Love Next Door

by Jerry Cole

  David shuddered. He remembered that day. Laura had been flirting heavily with James, and James hadn’t pushed her away. David had called him up on it, only to be told he was paranoid.

  Paranoid for good reason, seeing as less than six months later he was kicking James out.

  “I wish I had followed my gut.” He grumbled. “But James said they were just buddies and Laura was like that with everyone. And I believed him. I trusted him.”

  “It’s called love, David. And you thought James wouldn’t betray you in the way that he did.”

  David could remember the phone call Reese had sent him that day. Telling him that James and Laura were inside, and they had been in a clinch. David hadn’t believed him in the beginning, but his doubts began to kick in. He got home early to find James and Laura performing one of the many positions in the Kama Sutra. And the realization that he had been duped had hit him squarely in the face.

  Being cheated on hurt, but when it was your first love, someone you had been with for almost five years…

  David swiped this aside. He didn’t want to remember that moment.

  “Would anyone have told me if you hadn’t? Would anyone have said anything?”

  “I doubt it.” Reese shook his head. “I did question James on his closeness with Laura before, but he batted it away. Said you knew that he and Laura were close, and you would be okay with sharing if it ever came to that. I didn’t think that was you, but James was convincing.”

  “Not convincing enough if you called me when you saw them.”

  “Fair point.”

  David scowled.

  “I don’t share people. Never have and never will. What a fucking cop out.”

  Reese was silent for a moment. David bit back a wince as he remembered the night after he caught James and Laura and kicked both of them out. Reese had helped him pack up all of James’ things and put them in the garage. Then David had got drunk, so drunk that he had had to call in sick the next day. And Reese had just sat there listening to David lament about his marriage failing.

  The man was a saint. God only knew how many times he had done that with his clients, listening to them ranting and raving about things that were far too personal.

  “I’m sorry I had to break up a marriage, David.” Reese said quietly.

  “You didn’t break it up. James did that.” David glanced at the clock and groaned. His stomach was growling, and David hadn’t eaten since lunch with Nicole. That had felt like such a long time ago. “Listen, I’m going to order in. I can’t be bothered to cook tonight. Fancy joining me?”

  It wouldn’t be the first time. Whenever Reese was home, David would often invite him over for an evening drinking or gorging on food. They made the most of David’s console and Reese would often thrash David in the multitude of games in his collection. David treasured those moments, especially when James had been at work or doing a night shift. This had been happening a lot lately after Reese had suffered a grievance at work three months before. Then he spent a lot of his time with David.

  Even when he was away for weeks on end, Reese had been more reliable than James.

  That was an odd thing to realize. David’s heart sank as Reese shook his head.

  “Sorry, I can’t. I’m going to see my sister for dinner. I should be getting myself ready now, actually.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  That shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. They weren’t dating, merely good friends. Why was David upset that Reese wasn’t going to hang around and eat with him?

  “Raincheck?”

  It would have to be. David couldn’t see it turning out well if he forced Reese to stay. And Reese and his sister were close. That was not fair on anyone.

  Why was he suddenly being selfish all of a sudden?

  “Right.” Reese cleared his throat, straightening up. He shuffled from foot to foot like he had been caught short. “I’ll...I’ll head off. Catch you later, David.”

  Then he left the room hurriedly, David hearing the front door opening and closing moments later.

  ***

  “God, why was there such dreadful TV on nowadays,” David scowled as he went from channel to channel, trying to find something decent to watch. He had hundreds of channels to watch, and there was never anything good on. It didn’t help with the multitude of adverts, either. You were just getting into something, and then you ended up with adverts that seemed to last longer than the show. David didn’t know why they didn’t just tell the TV listings what the adverts were going to be and drop smatterings of a show in around them.

  Glancing at the clock, David realized he had been scrolling through, looking for something to watch for nearly an hour. He hadn’t realized it. An hour of his life wasted. He went on to the horror channel he was subscribed to and selected A Nightmare on Elm Street. A least he wouldn’t have any adverts bothering this.

  Tossing his remote aside, David settled down and tried not to think about what had happened earlier. His ex-husband drove him mad. David had been struggling with his sexuality since he hit puberty, and James made him realize who he really was. He had been David’s first love, and he had taken advantage of that. Being the older, more experienced partner, he had made David look up to him.

  Now, David wished he hadn’t been so naive, but love had blinded him. And here he was at twenty-four, already divorced and they had barely made it to their first wedding anniversary. David had actually spent the anniversary getting badly drunk with Reese.

  Reese had taken a lot. He had taken the brunt of David’s anger, allowing David to rant so much and he didn’t complain. David appreciated it; he needed someone in his life who would listen to him. His mother was dead and he was estranged from his father; the only other person in his life being Nicole. Reese made David feel wanted in life.

  Was that why David was so annoyed at Reese not being able to hang out with him that evening? That was almost feeling like David was the jealous boyfriend who didn’t want to share Reese. But that was ridiculous. They had no claim over each other.

  Why did David feel like he wanted to? When had he even considered Reese more than a friend, and a gorgeous one as well? This was getting out of hand. David needed to take a deep breath and back off. Reese was off-limits, and he was grieving. Not the person David expected to fall in love with one of his clients, who ends up dead, but he wasn’t in the mood to find someone else.

  David jumped when he heard a loud shrieking from somewhere in the room. It took a moment before David realized it was his cell phone. He had left it in the kitchen and had forgotten all about it.

  He hoped it wasn’t James again. He wasn’t in the mood to be dealing with that idiot. Why couldn’t the man take a hint and disappear into oblivion? David had thought men were smart enough to understand that they weren’t wanted and that James was a smart man. Clearly, James had lost a few brain cells in recent months.

  The ringing stopped, and David relaxed. But then it almost immediately started up again. David groaned and pushed himself to his feet. This was not something he wanted to deal with this evening, arguing with his ex.

  So much for trying to move on and forget about the mistake he had made marrying so young. The mistake kept coming back to haunt him.

  David grumbled his way into the kitchen, snatching up his phone. But the caller ID said it was Nicole. That made David feel a little better. At least it was a friendly voice he was going to hear. He answered it before it went to voicemail again.

  “Hey, Nicole.”

  “Fuck’s sake, David!” Nicole’s frustrated shriek made David jump and he almost dropped his cell phone. “I ask you to do one simple thing and you can’t even do that!”

  “Whoa!” David managed to grab his phone as it shot out of his grip like a bar of soap and switched ears. His right ear was still vibrating from Nicole’s exclamation. “What’s the matter with you? What have I done now?”

  “You were supposed to call me, let me know that you got home safely.” Nic
ole sounded hurt. “You promised me that you would.”

  David winced. He had promised to do that, and he had completely forgotten. He prided himself in being able to remember everything, but this had slipped by him.

  “Sorry.” He headed back into the living room and slumped into his gaming chair, rubbing at his eyes. “I was going to but then James was at the house when I got home and everything went out of my head.”

  There was silence. David checked his phone. No, he hadn’t somehow hung up. They hadn’t been disconnected.

  “Nicole?”

  “James was there?” Nicole sounded incredulous. “You don’t mean you let him back in?”

  “Of course not! He just made me so mad that he wouldn’t leave me alone that I forgot.”

  “Oh, charming.”

  “I know that sounds awful…”

  “Never mind that.” Nicole’s voice had softened. She certainly sounded less annoyed. “Are you okay, David?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” David snorted. “I have no idea why I said that. No, I’m not okay. The bastard…”

  He didn’t need to say anything more. He had said it so many times over the years, and it was more than likely annoying Nicole. It was certainly annoying David. He was sounding like a broken record. Reese called it ‘needle stuck in the groove’.

  He had to be fed up with David’s complaining as well, but the guy was decent enough not to say anything. Then again, he had probably heard worse in his job. David didn’t doubt that. Some of the clients Reese had were whiners, and Reese ranted about them once he was done.

  “He thinks you’re still hung up on him, even after all this time.” Nicole said bitterly. “He’s trying to wear you down so you can take him back. All is forgiven.”

  “That’s not how it works with me.”

  “I know that, David, but I don’t think James understands.”

  “He should with the amount of times I’ve told him.” David swiveled his chair back and forth. The swaying felt somewhat soothing. “When I end a relationship, that’s it. No more, no second chances. He knows that.”

  “Well, I’ve already told you that James is wired differently to you. Things just don’t compute in the same way.”

  David couldn’t argue with that. James didn’t seem to comprehend that the divorce three years back was final and David wasn’t about to change it around and remarry him. He wasn’t a sap, and the word ‘doormat’ was not on his forehead.

  Although he had been before. Serves him right for getting married at eighteen. David shouldn’t have let his cock take charge and think this was the rest of his life.

  “God, Nicole.” David slumped further in the chair, leaning it right back. “I wish I knew where things had gone wrong. James was never like this when we were together.”

  “People get cocky when they’re comfortable. And James got far too comfortable.”

  “I know that much. He can keep his pussy, as far as I’m concerned.” David shook his head. “I don’t see the fascination.”

  James being bisexual hadn’t been a problem to David. Making the most of that bisexuality during their marriage was the problem. Nicole laughed.

  “As a woman and your sister, I won’t comment on that. You need to get yourself distracted, David. Get a new hobby. Go out and have some fun. Fuck someone.”

  That last comment almost had David toppling out of his chair. He sat up.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Go and find someone to have sex with. Get all the pent-up energy out.”

  The thought of going out and finding a guy to bring back didn’t sit well with David. He had tried dating in the past after his divorce, but James had found out and followed him. Guys didn’t want to have an ex-husband hovering around, so they made themselves scarce. It had been nearly two years since David had even gone for a drink with someone that wasn’t involving work. He couldn’t remember how to date anymore.

  “David?”

  “I don’t do one-night stands, Nicole. And with my baggage, I’m not exactly a perfect catch.”

  “Well, you can do something about it. Break your self-imposed rules for once.” Nicole giggled. “Maybe you could distract yourself with that hunk Reese.”

  “Reese?”

  “Yeah, your neighbor.”

  “I know which Reese you’re talking about.” David was still stunned that Nicole had even mentioned him. “But why Reese?”

  “Well, he’s into guys and he is gorgeous.” Nicole sighed. “It’s a pity that he’s gay. I’d make a move on him if he was straight.”

  David didn’t doubt that. Reese drew everyone’s eye, but he was only focused on men. David wasn’t blind; he could appreciate a good-looking man, and he had been very aware of Reese. He would be any man’s perfect dream. But they were friends. David was worried if he crossed that line, they wouldn’t be able to go back and the awkwardness would get in the way.

  A one-night stand with Reese would be amazing and dangerous.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Nicole.”

  “Why not? He’s gorgeous, you’re tense. I’m sure he’d be perfect.”

  “Possibly, but I don’t think Reese would be up for it as you think.” David yawned. “Reese has baggage of his own. Something happened on his last assignment and it’s shaken him up.”

  “Oh.” Nicole paused. “When was this?”

  “Almost four months ago.”

  “All the more reason for the two of you to get into bed with each other. I’m sure if you asked him, he would be up for it.”

  David highly doubted it. He had seen pictures of Henry - the man had been a high-flying musician - and he was tall, dark and slim. David was tall, but that was about it. He was muscular, but he couldn’t be described as slim like Henry, who could have been likened to a long-distance runner, while David was more the sprinter kind. And he was blond. David had seen Reese’s previous boyfriends and all of them had had brown or black hair. David knew Reese’s type, and Henry had fitted it. David didn’t.

  Even as he silently grumbled over this, David felt a knot building in his belly. Reese slept with the windows open at night, even in the middle of winter, and with their houses being so close David could often hear what was going on. The moans that had come from there had got David hot and bothered. God only knew what things Reese did to get his sexual partners to sound like that.

  “David, you still there?”

  “What? Oh.” David had forgotten that he was still on the phone. He swallowed hard and sat up, trying to shove his arousal aside. Having an erection while he was talking to his sister was not good. “Sorry, Nicole. I’m not his type, so that wouldn’t happen. If I was, we would have done this ages ago.”

  “How do you know if you don’t ask?” Nicole urged. “Give it a try. You might find that he’s wanted you for a while.”

  Again, David highly doubted it. It would have happened a long time ago and there had been plenty of situations where they could have ended up in bed. Sure, the two of them flirted, but it was harmless. Reese only saw David as a neighbor, a friend, maybe a little brother.

  Then David remembered catching Reese staring at his backside earlier and the hungry look on his face. His shorts had suddenly looked a lot tighter. Had he been physically aroused? David wasn’t sure. And he didn’t think he would be brave enough to find out. Living next door to a guy who had rejected him would make it embarrassing.

  “David, would you stop wandering off?” Nicole snapped. “I like the sound of my own voice, but when I’m on the phone I’m supposed to be talking to someone on the other end.”

  “Sorry.” David winced. “I was wondering how I ended up taking advice on sex from my little sister.”

  “Because you’re boring.”

  “I’m not!”

  “You are!”

  “You’re only saying that because you’re my sister.”

  Nicole laughed.

  “And I’m always right. You know I am.”

&
nbsp; David smiled, but he let that go. Nicole was a smart girl but overconfident. When she saw something and wanted it, be it an award or something in the shop window, she went all-out to make sure she got it. It was why she had been top of her class in high school and was working a well-paying job in an accounting firm while studying at the University of Sioux Falls. David hadn’t been given the chance; he couldn’t afford it. He had trained, on the advice of James, for a security license, and now he had the job at the shopping mall as the security supervisor. A good job but it didn’t compare to Nicole’s.

  But she couldn’t be right about this, could she? David was still thinking about it long after he hung up and received his takeaway order, sitting on the couch as he laid out the food. Nicole’s intelligence did make her think she knew everything, which drove David mad. She couldn’t possibly be right about David going out and having a one-night stand. It wasn’t David’s style and she knew it.

  David loved Nicole and he always looked to her for advice, but this might be a little too far for him. Sex advice from his little sister made him uncomfortable.

  Even so, the thought of sleeping with Reese was a tempting prospect. David had been surprised to find that his neighbor was also gay, and the two of them had become good friends. James had got along with Reese, but he did often grumble that Reese spent a little too much time with David. David hadn’t seen it like that, and he knew that his friendship with Reese wouldn’t go any further. Certainly not right now with Reese mourning his lover’s death while he was meant to be protecting him.

  Falling in love on the job was dangerous, and Reese had paid the price.

  But they were both single, and both needed a distraction. Would Reese go for it? David realized that he wanted him to. He loved the thought of licking his way down Reese’s body, tasting every contour.

  See if he tasted as delicious as he looked.

  David shoved this aside. He was going to get himself worked up thinking that something was going to happen, and then he would be sorely disappointed when it didn’t. That wasn’t fair on anyone.