Eye of the Beholder

He smiled at her then said, "I don't care about lanes or how fast we go, Taylor. I just want you with me for the ride. And you can have all the time you need, okay?"

The way he spoke and the way he looked at her when he spoke them was like...it was like a benevolent kind of acid eating through years of social conditioning. It was melting away the 'certain knowledge' that girls like her never ended up with boys like Justin. She knew those barriers were still there, but to use a Star Trek analogy, it was as though her 'shields were buckling'. For now, they were holding, but they'd been badly damaged.

All she could manage in terms of a reply was another very quiet, "Yes. Okay."

This time, when Justin leaned over to kiss her, Taylor kissed him back, and as she did she was very aware it was the most amazing and delicious kiss of her life. She'd been kissed many times by quite a few different guys, but all of them combined had never made her feel like this.

When it ended, her body was still trembling, but her confidence had started to return, and for now, at least, she was ready to at least try and believe this incredibly-handsome man really did find her attractive. She couldn't say the word 'beautiful', even to herself, but she could allow herself to accept that somehow, in some strange, as-of-yet-inexplicable way, he really did find her attractive.

He went around and opened her door then walked her to her car.

Before she could thank him for lunch and a wonderful time, he took her hands and said, "I'm so glad you gave me the chance to explain myself."

She smiled back at him then told him, "I'm glad I misunderstood you."

"So may I see you again?"

"Yes. I'd like that very much," she told him as she slid her arms around his neck, having forgotten they were outside in public view. She was suddenly so afraid he'd be embarrassed that she pulled her arms down immediately.

Justin only smiled then pulled them back up around his neck.

Once they were in place he said, "There. That's much better."

He stood there just looking into her face and thinking to himself, "I found her. I found my Vera Carson, and her name is Taylor Donovan."

He put a hand on her cheek then kissed her softly again before saying very quietly, "I'll call you this evening, okay?"

Taylor smiled then nodded and said, "That's very okay."

He helped her get in then waited for her to drive away. As she did he stood there watching and waving and thinking, "Dad? You really are the smartest man I know."

When he got back to work, Joel was getting ready to head out.

"What the hell, dude? Did she spin a web and snare you or something? I thought it was gonna be ten minutes over a cup of coffee, but you were gone well over an hour. Is everything okay?"

Justin smiled then said, "Yeah. Everything is just fine."

"So she gets it, right? We're done with her and she can move on."

"I'm not sure she gets it—yet," he said, causing Joel to turn his way and give him a 'what-the-fuck' kind of look.

"What the hell does that mean?" his younger brother asked with an edge.

"It means...it means...Dad is a frikkin' genius."

"Did you get drunk during lunch?" Joel asked with a shake of his head. "You sure as hell aren't making a lick of sense."

"No, I don't suppose I am," Justin agreed.

"Whatever. Just grab your gear and let's get ready to roll."

Justin only smiled, causing Joel to shake his head again, then picked up the things he needed and got ready to head out to their new job site.

He didn't make any serious mistakes, but Justin wasn't with it all afternoon. On the way home Joel said, "I'm worried about you, bro. Is everything okay? Seriously."

"You sure you wanna know?"

"Yeah. Of course. I'm not just your brother, I'm your business partner and your best friend. So, hell yeah. Lay it on me."

"I think I really like her, man."

"What? Like who?" Joel asked. He had no idea what Justin was talking about. They hadn't been talking about girls so Joel really was lost.

"Taylor."

"Who the hell is..."

Joel looked over at Justin then said, "No. No way. Stick chick? The skinny little thing with no boobs and no ass? That Taylor?"

"Yeah. That Taylor."

"Oh, wow. You gotta help me out here, bro. I've known you all your life, remember? You do not hook up with—Taylors. Ever. So what's really going on?"

"I'm not talking about hooking up, Joel."

Justin only used his brother's name when he was either hugely pissed off or very serious. He wasn't angry, so that left only one option.

"You're not kiddin' around, are you?" Joel realized as he asked.

"No. I'm dead serious. She's like...she's...really different, you know? She's...special. She's really...I don't know. Amazing, maybe?"

Joel shook his head then ran his hand through his thick hair and said, "I don't think any doctors are still at work, so maybe we should head for the ER. You know, just to be safe."

Justin kind of laughed then said, "No. I don't need to see a doctor. I just need to see Taylor."

"Okay, she's not like...ugly. But she's just so damn...plain. I just flat don't get it. And when I say flat, I'm not talking about, you know..."

Justin smiled then pulled out his trump card again.

"Remember, man, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And to me...she's pretty damn beautiful."

Joel stared at his brother to make sure he wasn't BS-ing him and his facial expression told him he really was dead serious.

"Jesus. No shit?"

"No. No shit," Justin told him. "I really, really like this girl. I know it doesn't make any sense, but...if you make me, I'll say it."

"Oh, no. Do not say it. I'm not kiddin', man. Do not say that!" Joel warned him.

Both of them hated the saying, but Justin was gonna trot it out anyway.

"It is what it is, bro."

"You did not just say that! What the hell is wrong with you? Stick Chick and now that?"

"Her name is Taylor, okay?" his brother said sternly but not in a mean way.

"Okay. Fine. Her name is Taylor. Got it. That's cool. I get it. Well, I actually don't get it, but...okay."

Joel sat there in stunned disbelief for a while then said, "So you really like her, huh?"

"Yeah, I do," his brother said. "A lot."

"Then I'll knock off the cheap shit."

There was another pause before Joel asked one more question.

"Is this like...you seriously like her? As in...you might marry her someday like her?"

"I don't know about that, but yeah, it's serious. Well, not serious from the standpoint of really knowing each other, but I'm serious about getting to know her. So, who knows, right?"

"Wow. I think I might be a little bit afraid right now," Joel said without looking at his brother.

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Of catching whatever you've got. I mean, if this can happen to you, the sanest, most rational guy I know, then no one is safe. Not even me, the most irrational, impulsive guy on earth."

Justin finally laughed then said, "I wanna ask her to have dinner with Mom and Dad this weekend. Is that cool with you?"

Now knowing his brother wasn't joking around, and resigned to the fact his brother had a thing for Stick...Taylor...all he could do was give his okay. Not that Justin needed it.

"Yeah. Sure. That's fine," Joel said with as much sincerity as he could muster up.

"Great. That means a lot, bro."

"Hey, I don't have to understand everything. I just have to accept it, right?"

Justin didn't answer the question, but he did laugh.

"Come on. Let's get outta here. I've got somebody I want to call."

Joel gave his brother 'the look' one last time then slapped him on the shoulder and said, "All right. Let's roll."

Justin showered and changed as quickly as he could, popped something in the microwave, then grabbed his phone. He smiled when he saw her name and number then realized his heart was beating a little faster than normal. It wasn't pounding or anything, but just the thought of talking to her was causing the increase.

She answered on the second ring and said, "Justin?"

"Taylor. Hi. Yeah, it's me. How are you?"

"I'm good," she told him knowing 'well' was the proper response. Unless, of course, she was a saint who's mission was to 'do good' in the world.

"I couldn't wait to get off work so I could talk to you," he told her.

"I'm glad you called. I was looking forward to it," she told him in that sweet voice he already liked so much.

"Hey, listen. Before I forget, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner this weekend. With me and my family. You know, Mom, Dad, and Joel."

"Oh, wow. That's...that's pretty...intense," she said with some trepidation.

"No, my parents are the most easy-going, laid back people you'll ever meet. And you already know Joel."

He paused then said, "And I'm so sorry about that. Knowing my brother, that is."

Taylor laughed in spite of the knot in her stomach.

"He's not so bad," she said sort of offering a weak defense of his more gregarious brother.

"Yeah. Well, I'm kinda stuck with him. And you will be, too, if...you know...you and I have something here."

"Do we?" she asked. It wasn't that insecure voice he'd heard at the restaurant. It was a simple, direct question.

"I hope so," he said sincerely. "I will say you're only the second girl...woman...I've ever invited to have dinner with my family. So, yeah, I hope we do."

"I...I hope so, too," she told him. "And yes, I'll have dinner with your family. I'll be extremely nervous and self-conscious, but I'll do that. But I would like you to meet my parents when you come to pick me up. Is that fair?"

"It's more than fair. And don't be nervous around my parents, Taylor. They'll love you. I promise."

"Are they as gorgeous as you and your brother?" she asked with a hint of insecurity showing through.

"I can't really say. I don't look at them that like that. But I do think my mom is beautiful and my dad's the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Taylor laughed politely then told him, "I haven't heard that one in years."

"Oh, speaking of sayings, if you ever want to send Joel into orbit, just tell him, "It is what it is'."

This time Taylor laughed a genuine laugh.

"I'll remember that. Anything else I should know?"

"Just that I can't wait to see you again."

The microwave beeped, and Taylor heard it.

"Is that dinner?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I tend to just nuke something because I'm too tired to go out, and I'm a lousy cook. That's another reason I enjoy going to my parents' house for dinner once a week."

"You need a girlfriend who can cook," Taylor said playfully.

There was a pause before Taylor felt brave enough to say, "Like me."

"You can cook?"

"I do all right," she told him. The truth was she was a very good cook having learned from her mom who was downright excellent in the kitchen.

"Hmmm. I don't want to take advantage, but I think I see dinner at my place in the near future."

Feeling even bolder Taylor said, "You can take advantage if you'd like to."

Justin's heart rate was definitely up, but Taylor's was racing. She'd just given up and given in and completely surrendered. If this handsome man really liked her as much as he said, then she was willing to trust him. She was well aware she could still get badly hurt, but her gut told her that wouldn't happen, so she felt secure enough to open up and try being a little bit playful. Justin loved it and kidded back.

"I may just do that. Take advantage of you, that is," he said in a way that didn't sound crass.

"I think I'd like that, too" she told him. He could tell she was smiling. "Oh, if you need to eat now, I'll let you go."

"I do need to eat, but I don't want to let you go," he told her. "If you can stand to listen to me chewing and slurping, I'd like to keep talking."

"I suppose I could manage," she said very sweetly after a small laugh.

"Great. Let me just get this out and on a plate, okay?"

Another hour passed that seemed like minutes as they got better acquainted. Justin learned Taylor's parents were both teachers and that going to college was never a question. She'd majored in English and literature with the knowledge it would be hard to find a job—other than teaching—that paid what college graduates typically expected to be paid.

Unlike many of her peers, Taylor understood that a degree meant very little unless it was in a marketable field like engineering or nursing. But in her family, education meant graduating from college, so she'd dutifully gone and done quite well. The biggest and most pleasant surprise came when Taylor answered his question about her biggest dream.

"I know it isn't popular to say these days, especially for someone my age, but more than anything I want to have a family of my own."

"As in a husband and children?" Justin asked, as though there was any other kind for a straight, single girl like Taylor.

"That's it," she said sweetly.

"How many kids?" he asked, now very interested.

"Two maybe? I suppose I'd be okay with one or even three, but two seems about right."

He learned she was an only child and had often wished she had a sister to play with or even a brother as long as they got along.

"I suppose sisters fight like cats and dogs, though, so maybe it was for the best," she told him.

"Well, I can assure you brothers do. Joel and I are best friends, but we were arguing or fighting or wrestling all the time growing up."

"I can see that," Taylor said loving the way he was sharing with her.

It was then that Justin realized that was exactly what he was doing and told her so.

"It's funny, but I've never, ever shared any of this with any other woman."

"I'm glad you chose me then," she said very sweetly.

"Yeah. And it was very worth waiting for," he told her.

He laughed then said, "I've never talked on the phone with a girl, either. At least not since high school, and even then it was just to decide when to get together."

"Lucky me," she said in a way that told him she felt lucky. And the truth was, she did.

Taylor had always been marriage-minded, and regularly looked through bridal magazines, and had her future wedding mostly planned out. However, she'd heard enough 'Bridezilla' stories to ensure she stayed flexible to avoid driving her future husband (and everyone else around her) crazy by insisting on too many 'must haves'.

They talked for another half hour before finally agreeing to let each other go.

"Good luck with your project tomorrow," Taylor told him just before they hung up.

"Thank you. I'm surprised you remembered," he said.

"I pretty much remember everything you've told me," she let him know. It wasn't one of those comments that made him feel she was clinging to him for life, but it did tell him she was very interested.

"Same here. This is another first for me in that I really care about what you say and like."

He paused, chuckled then said, "Wow. That just made me sound like a first-rate ass, didn't it?"

"No. I don't think so," she replied. "I think you were just being honest, and I took it as a compliment."

"Well, that's how I meant it, Taylor," he told her sincerely.

"Oh. What should I wear? I don't want to be over- or under-dressed when I meet your parents," she let him know.

"Honestly? They won't care. And neither will I. Just wear something you're comfortable in and that'll be fine. It's supposed to be chilly so maybe a sweater?"

"I love sweaters, but they don't exactly love me," she told him.

"You know what? I'm gonna make it my mission in life to get you to understand I like you just the way you are. I like your figure. I think you'd look great in a sweater. Or a dress. Or pants or...anything else, for that matter."

"It's just that I can't really...fill them out, you know?" she said as though he wasn't getting it.

"You'd still look very pretty, Taylor," he assured her. "Just wear whatever you like. Really."

"I...I'd rather wear something you like," she finally admitted. "I was kind of hinting around hoping you might give me some kind of idea."

"Surprise me, okay?"

"Okay," she said, relieved to know it really didn't matter to him.

"Can I call you again tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course. You can call anytime, Justin. As often as you like."

"You can call me, too, Taylor. Anytime."

"K," she said so sweetly it caused his already-swelling member to turn to stone.

Many girls had gotten him hard before. But no one but Taylor had done so by just talking.

"Bye," she said.

"Bye...beautiful," he told her.

When she hung up, Taylor felt like her heart might explode with happiness. She truly felt like she was living in a very real, modern-day fairy tale where the handsome prince had had a spell cast on him so that he could only see her as beautiful. She still couldn't accept that he thought she was physically attractive, but she'd tried all her life to be a beautiful person from the inside out. Was it possible all of that effort was finally paying off? Or was it just an illusion that would wear off once the charming prince realized she wasn't Cinderella?

Taylor had only been with three guys. One of them in high school and two in college. She hadn't had a boyfriend—or sex—in just under a year. She had no idea how many girls her age 'took things into their own hands' as it were, but she often relied on 'letting her fingers do the walking' as her only form of relief.

That night, she lay there imagining herself saying 'I do' to Justin as the capstone of her dream wedding. She barely made it to the imagined vows before her body erupted in the most violent-but-pleasant orgasm she'd ever had. When it ended, she fell asleep moments later feeling happier than she'd ever been before.

It was a little after midnight when Justin finally laid down. He was trying to remember the last time he'd gone this long without having sex and decided that was in 2011 when he was down with the flu for an entire week. And for the first time in his adult life, he wasn't looking. He was also wondering when the last time was that he'd 'choked his chicken' and he honestly couldn't remember. He'd had no need to as he'd always had a steady stream of attractive women to do the real thing with.

But this night he lay there imaging a life with this amazing younger woman who was nothing like any other woman he'd ever met. He was even more surprised when he realized where his hand was and what it was doing. And yet he could no more stop it than he could stop himself from thinking about her.

The funny thing was he wasn't imagining having sex with Taylor. He was imaging her sitting across from him at dinner at his parents' house, smiling at him as they all got to know her. He laughed out loud in bed when he imagined her in a very pretty sweater that had virtually no 'bumps or lumps' yet finding her sexy as hell. And just as he did, Mount Vesuvius blew its top unloading a ton of baby batter.

He, too, fell asleep moments later feeling something he'd never felt before. He was too tired and too content to try and figure it out, but he knew it was the most pleasant feeling he'd ever had, and the feeling wasn't the massive explosion he'd just experienced.

When he woke up, he reached for his phone out of habit and smiled when he saw a text from her.

"Good morning! I just wanted to say 'hi' and wish you a wonderful day."

There was a PS then the rest of her text.

"Oh. I had a very pleasant dream about you last night."

There were a couple of hearts and a smiley face, and Justin realized he was smiling.

He lay there and texted her back.

"You just made my day! And what a coincidence. I had a dream about you, too."

He didn't add the hearts even though he thought about it. He did add some smiley faces then hit 'send'.

When he got out of the shower there was another text from Taylor.