The Boy Next Door

After keeping me for observation and running some basic concussion tests, I was released in the afternoon. Leslie and my mom stayed at the hospital with me all morning, assuring me everything would be okay. I wasn’t sure if I believed them. Everything with Erik had happened so fast and so suddenly, it all truly felt like a blow to the head. I wasn’t even concerned about my own well-being; all I was thinking about was Erik, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask about him.

I found myself in my bedroom again, trying to shut my eyes and sleep the pain away. The rain had turned to bright sunshine and blistering heat, my body slick with sweat. Though my body craved to stumble into a slumber, my brain ran through the rolodex of the festivities from the evening before, somewhat foggy and jumbled from my head trauma. I remembered Erik’s large, rough hands against my skin and his thin lips pressed against mine. Through the blur that was the evening before, those were the two things that stuck with me the most. If that kiss really meant nothing, I couldn’t even imagine what the real thing would be like.

I heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” I croaked.

The door slowly squeaked open and Brock poked his head in the door. “Hey Randa, heard what happened,” he said cautiously, slowly inching his way into the room, as if he might catch some violent plague if he came any closer.

“Hi baby bro. I’m okay, really. Just a bit of a headache.”

“Ryan told me everything. He also told me he banged your rocket friend, Taylor.”

“Figures,” I said into my pillow, rolling on to my side. “How does he even know what happened? He wasn’t even there...”

“Think he heard from some guy whose girlfriend saw the whole thing, or something. Don’t ask me.”

I pressed my face even harder into my pillow. The word was spreading and my hopes were diminishing. There was no way Erik would have entertained the idea of being with me if I caused so much drama, dragging him into it all for the world to see. Great.

“I also heard you were macking on Guddy. You’re treading in dangerous waters, sis.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Don’t remind me.”

“Have you talked to Mels yet?”

Greg mentioned again? I was reminded of Erik’s comment from the night before. “Funny, Erik brought him up last night too. Why do you ask?”

“Just talk to him.” he affirmed, suddenly serious. What the...? When he looked down at his phone, he loosened up. “I gotta head to work. Mom and Dad are out, so are you cool here by yourself?”

I sighed. “I think so.”

With that, he gave me a wave and disappeared down the stairs. When I heard the front door shut, I nestled into my bed and grabbed my phone. Pulling up Greg’s number, I listened to the dial tone, and then his signature boyishly-deep voice asking me to leave a message. “Hey Greg, it’s Miranda. I just wanted to call and thank you for looking out for me last night. Are you busy tonight? I’d love to hang out. Let me know.” I hung up and tossed my phone beside me on the mattress. With my house empty, I tried to empty my thoughts. Forget my headache. Forget Erik. All I wanted to know was my mattress and pillow. With one deep breath, I shut my eyes, and I was out.

* * *

I was startled awake by a bang downstairs. The sun was setting. Half asleep, I thought I dreamed the loud noise coming from below me. There was silence. Then, the doorbell. A few bangs at the door. Multiple doorbell rings.

For a moment, I was frozen. I didn’t know whether to answer it or to hide under the covers and never come out. But what if it was Greg? What if it was Erik? The moment the thought crossed my mind, I surged out of bed.

My eyes were focused on the door as I padded down the stairs. The door continued to pound and the doorbell continued to ring. When I reached the cool tile of the front hall that felt like ice under my bare feet, I paused, slowly inching my way towards the door. As my hand settled on the door handle, I realized it couldn’t be Erik. The way he held my hand in the ambulance through all the anger, there was no way he could hammer the door furiously like whoever was on the other side. It wasn’t until I’d begun to open the door that I recognized something was wrong.

I nearly screamed when I saw who was hovering in the doorway. I tried to slam the door shut, but Grey stuck his massive forearm in the way, knocking me backwards. “Miranda, I need to talk to you.”

“Not in a million years!” I screeched, trying to force the door shut.

“Miranda, just let me explain!”

“How you put me and Erik in the hospital? I’d love to hear about it.”

“Both of you?” His eyes softened, and I caught him off-guard. His arm slipped on the door and he stumbled forward. I managed to slam the door shut, twisting the lock and keeping my palms pressed to the fiberglass.

“Miranda, I’m not leaving until you talk to me!” he yelled through the door.

“Then the cops will just have to carry you off!” I yelled back, releasing my hands from the door and balling them into fists.

“Please just listen to me, Miranda! I still love you!”

I’d had enough. I swung the door open, placing a hand on my hip. “Great, Grey. I’m fucking elated. Because I really, honestly give a damn about your feelings after what you did.” I’d been so furious, I hadn’t even noticed Grey’s face. I was taken slightly aback; his lip was swollen, both his cheeks were bruised, and his right nostril had a red ring from dried blood around it. I’d thought Erik looked bad, but he was nothing in comparison to Grey. The face I'd once found handsome was now tattered and bruised. He was an absolute mess.

“Are you dating him? Are you...are you in love with him?” He stepped closer, and I gripped the edges of the door, prepared to slam it. “Please Miranda, I know now how big of a mistake I made letting you go. I need you, Miranda, please.”

I almost laughed. “What makes you think in a million years that I’d take you back? You call me an STD-filled whore and kick me out of your apartment, then attack a guy almost twice your size because he kissed me? I’m supposed to be the one who ‘doesn’t know what I want’, yet you pull this hypocritical bullshit? If I remember how this went the last time, I think I’m supposed to say something along the lines of, ‘Get the fuck off of my property.’”

By the look on his face, you would have thought I’d kicked his puppy then punched him in the gut while I was at it. My lips parted, feeling slightly guilty for being so harsh. But suddenly, his face had turned from misery to madness in an instant. He stormed through the doorway, knocking me backward and slamming the door. My chest heaved in fear, bracing myself for an attack. His eyes were ablaze, hungry for blood. Just do it, I thought. Hit me. I dare you. When he lunged towards me, I expected pain. I expected for him to strike me. What I wasn’t expecting was for him to mash his lips against mine.

I squirmed in his grip, trying to free myself, but his solid arm around my waist held me to him like an iron vice. His kiss was so desperate that he practically pulled all of the oxygen out of my lungs, as if his entire survival depended on my breath. I made a noise, slamming my fists against his chest, but it was no use. I jerked my head to the side, freeing myself from his slimy kiss and gasping for air. He moved his mouth to my neck, and my stomach turned as his tongue traveled along the skin. “Remember this?” he whispered heavily. “Remember how good this felt?”

Every liquid in my body boiled like magma. If the tears welling in my eyes tumbled on his skin, they would have singed it right down to the bone. I was stronger than this. I was over this. I remembered why I never did relationships in the first place. Things like this happened. People got attached, couldn’t let go, and performed acts of desperation. And I wasn’t going to be a part of it.

Just as his arms freed me to travel to the hem of my top, I shoved Grey off of me with new-found force. I whipped the door open, grabbed him by his shirt and flung him out the door. “Don’t ever speak to me, look at me, or even think about me ever again.” After I brazenly held up my middle finger for him, I closed the door and locked it tightly.

I splayed my body against the door, heaving heavily, listening and waiting for him to walk down the steps and leave my life forever. I didn’t even realize that tears were pouring down my cheeks.
I hoped Erik didn’t have it in him to do something as irrational and idiotic as Grey did, but I couldn’t take the chance. I knew that whatever I had with Erik, if I had it with Erik, couldn’t be anything serious. I couldn’t do this again.

I held my breath, listening for Grey’s steps. I heard nothing. He was still feet away from me, with only a few inches of fiberglass separating us. Suddenly, I heard shouting on the lawn. Cursing. There was someone else out there. A man. And he was angry. I listened intently, wishing I could see what was unfolding on my front steps. Then silence.

I gasped when there was a soft knock at the door. “Miranda...he’s gone.” The voice was Erik’s. I couldn’t have tossed the door open faster. His brown eyes glowed when I opened the door. They were apologetic, and they were warm. “I’m sorry,” was all he could get out before I yanked him inside.

I took his hand and guided him up the stairs. “M-Miranda, I...I’m sorry for everything that happened last night, but...”

I tugged him into my room, shutting the door behind me. My parents could be home at any moment. Excluding the fading sunlight that poured through my window, the room was black. “...But I meant everything I said about things being too complicated,” he continued.

“Erik, I don’t want to fucking marry you. I just want to play,” I said softly with a grin. The way my growing smile revealed my teeth was almost as if I was bearing my fangs. I sat down on the edge of my bed, running my hands along the covers.

He exhaled in exasperation, avoiding my eyes. “I’m sorry, I...I just can’t. I don’t – ” In the middle of his sentence, I peeled my white tank top lined with sweat off of my upper body and tossed it on the floor, my bare breasts staring up at him. “Jesus, Miranda,” he hissed, his face going white as the sheets my hands were sensually grazing along. His eyes averted upwards, as if he had found something more fascinating up there than the topless girl sitting on the bed below him.

“After everything I went through with Grey, a relationship is the last thing I want. I want to go back to the way things used to be, when everything wasn’t so fucked up. Back when I was having fun. And this...this is my idea of fun.”

I stood up slowly, and he backed up towards the wall, wiping the sweat off his brow. “God, it’s hot in here.”

I smirked. “Yet another good reason for you to take your clothes off.”

He let out a chuckle that exposed his nerves and disbelief. I took his belt buckle in my hands, unfastening it as slowly as I could and letting it hang loose in his belt loops. I gazed up at him through my lashes. His head was tilted back against the wall, still staring upwards at the apparently enthralling ceiling. His mouth hung open slightly, and I ached to take his lower lip between my teeth. After what seemed like an eternity of avoiding my eyes, of avoiding my bare skin, he finally looked down at me. The way he heavily exhaled sounded as if he was holding his breath for the past minute. He held my gaze, his eyes placid. They flicked down, settling on the curvature of my breasts. After lingering there, he looked back up at me, the words sitting on the edge of his tongue. I waited for permission, waited for him to give me the green light, waited for him to finally let go.

“Fuck it,” he growled huskily, grabbing my waist.

I giggled with a bright smile as he speedily steered me towards the bed and dumped my small frame down on the mattress. Propped up on my elbows with my mass of dark waves spread across my shoulders, I watched in wonder as Erik effortlessly pulled his heather-grey t-shirt over his head. I sucked in a breath at the sight of the taut muscles that rose and fell across his upper body, from his arms, up to his shoulders, and down to his abs. He gave me a sly smile, gathering my waist in his hands and sliding me up the mattress. His hands flat on the bed on both sides of my head, he took in my face. When his eyes settled on my lips, I realized we still hadn’t kissed, and wondered what the hell was wrong with us for waiting so long. He read my mind, lowering himself down.

I placed both hands on the back of his neck, eagerly pulling his lips down to mine. They were exactly how I remembered them – soft, warm, and wonderful. Only this time, the kiss was less playful. Now, it was almost feverish. With each movement, our lips and blazing skin demanded more contact. My chest was completely pressed against his, his hands sliding upwards and settling on my ribs just below my breasts. My fingers tangled in his short hair and I moaned as I felt the soft slide of his tongue in my mouth. Almost enough to send me over the edge, he gently pulled back, hovering his mouth millimeters from mine. I admired the scars that lined his chin, the gravitational pull of his dark eyes, and the sharp shape of his jaw. His hot, delicious breath was heavy, and I arched my back to let his hands graze against my breasts. He slowly took them in his large hands, pressing his lips down my neck in the process. I pressed my fingers into his defined shoulder blades, feeling the firm muscles under my touch.

His hands were unbelievably warm and rough, sliding down my ribs and towards my cotton shorts. I bit my lip and closed my eyes and he slid off my shorts and panties in one quick stride. My eyes still closed, waiting for him to crash back down on top of me, the air above me was cool. When I opened my eyes, he was slowly crawling back on top of me, fully naked. I sighed happily as I memorized every inch of his body. He snaked his arms around my body and placed his hands on the small of my back, pressing kisses to my stomach. Suddenly, his head bobbed up. “Condom?” he asked.

I thanked all the gods in existence that the very small part of me that was sensible had a few condoms in my drawer. I pulled one out of the drawer and pressed it to his palm. As he undid the wrapper, I settled into the mattress and gazed out the top floor window. All I could see was bright moon and a couple of stars dotting the night sky. As the world outside was coming to a close, the night in my bedroom was just beginning.