“Oh, my sister lives here in Seattle. Remember, Mila?” He quirks an eyebrow at me with a strange look on his face.
“Oh, that’s cool. I didn’t know that.” I lie.
He laughs as he takes a seat on my couch. He drapes an arm across the back and then looks at me.
“I call bullshit.” Randy says as I sit down on the chair opposite the couch.
“What?” I ask.
“I call bullshit. I think you knew that Mila lives here in Seattle, the soggy city. I also think you know Mila differently than I was expecting. And I also think you definitely knew her when I ran into you at the restaurant.”
I am frozen in fear. This guy is someone that I did everything with growing up. From building tracks with Hot Wheels to riding bikes through his neighborhood to playing ball all the way through our formative years. His little sister, while not on my radar then was still his little sister. We protected her from idiots who would call her names, and we would also ignore her when she tried to tag along with us to places.
There’s an unspoken promise that you don’t go after your best friend's little sister. And I broke it.
Before leaving Minneapolis, I found a letter on the floor just before the door, it was from Mila and all I wanted to do was run to her. But she was already gone.
I’m still not sure what we should do.
Isn’t that what I’m trying to figure out though?
I’ve been sitting here in my house weighing the options.
While she may be Randy’s sister, she’s also an independent woman who set out to make a name for herself without being in her brother's shadow.
And I’ve got to respect that.
“Cat got your tongue?” Randy asks.
“You can say that, yeah.” I say after swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Care to discuss?” He asks, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“Depends. Did you come here to kick my ass or to talk?” I ask.
“Mila is quite the woman. All while she was in college, she’d been telling me she doesn’t want the world to know that I’m her big brother. That she’s not related to me, at least that’s what she would be telling others if they asked. Sure, it stirred up a lot of pissed off feelings, I mean why would she want to deny that? I’m family. I’m her big brother. Then I thought about it. With me, came the fame and the public eye watching you. She didn’t ask for that. She wanted to go into broadcasting and she didn’t want to get any jobs because of having me as a connection. I started to understand. So, she changed her name legally too. And she started making her own name for herself. I love my little sister, and I would move oceans for her. So, I went with it. Then she got her dream job, and that also included that she would get to interview me from time to time, which meant that I had a way to be a part of my sister's life without the world knowing it. Then apparently, she saw this guy on the sidelines. She didn’t know who he was, but she crushed on him, I guess. She didn’t have any clue who he was until she interviewed him. And from my gathering is that the guy had no clue either and while she fucked up by not saying anything, not confessing to him that she was my little sister, and that he didn’t know her as an adult, because it’s been ten fucking years since he’s seen her. So imagine, I knock on her door and she’s sitting on her dumb couch, eating stupid ice cream with her hot best friend and confessing all this shit, that I wasn’t expecting to hear as soon as I walked into her house. Telling me all about how much she’s fallen for him.”
“Wow. That’s a lot.” I reply.
“So, what are your intentions with my little sister?” Randy asks.
MILA
It’s been five days since the big game. It’s been four days since I’ve been home. And my brother is still here. When he got here, he caught me in a mood and Morgan forced me to tell him what was going on.
I told him everything.
And he wasn’t pissed off.
He was weirded out by it at first, but he was totally okay.
He told me that he went to see Topher but refused to tell me any details aside from the fact that I had his support with however the relationship panned out.
All Randy will tell me is that Topher has been busy with post game business, but he hasn’t quite said if the door has been shut on us.
Which is why I’m surprised that Topher is sitting on my couch right now laughing about God knows what with Randy, while I’m in the kitchen getting them beers while there is a giant elephant in the room. I’m eager for some conversation about us, but the guys are just talking about the glory days while I sit opposite Topher, beside Randy, texting Morgan on my phone.
Morgan: Is he completely ignoring you and talking only to Randy?
Me: Yes and no.
Morgan: What's that mean? I don’t know what that means!!!!!!!!!!
Me: He knows I’m here. But Randy is hogging the attention.
Morgan: Did he know your hot brother would be there?
Me: Gross.
Morgan: Want me to come over there and distract your brother?
“God no!” I whisper, shaking my head at my phone.
“Whew. Hey man, it was awesome catching up with you again.” Randy switches subjects with my interruption. “I’m sure you didn’t come here to bro out with me. So, I’m going to get out of here for a bit.”
Topher stands up and extends his hand. “When are you leaving town?”
“I have a feeling that Mila is getting sick of me. I’ll text you later.” Randy shakes his hand and grins. He looks back at me and winks.
Randy leaves to who knows where and leaves Topher and I, alone. Topher moves around my coffee table and takes the place that Randy was sitting in previously. He turns to me and smiles.
“I get it.” He says.
“Huh?”
“I get why you didn’t tell me that you were, well… you. I thought a lot about us since the game, and I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to come over here. I didn’t want to do any of this over the phone and I wanted to talk to you in person, but I got caught up in all the post-game meetings. I wanted to give a sufficient amount of time for us to have this conversation, plus I was kind of hoping that Randy would have gone home by now.”
“You and me both.” I grin. “But on the real, about you and me. I’m so sorry that I said nothing. I should have told you all about me, and not just the things about me. It wasn’t fair to you.”
“So why?” He asks.
“I have been crazy about you since I was twelve years old. You were always a fantasy that would be just out of my grasp. And when I found out who you were, but you weren’t aware of exactly who I was, I was stupid and ran with it. I had finally gotten my fantasy to come true, and then I was terrified to lose it.”
Tears threaten to break, but I keep them at bay.
That’s the first time that I’ve officially admitted to him I had feelings for him and that they stem from when we were younger.
Chapter 16
TOPHER
I’m sitting inches away from her. Closer than I have been to her in a little over a week and my fingers are just itching to touch her.
I had a little clarity after talking to Randy earlier in the week. While I had already decided about our relationship, I think hearing the facts from him made it even more of a cemented reality of what my future may look like. I was determined to see this relationship through and with the blessing of my oldest friend, get the girl.
I came over here tonight, unsure of how receptive that she would be to me, since it took what would likely feel like an eternity, but I really didn’t have a way to gauge her when I got here since Randy was still in town.
Now that Randy’s gone and left us alone, I can tell that she’s anxiously waiting for what comes next and I know in my gut that she feels guilt for not sharing with me her secret.
I pull her hand in mine, which stops her bouncing knee.
“While I wasn’t expecting that you would be sitting here tel
ling me today that you had a crush on me back then, it just means that one of the things I was fearing is absolutely not true.” I tell her. “Which makes me even more sure of what comes next.”
“What were you fearing?” She asks, staring at our joined hands.
“A mirage of different things. One thing that I thought was that you were only sleeping with me to get some insight into some of our plays for LA.”
Her mouth drops open. “Wow. That would be quite slutty of me.” She smirks with a shake of her head.
“Tell me about it, but sometimes people do things that they normally wouldn’t do.” I shrug. “I think I jumped to the worst conclusion. But after talking to Randy, I think that I learned a lot that I wouldn’t have alternatively.”
“When he came over, he didn’t threaten to turn you inside out, did he?”
“No, not at all. He gave me the rundown and then asked what my intentions were.”
“And what did you say?” she asks, looking just to the side of my shoulder.
I look at her, willing her eyes to come to mine.
“I told him that I cared for you. That I would be supportive of your decisions, that I wouldn’t get jealous when men that you would likely interview would flirt with you. I told him that if you would have me, then I would protect you fiercely.”
A tear drops from her eye and I move to wipe the tear away. My thumb grazes her cheek as she leans into my palm as I scoot closer to her and lean in.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers with her forehead touching mine.
“We’ll get past it,” I reply softly.
“What does this mean?” She sniffs.
I sit back and release our hands. I rub them against the top of my thighs before holding one hand out to her, which she looks at curiously.
“Hi. I’m Topher Wilkens, I believe that I know you from somewhere.” I tilt my head and act like I’m trying to recall from where. “You wouldn’t be by chance related to an old friend of mine, would you?” I ask.
She blushes. “Well, I think so. I’m Mila Rossi, originally Mila Harris. I believe you know my entire family.”
MILA
He’s sitting at my kitchen table with a beer in front of him watching me cook us dinner. We’ve discussed what’s happened the last ten years to bring one another up to date on our lives.
Once it got late, my stomach grumbled, and I offered to make us dinner.
Randy hasn’t been back yet, and I’m hoping that he gets a hotel room for the night. If this evening plans out like I’m hoping, Topher and I will be reconciling and reuniting, loudly.
I’m stirring the sauce for the chicken and pasta dish, when Topher returns from the restroom. He stands behind me, and with one hand wrapped around my waist, the other places some stray hairs out of my ponytail behind my ear.
He kisses my cheek beside my ear. “I hope this is okay. That this isn’t coming off too strong?” He asks, a smile to his tone.
I lean back into him and smile as I turn my face to him. Our lips meet and slowly I turn around, melding our bodies together and wrapping my arms around his neck. I release a breath between kisses and melt into him.
Then, with a slam of the front door and my brother's poor timing, we jump apart as if we’ve been caught by our parents just as he walks into the room.
“Hey guys, it’s smells good in here,” he says resting his hand on the counter, then looking between us.
“Your sister is cooking.” Topher replies quickly.
“No shit, Sherlock.” He looks between us again. “Wait a minute, am I interrupting something?”
“Nope, you’re just in time. Dinner is ready. Can you get the plates, Ran?” I ask.
He grins and shakes his head. “Yeah, sure.”
Epilogue
TOPHER
TEN MONTHS LATER
“Are you sure that I look okay?” Mila asks, turning around and straightening.
She does. And she knows that she does. She’s nervous to all hell, because both of our families are coming together for the first time since we started dating officially.
It’s Thanksgiving week and it was pure luck that both Seattle and Los Angeles were not scheduled to play until Sunday.
And fun fact—we’re playing one another again, but in Seattle.
So, planning Thanksgiving at our place was a no brainer. We had the space, I still had my tiny condo downtown, so the whole holiday would work for everybody.
Both of our families were a little over-enthusiastic when they learned about our relationship. So much so, that both of our mothers jumped on the phone together and started planning the rest of our lives for us. According to Mila’s mom, we will have 2 children and 2 dogs. If my mom’s plans get accomplished, we will raise them around our families in LA.
Needless to say, our union has been received happily.
“Yes, you look beautiful. You would be beautiful wearing a paper bag, or even a plastic one. And I honestly don’t think our families will care about how you look.” I move to stand in front of her, place my hands on her hips and pull her closer as I give her a chaste kiss on the lips.
“I know, I know. It’s just been forever since we’ve all been in the same place at the same time. I think it was Randy’s graduation when we all had dinner together last, and now we’re all adults, and we’re living together, which clearly means that we’re doing it and I’m not sure that my dad won’t grill you.” She rambles with her eyes looking all over the place as she pulls away and paces our bedroom.
“Babe, listen. Your dad already gave me the talk, he loves me. It’s not like I’m a complete stranger. It’s not like he’s going to come and put on a show because our families are together. I’m accepted as part of your family and you are of mine.”
“Shit, did I put a timer on the turkey?” She shrieks, throwing her hands up, then running out of the room.
I shake my head and follow her out.
“What’s the rush?” Randy asks from the couch.
“She’s just panicking about today.” I shrug.
“Chicks man. Don’t they know that all us dudes care about is football and food? That’s what makes today the best.” Randy replies.
“Well, to be fair,” I start.
“To be fair.” He replies in our standard line from one of our favorite Canadian shows that we binge watched one weekend while he was visiting.
“To be fair, I think that her panicking about today is going to benefit her.” I say sitting down across from him on the loveseat.
Randy sits forward as I lean towards him just the same.
“Are you going to do something stupid?”
“I might.” I grin.
“You sly dog.”
“Why is Topher a sly dog? Toph, what did you do? You know nothing can ruin today. What did you do?” Mila asks, her voice getting higher with each word spoken and a look in her eyes that could kill.
“Chill dude, he’s done nothing wrong. Hell, I don’t think anyone would. You’re a little terrifying right now.” Randy laughs until Mila turns her death stare on him.
“Nothing babe, we’re just talking about the game for Sunday.” I lie.
“Why would you be a sly dog?” She places her hands on her hips.
“Knock! Knock!” Mrs. Harris says while walking inside the house.
Mila transforms into a host in an instant and rushes to her parents with mine following behind.
After initial greetings, the moms and Mila disappear around the corner into the kitchen, while the four guys shake hands with one another, then take a seat on the couch.
Randy turns on the television and we all zone out.
I’m not sure how long we’ve been sitting watching football, but my mom taps me on the shoulder and signals that she wants to talk to me.
We walk out to the backyard and I show her around the massive gardens.
“So, I brought what you asked me to bring.” She grins.
LATER THAT DAY
MILA
When you know something is right, you don’t question it.
With my relationship with Topher, we clicked from the beginning. We had that misstep in Minneapolis, but since then, we have kept no secrets from one another.
Today is Thanksgiving, and I started prepping everything first thing yesterday morning to make sure we had the most perfect dinner for our first one as an entire family.
I had a few minor freak-outs leading up to our parents getting here that I’m pretty sure I scared both Topher and my brother.
My mom poured me a glass of wine and I start to relax. Topher took over the reins with cutting the turkey while Randy helped place all the serving plates on the large table that we set up in the dining room. I took a deep breath and sat at one end of the table as Topher stands opposite me, pouring himself some wine. He passes one bottle down one side and uncorks another for the other side.
Once everyone has a full glass, he taps his glass and clears his throat.
“I wanted to thank everyone for coming to Seattle to join us in our first holiday together. We all go back, too many years to count, and if I tried—we would all feel exceptionally older than we feel.” Everyone around the table chuckles. I smile as I lean on the table with my chin in my palm.
“Let’s not count the years,” my dad laughs.
“I promise not to. So, Mila here, had a huge, like really huge crush on me when she was younger, which to some might seem kinda creepy, but I think it helped our relationship advance and grow. The nerves around meeting the parents were non-existent. Learning about our families was just a catch-up and I didn’t get my ass kicked by her big brother.” I cover my face and laugh.
“What I’m trying to say here is, while Mila and I have known one another for years, even with a gap. I think that when we met as adults, it was the perfect chapter for the both of us to continue with. And I want to continue to add to our story. I’m happy that both of our families are here together, Because I want to share this part of our story with all of you since we have such a lengthy history.” Topher walks towards me.
Love on the Sidelines: A Quick Snap Novella Page 7