Life Happens on the Stairs

by Amy J. Markstahler

  “You’re not helping yourself.”

  “You need to know he never wanted me to lie. He’s a good guy, and it doesn’t matter what you think or what anyone else thinks. This isn’t a fling.”

  “Elsie, please. Don’t get your heart broken on top of everything else.” She pushed open the car door. “I have to go to bed.”

  She headed inside the house. Mark slammed the car door and followed her inside.

  I stayed.

  She was going to take Tyler away from me. She’d freak out when Mrs. Vaughn fired her, and I’d never be able to see him again. I had one night. One last night.

  Chapter 27

  When I went inside, Mom and Mark were already settled in their rooms. I headed to the bathroom and took a shower. By eleven-fifty, silence filled the house. I sat on the edge of my bed, wiping my sweaty palms on the comforter. What if Greg didn’t let him leave? I’d die if I didn’t see him one more time.

  At five after twelve, I quietly slipped out the back door. A brisk breeze blew through the air. I stopped on the back steps listening for any warning signs. The night was shrouded in black. I squinted. Nothing, but leaves blowing in the wind. Taking a deep breath, I started across the backyard. The walk to the house felt like a mile. Normally, I ran there and never in the dark.

  Something rustled in the weeds. I crossed the pavement, quickening my steps. Moments later, I rounded the curve through the overgrowth to the two-story house, opened the back door and went inside.

  The smell of the musty room tingled my nose. Pitch-black, I couldn’t see a thing. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and flipped it open to light the way. A dank hallway led me into the kitchen. I took a left into the living room and headed straight to the old Victorian couch.

  After I settled in, I held up my phone to check out the room. Two green, wingback chairs sat opposite the couch with a filthy, oval coffee table separating the space. A cobweb-laced, stone fireplace filled the center of the wall to my left. Windows at the far end of the room were covered in decaying sheer curtains.

  With all vantage points in sight, I relaxed and glanced at my phone. Twelve-sixteen. Give him time. Who knew what he was going through? Flipping the phone shut, I wedged in the corner of the couch and dozed off.

  What felt like minutes later, I woke with a start. Footsteps. Light filled the doorway.

  Tyler stepped into the room, holding his iPhone toward the floor. Relief filled me as he walked inside and sat down on the coffee table. His clean scent cut through the smell of red dirt and mildew. He’d changed his clothes, but his hair was still damp from showering.

  He set his phone on the table, its light illuminating the ceiling. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now. What time is it?”

  “Almost one-thirty.” He stood up, motioned me to move forward, then slid behind me. “Sorry. Nana wasn’t exactly pleasant. It took a minute to convince Dad to go home.”

  Tyler wrapped his arms around me, then we laced our legs together. I settled back on his chest. He cringed with a flinch.

  I sat up. “Tyler. Your ribs.”

  “I don’t care.” He pulled me back. “I need you right here.”

  I gently laid my head on his chest. He squeezed me tight, burying his face in my hair.

  “They want me to come home,” he said. “Tomorrow.”

  Tears filled my eyes. I only had hours, minutes, seconds left with him.

  “Tomorrow?”

  He stroked my hair. “I have to spend some time with them before I head to Nashville.”

  His gentleness and tender touch contradicted everything I’d witnessed earlier. My tears soaked his T-shirt as he took a deep breath of my hair.

  “You know what pisses me off almost as much as Bobby coming at you?” His tone was low and calm. “My dad. I had it under control. I’d bailed myself out and called our lawyer. But the fucking sheriff knows Nana and called her. She insisted they hold me until Dad got there, which took what, over two hours? Nana’s totally freaking out.”

  “They must hate me.”

  “No, they hate that I got into a fight, but I don’t regret it. Bobby got what he deserved. I’m not playing when it comes to you.” He grunted. “Or getting my ass kicked.”

  This was the third time he’d defended me. He certainly wasn’t playing.

  “You scared me,” I whispered.

  “I’m sorry. My therapist and I’ve had long conversations about how I should handle something like this. I’m supposed to walk away. Fuck that. This was different.”

  Therapist? He hadn’t mentioned that. “You have a therapist?”

  “For a while, I had one. Dr. Allen. I started seeing him after Grandpa died.”

  “Oh. Why did Bobby call you TJ?”

  Tyler’s heart pounded a few beats faster in my ear. “You caught that?”

  “Well, yeah. You obviously know each other.”

  “My middle name’s Jackson, so everyone used to call me TJ.”

  “I heard your grandmother say Tyler Jackson the other day. I like it.”

  “I can deal with that, but Grandpa used to call me TJ. I put a stop to it after he died. It reminded me too much of him.”

  I had so many questions, so many things I wanted to know before he left.

  “So, how do you know Bobby?”

  “When we owned the paper mill, Bobby’s dad had worked there. He was welding on a piece of machinery one day – that was supposed to be shut down. Long story short, it wasn’t.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “If Grandpa and Dad would’ve compensated the family better, Bobby probably wouldn’t care who I am.” He sighed. “I suppose you wanna know when I got my ass beat, too?”

  “Yes. Everything.”

  “Even the shitty stuff?”

  I laughed. “Even the shitty stuff.”

  “Fair enough. I was fifteen, and here for the summer, of course. My buddy Josh and I’d walked up to the restaurant one night. When we left, Bobby and a couple of his friends were waiting for us in the parking lot. Josh freaked out and ran. He’s always been a puss. I’d already been kicked out of school, and I thought I was untouchable. But three on one sucks.”

  “I bet.”

  “That’s why I snapped on Mark. After that night, if someone grabs me from behind, I’m coming up swinging. I almost nailed that cop, too.” He laughed. “That would’ve been stupid.”

  “No doubt,” I said. “Mark’s fine. I just wonder if Bobby is. You tore him up.”

  “I didn’t mean to lose it like that. But how many times did he want to go around? I’ve waited a long time to get back at that sonofabitch. ”

  “Really?”

  I didn’t know what to think of this side of him. I’d been frightened during the fight, but now all my fears were gone. I loved his strength, despite his weaknesses.

  “No. Well, kind of,” he said. “I shouldn’t have let you go in there alone. I couldn’t believe it when you told me your brother was with Bobby Dale.”

  “I told you about Bobby. Mark and I were with him the night of my accident.”

  “One out of four guys around here are named Bobby. I never put the two together.”

  I giggled. “And you’re the one that’s freaky smart.”

  “I told you... I just test well.”

  He leaned down and kissed my cheek. The amber glow from his cell phone cast a halo across the ceiling. I closed my eyes and soaked in his warm embrace.

  “I think Mom’s proud of you,” I said. “I caught her smiling when I told her about the fight. She hates Bobby.”

  He relaxed underneath me, as if he was relieved. He wanted Mom to accept him.

  “How did she take everything?”

  “She’s hurt that I lied.” I remembered Mom’s words. “She thinks we’re a summer fling.”

  “We’re not,” he whispered.

  “No. We aren’t.”

  We held each other all night, talking and recounting the past month. He eve
ntually shifted so he lay next to me face to face. I rested my head on his firm bicep as he brushed the back of his fingers over my cheek.

  “The next few months are going to feel like forever,” he said. “I’ll try my best to balance everything, but please... just wait for me.”

  “Of course, I will.” A tear rolled down my cheek. “This just sucks.”

  He pulled me close to his chest, holding me tight. “I know.”

  We stayed there until the sunlight broke through the window. I never fell asleep. Instead, I spent my time feeling every inch of his exposed skin, etching him into my memory.

  He continued to stroke my hair and kissed me every so often.

  “Remember how much I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too, Tyler. So much.”

  Finally. I said it.

  We went outside around six. The hot southern sun was already heating the humid air. We awkwardly stood there, neither of us willing to say goodbye first. After a few moments, he ran his fingers through his hair, then stepped forward and took both of my hands in his.

  “This is it.” He tilted his head with soft eyes. “It’s not forever. Just for a little while.”

  He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine... tenderly... taking his time. My heart raced as I shivered under his touch. Please don’t leave, not yet. Pressing against me again, he let out a low hum, kissing me deeper with every breath.

  I clutched his neck. His hands slid down my sides, then with one smooth motion, he lifted me off my feet, cradling me in his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He started walking forward, lips still locked to mine, and pushed the screen door open.

  Moments later, we both went down on the couch. I held him tight, returning his passion. He pushed my shirt up my belly and over my chest. I raised my arms. He swiftly slipped off my top, then met my lips with his again.

  I slid my hands under his shirt, up his smooth back, then down to his muscular chest, slipping too far past the button of his jeans, over his hipbones, and back up his rippled abs.

  He swept his lips across my jaw and down my neck. Stopping at the hollow of my throat, he paused to breathe me in, then he moved to my collarbone, and brushed over my scar.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, all my imperfections rushed my mind. I had so many scars...

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered on my skin, as if he could feel my doubts.

  Skimming his tender touch over my chest, he made his way full circle and kissed me again. Our warm bodies still pressed tight, he pulled away just enough that I could still feel his lips on mine.

  “I love you, Elizabeth.”

  I inhaled his breath as he kissed me again. Elizabeth. I loved the way he said my name.

  We made the most of the last minutes we had together, but used infinite restraint and forced ourselves to stop before we went too far.

  We returned outside a quarter to seven. The truth was inevitable... he had to go. He asked me to wait as he went to his car. Moments later, he came back with something in his hand. He stepped in front of me, his right hand in his pocket. In the left, he held up his brown, leather journal.

  “This is so you don’t forget what I’ve told you.”

  I hesitated before I accepted the book. “Tyler, this is too much.”

  “Not at all. I wanted to have something more for you,” he said, looking thoroughly disappointed. “I thought I had more time.”

  He took a step toward me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing our bodies tight. Brushing my hair from my eyes, he looked me over like he was imprinting me in his mind. Then he kissed me one last time with so much love, I began to understand what it felt like to be one with another person.

  As he pulled away, he took a sharp breath, as if the pain was too much to bear.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you, too.”

  He stepped back, lowered his head with that look in his eyes that I loved so much, and then he turned and walked away. I hugged his journal against my aching heart. As he disappeared behind the black-tinted windows of his car, I inhaled the edges of the book.

  It smelled like leather and Tyler.

  Chapter 28

  Megan walked through the front door as I came in the back. I headed straight for my room, shucked off my shoes and crawled under the covers. Tyler’s touch lingered in my memory, still resonating on my skin. I curled in a ball, hugging his journal to my chest, and replayed the last six hours until I fell asleep.

  Bam! The door smacked the wall. I gasped, sitting straight in bed.

  “Elizabeth!” Mom shouted. “Get up! Now!”

  Nausea made my head spin as I tried to process why she was screaming at me. Then I looked at the clock. Four minutes after ten.

  Oh crap. She was home way too early.

  Worse than a bad dream, I remembered Tyler walking away, then his kiss, his “I love you,” his touch, his lips. My heart started pounding as if I’d been given a shot of adrenaline, then suddenly the surge fled, leaving my body weary.

  Mom headed toward the kitchen. I jumped out of bed and followed her.

  Her wrath couldn’t hurt any worse than what I already felt.

  She sat down behind the counter and I leaned against the small island, creating a buffer between us.

  “Do you know why I’m home already?” she asked. “Maybe, Mrs. Vaughn?”

  “What did she say to you?”

  Mom sized me up. The clock clicked on the wall. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick. I wanted to scream, get it over with!

  “Let me see... how did she put it?” Her contemptuous stare said it before she could. “‘That whore of a daughter of yours told me to clean my own fucking house.’ Then, she also informed me that she saw you and Tyler kissing.” She raised her palms in the air. “But the best one was when she said Tyler had gotten into a fight because of my white-trash children.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. The old woman was pure evil.

  “Mom, she called me a whore when she saw my black eye after Mr. Smith smacked me.” I spoke slowly. “I had to go to the Vaughn’s the next day. When she called me a whore, I couldn’t take anymore. I did tell her that. I told her to clean her own f’ing house. I’d dropped my phone when I tried to get away from Smith, and Tyler had insisted we go get it. After we came back, he gave me a kiss. We were in his car—”

  “He went to Smith’s?” she said, horrified.

  “Tyler was mad when he saw my face. All he did was get my phone back.”

  “You know,” she sighed, “a little warning would’ve been nice. Like maybe when we were talking last night?”

  “I’m sorry,” I said in my sincerest tone. “I didn’t mean for all of this to happen, but I didn’t want to add to your burdens. That woman hates me because of Tyler. I heard her yell at him that he deserved better than that.” My voice cracked as tears filled my eyes. “She called me, that.”

  Mom softened her hard expression. “Elsie, she’s mean and heartless. You aren’t below anyone. Even Tyler.”

  I gave her a weak smile.

  “He left for Memphis this morning, you know,” she said. A tear rolled down my cheek and fell to the floor, confirming I already knew. “He sure is taken with you. You should’ve heard him. He told her he’d never step foot in her house again if he heard her say another bad word about you.” She chuckled. “The old woman was terrified. She stammered around as Tyler grabbed his bags and walked out. I left, too. I’d had enough.”

  “So, there’s no way you can get your job back?”

  “Do you really think I’d work for a woman who has the nerve to call my daughter a whore? Or my children white trash? Never again, sweetie.” She grinned. “She can clean her own fucking house.”

  We burst out laughing. Those words meant everything to me. I walked around the counter and wrapped my arms around her. She squeezed me tight.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom. I never meant to lie to you. I never meant to get you fired. I screw
ed everything up.”

  “Shh... no you didn’t. You’ve been through a lot. I’m proud of you, and I’m sorry. I wanted to protect you, not send you out to get hurt.”

  I pulled away and looked her in the eyes. “I had no intentions of seeing Tyler. He asked me to go jogging and... ” I gasped, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I can’t explain it. We couldn’t stay away from each other. I am totally in love with him.”

  “I believe the feeling is mutual. He apologized to me for the fight, but before he left, he confronted his grandmother, told her he loved you, and if she didn’t like it, then she didn’t need to be in his life.” She smiled. “He really cares about you.”

  She pulled me back into her arms, and I sobbed on her shoulder like a little girl.

  For the next two days, I came out of my bedroom only to go the bathroom. Tyler didn’t call or text. He’d disappeared like he’d warned me he would. I held my phone in one hand and his journal in the other, sleeping the days away.

  Saturday afternoon, Mom knocked on my door, pushing it open even though I’d ignored her. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “Elsie, you have to get up and do something. Emma’s been calling you for days. You should talk to her, or at the least, take a shower. Remember, school starts tomorrow.”

  I groaned and rolled away from her.

  She rubbed my back for a few seconds, then left me alone. I clutched Tyler’s journal to my chest, nose pressed against the edges, and went back to sleep.

  Sunday night, he finally called.

  “Thank God,” he said after I answered. “It is so good to hear your voice.”

  “Same to you. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. When I got home, Dad and I had argued and I dropped my phone. It shattered, and then I crashed out. I slept for like fourteen hours. I just got it replaced.”

  The sound of his voice produced a whole new pain I’d never experienced. It curled itself inside my belly and squirmed.

  “All I’ve done is sleep, too,” I said.