Apartment 2B (5 page)

“How’s your day going besides spilling tea all over your bed?” she inquires as she
stretches out on one side of the bed.

I wring my hands together as I begin pacing the room. “Tina, it’s terrible. I have
an awful neighbor that I just met today.”

She sits back up and her eyebrows pinch together with worry. “What happened?”

“Well, the creeper from the stairwell has a name—Liam. He’s also my neighbor,” I tell
her, not hiding my frustration.

“Okay, so you met someone new? You obviously learned his name, which means you were
making an attempt at being social, even with someone who scared you at first. I can’t
help but have a proud moment right now. So go on, because I need more details!”

The excitement coming from her was not what I expected. I need someone to be frustrated
with me.

“Tina! It’s not cool or wonderful. It sucked. He clearly has problems with personal
space, and I do too—like we couldn’t be more opposite. The reason I found out he was
my neighbor was because he was blaring his music so loudly that pictures were falling
from the wall. He sniffed me!”

I must be making a crazy face because she starts laughing hysterically. So much so
that she nearly rolls off the bed. Biting down on my lip so I won’t laugh, I try to
glare at her for making fun of me.

“Sid! I think this guy likes you. Please tell me he was hot,” she laughs, wagging
her eyebrows.

My cheeks burn with embarrassment because he was the hottest man I have ever seen.

“Oh my God! You do think he’s hot. Sidney, this is great news! I’ve never seen you
this way before. This is excellent progress.” It’s almost comical how she flips back
and forth between goofy friend to helpful counselor.

“I’m embarrassed to say this, but when he tried to touch my cheek, I ran away like
a freak and hid out in here until you showed up. I had to take an extra cold shower
too.”

“I bet you did,” she says, her tone suggestive. I’m confused at what she’s suggesting.

“You’re not being a very good friend, laughing at me like that.” I sniff and cross
my arms.

Giggling, she jumps and makes her way to me like she’s about to hug me. Instinctively,
I back away, and her face falls a bit. My heart sinks that I just did that to her,
but I most definitely don’t want her to hug me. She takes a deep breath and blows
me a kiss before walking back into the kitchen.

When I make it to the kitchen, she’s pouring two glasses of wine. My eyes widen as
I realize that one is for me.

“Tina, what are you doing?” I hiss at her.

She ignores my comment and hands it to me. I’m shaking when I take it from her, clutching
it carefully like it might slip from my grasp at any moment.

“Sidney, you need to lighten up a bit. You’re a grown woman, and a glass of wine won’t
hurt you. It will relax you, which is just what you need because you are wound up
so tight tonight. You can have some M&Ms too,” she teases as she pulls out a jumbo
bag of them.

I can’t help but grin at her. The awkward moment between us has passed. I think we
may have just had our first fight and made up.

When she starts pulling DVDs from the bag, I grin. Tina is a huge ‘80s movie buff,
so whenever she comes over, she brings movies to ‘educate’ me with. I’m so lucky to
have her in my life. There is no way I would have made it this far without her guidance.
Little by little, she helps me reclaim who I am.

“What movie is it tonight?” I question as I curl up into the recliner while she gets
it started.

She turns to smile mischievously at me. “Sid, you are about to get a full-on education
on the art of dirty dancing. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are going to be your
instructors.” It sounds promising, much like one of my books.

I sip on the wine and choke a bit. “Tina! You expect me to drink this? It tastes like
ass,” I harrumph and secretly high-five myself for slipping in a curse word.

“Get over it, woman. It’s an acquired taste. You have to force yourself to drink it
and eventually you’ll get used to it. Now let’s watch this movie.”

I spend the first part of the movie nervously drinking down the wine every time the
scenes start to get hot. So much so that I just realized I’ve emptied my glass. Thank
goodness tonight is Friday and I can sleep in tomorrow morning. Tina refills my glass
without even asking if I want any more.

By the end of the movie, I feel flushed, dizzy, and numb. I’ve decided that I love
the movie and want to watch it again to pay closer attention, especially to Patrick
Swayze.

“Okay, hon, I’m going to get back home. Joey just texted that he misses me. He really
just wants to have sex, but I’ll pretend along with him. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I get another air kiss before she lets herself out.

I stand to get ready for bed and the room spins from the alcohol in my system. Suddenly,
I feel nauseated, but I choke it down. I blink back nagging thoughts of Nurse Momma.
She can’t hurt me anymore.

Carefully, I head to my bedroom, not bothering to turn off lights along the way. Stripping
out of my dress, I crawl between my soft, clean sheets, and I swear they smell woodsy
with a hint of mint, very familiar to a certain neighbor.

I fall asleep easily with thoughts of Liam, Patrick, and dirty dancing.

He drags a single finger between the swell of my bare breasts. That finger continues
its path along my belly and dips into my navel. I bite my lip as I feel my lower body
tense up with desire. The finger, this time, slowly creeps its way to my pubic bone
and through the patch of hair just below it. It connects with a button that sends
delicious electricity coursing through my body…

The room is pitch black as I wake completely drenched in sweat. My muscles in my calves
feel sore and my cheeks burn with embarrassment as I realize I may have had my first
orgasm in a dream. A dream about …

Once I’ve untangled myself from the sheets, I climb out of bed and head toward the
shower in the dark. A shower is actually needed and for once not part of my OCD. After
a really long cold shower, I dry off and head back to my bed. I’m almost there when
I suddenly freeze mid-step.

The lights are all off. I went to bed last night without turning off the lights and
I forgot to lock up after Tina left. My heart races in my chest as I come to the realization
that someone has been in my apartment. I fumble in the dark until I locate the light
switch for my room. My entire body freezes as I sense someone enter the room. The
floor creaks and I shrink away from the sound. My need to see who is in my home takes
over and I lunge forward, flipping on the switch.

Ragged breath escapes me in both shock and relief when I see Liam standing there,
his arms crossed. His lips turn up into a boyish grin as his eyes peruse my naked
body. But halfway through his perusal, he gapes at me when he sees the scars. Tears
of embarrassment burst from my eyes as I dive into my bed and pull the sheets up to
my chin.

“What are you doing in my home, Liam?” I snap at him. I’m angry that he’s made himself
at home in MY apartment without so much as an invitation.

“Where did you get those scars?” he demands angrily, stomping over to my bed. He’s
standing over me with his arms still crossed, and he looks completely pissed.

“It’s none of your business. Get out of here!” I screech, pointing at the door.

“Sidney, tell me how you got those and I’ll leave,” he tries again, this time more
quietly. His expression softens, and I don’t feel as threatened.

“My momma gave them to me. She wasn’t a nice person,” I confess, and my bottom lip
trembles.

He frowns at my teary-eyed face and reaches for me. Once again, I shrink away from
his touch and mentally curse myself. The man is absolutely gorgeous, and in a perfect
world, I would want nothing more than his touch right about now. But I live in an
imperfect world.

“Sidney, I’m sorry. So you aren’t afraid of me? You’re afraid of my touch because
of her?” he questions. His eyes are searching my face once again as if he’s trying
to figure me out.

I nod and a tear escapes, rolling down my face. The look he’s giving me tells me that
he wants to wipe the tear but is physically holding back doing so.

“She died a few weeks ago. That’s why I moved here. I watch Leta downstairs to live
here and earn a little extra money. Now, why are you in my apartment?”

He rubs his cheeks with each hand before he answers me. “First of all, I’m glad the
woman is dead or I’d probably kill her myself. Second, I happened to be walking by
your door and it was ajar. Since it was so late, I worried why you had left your door
open. When I peeked in, all the lights were on, but you were sleeping. I was turning
the lights off when I heard you whimpering in your bed. Just when I was about to slip
out, you jumped from the bed and headed to the shower. I knew if you saw me, you would
be terrified, so I just hid.”

“Oh.” That’s all I have. And Tina thought my social skills were improving.

“You’re so damn beautiful, Sidney.” The way he watches me makes me want to believe
those words. Nobody has ever told me that I’m beautiful.

My heart flutters wildly. And then reality sets in. I’ve seen myself naked, and now,
so has he. My body is marred with the scars of my past. I’m ugly and damaged.

“Get out,” I tell him calmly, looking away from his gorgeous eyes. I’m breathing heavily
from the emotions rolling through me.

“What? Sidney, no—”

“GET OUT!” I scream.

He flinches from my tone and steps a few paces back. Looking me over once more, he
nods curtly and storms from the room. When I hear the front door slam, I know I’ve
successfully gotten rid of him.

Now that he’s gone, my heart hurts and I succumb to the confusing emotions, allowing
myself a good cry.

I wake up Saturday morning feeling drained and hung over. My head is throbbing out
of control. Damn Tina and the stupid wine. So not only do I have a terrible hangover
and am still replaying the events from last night, but it’s also laundry day. I loathe
laundry day.

After I dress in another lightweight summer dress, I eat a few crackers to keep from
throwing up. The thought of getting sick makes me think of Nurse Momma and I shudder.
Forcing terrible thoughts from my mind, I gather up my dirty clothes and toss them
into a basket.

I wonder if I’ll see Liam again. Something about him unnerves me and draws me in at
the same time. He’s maddeningly beautiful and he smells delicious. If there were ever
anyone I actually wanted to touch me, it would most definitely be him. Too bad I’ll
never be able to allow that to happen.

Stepping into the hallway, I don’t see him, and his door is closed. I’ve probably
ruined any chance at a friendship with him. My social ineptness caused me to flip
out on him when he was only trying to look after me. It’s just so weird to go my entire
life with nobody looking out for me and then, suddenly, they’re coming out of the
woodwork. I’m overwhelmed by it most definitely.

Seeing the door to the stairwell, I grimace. I fucking hate the stairwell. Feeling
a little pumped up with my inner cussing, I shakily make my way to the door. I push
open the door and am hit with the familiar disgusting odor. More light enters the
stairwell through small windows near the ceiling. It only showcases the cracked and
mildew-covered walls.

With shocking speed for someone carrying a full laundry basket, I hightail it down
the stairs, holding my breath, until I reach the basement door. I fling it open and
gasp in the damp air that has a hint of detergent in it. The laundry room in the basement
is the least of my worries. It’s the damn stairwell that scares me half to death.

I make my way over to the washer and load my clothes. Once I’ve started it, I sit
on the dilapidated sofa that’s down there. On laundry days, I just hang out and read
until I’m all done. No sense in making unnecessary trips up and down the stairs.