Beautiful Sacrifice

He patted the empty space next to him. “My birthday is January first.”

“That’s kind of cool.” I sat next to him, stretching my legs out in front of me. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I sat down. “It’s always a big party, huh?”

“I guess.”

“I figured you’d talk about your job.”

“It’s a job. When’s your birthday?” Taylor asked.

“Oh, are we doing Twenty Questions?”

He feigned exasperation. “A form of it, I guess.”

“It’s not just a job. You save lives, homes, entire towns.”

He waited for me to answer, unfazed.

“My birthday isn’t on a holiday.”

He waited.

I rolled my eyes. “May thirteenth.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“Nope.”

“Your parents’ only child hates them. That sucks.”

“Yep.”

“Wow. I thought you were going to deny hating them. Do you really hate them?”

“I think so.” The irony wasn’t lost on me that I had answered almost immediately with no thinking at all.

“Can I ask why?”

I sighed. The other part of the game I’d started long before Twenty Questions was not to give too much away while still seeming to play along. “I guess you had the perfect childhood.”

“Not at all.”

“Enough love for your mom to tattoo her name on your arm.”

“My brother wanted to, so I had to, too.”

“And why is that?”

“We have the same tattoos.”

“Like the exact same ones? All of you?”

“Just my brother Tyler and me.”

I snorted. “Taylor and Tyler.”

He laughed, too. “Thomas, Trenton, and Travis, too.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You’re not serious.”

He shrugged. “She liked Ts.”

“Clearly. So … your parents are still in Eakins?”

“Yep.”

“What’s Illinois like?”

He blinked, unhappy for some reason. “I don’t know. Eakins is pretty suburban, I guess.”

“Like here?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s really, really small. We have only one grocery store, a few restaurants, and a couple of bars.”

“And a tattoo parlor?”

“Yeah. My brother works there—Trenton. He’s really good.”

“Does he do all of yours?”

“All but one.” Taylor held out his arm and pointed to the tattoo that read Diane.

“Why not that one?”

Taylor stood up. “That’s more than twenty.”

He held out his hand to help me up. I pulled on him and then brushed off my pants.

“I don’t think so, but we should head back if you want to see other touristy stuff.”

He looked around and then shook his head. “No. I’m good with just hiking this trail. Unless you’re hungry or something?”

I looked at Taylor. He was a little too sweet, somewhat courteous, and even thoughtful at times, all safely hidden away behind his smart mouth and his tough tattooed exterior.

He cocked his head. “What?”

“Nothing. You’re just … not what I thought … I think.”

“Great. Now, you’re in love with me. I’ll never get rid of you.”

My nose wrinkled. “I am definitely not and never will be.”

“Promise?” he asked, smug.

“Yes, and unlike you, I keep my promises.”

“Good. Makes things a lot less complicated now that you’ve been friend-zoned.” He playfully pushed me forward, and I pushed him back. “Onward.”

We were almost back to the truck as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. The temperature had dropped from sweltering to refreshing, and the sweat that had beaded on my skin was cooling in the light evening breeze.

Somewhere ahead, music was floating in the air, and smells of food tipped off a party.

“Oh,” I said, “the fund-raiser is tonight.”

“Here?” Taylor said.

“Every year. For the …” I scanned Taylor from head to toe. “It’s the Heroes Gala, raising money for the families of fallen firefighters.”

A look of appreciation came over Taylor’s face. “That’s kind of cool.”

Just when the lights and people came into view, I froze. “Shit … shit.”

“What?”

“My parents are there. They attend it every year.”

“So, we’ll go around it.”

“It’s dark,” I sighed. “We should stay on the trail. People get lost out here.”

He grabbed my hand. “We’ll hurry past it. My truck’s just beyond that boulder.”

I nodded, and we rushed toward an enormous white tent with hanging lights, the sound of a generator mixing with excited chatter and laughter.

We had nearly made it when I heard William’s voice calling my name. I closed my eyes and felt Taylor squeezing my hand.

“Falyn?” William said again.

We turned, and when William recognized Taylor and then saw our hands, he puffed out his chest, already preparing to lose his temper. Blaire joined us, the swishing of her long gown coming to a halt once she took her husband’s arm. The expression on her face was familiar, one I had begun to relish.

“Falyn, dear, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“It’s a public place,” I said, angry.

By the term of endearment, she had revealed herself. She’d only call me those asinine pet names in front of her friends, the fake ones who she’d ruthlessly trash in the privacy of her home. I wasn’t welcome, and she wanted me to leave sooner rather than later.

People were beginning to crowd around my parents, like a small army of judgmental assholes, all listening in to make sure they could hear the juicy details to discuss at the next dinner party.

I began to turn, but William quickly approached. “This has got to stop. You—”

“Dad,” I said, my voice saccharine sweet, “you remember Taylor Maddox. He’s from Eakins, Illinois.”

William blanched.

Blaire touched her fingers to her chest. “Bill,” she said, reaching for her husband, “leave Falyn to her friend. Good night, sweetheart.”