The Boy Next Door

Where the hell is she?

I’m about to raise my fist and knock for a second time when the door swings open, and I find Alyssa on the other side of the threshold. Her eyes widen as she takes me in before throwing a cautious glance over her shoulder. “Hi.” Barely does her voice hover above a whisper.

My gaze shifts, and I realize we’re not alone. Mia straightens on the couch in the living room, watching our interaction with interest. When Alyssa’s attention returns to mine, it only takes a moment before her expression morphs into one of concern. It’s like she realizes without me having to spell it out that something is wrong.

“Hey.” My voice drops, matching hers in tone. “Do you have time to talk?”

“Yeah.” She continues to search my face for answers to questions she has yet to pose. “Are you all right?”

I jerk my shoulders. Not really, but there’s no way I can get into it here with her roommate looking on in fascination.

With a jerk of her head, Alyssa shoots another tentative look into the apartment before clearing her throat and raising her voice. “So…we’re going to grab something to eat.”

“Really?” Mia points to the empty food container on the coffee table. “You just inhaled an entire enchilada.”

Alyssa’s eyes narrow. “I have a big appetite. Are you trying to food shame me?”

Her roommate’s lips twitch as her shoulders shake with silent laughter. “Not at all.”

When color seeps into Alyssa’s cheeks, it occurs to me that she hasn’t told Mia what’s going on between us. After the way I broke up with her, I can’t blame her for wanting to be cautious. I just need to keep proving that I’m worth taking a chance on.

Not bothering with any further explanations, Alyssa mutters, “I’ll see you later.” Then she swipes her purse off the credenza in the tiny entryway.

“Yes, we’ll definitely talk—”

The sentence dies an abrupt death as Alyssa yanks the apartment door closed. With a huff of breath, she drags a hand down her face before it settles against her lips. The words come out sounding muffled. “I’ll have a lot to answer for when I return.”

“Sorry. I’m not trying to complicate matters for you. It’s just...” my voice trails off.

Her fingers drift from her mouth before settling on my hand. I stare at them and focus on the connection between us. Some of the fear and anxiety bubbling up inside me gradually recedes. Now that I’m with her, my chest doesn’t feel quite so heavy.

“It’s all right.” She gives me a tentative smile. “I should really come clean and tell Mia what’s going on.”

For one glorious moment, I forget all about Candace as I step closer and take Alyssa into my arms. “Hmmm. Is there something going on between us?” Why does everything feel so much better when I’m holding her close?

Her expression softens. “I really hope so.”

My lips descend, sliding over hers. Just as I sink into the kiss, needing her sweetness to soothe my soul, her palms press against my chest, creating unwanted space between us.

“Tell me what happened.”

That’s all it takes for everything to come crashing down on me again. And then I’m buried beneath an avalanche of suffocating emotion. “Let’s go somewhere else and talk about it. Are you hungry? Did you want to grab something to eat?”

An impish smile curves Alyssa’s lips as she shakes her head and pats her belly. “Mia was right, I just inhaled an enchilada. I’m stuffed. How about a walk?”

“Sure, that works.” Maybe I can burn off some of this excess energy simmering beneath my skin. Any moment, it’s going to burst free.

With our hands threaded together, we move down the hallway. As I push through the stairwell door, the elevator dings, and the metal gate opens. A man steps off, and Alyssa falters.

“Oh, boy,” she mutters under her breath.

I quirk a brow as my gaze slides over the older man. “Do you know him?”

“Yup.” She quickly ducks into the stairwell as he stops and glances in the other direction. “That’s Mia’s father.” She digs through her pocket before pulling out her phone. “I need to warn her.”

Warn her?

About her own father?

Looks like I’m not the only one with parental problems.

Alyssa fires off a text before slipping her cell back into her pocket. It only takes a couple of minutes before we’re walking out of the building and heading up the block. Everything that I’ve been desperately trying to push to the outer recesses of my mind slams back into me again. I’m so lost in those thoughts that I don’t realize we’re on campus until Alyssa points to a park bench off the beaten path on a grassy knoll. “Want to sit over there?”

Dread pools in my belly. As much as I don’t want to delve headfirst into this conversation, it needs to be purged from my body before it can fester any more than it already has. Maybe the smartest thing to do would be to delete the email and pretend I never saw it.