Love Thy Neighbor (3 page)

I didn’t add a lot of new things to it, but
what I had, mixed with the new things I bought, makes the apartment
look classy and chic. Tina gave me her old sofa, which is so damn
comfortable I can’t risk sitting on it before going out, or I know
I’ll change my mind and end up falling asleep in front of the TV.
She also gave me some bits and pieces from our old place because
Nik already has things to match his home.

The apartment isn’t large, but it’s open
plan with only the bedroom and bathroom separate.

I love it.

The kitchen was only remodeled a year ago.
It has a wicked marble-look breakfast bar and new wooden cabinets
for my dishes and pans. The sink is double width and the faucets
are shiny. The lounging area is a little cramped for such a huge
TV. I bought a brand spanking new 60-inch TV which the movers
kindly helped me put up on the wall. I love watching TV. Nothing
makes me happier than curling up on the couch and watching a
movie.

Okay, so call me antisocial.

Don’t get me wrong, I love going out. On
weekends. If I have to work the next day, (which I do almost every
day) there is no way I’m dragging my butt out of bed early. Tina
calls me a zombie. My friend is not wrong. Once I’m asleep, it’s
lights out. I don’t hear or see anything after that. Only if a
person shakes me awake will I stir. Slightly. If anyone is stupid
enough to wake me, that is.

I sigh then push myself off the door. I walk
down the hall to my new bathroom which is also newly remodeled and
immaculate, and turn on the shower. I undress, step in and let the
hot water wash away any negativity that sticks to me.

Serenity now.

I scrub til my skin is almost raw. I turn
off the water, step out and wrap my hair in a turban. I moisturize
my face, walk naked to my room, get some silk panties on followed
by my jammies, and I’m ready to watch TV.

My jammies are so damn comfortable. They’re
pretty ratty, but comfort trumps everything when you’re not in a
relationship. My black spaghetti strap tank comes just above my
belly button, and my red Minnie Mouse pajama pants and my Minnie
Mouse head slippers complete my ensemble.

But my panties are always silk and sexy. I
like to splurge on myself when it comes to lingerie. Even if no one
sees it, it makes me feel sexy.

I brush my hair out, take the Strawberry
Cheesecake ice-cream out of the freezer, grab a spoon and sink into
the sofa with a plop. I turn on the TV and get excited when I find
an old eighties teen movie.

Score!

I love old eighties teen movies! So much
angst and bitterness. Just like me!

Being a teenager was awesome. No problems,
all you really had to worry about was who you were crushing on that
week. And high school. And the latest fashions. And pimples. And
hormones.

You know what, I take it back.

Being a teenager sucked ass.

I’m lost in the movie when I hear a loud
thump followed by a female giggling. I blink then smirk.

My neighbor is getting lucky tonight.

Good for them.

Ten minutes passes and another loud thump
hits the wall behind the TV. My TV jiggles and I’m suddenly worried
that my two thousand dollar TV will fall off the wall and smash
into pieces.

Another thump, then another hits the wall
followed by a long female moan.

Oh, shit. Really?

Against my damn wall?

Let them go, they’re just having some
fun.

And ruining my damn movie!

Another five minutes of thumps hitting my
wall and I’ve had it. I turn off the TV and head to bed. I crawl in
and let out a happy sigh.

I love sleep so much!

I pull the covers up to my chin then breathe
in deep. Upon the exhale, I hear a woman’s muffled yell, “OH, GOD!
YES! YES! YESSSSSssssssss!” Then silence.

Well, that was fun.

At least someone’s getting some.

Touché, brain.

I curl up deeper into my bed and fall
asleep.

***

“Oh, God. Yes! Yes, baby! Yes!”

What the feck?

My eyelids flutter open and immediately I
know something is wrong.

It’s still dark out. So, why am I awake?

I glance over at the digital alarm clock
which reads 12:37am.

“Harder, baby! Yes! Ohhhhhhhh, God! Yes!”
The freakin’ female wailer is back.

Stupid neighbors.

I put the pillow over my head and groan.

“Oh, yes! Fuck me! Deeper!”

Oh, just put a freakin’ bullet in my brain,
would ya?

“Yes! Yes! YESSSSSSsssssss!” Then
silence.

I listen for a moment but hear nothing, so I
snuggle my pillow and fall back asleep.

***

“Oh, God! Baby, just like that! Yes! Oh my
God! Yes!”

You have got to be freakin’ kidding me.

I peek at the digital clock which reads
1:45am.

My blood boils.

Screwing with my sleep once a night is bad
enough, but twice?! I run a hand over my face.

Oh, dear God, give me strength!

It takes every last bit of willpower for me
to not go over there and smack some sense into them.

“Please, baby! Give it to me! Yes! Yes! Oh
god yes!”

This is a selfish woman. She’s had at least
three orgasms tonight.

Leave some for the rest of us, lady.

“Baby, please! Yes! Yes! YESSSSSssssss!”
Then silence.

Thank god!

I snuggle deeper into my bed and sigh. Just
as I’m about to fall asleep, it starts.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

My eyes flash with rage.

They cannot be serious!

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

What is this man? A freakin’ cyborg?!

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

I start silently sobbing into my pillow. I
love my sleep so much I’ll cry over losing it.

Then I stare up at the ceiling and silently
fume.

***

My eye twitches with rage.

I peek over at the digital clock.
2:57am.

They’ve been at it for hours. I’ve
alternated crying, cursing and praying. Nothing helps. I grit my
teeth.

My neighbors suck ass!

I’ve decided I already hate them. I won’t
ever send them a Christmas card. Ever.

“Oh, God! Baby, yes! Harder, baby! Oh! Oh!
Oh!”

My eye twitches again. I’ve been staring at
the ceiling for ages. My eyes are sore and scratchy.
I can’t sleep in these conditions!

Call the cops.

No, it’ll take too long. I need sleep
now!

“Yes! Babbbbbyyyy! YEEESSSSSSSssssss!”

THAT. IS. IT!

I’ve had it!

I throw the covers off me, stomp to the
bathroom and tie my hair into a messy bun at the very top of my
head. I storm down the hall and out of my apartment. I pound on my
neighbors’ door and wait.
The latch unlocks, the door opens and I see a short but very pretty
woman stand before me in only a man’s shirt. She is blonde, blue
eyed and slender. She wears a welcoming smile.

I scowl and say, “I’m sorry to bother your
love-fest, but it’s three in the freakin’ morning and I have work
in the morning.”

She looks apologetic and just as she opens
her mouth to speak I hear a husky man’s voice come from the
hallway, “I’m sorry, ma’am.” The lights are off so I can’t see him
properly because his head is down, focusing on the buttons of the
shirt he’s doing up as he walks to the door. He goes on, “It won’t
happen again.” Then he lifts his head.

My stomach dips.

I shrink and freeze.

My heart squeezes as I whisper, “Ghost?”

Ghost looks stunned. He chokes out, “Nat,
what are you doing here?”

I look down and answer quietly, “I- Ah- I
live next door.” I clear my throat and put on my famous scowl,
“Keep the noise down, please. I’ve got to work tomorrow.” I turn to
walk away.

Ghost stops me with a hand on my arm and a
pleading, “Nat, hold up.”

I pull my arm roughly from his grip and
hiss, “I’m tired and I don’t want to talk, goddamn it.” I whisper
hoarsely, “I just want some freakin’ sleep. So, for the love of
God, please fuck her quietly.”

I turn on my heel and rush back to my
apartment.

Well, that was fun.

Once I close the door, I put a hand to my
chest, breathe in deeply then exhale slowly.

Well, seeing Ghost with another woman was
something else. It hurt more than I’m willing to admit to myself.
There is a piercing ache in my chest. I gently rub at it.

I’m just about to move from the door when I
hear a muffled Ghost say, “Tasha, I think you should go.”

My eyes widen and I tiptoe closer to the
wall. I press my ear against it and hear the woman reply, “Sure
thing, lover. Sorry about that. I get a little loud. Who was that
anyway?”

Ghost replies, “No one.”

Ouch.

That freakin’ hurts.

My throat clogs, my eyes mist and I move
away from the wall. I head back to my room, crawl into bed and pull
the covers up over my head.

Then I do something I’ve never done over a
man.

I cry.

***

I see Tasha out of the apartment, lean back
against the door and think.

What just happened?

Tasha and I were screwing. Pretty loudly.
But we were havin’ a good time. Then out of nowhere comes my living
fantasy. To my apartment. While I’m screwing another woman.

Yeah, not good.

My chest aches.

What do you care? She doesn’t.

Yeah… I’m sure she doesn’t. Although, when
she realized it was me, she looked kinda hurt.

Nah. Nat doesn’t feel. Ever.

Yep. That’s for sure. I’ve never met a woman
like her before. She’s a total bitch.

Goddamn, she’s sexy though.

Ain’t it the truth?

Even wearing ridiculous mouse pajamas and
slippers, she looked hot, which put me off Tasha right away. Not a
stitch of makeup on and her red hair up in a stupid looking ball at
the top of her head, wearing a tiny tank top with no bra.

Hot.

I don’t know why I felt the need to explain
to her that Tasha and I were only screwing. I don’t do
relationships. They require people to eventually move in together
and sleep in the same bed together. And I can’t do that.

I have extreme nightmares. Well,
technically, they’re memories.

Memories of my father, mother, my childhood,
pain and hurt. Everything that came with growing up in my
house.

Ever since I lived with Nik and Max’s
family, I knew something was wrong. They looked at me with pity for
days when I got there. I never woke in my nightmares. Only one
night when Nik’s mother, Cecilia, tried to hold me during a fitful
sleep and I attacked her, did I ever find out about what I was
capable of during my sleep. I punched Cecilia in the face. I was so
worried Nik’s dad would kick me out, I actually cried. I couldn’t
go back home. But Nik’s dad, Ilia, was more of a father to me than
my own. He was a kind man, but if you crossed him, you got
yours.

I planned on killing my father. Ilia told me
if I was serious about that, he would do it for me. Ilia was part
of a Russian gang called Chaos. He claimed me as his own, so when
Nik was recruited after Ilia died, Max and I joined with him. I
felt I owed it to him.

I never knew what having a family was like
until Nik befriended me. I’d never even had a friend before. He had
my back before he even knew me. In high school, I got picked on for
having ripped or dirty clothes. Nik approached me one day while I
was getting picked on and asked if I needed a hand. He’ll never
know what that gesture meant to me. I sorta tagged along with him
after that and I was surprised he let me. Everyone wanted to be
Nik’s friend in high school, but he was selective. After I met his
father, I knew why. Nik only befriended people he could be real
with.

Then Ilia suggested I sleep at their house
whenever I felt unsafe at home. Which was always. So, I basically
came over one day and never left. I even had my very own room.
Cecilia, who I call Mama, went out the next day and bought me an
entire closet full of clothes and three pairs of shoes.

I didn’t even know people could own three
pairs of shoes. I had one pair and they were falling apart.
Ever since that day, Nik started introducing me as his brother. And
I really do consider Nik and Max my brothers.

One day in gym class, Nik happened to see my
scars and bruises. He asked me about them but I took off. I didn’t
come home for a week. When I finally returned, Mama cried with
relief. I’d never had someone be worried about me. She told me I
was grounded and to never scare her like that again.
I smile at the memory. I took my punishment without a word. Mama’s
tears of love were worth a week of chores.

Mama likes Nat. She told me to get off my
ass and ask her out.

Yeah.

Quite frankly, I’d rather have fire ants
nibble at my balls.

So the shrew is my new neighbor.

Kiss my grits.

I smirk.

At least the view will be nice.

Chapter
Two
Befriended by a Ghost

I make it to work just after nine.

Being kept up most of last night didn’t help
me any. I heard my alarm, but my body acted of its own accord and
pressed snooze.

Four times.

I dragged my ass out of bed and don’t even
remember showering. Somehow, in my comatose state, I managed to put
together a half decent outfit and drive myself to work. I walk
through the door and Mimi looks up from the counter. Her eyes widen
and she declares, “Wow. You look like shit.”

I flip her the bird and she chuckles. I walk
into the studio and yell out, “Gather.”

Tina and Lola approach Mimi and I at the
counter looking a little wary.

Oh, chicas. You have no idea.

Tina says softly, “Oh, honey. You look ill.
Are you okay?”

I reply, “No. Not okay. Not in the
slightest.”