400 First Kisses

by E. L. Todd

“Besides, let’s say I did move on. I moved to another city and started over. Got remarried or something. What if she got better and then came to me? What would I do? I’d be stuck with someone else, and I couldn’t just walk away. And that regret would eat me up for the rest of my life. It doesn’t matter how amazing the next woman is. She’ll never be Bree. I don’t want anyone but Bree. When I argue with her outside the house, it still feels real. It reminds me of all the fun we used to have. She still smiles and laughs the same way. Yeah, maybe it’s annoying to have the same conversation over and over again…but it’s still her.”

  Now I felt bad for bringing it up. “I’m sorry. I never should have said anything.”

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I know you guys are just looking out for me. But I’d honestly rather have some of her like this than nothing at all. Yes, there are nights when I’m lonely as fuck and I wish she was there beside me. Yes, there are times when I want to strangle her because she hates me so much. But it’s still better than being with someone else.”

  I patted his shoulder. “Maybe she’ll get better. Maybe she’ll wake up one morning, and it’ll come back to her.”

  “God, I hope,” he whispered. “I pray for that every fucking night.”

  7

  Bree

  I ran out of coffee for my French press, so I decided to get a cup of joe from the coffee shop off Ocean. I walked outside my house into the sunshine and saw my new neighbor walk out of his house. He must have just moved in because I didn’t even know the house had sold.

  He had an Australian Shepherd with him, black and gray mixed with patches of white. When he reached the end of his driveway, he looked over at me like he’d been expecting me.

  And I certainly wasn’t expecting him—Cypress.

  What on earth was he doing next door? “Uh…what the hell?”

  “Good morning to you too.” He waved and wore a friendly smile even though nothing about this was friendly. He walked to the bottom step of my stone stairs and crossed his arms over his chest. “What a surprise. I didn’t realize you were my neighbor.”

  “You don’t look surprised,” I countered. I stayed at the top of the steps, fighting the bile that rose up my throat. This man broke my heart in the most brutal way possible. “Is Vanessa my neighbor too?” It was a cold jab, but I didn’t care. He threw away something incredible to fuck a woman he’d already fucked a hundred times. He broke up with her for a reason, but he screwed her while I threw him a surprise birthday party. Totally sickening.

  He took the insult with confidence. “Nope. Haven’t talked to her in a long time.”

  “I’m glad she was worth throwing me away for, then.”

  He sighed but didn’t make a comeback. “It’s beautiful here. I really like the house, and I love yours too.”

  I didn’t want to make small talk. “Why did you move here?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “I have a business here. Easier to live in town.”

  So he wasn’t going away anytime soon. “Did you really have to move right next door to me? Did I do something to you?”

  “It was purely coincidental.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “How would I know otherwise?” he challenged. “The realtor said all the neighbors are really nice. And that was it.”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. The man I despised was next door. “Great, I have to sell my house.”

  “Come on,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not that bad. I can always help around the house if you ever need it. I’m very quiet. I’ll keep an eye on your stuff if you’re ever gone.”

  “And I have to watch you bring home tramps every Friday and Saturday night. That should be fun.”

  He tightened his jaw.

  “I don’t want anything to do with you. It’s pretty rude to disturb my life like this. I didn’t do anything to you. You are the one who broke my heart, not the other way around. Just leave me in peace, alright? You’ve done enough damage.”

  He put his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground.

  “Hello?”

  “Hmm?” he said without looking at me.

  “Aren’t you gonna say something?”

  “No, I’m not. It’s just not a good day.” He walked back to the house and patted his thigh. “Come on, boy.”

  “You’re right. It’s a very bad day.”

  He didn’t look at me again as he walked up to his front door, ignoring me.

  He caught me off guard, and now he was the one to walk away? What an asshole. I walked up the stairs, angry and slightly shaken, and my foot slipped on the stone. It must have rained the night before because it was still slippery. I tripped then fell, screaming on the way down. I hit my head against the stone.

  Then everything turned black.

  “Bree!” Cypress’s distressed voice came into my ear.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I saw his white house come into view. The sunlight was still bright like I remembered. I could hear a blue jay cry out in the distance.

  “Bree?” Cypress gripped my shoulder and helped me sit up. “Can you hear me?”

  “Yeah…” I rubbed my skull and closed my eyes, feeling a slight headache coming on.

  “I’m gonna call an ambulance. Just sit there, alright?” He pulled out his phone.

  “I don’t need an ambulance.” I pushed his phone down. “I’m fine. I just knocked my head. I’m not even bleeding.”

  “You still had a pretty bad fall. I should call.”

  “I certainly don’t need an ambulance. Really, I’m fine.”

  He still looked terrified, like I’d fall apart at any moment.

  “Cypress, really.” I slowly rose to my feet and felt the ache in my skull. It hurt, but I didn’t think there was any permanent damage.

  “Let me take you to the hospital.” He grabbed both of my hands like I might trip and fall all over again.

  I yanked my hands away, repulsed by what he had done to me. I would never get the image of Vanessa riding him out of my head. “I’m fine. I’m just gonna have some water and lie down for a bit.”

  He got the door open for me and walked inside my house without being invited.

  “What are you doing?”

  He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge then propped up the pillows on the couch. “Lie here. I’ll get a blanket.”

  “I don’t need you to help,” I argued. “Just go, Cypress.”

  “Stop being so fucking stubborn,” he snapped. “You fell down and hit your head on solid stone, alright?”

  “Which was your fault.”

  “My fault?” he hissed. “I was walking back into my house, and you were being careless.”

  “I was being careless because my new neighbor is a fucking asshole.” I lay back on the couch and crossed my arms over my chest.

  He shook his head and set the bottle of water on the table. “You really woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, huh?”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.” He sat on the edge of the coffee table and watched me.

  “Why are you still here?”

  “Because I need to watch you. Make sure you’re okay. You know, because I’m a good human being.”

  “A good human being? Do good human beings—”

  “Stop while you’re ahead. I feel terrible for what I did, and I wish I could take it back. I’ve said that a million times.”

  “Have not.”

  “Well…it feels like I have.”

  I kept my arms crossed over my chest and looked out the window.

  He grabbed the blanket from the end of the couch and draped it over me.

  “It’s seventy degrees outside. I’m not cold.” I kicked the blanket back.

  He sighed in irritation. “You want some painkillers?”

  “I really don’t feel that bad.”

  “Well, I think you’re full of it. I’d be in agonizing pain if I slammed my head again
st stone like that.”

  “Maybe you’re a pussy, then.”

  He squeezed his hands until his knuckles turned white. “How about I call Amelia and have her come down and watch you?”

  “I don’t need to be watched by anyone. I’m fine.”

  He dragged his hands down his face. “That’s it. I’m taking you to the hospital. We’re gonna at least get your head scanned to make sure you’re alright.”

  “Totally unnecessary—”

  “Get your ass up. Now.”

  “What makes you think you can tell me what to do?”

  “Oh, believe me, I have every goddamn right to tell you what to do. Get up and let’s go. It’s either that or I’m calling the ambulance. It’s your call.”

  I knew he would call an ambulance. He wasn’t bluffing. “Fine.”

  Cypress had me sit down while he checked in at the front desk. A few minutes later, they took me to get a scan done then put me in a waiting room. Cypress sat in the corner while I sat on the bed. We didn’t speak.

  Thankfully.

  I never thought this was how my day was gonna go. I woke up that morning like it was any other day, and then it turned into complete and utter shit. I didn’t care about hitting my head against the stairs. I just cared that I was cooped up with this guy.

  Cypress sighed then tapped his fingers against his bicep. He didn’t look at me.

  “You don’t have to stay here. I can take an Uber home.”

  His sigh implied he didn’t want to be there. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Just go, Cypress. I don’t like you anyway.”

  “I’m aware.”

  The doctor knocked before he came inside. “Mrs. Heston, I’ve got your test results back…”

  Mrs. Heston? That was Cypress’s last name. “No, we aren’t married. He’s just a…friend.” I couldn’t exactly say my ex and enemy. Sounded kinda weird.

  The doctor flipped through my chart. “Uh…”

  Cypress tapped him on the arm and then shook his head.

  The doctor seemed to understand something because he looked back through the chart and then cleared his throat. “My mistake. Anyway, your test results came back normal. So everything is in the clear. You don’t have a serious injury, just a minor concussion.”

  “What a surprise…” I shot Cypress a glare.

  “Better to be safe than sorry,” Cypress said back.

  “So, you’re free to go.” The doctor shook my hand then walked out.

  “Great,” I said. “That cost me a bunch of money for no reason.”

  “It’s called health insurance,” he said coldly. “That’s what it’s for.”

  We left the hospital, and he drove us home in his two-seater Jaguar. He pulled into his driveway then walked me to my front door.

  “You don’t need to walk me. I’m fine. Really.”

  He finally stopped following me. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

  I suddenly felt bad, understanding I was acting like a jerk. Even though I was pissed he was my new neighbor, he’d been considerate and took care of me even when he didn’t have to. He could have just called an ambulance and walked back into his house. “Thank you.”

  He stopped walking and looked at me, somehow recognizing my sincerity. He could have been a jerk back to me, but he wasn’t. He gave a slight nod then continued walking to his house. “If you need anything, please let me know.” He walked into his house and shut the door.

  I apologized, but it still didn’t feel good enough. I walked inside my house and looked at the painkillers my doctor had prescribed me. I truly felt fine, not in any discomfort at all. The scan to my head was totally unnecessary.

  I had been planning to go on a walk along the beach, but now, I decided to stay inside. Even though I was fine, it was probably smart to take it easy.

  Like Cypress said, it was better to be safe than sorry.

  8

  Bree

  I woke up the next morning feeling just as good as the day before. I rubbed my head and felt a slight bump under my fingertips, but it was nothing to be alarmed about. I brushed my teeth and took a shower instead of going downstairs right away.

  Now that Cypress was my neighbor, I couldn’t look like hell all the time. He could see me through my big windows, and I couldn’t go down the street to get coffee if there was a possibility he might see me.

  I shouldn’t care what he thought of me. It’s not like I would ever get back together with him. But I still needed to keep my dignity as much as possible and prove that I was doing just fine without him. He seriously broke my heart when the shit hit the fan, and I did the best I could to appear calm about the whole thing.

  I couldn’t let all that hard work go to waste.

  I showered and did my hair before I pulled on dark jeans and a gray long-sleeved shirt that framed my curves. My hair was styled in open curls, and I did my makeup a little heavier than usual.

  For not caring, I was putting in a lot of effort.

  I walked downstairs and looked at his house through my open windows. He had a white house with white shutters that opened up over his yard. My house had a distinctly different style, Spanish with brown windows and beige stucco. I had a fire pit in the backyard along with stone bricks comprising the patio. An assortment of exotic flowers were sprinkled in the backyard, giving me privacy from my other neighbors.

  I didn’t see any action going on from his windows, so I grabbed my purse and walked outside. I was out of coffee, and I needed to get a hot cup of joe from the café down the road before I could really get my day started. I didn’t go to work yesterday, so I definitely needed to stop by today and check up on some things.

  I walked outside and down the driveway just as he appeared, coming up the street with his dog beside him. He was in a t-shirt and running shorts, and the fabric around his neck was dark from the sweat that had formed. He met my look and stopped when he reached the front of his house. “Morning.”

  “Morning.” I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling tense now that I was around him. Even covered in sweat with a tight t-shirt, he looked unnaturally handsome. When he wore shorts, his thick and muscular legs were clearly visible. I always thought he had nice legs, along with everything else.

  He walked forward, and his dog ran up to me, his tongue hanging out.

  I expected him to ask me how I was doing, and I was surprised when he didn’t. Maybe he was mad about yesterday.

  “Didn’t realize you were my neighbor.”

  I raised an eyebrow, having no idea what that meant. “What do you mean?”

  He cocked his head to the side, his eyebrow raised. “As in, I live next door.” He nodded to the house. “I just bought it.”

  Didn’t we establish this yesterday? And that was why I hit my head on the stairs. “I know…you said that yesterday.”

  His eyes snapped open like I’d just said something terrifying. He even took a step back, his hands moving to his hips. “You…you remember yesterday?”

  “How hard do you think I hit my head?” I asked incredulously. “Of course, I remember yesterday. We spent two hours at the hospital and got a scan that didn’t even show anything.” I had intended to come out here and speak to him calmly, but with him acting like I was an idiot, that was pretty difficult to do.

  He suddenly marched toward me, his hand extended and his finger pointed right at my chest. “Wait…so you remember hitting your head on the stairs yesterday?”

  “Did I not make that clear?”

  He stepped back and gripped his scalp. “Oh shit.”

  “What?” Now he was just acting like a weirdo. “Oh shit, what?”

  He paced in a circle and dragged his hands down his face. “Because you hit your head again…so fucking simple. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  Now I was freaked out. “What the hell are you mumbling, Cypress?”

  He finally stopped circling. “I can’t believe this…I can’t.”

&n
bsp; “Can’t believe what?”

  He put his hands on his hips and steadied his breathing. He struggled to keep himself calm, but I didn’t know what there was to be worked up about.

  “I don’t know what the big deal is, but I’m fine. My head and I are fine.”

  “Do you remember the day before yesterday?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Why?”

  “Just tell me,” he hissed. “Please.”

  When he looked at me with those fierce eyes, I couldn’t deny him. “Uh…I went to work with Amelia. It was payday…” Nothing more specific came to mind.

  That didn’t seem to be the answer he wanted. “Did you see me that day?”

  “No. I didn’t know you moved in until yesterday.”

  He nodded his head slowly. “Gotcha…so you don’t remember anything.”

  “Don’t remember anything? Yes, I remember a lot.”

  “Never mind,” he said quickly. “We need to talk.”

  “What are we doing now?”

  “Or wait… Maybe I should wait. Just to make sure.”

  “Wait to make sure of what?”

  “Nothing.” Cypress stepped back. “Just forget I said anything.”

  “Maybe I should since none of it made sense.”

  “I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He walked back toward his house, his dog following behind him.

  What the hell just happened?

  9

  Amelia

  I was doing the dishes at the counter while the girls colored in their books at the kitchen table.

  A knock sounded on the door then Cypress walked inside without being invited. He was welcome in our home, but I’d never seen him burst inside without warning like that. Blade came in behind him.

  “Dude, what is this about?”

  “Yeah?” Ace asked. “In case you didn’t notice, we have businesses to run.”

  “They’ll survive,” Cypress said. “This is way more important.”

  I wasn’t wearing any makeup, and I was just in my sweats and t-shirt. If I’d known they were coming over, I would have done myself up a lot better. I guess I didn’t care about Cypress and Blade…just Ace. “What’s going on? Everything alright?” I turned off the water and wiped my hands on the kitchen towel.