Hate Thy Neighbor

by S. M. Soto

  I stumble when I realize he’s no longer sitting on the couch, but in the kitchen now, coffee pot on and something popping on the stove. My brows dip down, and I frown. When I see his naked back, I let out a ragged gasp, because Jesus Christ, the man is beautiful everywhere.

  “You’re naked,” I blurt.

  Roman turns, a comical expression on his face. He glances down at himself, then back up at me. “I clearly am not naked.”

  “You have a coffee pot.”

  “Is that a crime?”

  “You know how to cook,” I squeak, pointing out the obvious, once again.

  “Are these observations going somewhere?” He quirks a brow, obviously enjoying himself.

  “Yes. No. I mean, I need to go. Thank you for…everything.”

  Clutching my cell and my house keys in my hand, I run to the front door, needing to make an escape, before I look any more foolish than I already do.

  “Bye, Olivia.” I hear, before I’m running across our lawns like a madwoman. As I’m unlocking my front door, I glance over my shoulder, spotting Nosy Josie in her normal spot. With that damned cigarette, she eyes me with contempt, shaking her head at me.

  I roll my eyes and let myself inside, so I can get ready for work. My shower is quick, and I’m out of the house and on the road in less than an hour. My mind is whirring with a long checklist of things that need to be done. By the time I step inside the clinic, I’m already stressed. It only gets worse when I realize it won’t be Samuel, I’m talking to, but Travis.

  What happened yesterday in the office before his dad walked in feels like it is worlds away. In that timespan, I had my house broken into, talked to the police, and slept at my neighbor’s house, a neighbor who I’m pretty sure still hates me; yet, I let him kiss me. Things in my life are starting to get crazy. Beyond unpredictable.

  I wait until after lunch, before I knock on Travis’s office door to talk to him. His gruff response is the only indication I get for me to come in. He glances up briefly, pausing when he sees me. Something that looks akin to a smirk twists the corner of his mouth. I stifle the urge to roll my eyes. I’m sure he thinks I’m in here to discuss yesterday and probably welcome more of his advances, but he couldn’t be more wrong.

  “Hey, Travis. I was wondering if we could talk.”

  “Of course. Close the door, please.”

  I pause, a strange sense of dread filling my stomach. Even though I don’t want to, I close the door and take the open chair opposite his. Settling my hands in my lap, I begin twiddling my thumbs nervously. I’m just about to open my mouth to say something when he beats me to it.

  “I’m glad you stopped by, Olivia. I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.”

  I shift uncomfortably. Good Lord. It’s only been a day since he’s last seen me. How could he possibly think about me that much?

  “Oh. Wow,” I breathe, unsure of how to respond to this man, without triggering him.

  “Look, I realize our situation isn’t ideal, but I meant what I said yesterday, Olivia. There’s something between us. I know you feel it, too.”

  I slam my eyes shut. “Travis…that’s not why I’m here. I told you before. I’m not interested in pursuing anything with you. You’re my boss. I was in a long-term relationship for a while. All I want to focus on, right now, is my career and building my life here.”

  Travis’s face shutters, and I know I’ve made a mistake by saying that. Even though it sounded sincere and nice in my head, it obviously didn’t come off that way to him because he’s damn near scowling at me from across the table.

  “What’s the problem then, Olivia?”

  I clear my throat, trying to summon the courage to keep speaking, even though doing so now, after that, feels anything but welcomed. He’s rifling through files on his desk, no longer interested. “Well, my house was broken into last night.” I expect his eyes to widen at my words or at least an ounce of sympathy to enter his eyes at the news, but I get nothing, just a cold, bored glare. He doesn’t even seem all that surprised. “I was wondering if there was any way I could get the afternoon off to head to the police station and check on the progress. They pulled fingerprints, and I guess…I’m a little bit scared to go back home. My front window was shattered. The person got away. I just want some peace of mind that something will be done. I can make up the time I’ll be gone, if I need to.”

  Travis sighs, toying with the file for his next appointment, trying to make himself look busy. “Look, Olivia, we’re trying to run a business here. I can’t show anyone special treatment. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to wait for your day off, just like everyone else.”

  I jerk back, confused by his cold demeanor. Is he serious?

  He can’t be.

  That voice in the back of my head whispers affirmations.

  You knew this would happen. You turned him down. Now look. He’s angry. Embarrassed. Ego deflated.

  “Travis, please, this isn’t for something as simple as a dentist appointment. This is because my house was broken into. This is important.”

  Travis rises from his seat, tossing his file down onto his desk with a loud slap. “That’s not my problem. Now, you should really get back to work. Your lunch is almost over.”

  I deflate against the seat, not even flinching, when the door slams shut behind him.

  “What a fucking asshole,” Kass grunts under her breath, as she helps me lift the wooden board out of the back seat of my car. After I got off work—a full shift, I might add, because my boss is an asshole—Kassandra offered to go with me to the police station. She suggested we stop at the hardware store to buy a piece of plywood to place over the window, until I can get it fixed. Which is smart, considering I didn’t even think that far ahead. Hell, I haven’t even called my parents and told them what happened. Knowing them, they’ll be on the first flight here.

  “Right? He’s being completely unreasonable, all because I turned him down.”

  “I knew the guy was a douche, but shit, he’s taking it to a whole new level. Want to know what’s even worse? Lucy is so blinded by her love for him, she was bragging all morning about how he spent the night with her last night. Does she not realize she’s his second choice?”

  I heave a deep sigh, as we finish propping up the board, using an obscene amount of duct tape, so it stays shielded over the shattered window.

  “God, I feel so bad for Lucy. She has an amazing guy at the clinic who would literally hang the moon for her, and she doesn’t even notice him, because she’s so hung up on Travis.”

  For the next hour, Kassandra stays with me and helps me clean up the mess that was left from yesterday. She offers to stay the night with me, but I politely decline. Even though the thought of staying in my home, by myself, scares the absolute shit out of me, I can’t rely on her to make me feel safe.

  “You know you don’t have to walk me to my car, right?” she says, amusement tinging her tone, as we pad down the porch steps.

  I laugh. “I know, but seeing as my house was just broken into, for no apparent reason, only a day ago, I’d say it’s a necessary precaution.”

  “You’re a good person, Olivia. I’m sorry about the house, and I’m sorry about Travis being such an ass.”

  “Thanks, Kassandra. It hasn’t always been easy for me to make friends, so I appreciate you more than you know.”

  She grins, pulling me in for a hug, before she climbs into her car and drives off. I stand there, watching the taillights of her car, until they disappear down the bend in the road. Turning toward the house next door, I notice all the lights are still off at Roman’s. I planned on stopping by and talking to him about yesterday and telling him about the station visit, but, by the looks of it, I’m not sure he’s even home. Deciding to give knocking a try, I cross our lawns and ring his doorbell. Surprisingly, I don’t even hear Max’s barking, only complete silence on the other side of the door.

  Blowing out a sigh, I head back home. I’m just walking up the st
eps to the front porch, when bright lights illuminate the street. I squint, expecting it to be the bright headlight of a motorcycle, but instead it’s two.

  The truck that stops in front of my house has my gut clenching, and when I see who steps out, the color drains from my face.

  “Travis?”

  “Hey,” he says, slamming his truck door behind him, closing the distance between us. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, his gaze trailing up and down my body.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. Also, I know you said you were scared to stay here, so I thought I could offer to stay with you. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

  I jerk back, as if he slapped me. This man’s mood swings are beginning to give me whiplash.

  What the hell is he thinking?

  I glance around the quiet neighborhood, skittishly, before I force a thick swallow, glancing back at him.

  “Look, Travis, I appreciate the apology, and I appreciate you coming down here, but…you can’t do this. You can’t just show up at my house in the middle of the night. You can’t come onto me at work and treat me like crap because I don’t reciprocate.”

  His lips thin into a grim line, but other than that, his face remains impassive, as if what I’ve expressed doesn’t bother him one bit. “Is this about the neighbor? If you would just forget about him—”

  “Ugh!” I growl, raking my hands through my hair, finally past my breaking point. After the past two shitty days I’ve had, I don’t want to deal with this. “Would you drop it already? I feel nothing for my neighbor, Travis. He means nothing to me. You mean nothing to me. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Why is it so hard for you to get that I’m just not interested?”

  My voice echoes around the quiet neighborhood, and when I realize just how loud I was yelling, heat rises to my cheeks. We both freeze. My stomach twists, and I clamp my hand over my mouth, my eyes growing wide with surprise.

  A sharp bark drags my attention away from Travis toward to the house next door, and my stomach bottoms out, all the color draining from my face, when I see Roman standing there with Max on a leash. His shoulders are stiff. His face is a blank mask, void of any expression, but his eyes, God, his eyes break me. Even from here, I can see the betrayal there. I don’t even have to wonder if he heard what I said. It’s obvious he did.

  And I didn’t mean it. Not one bit. It all came out wrong.

  “You need to go,” I say to Travis, my voice trembling with fear. Not fear of him, but fear that I’ve made a tremendous mistake with Roman.

  Without a word, Travis sneers down at me, stomping off my yard. He gets into his truck and skids off. The moment his taillights are gone, I take off toward Roman and his house, but he’s already heading up his porch toward the front door. “Rome, wait! Please!” I yell after him.

  He pauses at the door, and I skid to a halt a few feet away, trying to catch my breath. “I didn’t mean what I said back there. I’ve just been dealing with a lot these past few days, and Travis…well, he’s been hounding me about you, about my relationship with him.” His nostrils flare at that, and my eyes widen. “No! That’s not what I meant either. There is no relationship between him and me. He just…God, this is coming out so wrong. I didn’t mean any of it, Roman. I swear.”

  He scoffs, scraping his hand along his angular jawline. “Didn’t take you for the type, Olivia.”

  “What type?” I whisper, fear settling into the marrow of my bones.

  “The type to spread her legs for anyone.”

  Pain lances through my chest.

  A stabbing sensation pierces my heart.

  My bottom lip trembles, and tears burn the backs of my eyes. “It’s not like that, I swear,” I choke out. “I didn’t even know you were here. I didn’t hear you walk up.”

  His brows jump, and a cold smile spreads across his face along with his humorless laugh. “Oh, and that somehow makes it better?”

  “No! Not at all. That’s not what I meant. I do care about you, Roman. You’re the first guy I’ve felt anything for since my last relationship.”

  “Well, don’t. I don’t care about you, and that won’t change anytime soon.”

  With those harsh words, he pulls Max inside, slamming the door behind him. My heart shatters, the first tears streaking down my cheeks.

  What in the hell have I done?

  “It’s You”—Ali Gatie

  When my alarm goes off the next morning, I roll onto my side and groan into my pillow. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, hating myself for last night and how things were left between Roman and me. I don’t even care that I’ll have to deal with the fallout with Travis. All I care about is Roman and how much my words obviously hurt him.

  Errr—maybe hurt isn’t the correct word. I never thought a man like Roman could feel anything at all.

  Obviously, I was wrong.

  As I get ready for work, I decide to give my parents a call. I’ve put it off long enough, but I need to eventually tell them about the break-in. I’ll, of course, need to speak with them separately. My time talking with my mother will be about what’s happening—or more accurately, not happening—with Roman. Now, the conversation with my father won’t necessarily involve information about my neighbor, but he is my moral compass, and he’ll help me dig myself out of this mess, using his psychoanalyzing ways.

  There are some benefits to having a sex therapist and psychologist as parents. Not many, but definitely some.

  “Olivia, sweetheart! I was just thinking about you,” my mom sing-songs. I wince when I realize her happy-go-lucky attitude is going to be diminished, when she finds out why I’m calling.

  “Hey, Mom.” I sigh. “I was actually calling because…” I pause, tasting the words on my tongue, and I find that I don’t like the way they taste. I still can’t believe that my house has been broken into.

  Dammit. Maybe I should’ve called my dad first. He’s a little less dramatic and a lot more levelheaded than my mother.

  “How are the doctors’ visits going? Is everything okay?” my mother asks suddenly, as if realizing this isn’t meant to be a pleasant phone call.

  I roll my eyes. “Yes, everything is fine. Well, not really. My house was broken into the other night. But I’m fine. I’m totally fine,” I’m quick to add.

  There’s silence. Hell, I don’t even hear her breathing, which prompts me to pull the phone away from my ear to make sure the call didn’t drop. When I see that she’s still on the line, I frown. “Mom, you still there?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Olivia Rene?”

  I flinch at the atomic level of her voice. Lisa Hales doesn’t yell often. I mean, sure, she has a loud voice, but yelling in anger? That’s not something she does. Yet, she’s doing it right now. In my poor eardrum.

  My eyes slam shut. “Don’t do that. I’m fine, I swear.”

  “You’re fine? Fine? Your house was broken into. You are a young, beautiful woman who lives alone, and you could’ve been murdered, and you decide to call and break the news like you’re telling me what you had for lunch.” I cringe at her tone. It keeps getting higher and higher with each word. “When did this happen? Are the police involved? Oh my God! Your health!”

  “I told you that I am fine,” I tell her, trying to remain calm, hoping she’ll follow along. “And it happened the other night. Things have been hectic, and I haven’t had a chance to call.”

  She screams.

  My mother screams, absolute bloody murder, on the other end of the line.

  I cringe, wishing I had worded that differently.

  “The other night? THE OTHER NIGHT?”

  I tap the speaker button on my screen and begin brushing my teeth, unable to handle her piercing cries directly into my eardrum.

  “You cannot do things like this, Olivia. This is irresponsible of you and your health. How dare you keep this from your father and me!”

  That gets my
back up. I spit a wad of toothpaste into the sink, snatching my toothbrush out of my mouth. “Irresponsible? Are you kidding? I’m having a crisis, and you’re more worried about me not telling you?”

  “You’re not normal, Olivia. As much as you’d like to believe you are, you’re not! You can’t live a normal life!”

  “I can!” I snap, tossing my toothbrush onto the vanity. “This is why I moved here. This is why I moved away—to get away from this. Your constant bickering in my goddamn ear every five seconds. You don’t think I can do anything myself.”

  “Because you can’t!”

  My chest caves in with pain, an iciness piercing down the center, making my bottom lip tremble. A searing ache slams into me, taking my breath away. Sniffing back the sudden pressure I feel in my nose, I grab my phone off the counter and let the anger and pain from the past few days out.

  “You want to know why you’re never in the loop? This is why! Because you’ll never come to terms with the fact that I don’t need you, and I can take care of myself just fine.”

  With those harsh words, I end the call, chucking my phone into my bedroom. I finish in the bathroom, pausing when I get a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. There are dark bags under my eyes, and the pallor of my skin looks dull and lifeless today. Of all days I’d need to look presentable, today is the day I had to wake up, looking like this.

  Today, we’re taking the annual photograph that goes on the website. It has all the staff members who work at the clinic, to make our customers feel more connected with the staff who will be handling their animals. Dressing quickly, I opt for a white sundress and wedges, stuffing my work clothes into a bag, before I’m out of the house.

  It sort of feels like the universe has decided to bestow the shittiest of days upon me; each day just seems to keep getting worse and worse. At work, Travis is an absolute nightmare. The minute I step foot inside the clinic, our gazes clash, and I feel his animosity toward me. It radiates in waves throughout the photo op and during our shifts. During our first procedure, he is snappy and rude and makes me feel like I can’t do anything right.