Just Neighbors

by Charity Ferrell

  Gloria crosses her arms and sulks. “And I said you have to.”

  “Sorry, but I’m too old for trick-or-treating,” Trey answers.

  She hops up and looks close to tears when she stomps her foot. “That’s not fair!”

  I stand and drape my arm around her. “Let’s have a girls’ Halloween night.”

  She sniffles and scowls at Trey, shooting him a stare that’d force me to cave in seconds. “You always come with me!”

  He offers her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Glor-Bear. Aunt Chloe said she’d take you though.”

  “Fine, I don’t want you to come anymore,” she declares, hiding her face in my waist.

  “What about this?” Kyle comments. “I’m handing out candy at my house.” He signals between Gloria and Chloe. “You two trick-or-treat it up.” He winks at Gloria. “Save me the Reese’s Cups, and Trey can hang out at my house. I made tacos, so come over when you’re finished.”

  Trey gives Kyle a glance. “You made tacos?”

  “Sure did.”

  “His mother made tacos,” I correct with a smile.

  “Your mom still cooks for you, bro?” Trey asks. “That’s lame.”

  “For your information, I made the tacos tonight. My mom only makes my date-night meals,” Kyle argues.

  “That’s even lamer,” Trey comments. “You’re supposed to impress chicks.”

  Trey goes to Kyle’s, and Gloria and I go trick-or-treating for a good hour before we go to Kyle’s for tacos. Trey might be too old for trick-or-treating, but he has no problem with raiding Gloria’s candy bag.

  Claudia picks the kids up late, and then I let Kyle use his handcuffs on me.

  “I love this place,” Lauren sings out, skipping into the restaurant. “Oh, the memories here will last a lifetime.”

  A prominent magazine I’d kill to write for has chosen Clayton’s as one of the finest restaurants in Iowa for the past four years. I came here with Kent for all of our celebration dinners—our birthdays, anniversaries, and promotions. The restaurant is an hour out of Blue Beech, and we’re staying in a hotel in the city for the night. It’s nice, not worrying about nosy people gawking at you.

  “Yes, such romantic memories.” Gage chuckles before kissing Lauren.

  Lauren glances at me while we make our way to the hostess stand. “When Gage came home, he followed me here. He also brought a date in a desperate attempt to make me jealous.”

  Gage ruffles his hand through Lauren’s hair, resulting in a glare from her. “Why don’t you elaborate on the story, babe? Tell her how you deceived me into thinking you were having an affair with a married man. Come to find out, you were here, celebrating your friend’s birthday with his husband.”

  “Wow,” I say while laughing.

  I envy Lauren and Gage’s relationship. They were high school sweethearts, and even though they broke up and he moved away, they reconciled. Now, she’s pregnant, and they’re engaged.

  Lauren is wearing a red dress, her baby bump on display, and her black heels don’t bring her close to Gage’s stature. Her dark hair is down in curls, and Gage’s is messy as he protectively settles his strong arm around her.

  I’m dressed in a simple black dress with black heels. My blonde hair is straightened, and the only makeup I’m wearing is a bright red lip. Kyle is sporting a white button-down shirt with a hint of color on the collar and cuffs and dark jeans. Like his uniforms, the shirt perfectly fits him and showcases his broad shoulders and muscles.

  In high school, I had no friends. All my dinner companions tonight were in the cool crowd. I never spoke to Gage. He spent most of his time with Kyle, and anyone who hung out with Kyle was an enemy. Lauren was always nice to me and once even picked me as her Chemistry partner when she realized I was always picked last.

  Kyle wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s grab a drink from the bar.”

  I stop him and nudge my head toward Lauren.

  She waves away my concern. “Don’t worry about me. I take notes of all the delicious-looking martinis and will come back when there isn’t a little one in my stomach. I’m totally cool with you guys drinking without me.”

  Kyle takes my hand and leads me to a small open section at the bar.

  “The bartender is not even paying attention to us,” Lauren whines.

  “You’re pregnant and at the bar,” Gage says.

  Lauren glares and then kisses him. “Go get the bartender’s attention, Kyle.”

  “Be right back,” Kyle tells us, giving my side a squeeze. “He’s giving the other side all his attention.”

  I lean forward and rest my elbows on the bar while observing him move around the bar. I bite into my lip when I catch women staring at him as if they want him as their dessert. There’s a bridal party assembled around the bar, attempting to capture his attention, but he ignores them. I beam with pride. He’s overlooking them because of me. He wants me.

  “Wow, you’re here with him?”

  I tense and immediately know who said that.

  “With fucking Kyle Lane?” Kent snarls.

  I turn to scowl at him and notice his wedding ring. There’s no bitterness. Kent stands in front of me, and I feel nothing toward him, not hurt or regret.

  He sets his drink on the bar and nudges closer by bumping the person next to me. “I need not go into details about why being around him is a vile fucking idea.”

  “And you cheating on me with another chick was a vile fucking idea, but you did. Now, you’re married to the woman you swore you weren’t touching while I’m sharing a meal with the man you warned me away from. Oh, how the motherfucking world turns,” I snap with no hesitation.

  He snatches his drink up and chugs it before slamming it down. “Don’t come running to me when he screws you over.”

  My eyes narrow his way as we form strong eye contact. “Trust me; don’t concern yourself with that. Go back to your wife. Maybe you can be a not-so-shitty partner to her.”

  I tense up when I see Kyle approach us. He doesn’t look threatened my Kent’s presence. Kyle slaps Kent on the back, bumps his shoulder when stepping around him, and places our drinks on the bar before dragging me into his side.

  A hard expression spreads across Kent’s face.

  “Good to see you, man,” Kyle addresses him. “I hope you’re doing well. Thank you for cheating on Chloe to give me the opportunity to make her happy—very happy.”

  “Fuck you,” Kent scowls.

  Kyle laughs coldly. “Nah, I’d rather have fun with Chloe. Appreciate the offer though.”

  “Why do you even care who I’m here with?” I ask Kent.

  “I still care about you! I don’t want to see you get used by this”—he tosses his hands out to signal Kyle—“asshole who has already hurt you once. Don’t trust him. You think he’ll ever want to be with you? Look, he took you out of Blue Beech for your date, so no one would see you together.”

  Kyle’s fingers curl around my waist. “Fuck you. Don’t assume shit you know nothing about.”

  Gage steps between them. “Enough. Both of you, walk away, and we’ll all enjoy a nice dinner.”

  Kent furiously shakes his head. “Go ahead, Chloe. Let him treat you like the whore he always made you out to be. I guess your little nickname suited you.” His nostrils flare.

  My cheeks redden in embarrassment.

  Kyle settles me behind him, blocking me from Kent. I attempt to go around him to give Kent a good ass-kicking, but it’s too late. One second, my ex’s mouth is talking shit about me, and the next, Kyle’s fist is hitting it, preventing him from talking more shit about me.

  People step out of the way when Kent cries out and holds his nose.

  “That’s assault!” he screams. “You assaulted me!”

  “It was a love tap, Kent,” Kyle replies with annoyance, as if he were scolding a child. “No damage was done.”

  With that, Kyle grips my hand and leads me toward the exit. As we pass the restro
oms, I bump into Kent’s wife, and she blinks a few times, as if she were imagining me. When she realizes I’m real and I’m unable to move, her attention then swings to Kyle, and I grin.

  I pat her shoulder. “Thank you so much for stealing Kent away from me, Lacy.”

  “Screw you, Chloe.” An evil smirk stretches across her lips. “Maybe I’ll be able to give him babies, you barren bitch.”

  Oh, this bitch.

  Hell no.

  Sadness and rage consume me at her words. At this moment, two things can happen: I could burst into tears or punch Lacy. I raise my hand, ready for a catfight, but Kyle grabs it and leads me out of the restaurant while I attempt to jerk away.

  “Hey,” I yell, swatting at him when we make it outside to the valet. “Why are you allowed to hit someone, but I’m not?”

  He whips around to look at me, his face filled with irritation. “That can get you into tough shit.”

  I tap my heel against the ground. “Uh, in case you forgot, you’re a police officer. That can get you into some tough shit.”

  His hand leaves mine when he holds up a finger. “First, if it does, it does.” Another finger goes up. “Second, I made sure not to do any damage.”

  “Damn it, Kyle, you couldn’t wait to punch him until after we ate?” Lauren yells, stomping her feet and shaking her head until they make it to us.

  Kyle rubs the back of his neck and throws Lauren an apologetic look. “My apologies. Go yell at Kent for not waiting to talk shit until after we ate.”

  I wipe away the tears over Lacy’s words, and my mouth goes dry as I stare at Lauren. “I’m sorry.”

  Lauren glances at me. “No, don’t you apologize.” She points to Kyle with her chin. “Now, you need to be sorry, stupid. You’re a cop. You can get in serious trouble for that.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kyle states. “You two go eat. We’ll figure something out.”

  “Nah,” Gage cuts in, looking indifferent. “It’s too busy in there anyway. Where’s our next choice of food?”

  “I have an idea,” Kyle says, chewing on his lip. “How about we hit that arcade in the mall?”

  “What are we, twelve?” Lauren asks.

  “No, smart-ass,” Kyle replies. “At night, it turns into adults only. They serve food and alcohol. It’s a good time.”

  “I’m game,” Gage responds with a shrug. “It’d be nice to do something different and low-key.”

  “We need to stop by the hotel, so we can change then,” Lauren says. “These heels are killing my feet. I live in scrubs, so I need jeans ASAP.”

  “Totally agree,” I say.

  Lauren gives me a bright grin.

  When we walk into the hotel’s lobby, Kyle heads to the counter for our room keys.

  “I know the night is still young and all,” Lauren says around a groan when she stops next to me while Gage joins Kyle. “But can it be young for only you and Kyle? I’m a prude who wants to order room service and go to bed.”

  I frown. “I’m sorry about dinner.”

  She waves away my apology. “Girl, don’t worry about that. I feel terrible, so you did us a favor.”

  The guys come back with key cards and grab our luggage.

  “Change of plans,” Lauren tells Kyle. “Gage and I are going to our room, calling room service, and passing out.”

  Gage strokes her back and seems fine with not going out.

  Kyle offers a warm smile. “Tell them to charge it to my room.”

  Lauren starts to object, but Gage smacks Kyle on the back.

  “How kind of you to offer. I’ll be sure to inform them.” He glances at Lauren. “My girl is eating for two, so I apologize in advance for the bill. You two have a nice night and don’t get in too much trouble.”

  We crowd into the elevator, and our rooms are next to each other. After Kyle unlocks our door, I toss my bag on the bed, collapse on it, and unstrap my heels.

  “My feet are killing me.” I drop them to the floor when I’m finished. I open my suitcase and select a pair of flats. “So, we’re going to an arcade?”

  Kyle nods.

  “One where you play Skee-Ball, win tickets, and select cheap prizes?”

  Kyle sets his bag down and grins. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”

  “Is it weird that a woman pushing thirty is excited to go to an arcade?”

  “As weird as it is that a guy pushing thirty is excited to go to an arcade.” He snags a shirt and flashes me a look. “Excited to go because of who his company will be.”

  I change my clothes in excitement.

  I throw my arms up and jump up and down. “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!”

  We came, ate arcade food, drank, and now, we’re playing games.

  There’s been a gleam in Kyle’s eyes all night. We’ve had a blast, and I’m thankful we came. I would’ve never gone if he hadn’t recommended it.

  “I’m officially wiped out.” I yawn as my buzz flutters through my belly.

  “Let’s cash in our tickets.” He snags my hand in his. “My guess is, you won enough for a new car.”

  Kyle let me win all the games. I had no idea what I was doing while he explained them. We leave the mall where the arcade is, and the chill of the night smacks into us. The mall is down the street from our hotel, so we walked.

  I hook my arm through Kyle’s and skip forward as if I were Gloria’s age. “Thank you, thank you. I had so much fun!” I scrunch my nose up. “The arcade part, not the Kent part.”

  He chuckles while dragging me closer, and I inhale the masculine scent of him.

  God, I love his smell.

  “You having fun was my goal for tonight, so that makes me happy.”

  I peek up at him. “You know, I’ve never acted like a kid before. It was freeing, not worrying about everything and having fun. I don’t remember the last time I did that.”

  He tightens his hold, and we stroll past a couple making out. “We can go back whenever you want. Next time, we can bring the kids. They’d have a blast.”

  My heart flutters, and we don’t lose contact.

  “Why are you so good to me and my family?”

  “Family means everything. My brother, my sisters, my mom—they mean the world to me. I like you. That means, I like your family.” He clicks his tongue. “With the exception of your sister—no offense.”

  I laugh. “We can’t love them all.”

  I love that he thinks about that stuff, that he thinks about Trey and Gloria being like me—children never given the chance to do anything like go to an arcade. Sure, I give them more than I had while growing up. We’ve seen movies and gone to fairs, and I’ve taken them shopping but never anything like the arcade.

  This, I would’ve remembered as a kid.

  This, I’ll remember as a grown-up.

  I realize three things as I walk down the street with him.

  1. I never want Kyle to leave.

  2. I’m falling for him.

  3. I’m terrified of losing him when he learns my secret.

  I kick off my shoes when we make it back into the hotel room and collapse on the bed. “Kyle Lane, you let me drink too much tonight,” I sing—no, slur. “I will be placing all blame on you for tomorrow’s hangover grumpiness.”

  He chuckles and heads over to our luggage. “Hey, you’re the one who insisted on three margaritas while we played Whac-A-Mole. That’s all on you, babe.”

  I glare at him with just one eye. “Don’t blame a girl for having a good time.”

  He grabs our bags and sets them on the luggage rack. “Trust me; I love watching you enjoy yourself. Now, what do you want to sleep in tonight?” He unzips my bag and shuffles through it. “Did you pack pajamas?”

  I drag myself up to look at him. “Huh?”

  He continues searching through my bag until he pulls out a pair of pajamas. “You sleep nude when we’re together, but what about when you’re traveling … not naked?”

  I jerk my head toward the pajamas in his
hand. “Those.”

  He tosses them to me.

  “You’re okay with me sleeping in these?”

  He stops going through his bag to look at me. “I’m sorry, am I okay with what?”

  “With me not sleeping nude,” I clarify.

  He blinks. “I’m still not following, babe.”

  “We’re usually naked when we’re in bed together.”

  He inhales a deep breath when he understands what I’m saying, and he tosses the shirt in his hand back into his bag. “Chloe, what the fuck? I’m not hanging out with you for sex. If I only wanted quick pussy, I could get it anywhere, at any time.”

  “Full of yourself much?” I mutter.

  He stares at me with frustration and hurt. “Not saying it to pipe my ego. I’m saying it to prove my point to you.” He signals to the pajamas at my side. “Sleep in those. Sleep in my sweatpants. Sleep in a fucking Halloween costume. Either way, it won’t change my mind about being next to you.”

  His response shocks me. At first, I played it off as a joke, but deep down, it’s been bothering me, not knowing if that’s all he wants. From the beginning, we’ve made it clear this is sex and then we go our separate ways. And I said the same. I was adamant on no double dating or getting too close.

  The truth keeps hitting me tonight. I was afraid of expressing myself and wanting more in fear of Kyle hurting me again. I didn’t want him in case he didn’t want me.

  But it seems like … he does.

  My life gets more complicated.

  “Now …” he says, breaking me out of my thoughts. He’s holding up a pair of his sweats when I look over at him. “Are these okay for me to sleep in?”

  I flip him the bird. “Funny.”

  I grab my pajamas, and he comes over to play assistant while I struggle to get undressed.

  So, it is about sex, I wonder when he drops to his knees and drags my pants off. I’m thinking the same when he helps me with my shirt and bra, my boobs bouncing free.

  So, maybe it isn’t about sex, I wonder when he grabs my pajamas and dresses me.

  He returns to our bags to grab our toothbrushes from his bag. My drunken lips curl into a smile. He texted me, asking what my favorite color was after my first weekend at his house. The next day, there sat a new toothbrush of the same color on his bedroom vanity. Neither one of us mentioned it, but he smiles and winks every time I pick it up.