Dear Neighbor

by Oliva Lucas

  “We could’ve been talking about Gwyneth Paltrow’s kid. Isn’t she Apples?”

  “Shut up Jack.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Bella was back in her apartment after her poolside catch up with Jack and plonked herself down right by her window seat.

  George had run through her legs as she opened her door and was now rubbing up against her leg. She picked him up and placed him on her lap. His bow tie was now hanging loosely on one end. She really needed to talk to Leah about properly affixing his accessories. Poor George was falling apart by the end of the day.

  “George, I made an ass of myself today.” Bella grimaced, as she stroked his fur. She was still slightly distressed over the new neighbor potentially hearing her conversation by the pool. She picked up her wine glass and took a large, well-earned gulp.

  The walls in her apartment were paper thin, and she could hear “Apples” having a shower next door.

  “Apples” appeared slightly more attractive than she had recounted in the parking lot. Without her sunglasses, she could see that she had a pretty, rather symmetrical face, which was framed by her wavy blonde hair.

  Despite her warning, she would give Jack a minimum of three days until he pursued her.

  As Bella mulled over the girl next door, she spotted Leah marching through the courtyard to her apartment. She was in a huff about something. It was always plain as day to see when Leah was having a moment. She wasn’t one to hide her emotions.

  Bella pulled out her cell and sent her a message. “Up for wine time?”

  Her cell beeped almost instantaneously with a reply. “Bring a bottle.”

  Bella laughed. Must be something heavy. She got up and took out a chilled bottle of white wine from the fridge.

  She had no idea why her friend Abbie wanted her to leave her complex. She scooped up George in her arms and headed downstairs.

  As Bella held her hand up to the door to knock, Leah whipped opened the door.

  “Hey sexy lady. Come on in.” Leah’s hazel eyes twinkled mischievously. They always did.

  Bella laughed. She didn’t feel remotely sexy, but it didn’t stop Leah from saying it all the time. Maybe she was making fun of her. Either way, she was going to run with it while it lasted.

  Leah scrunched up her face, and subjected ten year old, granddaddy George to some baby talk. “Georgie Porgie. I’ve missed you my handsome little devil. Come to mama.” She took George and peppered him with kisses, before leaning into Bella and kissing her on the cheek.

  “So, what’s going on? Saw you storming in like a tornado,” Bella quipped.

  “Some moron clipped my car on the way home. Didn’t have insurance.”

  “Oh my god, you had an accident? You okay?”

  “Yeah yeah, I’m fine. Ralph my little mini, not so much. Front light and fender are messed up. I’m worried this guy isn’t going to pay me. He was a little on the shady side of things. I’m having a shit month.”

  “Hmm that does suck. I’m sure he will pay up so don’t stress too much.”

  “Yeah hope so too. I can’t pick up any ladies in a car looking like that.”

  “God, is that all you think about?”

  “Pretty much. Yes.” Leah laughed, as she ran one hand through her dark curls.

  Leah was only twenty two, but her dating life put Bella’s to shame. She was cute and very popular with the ladies. Between Jack and her, Bella was sure they had dated most of the female population in town, and then some.

  She had warm hazel eyes that invited you in and short dark curly hair that bounced around as much as she did. Her cheeky smile was accentuated by dimples and she always looked like she was up to something. She also worked in marketing and certainly wasn’t backward in coming forward. If she wanted to tell you something, she would in no uncertain terms.

  Leah walked to the cupboard and took out two glasses. “Oh, did you meet the new neighbor? She’s quite the package.”

  Bella groaned, as she sat down on her couch. “Yeah I think she heard me bitching about her to Jack.”

  “Bitching already? She just moved in today.”

  “Oh, a long story. I ran into her in the parking lot. She dropped her bag. I tried to help. There were apples. Don’t ask. And she basically was like a mega ice queen. Then later on, I decided to be miss motormouth and told Jack by the pool. She was just walking in so I think she heard. She hates me.”

  Leah snorted, and handed Bella a wine glass. “Day one and you annihilate the neighbor. That’s got to be a record. She was actually nice when I spoke to her. I extended a welcome to her from all of us. And because, I am such a nice person, I also offered my assistance with unpacking if she needed it.”

  “Oh, look at you laying it on all hot and heavy. Nothing to do with the fact that she was attractive.” Bella narrowed her eyes, and smirked. She knew exactly what type of unpacking Leah had in mind.

  “No, not at all!” Leah exclaimed, and winked. “I am still waiting for a response from her.”

  “Does she have a name? Because at the moment I am calling her Apples.”

  “Yes, her royal hotness has a name.” Leah flicked her hair back dramatically with her hand. “It’s Sophie darrrrling.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Sophie looked around her apartment as she towel-dried her hair. It was an absolute mess. But it was all there. All she needed to do now was unpack. She liked the apartment complex when she first inspected it. It was a contemporary design with white washed walls and wrought iron fixtures. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  She just saw the same girl that helped her in the parking lot, bitching about her by the pool. Well she heard apples, new neighbor, and hard work. Pretty sure all the clues led straight to her. She screwed up her face.

  Did she call her Apples? She knew she wasn’t particularly friendly when she met her, but she had the mother of all days! She had intended to apologize, but suddenly wasn’t feeling so apologetic.

  She had driven down from LA in the morning and she was completely exhausted. It had been a horrid couple of months, recently splitting with her long-term boyfriend Matt, who had been cheating on her. They were bickering non-stop, and their relationship wasn’t in the best of places, but it still didn’t prepare Sophie for the emotional tsunami that followed.

  Matt had started ‘working late’ regularly, which was code for fucking cheating, and suddenly showed an interest in buying new clothes. Matt detested shopping and was always a penny pincher so Sophie knew something was amiss immediately. She just didn’t have any proof.

  Matt would lie through his teeth and guard his cell like a Pitbull. So, when he came home one night totally inebriated and passed out on the couch, Sophie jumped at the opportunity to rifle through his cell.

  She found multiple lewd texts from a girl called Jazz, and it was clear from their conversation that they had been at it for a while. They even had pet names for each other. Matt liked to call her Peanut, and Jazz called him Boo. Both invoking a gag reflex in Sophie.

  Peanut and Boo could have each other. She packed Matt’s clothes in a suitcase that very night while he was snoring his brains out on the couch.

  In the morning as she wheeled his suitcase out in front of him, she told Matt to go to Peanut and to be gone by the time she got back from work. Matt’s face had gone white as a ghost. She still couldn’t work out if it was hangover related, or from the shock of being caught out. He had said nothing, and when she came home later, he was gone. And just like that, it was all over. No confrontation, no contact, no nothing. Until yesterday.

  She had pulled into the parking lot of the local Walmart as she needed to get a few items for her move. As she made her way to the entry, Matt walked out hand in hand with Jazz. Except Jazz wasn’t Jazz. She was one of her closest friends Ally. Ally threw Matt’s hand away as soon as she saw Sophie, and panic swept across her features.

  Sophie had slowed her walk, and in that moment, the penny finally dropped. Ally was Jazz. She played s
axophone in a jazz band every Friday night, and music was her life. And Ally was also Peanut.

  Sophie walked straight past the two of them. She heard Ally call out her name in a shaky voice. Her lifelong friend had betrayed her in the worst possible way and she felt her heart break again. Suddenly everything had made sense.

  Ally had been distant and hadn’t called her in months. They used to speak once a week, but their conversations were now via text, and lacked any real depth. She had wondered if something was off and asked her circle of friends, who had all noticed Ally pulling away. They assumed she was seeing someone new and that had been that.

  Sophie burst into tears in the homewares section of Walmart, much to the dismay of a couple beside her who were picking out a frying pan. Who knew pots and pans could be so distressing?

  The betrayal from her friend cut deeper than Matt cheating. She knew they weren’t as close as they had once been, but she crossed a line that should never be crossed. Her expression when Sophie saw her showed that she knew it too. She now had to grieve the end of her relationship and the loss of a close friend.

  The drive to San Diego felt a lot longer than the three hours it took. She kept replaying Ally’s and Matt’s reaction earlier that morning. Their giddy smiles were instantly wiped from their faces when they saw Sophie approaching.

  It had been close to two months since Sophie had seen Matt, and she still felt a sting in her heart. They had been together for four years, lived together for one. The revelation that he had been cheating had made it easier to walk away, but it still hurt.

  She berated herself for not working it out earlier. How did she not see any of this? As a lawyer, she was trained to piece together evidence, yet she was completely blindsided in this case.

  Sophie took a deep breath and exhaled, as she leaned back on some boxes. She was off men. And relationships.

  She was starting a new job tomorrow at Radlers & Associates, so that’s where she would be directing her energy. She was looking forward to starting a new chapter in a different town. She had a few college friends who lived down this way, and she would reach out to them as soon as she was settled in.

  Good riddance to Peanut and Boo and hello to new beginnings.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Bella returned from her morning walk a little earlier than expected Monday morning. It had started to rain midway and much like a cat, she did not do rain. Let alone exercise in the rain. She couldn’t help but be mildly pleased at the outcome.

  As she headed through the entrance of her apartment complex, she flicked through her cell nonchalantly. Suddenly she collided hard with something, and fell back on her butt.

  “Oh, for fuck’s…” Bella looked up, and saw a wall of cardboard in front of her, before a woman’s head popped around the side of the cardboard mountain.

  “Oh gosh, I am so sorry.” Sophie put the flattened cardboard boxes on the ground, and crouched down to Bella. “Are you okay? Sorry I didn’t see you. I was just taking out some trash.”

  Bella felt her face flush and her pulse started to race. A set of beautiful blue eyes were looking straight into hers and she couldn’t breathe. “I’m fine. I… just… I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she finally stammered.

  What on earth was going on? Maybe she had a concussion. She felt lightheaded and woozy.

  “Here let me help you get up.” Sophie stretched out her hand and took Bella’s hand in hers.

  Bella felt a surge of something rush through her as their hands connected. As Sophie pulled her to her feet, Bella yelped out in pain.

  “Ow, my foot.” Bella grimaced, and hunched over. “I think I’ve hurt my ankle.”

  “Oh no, I am so sorry. I’ll take you straight to the doctors.”

  “No, no. It’s okay. I am just going to go home and ice it.”

  Sophie scrunched up her forehead in concern. “You sure?”

  “I’m sure, thanks.” Bella started hobbling, and skipping to the stairs.

  “No wait. I’ll help you.” Sophie rushed over to her side. “Put your arm around me and take the weight off your foot.”

  Bella hesitated. Then did what she was told. She hooked her arm around Sophie’s neck, and Sophie wrapped her arm around her waist. They were so close that she could smell the scent of fresh soap on Sophie’s skin. Dove. Dove Beauty Bar. Butterflies skipped around in her stomach. She hadn’t been this close to a woman in a long time, especially not such an attractive one.

  They eventually made it up the stairs and to Bella’s door. Bella turned her key and they walked in.

  Sophie clapped her hands together. “Right, do you have any ice packs? Or frozen peas?”

  “Ah yeah, in the bottom shelf of the freezer. Dish towel in the bottom draw under the oven.” Bella sat down in her chair and took off her left shoe, and sock. Her ankle was rather swollen.

  Sophie crouched down beside her, wrapped the bag of frozen peas in the towel and placed it against her ankle. “It looks pretty bad. Are you sure I can’t convince you to go to the doctors?”

  “No thanks. I am fine.”

  “You have no idea how guilty I feel. Oh, I am Sophie by the way. I just moved in next door.”

  Bella smiled. “I’m Bella. We are neighbors.” Did that seriously just come out of her mouth? She definitely had a concussion.

  Sophie was stunning. Thick dark lashes fluttered as she blinked her concern. Her thick wavy blonde hair fell perfectly across her shoulders and her lips were pink and full forming a perfect pout.

  Bella bit the inside of her bottom lip. “I don’t want to hold you up. You probably need to go to work?”

  “Yeah, it’s actually my first day at a new job so I should probably get ready and go. As long as you are sure that you are okay?”

  “I’m fine really. Thanks for helping me up here.”

  “Of course. If you need anything, anything at all, let me know. Can I give you my phone number, just in case?”

  “Sure.” Bella picked up her cell, and handed it to Sophie, who keyed in her number.

  “Sorry again. Hope your day is okay. And your ankle isn’t too sore.” Sophie paused by the door.

  “Yeah thanks. And have a great first day at work.”

  Sophie smiled. “Thanks. Okay well nice to meet you. I’ll see you later.”

  “You too. See you.”

  Sophie closed the door, and Bella groaned out loud. Her ankle was hurting like a mother beeper, and her butt, oh her butt, was throbbing like a rocket had been shot into it. A detail she purposefully omitted for obvious reasons.

  She reached across to her bag, and quickly searched for some pain killers.

  Sophie had looked so distressed and she certainly didn’t want to make her feel worse so she had downplayed her pain.

  Bella started to sob. Her ankle was, in fact, killing her.

  “Aaahhh, poor me…. And damn you hot neighbor.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sophie sat down on her couch and kicked her heels off in the air. She was starving and realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so she quickly ordered some Chinese takeout and settled back into the couch. All in all, she had a pleasing first day, and a pleasing Monday. The associates at her new office were lovely, and she felt a real sense of team in that firm.

  She would be working primarily in employment law, which was her specialty. They had given her a few cases to work on and she was going to run her eye over them tonight.

  Her thoughts drifted to her neighbor who she had unintentionally mowed down in the morning. God she already thought she was a monster and then she goes and practically knocks her out. Bella had been in her active wear both times she had run into her, so she was obviously athletic. Sophie let out a sigh. She knew how cranky athletic people got when they couldn’t exercise. She must be beyond furious with her.

  She frowned as she checked her cell. There were no messages from Bella, but she could hear the television humming through her wall so she was obviously alive. For some
reason she had the urge to go check up on her, but didn’t want the title of crazy stalker added to her already dubious profile.

  There was a knock at the door and her dinner arrived. The smell tickled her senses as her stomach growled. This was exactly what she needed. She opened up the boxes and started to attack the food with her chopsticks. The chow mein was unbelievably good.

  As she gulped down her food, she heard someone yell “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” from next door. It was so loud that she jumped and almost stabbed herself with her chopsticks. She moved her ear closer to the wall. Was Bella seriously watching the Price Is Right? She laughed to herself. Wow, she was an enthusiastic viewer.

  She picked up her cell from the coffee table and messaged her. “So, did you win anything on the Price Is Right?” There was a brief pause, and then a reply. “Actually, I did. A crappy microwave, but a win is a win.”

  Sophie smiled and her fingers began to text. “Fancy some Chinese? I have plenty.”

  A prompt reply followed. “That would be great. Do I need to be padded up for dinner?”

  Sophie laughed then typed. “I have no plans on knocking you out tonight.”

  “Come on over then.”

  Sophie jumped to her feet and put the Chinese takeout in a bag. She walked over to the mirror, brushed her hair quickly and applied some lipstick. Then chastised herself. It’s only a girl. She smacked her lips together, grabbed the bag and walked out the door.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Bella cursed as she picked up clothes strewn around her living room. Why did she say yes? Now she had to clean in record time. On one leg. She hopped from furniture piece to furniture piece to steady herself.

  When she had scooped up an armful of clothes, she threw it underarm as hard as she could, through the open door of her bedroom onto her bed. Lucky she was pitcher in her high school softball team so her aim was fairly good.