Wilson James Taylor

I woke up in the morning to a phone call.

On the third ring, I picked up.

"Hello, is this Wilson Taylor?" a woman spoke in a professional voice.

I looked over my bare shoulder and made sure Sydney was still asleep.

"Yes? Who's this?"

"I'm Linda from Planned Planethood with the results of your-"

"Oh! Wait, wait," I remembered at once, racing to lock myself in the bathroom.

This is so embarrassing.
Not the getting tested part, but waiting because I really had no fucking idea after hooking up with Anna. Then I slipped up the night before and fucked Sydney. Raw. I almost don't regret it. . .

"Okay," I exhaled, "go ahead."

She laughed subtly. "Each test came back negative, Mr.Taylor."

I darted my eyes back and forth in thought.

"That's good, right?" I asked because sometimes with medical stuff, positive means bad as in they're positive you do have a disease.

"Yeah, that's what I mean: you're all clean," she assured me.

"Oh, thank God," I rejoiced, leaning over the sink.

I didn't know what I was going to do if I caught something, let alone passed it to Sydney.

Shit, then, yeah, I definitely don't regret last night, I thought in my head.

The nurse wished me a good day and I ended the call.

I took a leak then noticed what time it was.

9:06am

I was so late. Damian hadn't yet texted me cussing me out so I figured he had everything under control or didn't care about my well-being.

Because I was already late, I jumped right in the shower.

Once done everything in the bathroom, I stepped back inside the bedroom, towel around my waist.

Sydney was lying down on her phone, whatever she was looking at on there couldn't have been good as her feathered eyebrows were in a 'v.'

"Good morning?" I questioned, just joking.

"It is," she said, her tone doing a 180.

Sydney threw her phone and sat up with a gleaming grin.

Waking up to someone naturally beautiful and pleasant in the morning (or in Sydney's case, pleasant all the time) was new to me. Anna used to have wigs everywhere, bottles of alcohol on the floor, mean morning breath, and didn't even bother with pajamas. She would just wake up in whatever she fell asleep in whether is was a g-string from the strip club, a sequin dress, or jeans. Not to mention she looked like a whole other person without makeup - a gremlin.

I put my phone down to charge and looked at Sydney with a small smile.

She bounced happily in the bed, playing with Finn who she just demanded sleep in the bed. She claimed he gets lonely downstairs in a room alone.

Sydney had on a pair of my gym shorts as all she had from last night was those tights. Mmm, those fish nets. Other than that, a black loose racerback tank with the sides low, almost cut out.

Sydney's frizzy hair was all over the place and her eyes big and bright.

"Someone's late for work," she said in a baby voice as she played with the puppy.

I scooped him up and removed him off my sheets.

"Aw," Sydney cooed, looking down at him with a pout. "Meanie."

I went in my closet and threw some work clothes over my shoulder.

As soon as I stepped back into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, I had to ask an important question.

"You're on birth control, right?"

Sydney stopped blinking.

"Are you?" she sassed.

I laughed, pulling on a pair of socks.

"Well I didn't use any, no."

"Oh. See you in eighteen years," she heckled, looking up at my face for a reaction.

I let out one dry "aheh," and then got dressed.

I knew her humor by then so that little joke didn't phase me.

"No, but seriously," I inquired.

Sydney looked at me slow. "Yes, or I wouldn't have done it. Well, that's a lie, but you would've had to finish somewhere else."

Her honesty and openness was different but appreciated.

I nodded my head. The last thing I wanted was a kid, Hunter's enough and he's not even mine.

Changing the subject, I put on my watch and laughed Sydney's way.

"So," I snickered, "you're not really going to perform that dance, are you?"

"Who's at the door, Miles?" Doctor Susan Prescott asked her butler as she descended the grand staircase.

She finally looked up from her iPad and saw me in the foyer.

Wes and Colby' mother gasped at the sight of me.

"Wilson Taylor, is that you?" her husband George greeted me, walking in from the family room to my right.

He put his hand out and I shook it. That's one thing about George, he was always excited to see me no matter what.

"Wilson," Susan breathed out, squeezing my body in a hug.

"How are you?" I made small talk.

"We're fine," Susan answered fast.

"Getting ready for a flight to Italy, actually," George let me know.

I nodded my head like that was interesting but it was no surprise they were traveling again.

"I'm just here for Wes," I coughed up.

"Oh," Susan muttered.

George's face fell. "You haven't heard, yet, have you, son?"

"No, what?" I played dumb.

"Wes went away," Susan said. George concealed his lips, getting ready to say something different.

What does she mean 'went away?' Perhaps that's her theory but why'd she say it so surely, and to me of all people, someone she wouldn't need to lie to - a "close family friend."

"Huh. That's weird, I'll text him," I said, fishing in my pocket for my phone.

"You let us know when you hear from him," George spoke up, his hand on my shoulder.

"For sure," I affirmed, subtly moving so he was no longer touching me.

"Mister and misses Prescott, your car is waiting outside," Miles, the butler, cut in, holding up one of the double doors.

"How long will you be gone?" I asked the couple, walking them out.

"Just until this whole thing blows over-" George admitted, earning a deathly glare from Susan that they didn't think I (or want me to) notice.

It's like Wes said, rich people can pay to make their problems go away. Just like with the Colby controversy, they didn't want the news to tarnish their reputations or get in the way of work. So they fled and made up a story about their missing son.
At first Susan went on the local news saying Wes was missing, and she was a wreck. Next I saw, she put out a statement online saying Wes had a psychotic break and needed to go somewhere remote for a while. A while indeed. . .

***

Over dinner at a local restaraunt, all Damian and Chyna did was go back-and-forth. It was like Martin and Pam, they got on my nerves.

"--why would you reach on my plate like that, though?" Damian argued.

"Boy, it's one French fry. You offered them to me," Chyna defended herself.

I rolled my eyes, unable to enjoy my meal anymore. The bickering was the last thing I needed after a long day in dirt.

"Ooo, Chy, look," Sydney bubbled. "I found a place!"

Sydney was in her new iPad all night after just getting it hours before. She and Chyna were looking for a place, but Chyna's picky. Although, I preferred that over Sydney's eagerness; she jumped at any place she came across.

"No, the bathroom," Chyna shot down, hardly looking at the image.

"Let me see," I said, looking over Sydney's shoulder as she sat under me. "What's wrong with the bathroom?"

"Nothing," Sydney grumbled, scrolling to the next property.

"Tile floors, oh no," Chyna spat, flipping the straight black hair over her shoulder.

I shook my head, seeing what Sydney had to put up with.

"Bathroom break. Come on, Syd," Chyna bossed, scooting out of the booth.

They excused themselves and headed for the ladies room.

"Ya results come back?" Damian asked me quietly.

I pulled the blue cup from my mouth and said, "Yeah, negative. You?"

"Facts, same."

"What'd you have to worry about?" I asked, chuckling, seeing the nerves written on his face.

"Man," he shot out, "Chyna been seein' other niggas this whole time."

"That's tough." I felt for him.

That's not a talk Sydney and I have had, and I doubt we will. She gets a lot of male attention, but couldn't stand them. Plus, I think she'd mention it if she was, or I would've caught her going on a date by now.

"What'd you say to her?" I asked him.

Damian leaned back in the seat, pushing his phone away face down.

"Man, like, I know it ain't been that long but I thought we were chilling. She said she needed a place to stay so I was like 'I got a free crib, don't gotta pay rent or nothing,' and she was like 'that's too much, it's giving married vibes," he acted out.

I had to laugh at her response, these girls are something different.

"So, what, she just doesn't like you, or?"

His hand touched my arm. "That's the thing, she said she do. You know, we be doin' our thing, whatever. I told her she could stay with me, I'm not asking to be tied down, but she wasn't havin' it, so," Damian spilled.

All I could do was shake my head. And I thought Sydney was difficult, must be why they get along so well - they both wanna be independent so bad.

"What about, Syd, you hit her yet, or what?"

I hung my head, hiding my apparent grin. "Not this again," I said, pleading the fifth.

"Pssh," Damian scowled, taking a bite of his burger.

***

"What's your dating history like?" I asked Syd in the Jeep on the way home from dinner.

"My dating history?" she laughed at how I worded it.

"Come on, seriously."

Sydney put her to-go cup in the holder up front and twisted her mouth in thought. I was worried there for a second, thinking it must be a lot if she was taking so long to answer.

"I've never dated anyone. Tried to, it just... didn't work out," she finally answered.

"Huh," I sounded under my breath.

Sydney dropped her jaw. all dramatic. "What, oh, don't say it like you don't believe me? I hate that, don't assume shit, Wilson."

"I'm not, I'm not," I said to cool her down.

When I put my hand on her thigh, she smiled sweetly.

"How about you?" she asked.

I took a right and looked onto the dark road.

"Relationships," I gritted my teeth. "they never worked out for me. I tried, I just lost interest in everyone. That, or my mom scared them away."

"That's not funny, I can't with the overprotective moms," Sydney huffed, crossing her arms.

I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "She's not that bad. In her defense, I really didn't know how to pick 'em."

"No excuse. Why is your mom driving away your girls? It's not like she can date you."

"She's just being a mom, Syd. Didn't your dad ever have to beat up some of your dates?" I was actually curious to know.
She never talked about her family, I wondered what they were like, what they did.

"No," Sydney said with a gulp and dead eyes.

"Really?" I found that hard to believe.

"No!" she repeated.

Seeing she was all pissy, I turned the music up and just drove.

After about twenty minutes, no more than a half an hour, I parked outside of Delaney's along the road.

I sighed and sat back in the seat, watching Sydney move.

"--Don't lie to me, Tom!" we heard yelling from the front door and broke our necks to catch the scene. I cut my lights before Tom exited the house, slamming the door in Delaney's face.

With her mouth wide open, Delaney ran after her boyfriend.

"Baby, you don't have to leave. I'm not mad, I just want to know the truth," she sobbed, clinging onto his arm.

Tom snatched away, unlocking his car doors - a white Challenger.

"Yes, Delaney, I've been seeing Sarah. That what you wanna hear?" Tom confessed, rubbing his scalp.

Sydney looked away with pity. I see what she meant about Delaney now, this was pathetic.

"Sorry. I think we should end things," Tom said, emotionless.

"No," Delaney wept, stopping him from getting in the vehicle.

"I can change," she vowed, damn near begging.

Christ.

It was like a car accident, so bad but you just can't look away.

Well, there goes my chances of asking Sydney the "what are we question," I thought. I knew she'd probably have some shit to say about what we just witnessed, using it to prove her right about men.

Tom pulled off after saying he needed some space and would call Delaney later. She sulked back inside and Sydney removed her seatbelt. I was shocked at that, actually, thinking she'd wanna come home with me and not deal with her moody aunt.

"I should go," Sydney said quietly. "she'll want a shoulder to cry on. And lots of Sutter Home."

Women and their wine. I didn't like wine, or Delaney.

"Want me to come with you?" I asked, leaning in.

Sydney let out a laugh through her nose and pushed the door open.

"No. Thanks," she said, getting out. "Just 'cause we had sex doesn't mean we need to be together all the time."

Well damn.

I- I had nothing to say back to that, actually.

What are we, I dare ask? Friends. With some benefits.

She walked along the sidewalk, leaving me speechless.

Just as I was about to pull off, Sydney ran back to the open passenger window, laughing hysterically.

"I'm kidding," she giggled, reaching in to take my seatbelt off. "come on!"