The Neighbor - Don't Hate Me

I walked to the back door with my arms wrapped around my middle. The door squeaked as I pushed it open. I drew in a deep breath.

“Hey, Max?” I said.

“Yeah?” he said, turning to face me.

“Is there any chance you could help me get Olivia upstairs?” I asked, wincing. “She passed out on the kitchen floor.”

He glanced over at this house for a quick moment before turning back to me. The wind blew, and the cool breeze felt like ice against my bare skin.

“Um, yeah, sure,” he said.

It seemed as though he was anxious to get back home. “I can just let her sleep on the floor. Spread a blanket over her.”

“It’s not a problem,” Max said. “Just don’t like leaving Lily alone for long.”

“Oh, right,” I said. “How old is she again?”

“Only nine,” he replied as he grabbed the back door and held it, waiting for me to step inside. “She’ll be okay.”

I flashed him a thin-lipped smile. “We’ll be quick.”

He nodded. It was only a few steps to Olivia’s snoring body.

“Geez,” Max said, covering his ears.

I chuckled. “I know, right? And you thought the music was loud.”

“The music was loud,” Max said.

“She kept turning it up,” I said. “In her state, nothing is loud enough.”

Max bent down and scooped her up. I hadn’t realized how muscular he was until that moment. His biceps were tight, and the tendons and veins bulged in his forearms.

“Which way?” Max asked.

“Upstairs,” I said, gesturing toward the living room.

“Lead the way,” Max said.

I walked quickly to the room Olivia would be staying in. It didn’t seem like Max was having any problem carrying Olivia.

“Here,” I said, pushing open the door to the purple room. It was the room my grandma had called the guest room even though she never had any guests.

The walls were painted in a pale purple, and the wood trim had been painted white. There were several paintings on the wall, each one with purple flowers inside the white frame.

Max lowered Olivia down on the bed and pulled the bedspread over her. He followed me out of the room, leaving the door open a crack just as I imagined he did with his daughter.

“Well,” Max said, stopping at the door. “You should probably check in on her from time to time.”

“Even if I hear her loud and clear?” I asked.

“Nah, but if she stops, definitely just pop in and make sure she’s still breathing,” Max said. “If you need anything, I’m just next door.”

I chewed my lip. “Thanks… for helping me. I didn’t expect that.”

“Why not?” Max asked. “I’m not a bad guy.”

“I guess not,” I said. “But you’re a grump. When I was growing up, we had this neighbor who’d steal our balls and yell at us if we stepped on his lawn. You remind me of him, except he wasn’t anywhere near as attractive as you are.”

Max looked down at his slippers. I assumed he was going to get pissed.

“You think I’m attractive?” Max asked, looking up to meet my eyes.

I swallowed hard. I could feel the breaths causing my chest to rise and fall quickly. My cheeks were warm.

“You should go and check on your daughter,” I said.

“Yeah, I should,” Max said.

I took a step closer to the door because it seemed as though he was frozen in place. Like he was waiting for something.

“Um, do you want my number or something?” he asked, running his fingers through his hair.

My eyes narrowed. I shook my head as if I didn’t understand.

“In case you need help,” he said. “Although if she stops breathing or something, you’d probably want to call 911, not me. But if she threw up again, I could be over in a few minutes.”

“Oh, um, sure,” I said, picking up my phone from end table. I stepped up beside him and handed him my phone.

He took the phone and smiled.

Why was I standing so close to him? And why did he smell so damn good?

“Here,” he said, looking down into my eyes as he handed the phone back.

I wasn’t sure why, but I was finding it hard to breathe. He was so damn attractive. And his muscles… I wanted to run my palms down his arms. Feel the hardness under his soft skin.

“I should go,” he said.

“Yeah, right,” I said, my fingers shaking as I sucked in a breath. “Thanks again for your help.”

He flashed me a smile that set my insides on fire. “Anytime.”

6

Max

It had been days, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The only time she didn’t pop into my mind was at work when I was with a patient. Or if my daughter was telling me about her day, but any time there was a moment of silence, she was all I thought about.

I wished I wouldn’t have walked away from her that night inside her house. It would have been weird to tell her how beautiful she looked, especially after everything she’d told me.