Neighbor Dearest(8)
He reached out his hand, and I took it as he slowly but forcefully lifted me off of the ground as if my body were light as a feather.
Speechless, I looked down at myself. A huge chunk of material was missing from the front of my shirt, exposing my bra.
He looked liked he was struggling with what to say. “Chelsea, I—”
“Are you happy now? Look what they did to me.”
“Fuck. Really? No. I’m not happy. The dogs are obsessed with bacon, okay? It’s like their catnip. That’s why they jumped on you. Why the hell did you have to come in here reeking of it?”
“I need to go,” I said, headed back toward my door.
He tried to stop me. “Wait.”
“No. Please. I just want to forget this ever happened.”
I retreated back to my apartment, leaving Damien standing there with his hands on his waist.
After a hot shower, I’d calmed down a bit, starting to think that maybe I had overreacted in blaming Damien for the dogs’ freak-out. He’d done his best to get them off of me quickly, not an easy feat considering he was also gripping his towel to keep from revealing his junk.
I was also pretty sure he was trying to apologize before I’d cut him off. Still, I had a bone to pick with him about the eavesdropping. But nothing was going to get addressed tonight. I was way too tired and feeling defeated.
Grabbing my purse, I decided to walk to the bodega and pick up something simple to make for dinner. Nearly tripping over a small bag on my way out, I bent down to pick it up and recognized that it was from Casper’s, the funny t-shirt store in town.
Inside was a rust-colored shirt in size small with white writing. It said You Bacon Me Crazy and had a smiley face with lips made out of bacon strips.
There was no note inside, but I knew it had to be from Damien.
On the return trip home with my groceries, I kept thinking about how he’d gone out of his way to buy the t-shirt as a peace offering. Was I being a bitch and overreacting about everything from the hole in the wall to the bacon attack? I honestly didn’t know. All I knew was that I didn’t really like the overly sensitive person I’d become over the past year.
After making myself a quick dinner of spaghetti and marinara sauce, I went back to my room to read. Every time I sat up in bed, I couldn’t help but wonder if Damien was on the other side of the wall.
When I thought I heard a noise behind me, I asked, “Are you there?”
After a brief pause, came the deep sound of his voice. “Yes. I’m working in my office. I’m not eavesdropping on you.”
Not really expecting an answer, my heart started to pound.
After a minute passed, I broke the ice. “Thank you for the shirt.”
“Well, I owed you a shirt…and an apology.”
“I know I really didn’t give you a chance to apologize. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t say anything, so I continued, “What are their names? The dogs.”
“Dudley and Drewfus.”
“Cute. Where did you come up with those?”
“I didn’t.”
“Who did?”
“My ex.”
Interesting.
“I see.”
“Why are they so quiet at night…like right now…but so noisy in the morning?”
“They’re not here.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re with her. We share custody. She drops them off here on the way to work in the morning, and I return them at night.”
“Wow. I was wondering why I never hear them in the evenings. Now, it makes sense.” I had to know. “So, you used to be married?”
“No. Ex-girlfriend.”
“She used to live here with you and the dogs?”
“You know, for someone who didn’t want me knowing her business, you sure are nosey as fuck.”
“Sorry. But it’s only fair, don’t you think, after you’ve heard so much about me?”
He sighed. “Yes. She used to live here.”
“What happened?”
“What do you think happened? We broke up.”
“I know that. But I mean…why didn’t it work out?”
“There’s not always a clear answer to that question. It’s not always as simple as…” He hesitated. “Someone fucking their stepsister.”
Oh. My. God.
He’s such an asshole!
He’d definitely been listening to more than just the last session. Feeling ashamed, I’d never told anyone except Jade and Dr. Little that the woman Elec left me for was actually his stepsister, whom he’d apparently been in love with for years—since he was a teenager.
When I didn’t say anything, he chuckled. “I’m sorry. That was bad. I’m going to hell.”