Block Party

by Stylo Fantome

  “Don't worry, she'll be okay.”

  Wulf didn't believe it, though, till she finally opened her eyes.

  It was almost two hours later. He was sitting at her bed side. He'd dragged two chairs up next to her, one to sit in and one to use as a foot rest. He had his head back and he was almost on the verge of dozing off when he heard movement.

  “You look really uncomfortable.”

  Her voice was hoarse and scratchy and quite possibly the best thing he'd ever heard. Wulf jerked himself upright and twisted around to face her. She was struggling to sit up in bed, so he grabbed the remote and pushed a button that would elevate her.

  “Not as uncomfortable as you look,” he chuckled, scooting his chair closer. “How you doing, champ?”

  “Eh, I've had worse days,” she managed to joke, but she had a hand pressed to the side of her head. “What happened?”

  “You don't remember?” he asked. She frowned down at her lap for a moment. Glanced at him, then around the room.

  “I remember ... I went out with Katya, didn't I?”

  “Yes. She said you guys were meeting up at some pub.”

  “Yeah. We did, and then we went home,” she seemed to be thinking hard. “I ... that's right, I got a call from my mother. She wanted me to go grab something from my house. So I went there and ... and ...”

  It took her a long time, but it seemed to come back to her. When she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, Wulf reached out and held her hand.

  “It's okay. You're fine now,” he whispered. She shook her head.

  “Oh my god, he was in my home!” she gasped. “I think he's been in it lots! I'm so stupid, I forgot to ask for the key back.”

  “Please. Don't cry. We can go over this tomorrow.”

  “No. No, it was my neighbor,” she said fast, wiping at her tears. “Dean ... something. McClintoff. He lives in the place underneath mine. God, he was stealing my underwear and some jewelry, and he was saying all this stuff about a date we were supposed to go on, and then when he saw me call the cops, he flipped out. He was slamming me against the counter and I hit him in the face and then he ... he threw me down the stairs. God, like garbage, he just threw me. I thought I was going to die.”

  Wulf stared at her for a long moment, then he reached out and delicately tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I'm going to kill him,” he said softly. She started crying harder.

  “Why did this happen to me? I never did anything to him,” she sobbed. “I never flirted with him, barely talked to him. What did I do to deserve this?”

  “Nothing. Not a goddamn thing, Ayumi. Hey. Hey. C'mon! You're one of the strongest people I know, and you're damn sure stronger than anything some asshole did to you,” he said, keeping his voice strong. It seemed to work and her sobbing was reduced to sniffles. She took a couple deep breaths, then nodded her head.

  “Wulf?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I'm sorry I lied to you.”

  “I can't even express to you how much I don't even care about that,” he breathed. She managed to smile for him.

  “And I'm really glad you're here.”

  “Me too, Ayumi. Me, too.”

  THE NEXT DAY WAS ONE of the most ... interesting in Ayumi's life.

  First of all, Wulf took the day off work. Wulf never missed work, ever. Only for Katya. Nothing else. But he stayed in Ayumi's hospital room the whole time, just talking with her and watching tv with her and bringing her food. She woke up once after a nap and it was to discover him asleep in the chairs next to her, holding on firmly to her hand.

  The second thing was the rape kit. What fun that was! She'd cried again as she was checked over very thoroughly for any signs of bodily invasion. She'd been unconscious when the police had arrive, anything could have happened between her fall and them getting there. She consented to the test, but she didn't enjoy it. She went limp with relief when they didn't find any signs of sexual assault.

  Lastly was the arrival of her mother. She expected criticism. For being so stupid to go into a dark house. For confronting her intruder. For allowing him to have a key for so long. Instead of any of that, though, her mom simply burst into the room and almost collapsed on her bed.

  “My baby,” she'd sobbed, hugging her daughter's leg.

  Well, that's different.

  She'd babbled on and on about blaming herself for a while, but eventually Wulf gently manhandled her out of the room, claiming Ayumi had a prescribed nap time.

  She thought the idea of prescription naps was a pretty good one, but before she could recommend it to her doctor, Katya came sweeping into the room.

  “I can't believe it,” she breathed, moving to stand at Ayumi's bed side.

  “Oh, it's not so bad,” she insisted. “My ankle won't need surgery, they think I can get out of here tomorrow or the day after.”

  “I should've gone with you,” Katya said, swiping at tears. “It was late. I shouldn't have let you go alone.”

  Ayumi was glad Wulf had gone down to the cafeteria. Seeing his assistant banged up had been very hard on him. Just picturing Katya in the same state would probably send him into a coma.

  “Stop it, no one could know this would happen. I'm glad you weren't there, then we'd both be hurt.”

  “Did they catch the guy?”

  Ayumi nodded.

  “Yeah, just a couple hours after it happened. I guess he went to his ex wife's house, which he's not allowed to do. She called the cops and he got picked up there.”

  “Good. I hope he rots in prison,” Katya said in a hard voice.

  “He would hope for that, too, if he saw how angry Wulf is,” Ayumi laughed. Katya shook her head.

  “You put the fear of god in him,” she said in a low voice as she finally took a seat. “I've never seen Wulf so upset. When I got here this morning and he was telling me the story ... he's serious, I think he'd really kill the guy if given half the chance.”

  “That's ridiculous. It's a sprained ankle, I don't think he really meant to hurt me,” Ayumi insisted.

  “And I don't think Wulf cares how little or how badly you were hurt – he still wants to murder the guy. You're really important to him.”

  “He is to me, too. You both are. Thank you for being here, Katya.”

  “I wouldn't want to spend Christmas anywhere else.”

  Mostly, though, Ayumi spent her time thinking about Liam.

  God, she wished he was there. If she hadn't been so stupid, she wouldn't have been at her house alone – Liam would've been there with her. Or they wouldn't have gone at all. Or they'd just now be finishing up their road trip. Something. Anything.

  She wanted him to hold onto her and tell her everything would be alright. Wanted him to make her laugh and feel safe and secure.

  She wanted to tell him she was an idiot, and that falling down those stairs had at least knocked some sense into her. In those moments of absolute fear and terror, he'd been the only thing on her mind. Wishing he was there, wishing she was with him.

  A near death experience had done wonders for her psyche. She would always be awkward. Emotions would never come naturally to her. But Liam didn't care – he never had. He liked her exactly the way she was, complicated and ridiculous and neurotic, and if she'd let him, he would love her, too. She just had to listen to him and learn from him. Allow herself to like him back as much as she really wanted to; allow herself to fall a little in love with him.

  Too late.

  Maybe it would end badly. Maybe it was a bad idea. But maybe it would be incredible and amazing and the kind of thing love stories are made of. She was willing to take that chance, finally. As long as it was with him.

  Ayumi wanted Liam was there in the hospital with her. But her cell phone had been broken in the fall, she didn't know his phone number. She didn't want to ask Wulf or Katya. It was a private moment, she wanted to share it with Liam and Liam alone.

  She was getting discharged. Just a day or two,
the doctors had said. Then she would go home and she would hobble over to his building and she would tell him exactly how she felt about him.

  She would tell him he was the best thing to ever happen in her life.

  20

  Liam sat behind his desk, his hands pressed firmly against his face. He was breathing heavily into them, hoping to pass out. Or maybe asphyxiate himself.

  It was Christmas Day. He'd spent Christmas Eve alone in his apartment, staring at his blank tv screen. Days before, Katya had invited him to her place. Of course, his mother wanted him to come home, but he turned her down. He was holding out for a Christmas miracle.

  He'd left a present for Ayumi on her and Brie's door step, but he hadn't heard anything. Christmas Eve came and went with no word from her. In fact, whenever he called, her phone didn't even ring. It sent him straight to voicemail.

  She's blocking my calls.

  He felt like he was going insane. She couldn't do this to him, could she? Not forever. They were falling for each other, he'd been sure of it. Just a couple more steps together, and they would've fallen over the edge. One stupid phone call had ruined it all. Why did he have to be so stupid?

  There was a soft knock at his door and he groaned.

  “Come in.”

  Whoever walked into his office didn't say anything, so Liam finally let his hands drop. He was surprised to see Tori standing across from him.

  She'd come to work every day and she'd done her job as always, but things were really different. Strained. She wouldn't speak to him about anything that wasn't business related. He couldn't figure it out. He'd guessed Wulf would be upset with him for sleeping with Brie, but Tori? That had been a shock.

  “Hey, what's up? How are you?” he asked, standing up and moving around the desk. He was doubly surprised when she took a step back from him.

  “I came to give my notice,” she said abruptly. His jaw dropped.

  “What?”

  “I'm quitting. This is my notice,” she repeated herself. He shook his head.

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “No, I don't accept your resignation,” he informed her. She glanced around.

  “Um, I'm pretty sure you can't do that.”

  “Tori,” he groaned. “Please, talk to me! We're friends, right? Fuck this job, I consider you one of my best friends. What is going on? I don't want you to leave, and I don't think you want to leave, so please, let's figure this out.”

  “I ...” she stammered for a moment. “I just can't work here anymore. It wouldn't be right.”

  “Why wouldn't it be right? What happened?” he demanded. She pulled both her lips between her teeth and bit down for a moment, then she let out a deep breath.

  “It's inappropriate,” she murmured.

  “Why the fuck would it be inappropriate!?” he asked.

  “Because I'm totally in love with you.”

  Liam felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He fell back against his desk so hard, his computer monitor shook and fell to the floor. He didn't even look at it, just stared back at Tori.

  “You can't be serious,” he breathed. She nodded and wiped at her eyes.

  “I know, it's stupid, but whatever, it happened.”

  “Jesus, when?”

  “God, when I first started here?” she laughed a little. “I always liked you, we flirted, it was whatever. You and Katya had your thing, so I stayed away. And then the thing was over and I thought maybe it would be my turn, but you didn't notice me. You were too busy with the skank from our building. So I waited some more. Then I guess you were too busy with Brie, so I was like okay, I can wait even more. He has to notice me eventually. I mean, you came over all the time, we'd cuddle and watch movies. But then when I saw you with ... with Ayumi, I just ... it's never gonna be my turn.”

  Liam didn't know what to say. Tori was crying, and he honestly felt a little like crying, too. His heart was breaking for her, because she was beautiful and amazing and ... it would never be her turn.

  “I'm so sorry,” he whispered. She nodded her head.

  “I know. I mean, you don't have to be, it's not your fault. I'm an idiot,” she said quickly.

  “Don't ever say that,” he snapped. “If anyone is, it's me. Lately I've been learning a lot about myself, and someone me showed that maybe sometimes I ... I don't think about others as much as I should.”

  “Is that a joke? You're always helping everyone,” Tori pointed out. He nodded.

  “I know. I care about people. But that doesn't mean I always think about them, and I definitely don't think enough before I speak or act. I'm just so sorry, Tor. You're the best. The absolute fucking best. You're drop dead gorgeous, you're funny, you're smart. I am, I'm an idiot, because you would be the best catch,” he insisted.

  “Just not for you.”

  “No. I'm really sorry.”

  “I get it,” she said, taking a deep breath. “And I already knew it. But now you see why I can't work here anymore.”

  “No, I don't. This doesn't have to change anything.”

  “Liam, it changes everything.”

  “No,” he stressed, and he finally hurried towards her. “Please. If you quit, you'll get a new job, and you'll convince yourself it's not enough, and then you'll stop being my friend, and Tori, that would kill me.”

  “Maybe that's a good idea, though. You have Ayumi, and I just need something,” she started sobbing all over again.

  “How can us not being friends ever be a good thing? Don't do this, please,” he begged, grabbing her by the arms when she tried to back away.

  “I just can't be here,” she cried. “I'm sorry. It's too awful and embarrassing and ... it hurts so much.”

  “Please,” he whispered. “Please, I'll do whatever you want. I'll go away and stay away until you tell me I can come back. I'll double your salary. Triple it. Think about it, at least. Okay? I'm not considering this your notice. Go home and really think about it.”

  She was still crying, but she wasn't trying to pull away from him anymore.

  “I don't know ...”

  “Well, I do. This is a good job and you're great at it. Don't throw that away without at least trying to work through this with me. Think it over, then come back. If you do and you still want to quit, I'll let you. Maybe.”

  That actually earned him a watery laugh.

  “Okay,” she whispered, and he had to resist pulling her into a hug.

  “Yes! Thank you. Look, take as long as you need. I'm gonna be here all night – if you wanna talk, just call me on my office phone, okay?” he asked, gesturing behind him. She sniffled and nodded.

  “You'll be here, or at home?”

  “Either. Both. No, you know what? Here. I'll be here. I'm going to sit here and wait for you to call or come in. However long it takes. That way you know where to find me,” he told her.

  “What if I take two days?” she tested him.

  “Then you'd better be prepared to talk to a very smelly boss, because I'm not moving from that seat.”

  “Okay,” she sighed. “I don't know, Liam. I still think it's a bad idea. But I'll think about it.”

  “Please do. And for what it's worth, I really am sorry, Tori. You're a great girl. If I hadn't been so blind, maybe we could've ...” he let his voice trail off, then stopped all together. No. He was done with saying what he thought people wanted to hear. It just made things worse. “No, that's a total lie. We never would've happened, and you know why? Because you were always too special to me to just be a good time.”

  “Really?” she whispered.

  “Really. You promise you'll come back?”

  “I promise.”

  “You won't run away and get a new job?”

  “I promise.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  They stood in awkward silence for so long, she finally had to wiggle to get him to break his hold. Then they stepped apart from each other.

  “I
want to hug you,” he finally said. “But I feel like it's a bad idea.”

  “It definitely is. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drown my sorrows and embarrassment in a fifth of vodka I'm going to steal from your bar,” she informed him.

  “As long as it's not the good stuff.”

  “It's gonna be top tier, and you're not going to say shit about it.”

  “My lips are sealed.”

  Tori's eyes bounced around his office for a second, looking at everything but him, then she gave a tight smile before walking away. He watched her until he couldn't see her anymore, then he slowly shut his door.

  What. The ever loving. Fuck.

  How could he not have noticed? Liam was usually so good with shit like that, he could sniff out a crush at a mile away. Yet it never even occurred to him with Tori. She was just there, his buddy, his pal. She'd been off limits when he'd been playing around with Katya, and then she'd just always stayed off limits. A coworker, a friend, a friend of a friend, it was too risky. So she'd been permanently put on the friend shelf and that was it.

  He was an idiot. A stupid fucking idiot. When he sat down again behind his desk, he put his head back in his hands. He'd slept over at Tori's apartment. Hell, he'd fallen asleep on her. They'd gotten drunk together and danced together and sure, they'd flirted, but he'd honestly always thought it had been harmless. Innocent. If he'd had any idea ...

  Liam wasn't sure how much more his soul could handle. He'd just gotten back from vacation, and he already needed another vacation. Or an escape plan. He was weary right down to his bones, and to top it all off, now he would be sleeping in his office. He groaned and let his head fall to this desk with a loud thunk.

  How do I always get myself into these situations?

  For the next couple hours, he managed to get some work down. Prepped a large liquor order for the upcoming Twin Estates New Year's Eve party. He didn't involve himself in much of anything to do with the buildings, but every year he threw two parties for all the tenants. Sort of like block parties.

  The lobby in building two was so small because the back two-thirds of the level was one huge community room. People could rent it out for special occasions or meetings or whatever they wanted, but he always had it booked for Fourth of July, and for New Year's. Almost all the tenants always came, and it was usually a pretty good time. He wasn't feeling particularly festive that year, but he wouldn't let everyone else down. Plus, maybe he could lure Ayumi to the event. She was technically a resident of the Twin Estates, now. It would be un-neighborly if she didn't come.