Ditching The Dream (Dream Series) (15 page)

Oh hell! He took it the wrong way!

“It’s actually my first night off, and I was thinking of just curling up and reading a good book or something. And I’ve got laundry piling up.”

“Well, if you change your mind, we’re a great group of people. All teachers.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Just say yes – you know you want to. It’ll be fun. You need to meet more people than those you work with.”

He was right. Friends. That would be a good thing. Besides, I’ve never liked cooking for one. “I’ll think about it.”

“Awesome!” he said with a grin, sounding a bit like a middle schooler himself. “Well, here you go,” he piped up. I looked up and there was Central Park. “Have a great run. Are you okay to get back on your own?”

“Yes. Thanks so much, I’ll be fine,” I replied.

“See you at seven,” he called.

Wait, what?

“I haven’t said yes yet!” I shouted after him, but he was already headed down the street.

I shook my head at his confidence and headed into the park. The path in the Park was well defined for runners and bikers, with markers along the way so you could track your progress. It was a beautiful day to run. I resumed my stretching that had been interrupted, popped my headphones into my ears, and then started off.

W
hile I ran, I tried to sort everything through. Last night I went to man’s house and tore his shirt off and today I was considering a dinner invitation, even just as friends, from another man. Both of them made me weak in the knees. What was I doing?

I tried to shove Kevin and Jack out of my mind, and instead focused my thoughts toward tallying all my successes. I had done a great job for myself in just a week. Maybe I was stronger than I thought.

But not strong enough to resist Jack last night. Nor Kevin today.
And just like that I felt the ‘need’ build again. And the dinner that Jack wanted to take me to tomorrow night. I’d have to find a way out of it. And I’d have to say no to Kevin. Right?

I turned up the tunes, going ‘old school’ with some
Rolling Stones, Aerosmith
and
Queen
, and tried to block it all out.

I finished the six miles in about an hour and half, and for a novice runner like myself, I was proud of that time. I returned to my building without getting turned around, chuckling to myself that Kevin would be proud.

“Ms. Fairchild, you have a package,” Dominic greeted me as I walked through the door.

“A package?”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied. He walked over to his station and picked up a box, about the size of a shoebox, and handed it to me. It was plain, not too heavy, wrapped in brown paper with a standard printed label. “And I believe the mailman put some things in your mailbox today, too,” he continued, pointing to the wall of mailboxes.

Mail?
Must be junk mail, I rationed. But this package had me curious. I sifted through the 3 keys on my key ring. I’d used the door and deadbolt key, but the mailbox key had gone unused for me, but then again, I’d only been in my apartment for less than a week. I grabbed the few pieces that were in the box, closed it up and made my way to the elevator.

On the trip up, I sifted through the mail. Yup. Junk. Something about a new cable service addressed to ‘Occupant,’ an envelope of coupons for local service providers, and – wait a minute. This wasn’t for me. It’s addressed to Kevin Parker in 6C. I was in 6G, but whoever addressed the envelope wrote the C with enough flourish that it looked like a G.

On my way to my apartment, I stopped at Kevin’s door. I was about to just slide the envelope under the door, but I heard music inside, so decided to knock.

I was not prepared for what opened the door. Kevin. In all his sweaty glory. His thick, loose, dark brown hair stuck to his head around the edges. Shirtless, wearing gym shorts hanging low on his hips that revealed an impeccable ‘V’. No six-pack abs for this stud, he was sporting a full eight-pack.

My pulse quickened and my breath grew shallow. I felt like a teenage girl. My eyes raked over his chest and arm, which I could now see had impressive and ornate tattoos. It started at his collar bone area, then over his shoulder and down his arm to the tattoo I’d spotted earlier today under the cuff of his sleeve. The tattoo across his chest said “Carpe Diem” in elaborate script and was surrounded by scrolls. A sun on his shoulder and an angel on his bicep with a name under it. There was an arm cuff bisecting his bicep.

“Liz – Elizabeth!” he exclaimed, slightly out of breath. “What can I do for ya?”

“Oh, um,”
Shake it off Elizabeth. Stop staring.
I blinked a couple times, and swallowed to get my head in the game. “I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

“Nah, just PX90. I’m actually just in the cool down anyway. Come in, I gotta get some water.” He gestured for me to come in and, against my better judgment, I did.

When he turned and headed into the apartment I shivered as I saw his back, smooth and un-inked, and just as muscular as his front. His waist was so trim… What I’d imagined earlier paled to the real deal.

I followed him into his apartment, watching his muscles ripple. He picked up the remote and shut off the TV that had the cool down exercises from the PX90 playing. I looked around his home. It was the same layout as mine, a small living room, tiny kitchen, and two doors down a short hallway, one for the bathroom and one for the bedroom.

I leaned on the breakfast bar and watched him reach into his fridge. He bent at the waist, his backside in my direction.
You could bounce a quarter off that ass
, I mused. When he turned he caught me staring, a boyish grin covered his face.

“What are you gawking at?” he said knowingly.

“Nothing. I’m sorry,” I muttered.

“Turnabout is fair play, I guess,” he replied.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Earlier, I got a gander at your – um –
lindo trasero
.”

“My what?” I gasped. I think I knew what he was saying. I could feel my face turn bright red as I recalled earlier when my ass was stuck in the air while I was stretching.

“Nothing. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He handed me a water bottle, holding back a grin. He cracked open his water bottle and downed half of it. I was entranced as I watched his strong jaw pull on the water.

Gathering my own strength, and suddenly thirsty as hell, I opened the bottle he’d handed me and drank a few gulps, closing my eyes, enjoying the cold refreshing water. When I opened them, Kevin was staring at me the way I had probably been staring at him while he drank. His gaze igniting a fire in me, despite the cold water. He was hot before, but now, he seemed impossibly handsome. And he was flirting with me.

“So. What can I do ya for?”

“Sorry?”

“You stopped by. Did you have a question? Or you just couldn’t wait until tonight to see me?”

“Oh, um…”
Damn it!
Why was I so inarticulate around men lately! I have a college degree! I’m not some brainless bimbo!

“I’ll knock on your door at seven?”

“I, ah, actually just stopped by to give you your mail. A piece was put in my mailbox by accident.” I picked up the envelope with the fancy handwriting.

“Ah,
mi abuela,”
he glanced at me. “My grandmother. She sends me cards all year round.”

“You two are close?”

“She’s one of my best friends. My closest confidant. She took care of me after school while my parents worked.” He set the card aside and set his eyes on me. “So, dinner? Please say yes. I’m so tired of going to these things without a date.”

“I really…”

“But it’s not a date. I swear. You’ll just be my neighbor who is joining me.” His eyes, those sparkly pools of emotion, staring at me with hope and warmth. His smile loaded with boyish charm. “Please. I don’t think I can stand another night of my friends trying to set me up on dates.”

“I’m surprised you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“We broke up six months ago.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Don’t be. We weren’t at all simpatico. She wanted to get married and have kids right away. I didn’t. After 2 years, I ended it.” He shrugged, basically saying that it was no big deal. He didn’t seem heartbroken at all. “So? Please? Pretty please?” He flashed his big, dark green eyes at me, with their gorgeous lashes and went all ‘puppy-dog’ on me.

Well, it wore me down. “Okay. I’ll go.” I smiled shyly.

“Awesome! I’ll knock at seven.”

I shook my head at him, wondering to myself what I was getting into. “Thanks for the water and I’ll see you in a couple hours,” I said, picking up my package and making my way to the front hallway.

Kevin rushed past and opened the door for me with a wide smile. Those dang southern manners.

“Oh!” I said turning. His intoxicating scent filled my nose, as I was only a few inches from his chest. I had an inkling that I was headed into dangerous territory. And somehow, I was okay about that. “What should I wear?”

“It’s casual. Jeans. Comfortable shoes,” he added with a wink.

I nodded slowly, taking it in. I could do casual.

I returned to my apartment, bemused that I’d accepted a dinner invitation with a younger man, and had a date for the next day as well with an older man. I guess I was really going to do this. I didn’t seem to be able to help myself.

Safely in my apartment, I turned my attention to the mysterious package. Inside there was a shipping document with a message:

Hey Bets,

Happy Birthday – a little early. Since you won’t take Greg up on his permission to be with other men, thought this might come in “handy.” (But I still think you should change your mind!)

Huggers,

Jess

I pulled away the packing material and burst out laughing. Inside was a turquoise blue vibrator. And not just any vibrator. It had a name. The packaging called it a
Wascally Wabbit Vibrator
. Must have something to do with the fact that it wasn’t just a straight shaft shaped like a penis, but there was a secondary – um – protrusion, shaped like a small rabbit with really long ears sticking straight up. As I looked at the packaging more, the descriptions touted all sorts of features: “Waterproof – For pleasure in bed or the bath!” “Multiple speeds for multiple sensations!” “Solid construction for hours and years of pleasure!”

“Oh my god!” I groaned. Only Jess would have thought to send me one of these. She had one and swore by it! She’d been trying to get me to buy one of these forever. Blushing, I took the package, un-opened, and tucked it into the nightstand next to the bed. Shedding my sweaty running clothes, I turned my attention to showering and getting dressed for the night.

A
fter a refreshing shower, I popped my iPhone into the iHome that was a part of the apartment’s furnishings and selected the SiriusXM Radio app. I entered in a search for Country Top 40 and selected The Highway, then set about getting dressed for the night.

I let the tunes wash over me as I chose my clothes. I slipped on a pair of capri jeans, and a cute, Kelly green, short-sleeved, button down. I decided to sculpt my hair into the spikier style that Bobbie showed me. I really liked it. It felt young and fun. I kept my make-up light, and put on just a spritz of perfume. When I looked myself over in the mirror, I saw someone I’d not seen in a while. A youthful Elizabeth. A ‘Lizzie,’ well, sans the long tresses.

I thought I would I miss my long locks. But I loved my new, sassy, short hair. I’d had long hair my whole life. When Princess Diana was all the rage and my friends all cut their hair in the same style, I was tempted, but I just couldn’t do it. Now with my new coif, I understood the freedom of a drastic haircut like the one I’d gotten. And with this spikier fix, I looked closer to Kevin’s age.

My appearance, coupled with the music, was starting to seriously influence my attitude. I listened to the singer on the radio sing about how she was
Done.
So was I. I was done with second guessing myself. I was here to learn about me. Maybe my sexuality was one of those things I needed to learn about. And then, when I talked to Greg, he had turned this thing into
his
needs. I cared, but it seemed that he just wanted me back for cooking, cleaning and ironing, not companionship.