I gave myself another mental slap—it seemed I'd be doing a lot of that this morning. I should not be wondering what my neighbor did or did not want to do to me, even if I had a few delectable ideas of my own.
"What, having another go at trespassing? Do I need to call the cops again?"
"You couldn't pay me to come inside your house."
"You know, I never mentioned coming inside my house, just trespassing on my lawn. But we both know you've already been inside it, don't we? I suppose I should thank you for fixing whatever it was you fucked up in the first place, but we both know you don't deserve any apology from me, so I'll just be going now. Now scram before you find yourself arrested."
I made to step around him, but he blocked my path, folding his arms across his chest and widening his stance. My eyes narrowed; men knew how good they looked in that pose, how it broadened their shoulders and made them appear strong and protective. And while the morons I'd been running into the last few years certainly used that to their advantage, this guy didn't seem to be doing it deliberately to look good.
But I knew that looks could be deceiving.
"We need to come to some sort of arrangement," he said.
"Why should we? Like I said, it's my house, and I'll do whatever I damn well want inside it."
Technically, it wasn't my house, but he didn't need to know that.
"This situation has become untenable. I cannot continue living like this."
"Well, fortunately, you don't have to, since it's my life." I made to move around him again, but he stopped me. I shoved my earphones in my pocket, irritated that my runner's high had been ruined in approximately 20 seconds of interaction with this guy. Seriously, that such an attractive man had such an unattractive personality was truly a waste to society.
"Oh yes. That's right; you got me. I forgot we can't all be such famous individuals. So stupid of me to not have realized before now, especially since apparently you've been complaining to the entire world about your shitty neighbor on your account. The sleep deprivation must have addled my brain. Shall I go get a red carpet to lay out for you, so that all uncivilized peasants like myself won't hurt ourselves bowing down in your mere presence?"
So that was the reason for this little chat. His friend must have clued him in to my identity. Shit. I knew that guy had recognized me. I squashed the little bit of disappointment that arose at this development. Even if it had been nice to have at least one person who didn't know my alter ego, that ship had obviously sailed. And instead of being just his asshole neighbor, now I was his rich and famous asshole neighbor. I loathed it when people treated me that way, even though I'd done more to deserve such treatment from this guy than anyone else I'd ever met.
Well, if he expected a spoiled bitch, he'd get one.
"Oh, dear me, another fan. I had no idea you were such a close follower. I know it can be a little overwhelming meeting your idol in real life, but you're doing such a good job, sweetie," I said, my voice sickeningly sweet even to my ears as I patted him mockingly on the shoulder and finally succeeded in getting around him.
I resisted sprinting to my house, refusing to grant him even the small victory of knowing I wanted to get away from his smug, irritatingly attractive face.
I should have known he would catch up, anyway. "Oh, I don't give a shit how many pictures you take of yourself, you narcissistic little snot. The only thing I care about is the fact that you won't let me get even a single night's sleep."
"As I recall, you got plenty of sleep last night."
"Yeah, but only because I had to take drastic measures."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. My point is, you can't just have so many loud parties all the time, okay? At some point, even you have to admit how selfish that is. It's disrupting the entire neighborhood."
Of course it was selfish, but I wasn't going admit that—or that I didn't even want to have the parties in the first place. Shame about my current situation twisted inside me, and before I knew it, I said something stupid.
"Why do you care so much? Are you such a boring person that you can't stand a little music? Maybe you should get a life!"
His eyes narrowed to slits, hate smeared across his face. "I have a perfectly fine life, thank you. I wouldn't expect such a shallow person as yourself to know one if it hit you upside the head, anyway. Allow me to explain it in terms your empty brain should understand. If you don't let me get some more sleep on a consistent basis, someone is going to get hurt."
I reared back. "Are you threatening me?"
Shock stupefied him into silence. His hands flew out in a placating gesture. "No, no. Shit, that's not what I meant. Look, we clearly despise each other, but know I'd never hurt you.
"I work in construction. I operate a lot of heavy machinery, and if I keep going without sleep like this, I'll accidentally hurt someone. And I don't think even you would want that to happen."
I sighed, bending over to stretch my hamstring in an excuse to give myself a moment to think. Suddenly everything made sense; the guy most likely wasn't an asshole, he just didn't want to get sued for hurting someone at work. I'd forgotten about such mundane problems; I shuddered at my own arrogance. As much as I hated Jared and his stupid friends, my job wouldn't ever likely result in someone getting seriously injured.
I glanced up at my neighbor, heat flaring in me when I caught his eyes darting away from where they'd been staring at my ass. I filed that little tidbit away for later and then straightened up.
Deciding it was high time to act like the 26-year-old woman that I was, I thrust out a hand and said, "I'm Lena."
He eyed my hand suspiciously, like I'd sneakily stuck one of those buzzers on my hand like in those old cartoons. "I know ..."
I threw up my hands. "Obviously, we've established that! I just thought that we've clearly gotten off to a rotten start and that it might be time for us to actually act like adults. And while you apparently know who I am, I don't know who you are."
He studied me silently, clearly debating whether to take me at my word. Finally, he stuck out his hand and we shook. The moment our hands touched, a jolt of electricity zapped through me like he was the one with a buzzer. I had to use every ounce of my will to keep myself from gasping. My eyes flew to his face; he was already staring at me, his eyes slightly dazed as he slowly withdrew his hand from mine.
"Travis. My name's Travis Grant." His voice rumbled from somewhere deep in his chest, as if he was struggling to get the words out. The sound wrapped around me like a snuggly blanket.
"Nice to meet you, Travis."
His eyes flicked down to my mouth when I said his name, before his own lips stretched into a crooked grin and he leaned toward me, his voice dropping down to a conspiratorial whisper as he said, "We both know you hate having such an annoying neighbor. It's not nice to meet me at all."
Well, fuck me. Maybe I'd been wrong about him after all. He certainly knew how to turn on the charm. Before I could stop myself, I said, "I think we can agree we're both more naughty than nice."
His pupils dilated and he dragged in a breath, hand twitching as if he wanted to snatch me. His scent wrapped around me again like the night before, making my mouth water. I needed to get away from this man. Immediately, before I straight-up mauled the guy.
"Yes," he whispered. "You might be right about that."
I stepped back, deliberately killing the moment since I was already dangerously close to doing something I'd regret. Travis straightened as well, disappointment flashing across his face before he arranged it back into his cool mask.
"Listen, Lena. I need sleep, and for whatever reason, you seem to need parties. Can't you just keep it to Fridays and Saturdays like a normal person?"
That would never fly with Jared. "No. I need people over at least Wednesday through Saturday."
He looked at me like I was an insane person. Frankly? I sure was to make such a request, but I had no choice. "No fucking way."
I bit my lip, thinking of some way he could get more sleep and I could keep Jared happy. "Fine, Thursdays through Saturdays, but with a day party on Wednesdays."
I waited for his response, but Travis was staring at my mouth. I snapped my fingers in his face. He started. "What?"
"I said, Thursdays through Saturdays, and a day party on Wednesdays!"
Travis began backing away from me, a slightly troubled look on his face. "Fine, but no party tonight. I don't care what you have to tell them; pretend your electricity is still messed up or something. And as far as I'm concerned, you can have a day party every weekday if it means you'll keep the noise to the agreed-upon three nights, Lena."
"I'll hold you to that!" I shouted as he stalked back over to his house, his only response a careless wave over his shoulder. I tried to ignore what the sound of my name on his lips did to me, before I, too, retreated to the refuge of my own home.
I gave myself another mental slap—it seemed I'd be doing a lot of that this morning. I should not be wondering what my neighbor did or did not want to do to me, even if I had a few delectable ideas of my own.
"What, having another go at trespassing? Do I need to call the cops again?"
"You couldn't pay me to come inside your house."
"You know, I never mentioned coming inside my house, just trespassing on my lawn. But we both know you've already been inside it, don't we? I suppose I should thank you for fixing whatever it was you fucked up in the first place, but we both know you don't deserve any apology from me, so I'll just be going now. Now scram before you find yourself arrested."
I made to step around him, but he blocked my path, folding his arms across his chest and widening his stance. My eyes narrowed; men knew how good they looked in that pose, how it broadened their shoulders and made them appear strong and protective. And while the morons I'd been running into the last few years certainly used that to their advantage, this guy didn't seem to be doing it deliberately to look good.
But I knew that looks could be deceiving.
"We need to come to some sort of arrangement," he said.
"Why should we? Like I said, it's my house, and I'll do whatever I damn well want inside it."
Technically, it wasn't my house, but he didn't need to know that.
"This situation has become untenable. I cannot continue living like this."
"Well, fortunately, you don't have to, since it's my life." I made to move around him again, but he stopped me. I shoved my earphones in my pocket, irritated that my runner's high had been ruined in approximately 20 seconds of interaction with this guy. Seriously, that such an attractive man had such an unattractive personality was truly a waste to society.
"Oh yes. That's right; you got me. I forgot we can't all be such famous individuals. So stupid of me to not have realized before now, especially since apparently you've been complaining to the entire world about your shitty neighbor on your account. The sleep deprivation must have addled my brain. Shall I go get a red carpet to lay out for you, so that all uncivilized peasants like myself won't hurt ourselves bowing down in your mere presence?"
So that was the reason for this little chat. His friend must have clued him in to my identity. Shit. I knew that guy had recognized me. I squashed the little bit of disappointment that arose at this development. Even if it had been nice to have at least one person who didn't know my alter ego, that ship had obviously sailed. And instead of being just his asshole neighbor, now I was his rich and famous asshole neighbor. I loathed it when people treated me that way, even though I'd done more to deserve such treatment from this guy than anyone else I'd ever met.
Well, if he expected a spoiled bitch, he'd get one.
"Oh, dear me, another fan. I had no idea you were such a close follower. I know it can be a little overwhelming meeting your idol in real life, but you're doing such a good job, sweetie," I said, my voice sickeningly sweet even to my ears as I patted him mockingly on the shoulder and finally succeeded in getting around him.
I resisted sprinting to my house, refusing to grant him even the small victory of knowing I wanted to get away from his smug, irritatingly attractive face.
I should have known he would catch up, anyway. "Oh, I don't give a shit how many pictures you take of yourself, you narcissistic little snot. The only thing I care about is the fact that you won't let me get even a single night's sleep."
"As I recall, you got plenty of sleep last night."
"Yeah, but only because I had to take drastic measures."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. My point is, you can't just have so many loud parties all the time, okay? At some point, even you have to admit how selfish that is. It's disrupting the entire neighborhood."
Of course it was selfish, but I wasn't going admit that—or that I didn't even want to have the parties in the first place. Shame about my current situation twisted inside me, and before I knew it, I said something stupid.
"Why do you care so much? Are you such a boring person that you can't stand a little music? Maybe you should get a life!"
His eyes narrowed to slits, hate smeared across his face. "I have a perfectly fine life, thank you. I wouldn't expect such a shallow person as yourself to know one if it hit you upside the head, anyway. Allow me to explain it in terms your empty brain should understand. If you don't let me get some more sleep on a consistent basis, someone is going to get hurt."
I reared back. "Are you threatening me?"
Shock stupefied him into silence. His hands flew out in a placating gesture. "No, no. Shit, that's not what I meant. Look, we clearly despise each other, but know I'd never hurt you.
"I work in construction. I operate a lot of heavy machinery, and if I keep going without sleep like this, I'll accidentally hurt someone. And I don't think even you would want that to happen."
I sighed, bending over to stretch my hamstring in an excuse to give myself a moment to think. Suddenly everything made sense; the guy most likely wasn't an asshole, he just didn't want to get sued for hurting someone at work. I'd forgotten about such mundane problems; I shuddered at my own arrogance. As much as I hated Jared and his stupid friends, my job wouldn't ever likely result in someone getting seriously injured.
I glanced up at my neighbor, heat flaring in me when I caught his eyes darting away from where they'd been staring at my ass. I filed that little tidbit away for later and then straightened up.
Deciding it was high time to act like the 26-year-old woman that I was, I thrust out a hand and said, "I'm Lena."
He eyed my hand suspiciously, like I'd sneakily stuck one of those buzzers on my hand like in those old cartoons. "I know ..."
I threw up my hands. "Obviously, we've established that! I just thought that we've clearly gotten off to a rotten start and that it might be time for us to actually act like adults. And while you apparently know who I am, I don't know who you are."
He studied me silently, clearly debating whether to take me at my word. Finally, he stuck out his hand and we shook. The moment our hands touched, a jolt of electricity zapped through me like he was the one with a buzzer. I had to use every ounce of my will to keep myself from gasping. My eyes flew to his face; he was already staring at me, his eyes slightly dazed as he slowly withdrew his hand from mine.
"Travis. My name's Travis Grant." His voice rumbled from somewhere deep in his chest, as if he was struggling to get the words out. The sound wrapped around me like a snuggly blanket.
"Nice to meet you, Travis."
His eyes flicked down to my mouth when I said his name, before his own lips stretched into a crooked grin and he leaned toward me, his voice dropping down to a conspiratorial whisper as he said, "We both know you hate having such an annoying neighbor. It's not nice to meet me at all."
Well, fuck me. Maybe I'd been wrong about him after all. He certainly knew how to turn on the charm. Before I could stop myself, I said, "I think we can agree we're both more naughty than nice."
His pupils dilated and he dragged in a breath, hand twitching as if he wanted to snatch me. His scent wrapped around me again like the night before, making my mouth water. I needed to get away from this man. Immediately, before I straight-up mauled the guy.
"Yes," he whispered. "You might be right about that."
I stepped back, deliberately killing the moment since I was already dangerously close to doing something I'd regret. Travis straightened as well, disappointment flashing across his face before he arranged it back into his cool mask.
"Listen, Lena. I need sleep, and for whatever reason, you seem to need parties. Can't you just keep it to Fridays and Saturdays like a normal person?"
That would never fly with Jared. "No. I need people over at least Wednesday through Saturday."
He looked at me like I was an insane person. Frankly? I sure was to make such a request, but I had no choice. "No fucking way."
I bit my lip, thinking of some way he could get more sleep and I could keep Jared happy. "Fine, Thursdays through Saturdays, but with a day party on Wednesdays."
I waited for his response, but Travis was staring at my mouth. I snapped my fingers in his face. He started. "What?"
"I said, Thursdays through Saturdays, and a day party on Wednesdays!"
Travis began backing away from me, a slightly troubled look on his face. "Fine, but no party tonight. I don't care what you have to tell them; pretend your electricity is still messed up or something. And as far as I'm concerned, you can have a day party every weekday if it means you'll keep the noise to the agreed-upon three nights, Lena."
"I'll hold you to that!" I shouted as he stalked back over to his house, his only response a careless wave over his shoulder. I tried to ignore what the sound of my name on his lips did to me, before I, too, retreated to the refuge of my own home.
