Build Your Fence

Going home should have been the toughest part. My subconscious was supposed to kick Shia out of the cab the second we got closer to his house.

But nothing happened. We passed by his neighborhood, his street and within mere minutes the yellow cab was right in front of my house. I opened the door and left Shia alone in the cab to pay while I dragged myself towards my front stoop.

I reached into my bag and began the annoying quest of finding my key. Feeling the grooves of the key, I took it out of my bag and started unlocking the front door. I walked into my dark house, leaving the front door cracked just inches.

The door closed shut by the time I walked into the dark kitchen and dropped my purse on the kitchen table.

“Enjoying the dark?” Shia’s voice echoed through the empty house. He shuffled around in the living room and I heard a faint click as the small lamp lit up. I walked into the living room just as he sat down on the leather couch. “What do you want to watch?”

I shrugged my shoulders and walked towards the bookshelf that held all the DVDs my mom and I owned. I tilted my head to the side and looked at small movie selection we had.

Shia and I had already seen every one of these movies at least two times, so maybe I could get away with sending him home instead.

I turned around to see him analyzing his hurt hand and I lost my will to tell him to leave. Instead I turned around again and started picking movies at random. Looking down at my selection, The DaVinci Code was right on top meaning that would be the first movie we were going to watch tonight.

Shia sat up and his childish grin appeared on his face, “Are you hungry? You want some ice cream or something?”

I shook my head as I took the stack of movies and started walking towards my bedroom where the only DVD player was hooked in.

And that’s how we spent the next six hours. We both sat on different ends of my small bed as if there was a barrier between us.

I knew I was being a little childish by giving Shia the cold shoulder, but if he wanted to “change” and he wanted our friendship to go back to how it was years ago, he was going to get tough love my style.

After movie number four or five, I finally found myself feeling sluggish and extremely tired. The energy drink I drank an hour ago worked for a good thirty minutes, and I was feeling the crash coming soon. And from then on, that’s when it all started.

I rolled to my right and opened my eyes. I was taken aback when I saw Shia lying down but propped up with his head in his palm. He was staring at me intently with a smile on his face.

I quickly moved away from him and sat up.

“Morning doll face,” he said. His voice sounded different. It didn’t sound like his normal gruff voice and it didn’t even sound slurred. There was just something different with his overall tone.

“Morning,” I replied. He sat up and his hand started inching forward, finally settling on my head. He began running his fingers through my hair, with the same adoring smile plastered on his face. “Shia?”

He lowered his hand to my neck and replied, “Hm?”

His lips were calling out for me now. His adoring smile turned into a half smirk that made the butterflies go crazy in my stomach.

I found myself leaning closer to him as his grip around my neck starting moving us closer and closer until our lips collided. My hands made their way to his hair and I started running my fingers through his hair.

The feeling of his soft hair at my fingertips was exhilarating. I couldn’t bear to remove my hands from his head. Instead I pulled him even closer and the entire bedroom started heating up.

He removed his lips from mine and grazed his lips over mine; leaving me lingering for more. He slowly moved his hands and placed them over mine so I was no longer touching his beautiful hair.

Instead he held on to my shoulders, pinning me down on the bed. He hovered over me and I had the urge to reach for him; to bring his lips to mine once again.

“I love you,” I blurted out. His smirk came back again and he remained hovering over me remaining mute.

“Danielle.” The tone of his voice was back to normal. It wasn’t so unreal anymore. “Wake up.”

“But I love you,” I said. I sounded desperate, as if he would vanish and if I didn’t tell him how I felt, he would go away.

“Wake up,” he repeated. He reached forward and poked my chest real hard.

“Ow,” I mumbled. With my eyes still closed, I touched where I thought I was just touched. There was no pain, so I opened my eyes. “Fucking shit! Personal space!”

Shia was mere inches from my face. His hair looked as if he just woke up and I realized he spent the night. It looked so touchable.

“I just wanted to wake you up,” he said scratching his head, “You were mumbling in your sleep. Wet dream?”

He smirked and that’s when my dream came flooding back to me. I just had a dream that I told Shia I loved him. How sick can I get? I can’t love someone like him. He’s… Shia!

“Yeah I was fucking your mom,” I snapped. I let out a groan in my pillow and sat up. He let out a laugh, and the smirk returned to his face. “She’s better than you will ever be.”

“I bet she is,” he replied sarcastically, “Nowhere near as good as yours though.”

“You’re a pig.” I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. I realized I was on wearing a t-shirt and boy shorts. “Did you undress me or something? I clearly remember falling asleep with clothes you sick bastard.”

“Yeah I undressed you and touched you while you slept,” Shia replied. “Fuck no. You probably undressed in your sleep. I respect your personal space.”

“Bullshit.” I walked over a pile of DVDs, clothes and empty cartons of ice cream as I walked out of my room. This day better get a whole lot better and it was definitely going to start with me growing a pair and telling Shia to get lost.

“I’m going to take a shower,” he shouted. I ignored him as I walked into the empty living room and sat on the couch.

“Take one at your house,” I shouted back.

“I’d rather not,” he said. He stood in the hallway that connected the bedrooms to the living room. “Why don’t you join me?”

“Why don’t you get the fuck out and go jack off in your own shower.”

“You’re so touchy in the morning,” he replied, “I like it.”

“Can you leave? I want to run around my house in the nude and you’re killing the moment.”

“Don’t mind me,” he replied. He continued to stand there while I stared at the blank television. As if staring at it hard enough would actually turn it on. “Anyways, shower time for me.”

I shifted my eyes to look at Shia just as he pulled his t-shirt over his head; revealing his body that drove me up the walls. I could hate him sometimes and want to rip his head off, but his body was a different story. His body was perfect in every way.

I bit down hard on my lip and clenched my fists into tight balls. He was pressing my buttons. I hate this predictability. He knows me too well. He knows if he just takes his shirt off like that I am very likely going to imitate his actions and he’ll get his wish to conserve water.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and walked right past him; heading towards the bathroom. I walked into the small bathroom and stood in front of the sink. I stared at my reflection in the vanity mirror and saw his as he stood behind me.

His arm snaked around my waist, bringing us close together; close enough to where I thought I felt his heart beat against my back. He held me tighter in his grasp, and I felt like putty in his hands.

A shaky breath escaped my lips and I reached forward to grab my green toothbrush and the toothpaste.

He wouldn’t do this to me. I wouldn’t be like those girls he slept with. I wouldn’t be used for his needs. Not today.