But I Never Promised You

Walking with Alex, I noticed the wind start to pick up, causing shivers to run down my spine. Or maybe it was something else, I’m not sure. I was hoping he wouldn’t notice, but I had no such luck.

“Are you cold?” Alex asked. “Do you want my sweater?”

“How much farther is it?” I asked trying to change the subject.

“Not much farther,” he said. “Wait; don’t change the subject on me. Did you want my sweater or not?”

“I should be okay. I don’t want you to get cold.”

“I’m from Maryland, I won’t get cold.”

“I’m from Iowa; I shouldn’t be cold, either. But I’m female, so that might be why I am.”

Alex smiled at me and took his sweater off, draping it over my shoulders, “Here.”

“Thanks,” I said, putting my arms through the sleeves.

Alex turned and started walking up to an apartment building. My apartment building.

A look of familiarity crossed my face and Alex noticed it.

“You’ve been here before.”

I took out my key and opened my mailbox, looking to see if I had gotten any, “I live here.”

“Whoa! You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not.”

He walked up the stairs to the second floor. The floor I lived on.

“This is starting to get weird.”

“Why?” he asked.

“I live on this floor.”

“What apartment is yours?”

I pointed to a door and he chuckled, “I live across from you.”

He walked over to his door and opened it. Several seconds later Jack ran up and tackled him.

“Alex! You’re back!” he screamed excitedly. “You brought company.”

Jack jumped over to me and lifted me up off my feet swinging me around.

Rian looked up from the TV, “Who’s the girl, Alex?”

“Jack, Zack, Rian, this is…” Alex started, “Wait; I never did get your name.”

“Mika. Mika June. I’m your neighbor. Jack, would you put me down?”

Jack just pulled me closer, “No, you’re warm and pretty and smell like delight.”

I giggled, “How do I smell like delight?”

He put me down slowly, gaping at me open mouthed. Looking back and forth from Alex to me, he said, “She doesn’t know what delight smells like.”

“You’ll have to forgive her Jack. Not many people do.”

“But…” Jack started.

My stomach growled. “Shush. You’re not hungry,” I said pointing to my stomach.

Everyone looked at me.

“What?”

A huge smile started to plaster itself over Jack’s face, “She talks to her stomach, too.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” I asked.

Zack, Rian, and Alex started laughing.

“What’s so funny? This is like the fifth time Alex has laughed at me in the last ten minutes.”

“You and Jack are the only people we’ve met who do that.”

“Oh.”

Zack looked over at me, “You said you were our neighbor, right?”

I nodded at him.

“Where do you live?”

I pointed at the door, “Just across the hall.”

“I think you just made Jack the happiest person in the world.”

“Why is that?”

“You’ll find out.”

“New best friend, let’s go get food.” Jack said starting to pull me to the door.

“Don’t you guys have food here?”

They just looked at me for a second before starting to laugh.

“That was a stupid question, wasn’t it?”

Alex, who had been texting on his phone during this part of the conversation, looked up at me, “Yeah, it was.”

Zack looked over at him, “I see why you like her. Everything about her just seems innocent.”

“See why you like who?”

Alex’s face paled, “No one.”

“I think you’re lying.”

“I think you should worry more about Jack eating all your food and less about who I like.”

“My door is locked.”

“Well, it’s not anymore. He took your keys.”

Realization came over me quickly. I turned around quickly. “Jack!” I yelled. “Stay away from the…”

Jack came back into view holding a plate of cheesecake in his hand, quickly shoving forkfuls into his mouth.

“Cheesecake.”

“Sorry,” Jack mumbled, his mouth full.

“You’re sharing that. It was my last piece,” I said as I pulled the plate out of his hands, followed by the fork.

He looked at me. It was as if he was just told his puppy died.

“Oh, no. Don’t even think about looking at me like that. This is MY cheesecake,” I smiled before slowly taking a bite.

“That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair, hunny. You’ll just have to get over it.”

“But….but….”

“No buts, Jack.”

He pouted at me.

“Sorry, but you’re not getting any more of this cheesecake.”

“You just said but.”

I lightly smacked my forehead with my palm, shaking my head. When I looked back up at him, he was smiling.

“What?”

“I just won.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Mika, just give Jack the cheesecake. We’ll go to the store and get you more later,” Rian said. “It will be much less painful on all of us. You two bickering isn’t what I call a good time.”

“You’re just mad that we’re interrupting your show.”

“Damn straight I am. I haven’t seen this episode.”

Shaking my head, I muttered, “Males.”

Handing the cheesecake to Jack, I walked back over to my apartment to look for something else to eat. Jack, of course, followed me.

“Alex likes you, you know.”

“No, he doesn’t. No one ever likes me.”

“He’s my best friend. I think I’d know if he liked you or not.”

“Say what you want, but he doesn’t like me. New topic and go.”

Rummaging through the fridge proved futile. I couldn’t find anything appealing.

Jack grabbed the bag of Doritos off the top of the fridge and handed them to me, “Here, these will do until you think of what you want.”

I looked up at him, “Thanks, but I really think it’s because you want them when you finish the cheesecake.”

“You just met me and yet you know me so well.”

I giggled and walked with Jack back over to his and Alex’s apartment.

“So, what are we going to do guys?” I asked.

The four of them looked at me, then at each other then back to me, mischievous spreading over all of their faces.

I didn’t like the looks of this.