Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Did you get the guy? Was it everything you thought it would be?
Yours,
Cocky Neighbor
(Can I go by that name from now on? I like it!)
I exited my email and closed my laptop. I refused to sit around waiting for a response. As I told him, I was a busy guy. I had shit to do. Only, I didn’t do any of it. And five minutes later when there was a soft knock, I grinned because I knew it was Elijah.
I pulled the door open and leaned against the jamb. Of course it was him, wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that said Pilates for Life. He stared up at me, one brow cocked, a disappointed look aimed my way.
“You missed me,” I told him.
“You’re delusional,” he replied, slipping by me and walking in.
“Wow. You’re developing a habit of doing that. I know how much you love spending time with me and all, but I could have had someone over.”
“You just emailed me!”
Well, there was that. “We could have been taking a break.”
“And you stopped to message me? Sounds like you’re the one who would be missing me if that happened.”
I closed the door. He had me there. “But then, I’m the one who was avoiding you, remember?”
“Ah-ha!” He cheered. “See! You admit it. You’ve been dodging me.”
I rolled my eyes. “You make it sound as if you were following me and I was ducking behind trees to avoid you. Do I need a restraining order?”
“Ha-ha,” Elijah replied, pushing his hands into his pockets. There was a vulnerability to the way he stood, a softness to his features. It worked its way inside me much too quickly for my liking.
“I don’t know why I was avoiding you. It’s weird. And I don’t like it. I blame you. But as I said in my email, I’m all fine now, and here we are, nitpicking at each other the way we’re supposed to be.”
“I thought we both agreed that everything was your fault?” he replied, making me smile, which he returned…and I enjoyed.
“I just let you think that. Do you want something to drink? Beer? Wine? Water?”
“Wine would be good. Thanks.”
Elijah followed me to the kitchen. He sat on the same barstool he’d been on the only other time he’d been inside my apartment. My back was to him as I opened a bottle and pulled two glasses from the cabinet. “So…how did it go? Did you get the D?” I joked, but the words stuck like cotton balls in my throat.
“He was definitely acting jealous. I’ve never seen him like that. He doesn’t like you.”
“Gee, thanks. I don’t like him either.” I handed him a glass.
Elijah’s eyes widened before softening slightly. “Shit. I didn’t mean that. I mean, he was being weird to you, but he can’t really dislike you; the two of you don’t know each other.”
“That never stopped you.” I raised my glass to him in a mock salute.
“I didn’t not like you, Shaw. You made me crazy. You still do. And we have absolutely nothing in common, which I think we both know.”
“True.” Those were two solid reasons that made the fact that we were there, together, odd. “And for the sake of being honest, you make me crazy as well.”
“I guess that’s our thing.” He didn’t look at me, just sat there, running the tip of his finger in circles around his wineglass.
The silence felt heavy in my ears and in my chest, until I couldn’t help but break it. “So it worked? We keep going? Or did the two of you fall madly in love and you’re telling me that you’re engaged and having your two point five children?”
“I don’t want children,” he surprised me by saying.
“Me neither!”
“Hey, look. We have something in common.” He chuckled, and I did the same. “Seriously, though, I came to tell you we should stop. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
Well, shit. I hadn’t expected that. Not if they didn’t have their storybook ending already. “So you came to your senses? Realized you’re not in love with him?” Oh God. Was I holding my breath? Why was I holding my breath? I made a big point of breathing deeply.
“No. That’s not… It feels weird. Wrong. Like lying.”
“Oh.” It was like lying in a way. We’d both known that from the start, but then stupid questions I shouldn’t be pondering pelted me: Did he mean pretending to be my friend? Was that a lie? Were we done hanging out? Why did I care if we were? “That’s your choice. I think we were doing well. We only had one night with him, and he was already biting at my ankles to keep me away from you.”
“Shaw…”
I held up my hands. “Sorry. I won’t be mean to the bestie. I hope you tell him not to be mean to me either.” But then, he and I weren’t friends like they were. We only talked and spent time together to help him get Danny.