Hero Worship Pt. 05

So here is part five of eight, more than halfway now. Read the other parts before this one. Thank you for rating and commenting. All characters in explicit scenes are over eighteen.

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- Taylor -

How could I be so stupid? She said it was going to be different. I stifled a bitter laugh. Sure, a rich, power couple like that was going to let some low-income, college dropout dyke like me date their daughter. No chance in hell.

And she knew it! She hadn't been serious about anything. She'd been telling them I was a guy, for Christ's sake! Well I hope she enjoyed her time slumming. She was going to have me over for dinner with her family. What a pile of crap.

It's better for her, probably. She could go marry some doctor or lawyer or other rich asshole, live in some fancy house and keep labradoodles or whatever the fuck rich people did. She could be with someone who could give her more than a crappy studio apartment over someone's garage. She was right to go. She deserved so much more than I could give her.

I looked down the walkway where she'd gone, and my heart leapt in my chest as I saw a young woman with light brown hair coming this way. But the people in front of her moved, and it wasn't my Aly. I sat back in my chair, ignoring the people walking past.

I'd done a lot better interacting this year. It might have something to do with winning the ribbon, but mostly it was because of Aly. She smoothed away my rough edges and was just a natural when it came to talking to people. I missed her. Already.

I took a deep breath, glancing over at the two food containers still sitting on the rear table. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and no sense in letting them go to waste. They weren't cheap, after all. I picked up the top one and opened it, letting the spicy aroma waft over me. Aly loved spicy, within reason. I'd been really excited about that, as it opened up so many possibilities.

My mind's eye brought up her eager face when I'd have her try a new dish, or I'd order something off the menu for her. Back to take-out loneliness now, I guess. In my head I heard her laugh at some silly joke I'd made. I loved her laugh. It made everything sparkle. And holding her. God it felt so good to hold her, the way she'd snuggle against me, like we could never be close enough.

The first tear rolled off my cheek. No! Damn it! I wasn't the one who did this. I didn't run away. I never did. Everyone always left me.

I'm not sure how I got through the last hours of the fair that day. Booths had to stay open and manned until eight PM. It was one of the rules in the god awful paperwork I'd had to read. But the second it ticked to the required hour, I dropped the front of the booth and took off. I needed to think, to decide what to do.

I motored out of the parking area, weaving through traffic a bit until I could find some open road. I headed north, giving my thoughts free reign as they chased themselves around inside my head. How could she do that to me? No. The real question was why wouldn't she? She'd never been serious. No one would ever be serious about me. I wasn't worth taking seriously.

I made it all the way to the other side of Santa Barbara, and it was close to ten by the time I turned around. I couldn't ride forever, much as I might want to. I was tired, too, the emotional day was catching up to me, and riding while sleepy is a recipe for disaster.

I stopped for a coffee, adding a double shot and inhaling it, hoping the caffeine boost would get me back home. I ended up having to repeat that one more time before I managed to make it back. The simple concentration needed to stay awake and alert helped a lot, I think, and I was in an okay place when I pulled into my neighborhood. I hurt, a lot, but I was still breathing. At least until I saw Aly's Mini Cooper in the driveway, exactly where she'd left it.

I put my bike away before heading up the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest. She might not be here. She could've Ubered back to her dorm or her parents' house. It didn't mean anything.

I tried the door handle, and it wasn't locked. I pushed it open, stepping inside as quietly as I could. I glanced up at the bed, which was still made. I let out a sigh. She wasn't there. I took off my boots and headed into the living area, where I saw the white note on the table.

Something was glittering on top. It was the key I'd given her. My breath caught in my chest for a moment before something moved on the couch. Oh, god, it was Aly. She was still here. I took the note and moved to the window, reading it by the light of the street. There were tear stains on the paper, and the handwriting was shaky. It broke my heart, and the signs of my own emotions slipped free from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I read it.

And finally, I asked myself the question I should have been asking from the beginning. I'd known I was gay for over a decade. Aly'd known about herself for only two months. What would I have done if my parents had walked in on an early date with Gillian and me in college, or caught me with that magazine I'd found when I was in high school? I'm not sure, but I could virtually guarantee the answer wasn't to proudly stand up and announce my sexuality to them.

Aly rolled over on the couch, her face illuminated by the soft light from the window. Her beautiful features were marred by tear stains. My baby had been crying, and I hadn't been there to hold her. I should have seen what was really happening immediately. She was just scared, and she made a mistake. We all make mistakes. She hadn't left me. Well, I mean, she did, but she'd run right back here, to us.

I knelt down next to her and ever so gently ran my fingers through her hair.

"Aly?"

Her soft brown eyes fluttered open, taking me in for a moment. Her lip immediately began to quiver as water filled her eyes. "Taylor?"

"I'm here, baby." As I spoke I started to mist over, too.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I'd never seen anyone's face twisted into that much misery before, and the fact that it was happening to Aly, well, it just destroyed me. I put my arms around her, and she threw herself into them, sobbing bitterly onto my shoulder.

What was I doing? I should be so angry, but I found myself just stroking the back of her head as she cried. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay". As I held her I realized how scared I'd been, the raw terror at the thought of losing her breaking free from deep inside. My own tears began to fall. Maybe they'll come take away my butch card, but I don't care. I was shaking. "Shh, sh, It's okay, baby, I'm here."

I continued to whisper in her ear until she started to calm down. Eventually she pulled away, but she wouldn't look me in the eye, instead staring down at the floor, eyes squeezed shut.

"How much do you hate me?"

I let out a soft, reassuring chuckle. "I don't hate you."

"Yes, you do. You have to. What I did, that was ... I'm so sorry."

She started to break down again, so I put my forehead against hers. "Hey, hey. Look at me. Aly?"

She opened her eyes, which were shining with tears.

"Hey. It's going to be okay. I promise."

"But I ..."

"Aly, I lied to my parents about who I was for years. I understand."

She cocked her head to the side. She didn't believe me.

"Baby, I'm not going to say it didn't hurt. But I'm not going to throw this, throw you away over it."

"Really?"

"Of course not." Which is funny, because in any of my extremely brief relationships since college I would have done exactly that, and for a lot less.

Strength and resolve flowed back into Aly's face. "I'm going to make this right. I promise."

"I know, baby." I really believed her. My Aly could run through a brick wall if she set her mind to it. So if she decided to come out to her parents that's exactly what she would do. "But not tonight. It's late, come to bed."

She threw her arms around my neck as I stood up and scooped her off the couch. I carried her back and laid her on the mattress before pulling off her socks.

"Alright, baby, get undressed." She did, crawling under the covers once nude. I wondered if she'd even brought pajamas. We didn't generally sleep in anything unless one of us had to, and then it was just a pair of panties.

I disrobed, sliding in next to her. Her arms went around me as I held her close, our legs intertwining under the sheet. Aly gave a happy little sigh and began slipping away. I had no thoughts of sex; I just wanted to feel her against me. I had her, and she was safe in my arms.

Maybe that had scared me more than anything else. Aly was so trusting, so loving, so giving, she could be so easily taken advantage of. If she were ever no longer mine, how could I trust the next person she gave her heart to would cherish it like I did?

Aly believed in love, the pure, never ending kind. It was all she knew. She came from a happy home, with parents who loved her and each other. She might know divorce and betrayal existed, but she'd never experienced it, so they weren't quite real to her. Most of us know better. I remembered my initial annoyance at her naivety, but the fact of the matter is she was right. What she knew, that's what love was supposed to be like. That's the kind of love that she deserved, and it was the kind she was determined to give away. I'm not sure if anyone deserves that kind of love, but we all need it desperately.

***

I had a very hard time getting up the next morning, and Aly and I had to rush through our shower to make up for it. I held Aly to me under the water for a moment.

"I'm sorry, My Lady. I just don't have time to do a good job."

"It's okay baby, it's not your fault." Aly had been extra deferential this morning, and I tried to set her mind at ease as much as I could.

We decided to splurge a little on the way to the fair, grabbing a half dozen donuts from a local shop on our way. Aly drove, since we might have a few items to take back with us. We pulled into our little parking spot behind the booth at nine thirty, about ten minutes before we were supposed to open for the day.

"Let's just stay here for a second?"

I nodded. "Okay, but we don't have long. What's up?"

Aly pulled out her phone. "I don't want to go all day without fixing this."

"Are you sure?"

I could tell by the focused look in her eyes she was. "I almost lost you yesterday. I almost destroyed everything. I won't ever do that again. And this is the first step."

I just nodded, and Aly touched her phone. She set it to speaker and it began to ring.

A woman's voice answered. "Hi sweetie. You're calling early."

"Yeah, hi mom. Is dad there with you?"

"Uh-huh, he's here, drinking his coffee. Something wrong?"

"No, I just need to talk to you both. Kelsey?"

"Still asleep. What's going on honey? You're on speaker."

"Okay." Aly took a deep breath, looking to me for support. I gazed at her steadily and nodded my head. "So, um, you know the woman you met yesterday? The artist? Ruth?"

Aly's dad answered. "Sure."

"Umm, okay, I have to tell you something about her. She's, um, oh God." Sly closed her eyes. "Her full name is Ruth Taylor Knox. She's the person I've been seeing since Kelsey's accident."

There was silence on the other end for a moment, and Aly's lip started to tremble. "Say something. Please?"

Her mom answered. "Oh, honey, why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm sorry, mom. I should have said something yesterday."

Her dad sounded skeptical. "So, the lifeguard?"

"She is the lifeguard, dad. She's the one who rescued Kelsey. She saved her life."

"Wow, okay. But you, you think you're a..."

"Yeah, dad. I am. It's the best relationship I've ever been in, the only one that's ever felt right. I love her." Aly's voice stayed steady with conviction, even though I could hear the emotion behind it. She was starting to get misty, so she reached out and took my hand for support. "I'd like to introduce her to you. For real this time."

Her mom spoke again. "Of course, honey. What time do you guys get done today?"

Aly looked at me, eyes questioning.

"It ends at four. We should be out of here by five at the latest."

"Oh, is she there with you?" Her mom actually sounded excited.

"Yeah, mom, she is."

"Would you both like to come over for dinner?"

I nodded, and Aly responded that we would.

"Ok, then we'll see you guys tonight."

"Yeah, okay. I'll call you when we leave."

Both of Aly's parents said goodbye. I could tell they were still processing, but there'd been nothing negative in anything I'd heard.

Aly pressed the disconnect icon and started breathing heavily.

"Oh my god. Oh my god I just came out to my parents." She started shaking her hands, while the panic in her eyes slowly faded into a dazzling smile. "I did it." She almost whispered the words.

I nodded, giving her a little half. "You're the bravest woman I know."

My comment brought tears to her eyes, and I pulled her into a hug.

She pulled away and looked at me very seriously. "You know I'm not ashamed of you, right? I'm so proud to be yours?"

I nodded and kissed her, and we got out of the car.

For the rest of the morning Aly was back to her old self, with maybe just a little more bounce in her step. She even gave Mr. Beville a hug when he came by to offer me a show in the spring before taking my two unsold pieces off my hands, stating that he would put them up in his gallery to whet people's appetite.

"I'd likely have room for a couple more, if you have any." I nodded dumbly. "Regarding the show, would April be too soon? I don't want to rush. We'd want at least a dozen pieces, preferably closer to two, including one or two larger, more central pieces."

"Yeah, sure, Mr. Beville, no problem." Oh, shit! How the hell was I supposed to do that? Plus I'd taken three commissions over the last two days. I had to get on those right away. Damn, there were going to be a lot of late nights in my immediate future.

People kept coming, and I received an additional commission that morning for another copy of Pacifica, which made two. Without the creative process involved I was hoping I could bang them out pretty quickly. And I wouldn't have to be as exacting with the face. But the others were for larger backyard pieces that were going to take time to design and sculpt.

As I talked to customers and received congratulations I kept wondering how I was going to get it all done, especially if I kept spending Tuesdays with Aly. The thought of giving those up made me vaguely sick to my stomach. Shit, I really was in love.

The bright spot in all of this was that I had something to think about all afternoon, other than the looming meeting with Aly's parents. Some part of me said that I should be feeling a significant amount of terror about meeting my girlfriend's parents, but after what we got through yesterday, we'd survive this. I hoped.

Aly

As we got closer to the end of the fair things seemed to get busier. Quite a few of our purchasers showed up, and I gave them instructions on how to drive back to the areas behind the booths so we could load up their pieces. Taylor's work tended to be heavy, after all.

Taylor was being chatted up constantly, and she gave away the last of her business cards a little after three.

"I've handed out more of these things this year than I had the previous three combined."

"Sometimes it takes a while for people to start appreciating real genius."

Taylor shook her head and the smarminess of my comment, which made me giggle. Another buyer pulled up behind the booth and I headed out.

The last of the sculptures were gone a little after four, and as the final buyer drove away I flopped down in my folding chair and looked over at Taylor, who'd already done the same. We just grinned at each other.

"That was amazing." Katrina was finishing packing up her goods. She'd already told us that just the increase in traffic at the booth had almost doubled her sales from last year. Taylor stood and accepted a big hug and a kiss on the cheek from the older. "And you two are adorable together. Aly, I've never seen Taylor smile this much. Keep it up."

She disappeared out the back of the booth, and it was just Taylor and I.

"I'm so proud of you."

Taylor's cheeks reddened. "This, I just can't even describe this. And I'm getting a show. Did I tell you?"

I giggled. "I know. I was there."

"He said he wants two dozen pieces, including some big ones, in six months."

I grimaced. "Is that a lot?"

Taylor's mouth hung open and she nodded. "Oh, yeah. I've got no idea how I'm going to get that done."

I stood up and carried my chair over next to hers, sitting back down and holding her hand. "Well, you're not going to start tonight. We have an appointment."

"Oh, crap. I know"

"Are you ready? I could just go alone and talk to them. I mean, I don't want to make you if you're not ready."

"No, no. Meeting the parents. I can do this." Taylor took a deep breath.

I reached over and took her hand. "Don't be nervous. They're going to love you. Besides, you saved my sister's life. That'll at least earn civility, if nothing else."

Taylor's looked at me steadily, her voice serious. "Aly, look at me. I'm a starving artist, a college dropout with a dead end job. Even if I were a guy, I'm not the person your father would want you bringing home. I'm not in your class, Aly."

"Oh, sweetheart. That's not true."

"You might not see it, or maybe you can look past it, but your family won't. Trust me."

There was real fear and hurt in her eyes. I wasn't used to that. I realized that I didn't know much about how she'd grown up, other than them not supporting her coming out. She didn't like to talk about her family much. Had they really been that poor?

"Taylor, my mom grew up on a farm in Kansas. Wheat fields as far as the eye can see. She doesn't judge people by how much money they have."

"And your dad?"

I grimaced. Dad came from money. Not stupid rich money, but my grandfather had been a successful developer in his own right, and dad had followed him into the business. Grandma and Grandpa had a very nice house just outside Malibu. But that didn't mean he was classist.

"Look, Taylor, let me tell you something about my dad. On his first project, he had a day laborer named Carlos Juarez. He was undocumented, but he was bright and a hard worker. Carlos is now one of dad's chief foremen. Dad helped him get his citizenship, and he's one of my dad's closest friends. He won't care that you don't have a lot of money. I promise." Taylor nodded, but she didn't look convinced, so I continued. "Besides, this is not 1954 and I do not plan on being the little woman, barefoot and pregnant. You won't have to support me. Financially, I mean. And...," I couldn't help looking down and blushing at the all too fresh memory, "despite the way I acted yesterday, I am proud to be with you."

I pulled out my phone and pressed mom's icon from my favorites.

"Hi, honey." She sounded chipper, at least.

"Hi mom, Taylor and I are done here, so we're going to head over. That okay?"

"Sure, sweetie. We'll see you soon."

I disconnected.

Taylor grimaced. "Did she sound just a little too happy to you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. I guess we should go find out." I started my car and pulled away.

I'll admit my heart was beating a little faster as we pulled into my neighborhood. The gate opened automatically as I approached, reading the transmitter on my dashboard.

Taylor was wide-eyed. "Jeez. How much does something like this cost?"

"You mean the gate? I have no idea. Why? What was your house like growing up?"

"It wasn't like this, I can tell you that. We had three bedrooms, but one was built by my father, uncle, and grandpa. It was just a single level ranch, with a weird, extra room sticking out of it." She looked up at the façade of my childhood home. "It wasn't a mansion."