.”

“You should probably change. There’s a good chance your clothes will get soiled permanently.”

Tylor smiled.

“What is so funny?”

“You are so cute when you’re nerdy.”

“I’m not nerdy.” I growled, my eyes narrowed. “Fine ruin your clothes, we need to get going.”

“Fine with me.”

Tylor followed me out as I grabbed my boots that I kept by the door I locked up and we were off.