*****
I decide since Brooklyn is trying to sleep in the backseat, I’ll take a little detour and drive past my favorite house in Rivers Edge. I am drawn to this house like a moth to a flame. It’s a beautiful two story home with a tan colored brick on the bottom level and tan siding on the top. Bay windows frame the front door and overlook the large front porch. There’s a hand paved stone walkway with a beautiful flower border that blooms in the spring and early summer and a privacy fence around the large backyard. A two car attached garage with a shop area on the back sits towards the back of the lot. This house is my dream home.
I park at the curb and stare into the darkened house. When I close my eyes, I can see the kids running up and down the front steps, riding bikes in the driveway, and swinging on the swing set in the backyard. I picture the barbeques in the backyard and quiet nights on the back patio.
I have no idea what the inside looks like because I’ve never actually been inside the house. It’s a fairly newer home, built within the past ten years. The couple who built it relocated somewhere north for work, but didn’t sell the house. Rumor has it they kept it exactly as is so that when they are ready to move back, it’ll be here waiting. A shame for such a beautiful house to sit empty.
I sit in my Jeep in front of the house, lost in my daydream, for a little bit longer. Finally, I sigh and put the Jeep in gear heading home. Someday. Someday, I’ll be able to give Brooklyn this kind of home with plenty of room to play and run. Maybe I’ll even fill it with the sounds and laughter of a larger family. Someday.
“You wanna hit Jack’s Pub tonight?” Jake asks as we walk towards his older pick-up truck. I throw the leftovers up on the dash as we head out of the drive back towards town.
“Better take a rain check. You know we have that early staff meeting before our shift starts.”
“You’re just avoiding the place because you don’t want to run into Vanessa again,” Jake smarts off with a cocky smirk on his face. Vanessa, AKA “the clinger”, was a girl I dated a handful of times. We had a great time, a few dates that turned into a few nights back in her bed, but I realized real quick that she was the clinging, husband hunting type. If there’s one thing I don’t do, it’s long-term. No commitments. I’m not husband material. Even after breaking it off, she has continued to call and text me. She has dropped by the precinct on several occasions going so far as to stop at my house at all hours of the night. Now she’s started frequenting my favorite hang-out which is precisely why I have been avoiding Jack’s on the weekends for the past several weeks.
I don’t bring girls to my house as a rule. They start getting ideas about staying the night. After we’ve had our fun, I just want to head out and go back to my own place. I don’t want to snuggle or spoon or any of that other mushy shit that girls want to do. I want to fuck. Show a girl a great time for a little while and then leave. I learned in high school that there are plenty of girls out there looking for a little fun. Hell, Jake and I are sort of pros at it. We head to our favorite pub, have a few drinks, buy a couple of drinks for the like minded ladies, and then pair off with our choices back at their place. But I always wake up in my own bed the next morning, and I’m always alone. That’s the way I like it.
I realize Jake is watching me, waiting on me to confirm what he already knows. “You’re right. I want to avoid all that Vanessa shit tonight. I think I’m gonna go for a run and just relax. Maybe have a few more beers.”
“You could always hit the Pub and find another date for the evening. Have you seen Kim since she got back to town? Rumor has it she ditched her husband and is looking for fun. Lots of fun,” he says with a sly grin.
Divorcees are favorites of ours. Most of the time, they’re only interested in some no-strings sex, and they’re usually still man-hating so I don’t have to worry about any husband hunting. The one type I avoid at all costs is clingy. Divorcees are fun and maybe that’s what I need tonight. Maybe I should head up to the Pub with Jake and take Kim home for the night.
But as quickly as that thought enters my mind, so does an image of crystal blue eyes and long blond hair. I can’t think about sex without thinking of Avery. For some reason, the thought of going to Jack’s and picking up Kim, or any other chick, isn’t settling right with me. What the hell is wrong with me?
Jake pulls up in front of my house, and I climb out. I throw my oldest friend a little wave and head into my quiet house. I quickly change my clothes and throw on my favorite worn running shoes. I grab my mp3 player from the kitchen counter before I head out the door. After a few quick stretches in the quiet of my front yard, I contemplate which route I’m taking tonight. As I head towards the park, my mind is filled with those endless blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. Blond hair that begs for me to dive my hands into as I hold her head still and devour her mouth. I wonder if she makes little noises when she’s being kissed like she does when she’s concentrating on something? Those little noises from the back of her throat turn me on like nothing I’ve ever heard.