Voyeur Extraordinaire (10 page)

I was sad when I ended the call eventually and decided to pay my parents a visit this month. I'd just have to be careful not to meet Chris.

Bruno was lying on his back next to my feet, snoring loudly. I patted his tummy gently and he purred like a cat. Sometimes I wondered if Bruno was a dog. I smiled to myself as I rose from the kitchen chair and headed toward my wardrobe. I grabbed sweatpants from the top drawer and walked into my bathroom. I took my time showering before changing into the clothes that I'd taken with me.

Bruno was waiting in the bedroom for me, sitting expectantly in front of my window. We'd spent most of the evenings sitting on the windowsill, watching Adrian, and apparently Bruno thought we should continue to do so, but I knew we needed to stop. After what I'd said to Adrian today, I couldn't keep spying on him. That would be kind of hypocritical of me.

“I'm sorry, Bruno,” I said as I walked toward him. He waggled his tail, his little pink tongue poking out of his mouth.

I was about to grab the curtains to pull them shut when my eyes flickered toward Adrian's window and the air left my lungs in a whoosh. His window was illuminated and he stood behind it, gazing up toward the night-sky absent-mindedly. He was dressed in black trousers and a white shirt, the upper buttons open, revealing his muscled chest. I wanted to run my hands over it and unbutton his shirt completely. I shook my head. Why couldn’t I stop swooning over him?

I grabbed the curtains, determined to forget about Adrian, but then he looked in my direction and as soon as he caught sight of me, he held up a sheet of paper. I frowned in confusion. I couldn’t make out the words but he kept the message up. I grabbed my binoculars and directed them at his window, expecting to see an insult on the poster, but I was surprised when I read the words written in bold letters.

Your dog isn't ugly.

I stared at the sheet of paper, fighting a smile that was tugging at my lips. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I wanted to be angry
at Adrian, but it was impossible when I looked at him.

Adrian turned the sheet and revealed more words.

Am I forgiven?

He was looking at me expectantly, eyebrows raised, smiling charmingly.

I turned my head and looked around in my bedroom for something to write on. I hurried toward my desk and grabbed a few sheets of paper and a black marker. My heart was pounding in my chest. I took a few calming breaths, then returned to the window and wrote on the paper hastily, my hand trembling a little. I was glad that Adrian was too far away to see how nervous I was.

I wrote the word as fat as possible, so it'd be visible even from the neighbor house. I held the paper up. A grin spread on my face when I saw Adrian holding up binoculars to his face. He wiggled them with a teasing smile before lifting them to his eyes. I nervously showed him what I’d written, waiting for him to read it. Suddenly I regretted my choice of clothing. I looked like a slob. I should have worn a sexy negligee or a
babydoll.

It didn’t take Adrian long to read the one word I’d written:

Maybe

Adrian cocked his head, grinning slightly. He looked incredibly handsome and his hair was beautifully disheveled. He lowered his head and scribbled on the paper again.

My heart pounded even faster. I waited excitedly, curious about his next words. After a moment he lifted the sheet of paper.

Go out with me?

At least this time it was posed as a question, though I'd wished for a bit more pleading. I tilted my head to the side and chewed on the back of the marker, thinking about how I should reply. Should I go out with him? Amy would probably say no, but she wasn't seeing him now. He was charming and cute and absolutely irresistible. And if I was desperate enough to call my parents and visit them, then I really needed some action in my life.

Adrian was smiling his crooked grin at me, which made thinking straight quite difficult.

I didn't know what to say. I scribbled down a single word on a new sheet.

Hm
...

Adrian read my uncertain reply and started writing after another moment.

Your dog can come too.

He grinned at me and winked, causing my heart to skip a beat. I couldn't help but chuckle and rolled my eyes at him, though I wasn't sure if he could see it from the distance.

Say yes?

I bit my lip nervously, my eyes scanning his body, how he was leaning against the windowsill. How could he look so relaxed when I felt like I was going to faint any moment?

Taking a deep breath, I quickly wrote my reply before I could change my mind.

Okay

He smiled at me brightly and started scribbling again. I waited excitedly, shifting from one foot to the other.

Tomorrow. 6pm?

I bobbed my head up and down simply because I wasn't sure if I could write properly right now. My pulse throbbed in my veins as if I’d run a marathon, and my cheeks felt so hot, it was a miracle I hadn’t burst into flames yet.

I'll pick you up.

I nodded my head again, not able to stop smiling. Stop acting like an idiot, I told myself. I tried a more confident, sexier smile, and hoped it didn’t look like a grimace.

Sleep well.

My sleep would definitely be filled with tantalizing dreams…

I gave him a shy smile and grabbed the curtains, pulling them shut slowly. I stumbled over to my bed and plopped down on it, letting out a small giggle. Who knew that Adrian could be charming like that? I tilted my head to the side and caught Bruno staring at me like I'd lost my mind. I reached out and patted his head.

I couldn't wait to tell Amy about what had just happened. This was better than I could have ever imagined it. I jumped up from my bed and rushed through my apartment toward the entrance door. I ripped it open and hurried toward Amy's apartment before knocking. Soft steps came closer and after a moment the door swung open. Amy, dressed in another one of Jared’s boxershorts and a flimsy pink camisole, stood in the doorway, a steaming cup in her hands. She beamed at me. “Nora,” she said with a smile, then her expression turned into a frown. “Why are you grinning like a maniac?” The smell of freshly roasted coffee beans flooded my nose.

“That smells delicious,” I said, suddenly wanting to put off telling her about what just happened.

“Want a cup? I ground too many beans anyway,” Amy said, stepping back so I had room to enter. I slipped past her, feeling like I was going to burst any moment. I followed Amy into  her cozy retro kitchen corner but didn’t sit down. I was too fidgety. Amy handed me a cup of coffee, then leaned against the counter, her skinny ankles crossed and expectant look on her face. “Now spill.”

I took a sip from my coffee, then the words bubbled out of me, “I'm going out with Adrian tomorrow.” My face flushed and I quickly drank the rest of the coffee to have something to blame it on.

“You what?” Amy's eyes widened and she didn't look nearly as excited as I felt. Slowly she uncrossed her ankles and set down her cup with a noisy clank. “Nora, didn't you listen to a word I said yesterday?” She rested her hands on her hips, looking at me reproachfully.

I rolled my eyes at her and told her about Adrian's written messages. “It was really cute. I didn’t think he’d do something like that. Nobody has ever done something sweet for me,” I concluded my story. “I honestly want to give this thing between Adrian and me a try.”

While I’d been talking, Amy's face had changed from a look of disapproval to surprise. Well, there was still a flicker of disapproval and worry in her eyes but I chose to ignore it. “He can be quite the charmer if he tries. I guess that's how he's getting all the women.”

I scowled, not wanting to think about his other women. I wanted to be the only woman for him. I knew it was ridiculous of me to even play with that thought, but if I didn’t, I’d never be able to enjoy my evening with Adrian, and I desperately wanted to. So much was going wrong in my life right now, I needed something that went right and I wanted Adrian to be that thing. “I really want tomorrow to be perfect, Amy. I know it’s a risk to go out with Adrian, but it’s my decision.”

Amy walked up to me and put her arms around me from behind, resting her chin on shoulder. “Sorry. I know you can make your own decisions. But I care about you and don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, Amy. I won’t get hurt. As you said,
it’s just lust.” We both knew that wasn’t entirely true. Amy nodded against my shoulder, then straightened.

“We need to go shopping tomorrow and I'll help you get ready. You need to look absolutely hot,” she said resolutely.

I peered over my shoulder at her. “Shopping?”

“Yes. I don't need to work tomorrow, and you?”

I shook my head no. I’d been working pretty much every day for two weeks straight. I finally had a day off.

Amy clapped her hands happily, an excited glimmer in her eyes. I was glad to see the worry gone. It was starting to rub off on me. “Wonderful. It'll take us most of the day to get everything you need and to prepare you.”

I just nodded my head. It was useless to argue with Amy about shopping, and I was actually grateful for her willingness to help me. I wasn't experienced when it came to dating and needed every bit of help I could get. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Adrian. A wave of excitement washed over. I was really going out with Adrian. Would I be in his bed tomorrow night?

A
t point six, a sharp knock rang through my apartment and tore me from my peaceful sleep. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I'd thought I could sleep in today, since I didn't have to work, but obviously Amy had other plans. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind that she was the crazed person almost taking my door down to make me wake up. Bruno was peeking at me with half-closed eyes from the end of my bed, lying on his back, his feet sticking out toward the ceiling. I untangled myself from my blankets, slipped out of bed, shuffled through my apartment and toward the entrance door in slow motion. Another yawn parted my lips as I opened it.

“Finally!” Amy pushed past me, causing me to stumble over my own feet and almost fall to the ground. The door hit the wall, and Bruno jumped off the bed with a startled bark, disappearing under it. A wave of her vanilla perfume trailed after Amy and while I usually loved the scent, so early in the morning it only made me want to sneeze. I scowled at her retreating back as she headed for the kitchen area, then slowly followed and opened the window, letting early morning air in. It had rained during the night and I sucked in a deep breath to soak it in. Bruno peeked out behind the bed, as if to check if the coast was clear and trotted out from his hiding place once he spotted Amy. He really wasn't a good guard-dog.

Not bothering to put a bathrobe over my nightgown, I dragged myself toward the kitchen table where Amy had already made coffee and was currently staring intently at a piece of paper with her scribbling on it. She didn't even look up when I dropped down on the chair next to her with a groan. I grabbed the cup of coffee and took a sip to wake up. I’d run out of Amy’s favorite blend and now had to rely on the cheap stuff I could afford. It tasted almost moldy, but if I didn’t get some caffeine into my bloodstream quickly, things would get ugly. “What's that?” I pointed at the piece of paper.

“It's out to-do list,” she replied curtly, a tiny frown on her forehead.

Apparently she'd made a detailed plan for the day. She was staring at it like it held the answers to everything. I smiled against my coffee mug. “A to-do list? Is that really necessary?”

Bruno was starting to get bored with the lack of attention and petting he was receiving, and had begun scratching the door that hid his dog food. Usually Amy always made a fuss about him, but today she was on a mission. Mission impossible, if you asked me. By the time of the date, I was supposed to be a beautiful temptress (Amy’s words, not mine). I knew how to flirt with customers, how to swing my hips and smile seductively; but that was work. I didn’t care if a customer ended up not liking me, but with Adrian things were very different. If he didn’t try to get into my pants by the end of the evening, I’d feel like the biggest failure in history. It’s not as if I was determined to sleep with him, but I, at least, wanted to him to want to sleep
with me
.

Bruno rose to his little hind legs and rested his
fore-paws against my bare shins, whining loudly.

Amy made a sound of shocked frustration. “Careful! Don't let him leave scratches on your legs! I want you to wear a short dress. Scratches would ruin everything.”

“Okay,” I drew the word out. I stared at her like she'd lost her mind before I directed my gaze to Bruno who'd hidden beneath the table because of Amy's screech. His cute, little head was poking out and he was looking at me as if he expected me to explain the actions of my crazy friend to him. “Sorry, Bruno. This woman is an enigma to me,” I said as I picked him up and put him on my lap.

Amy was watching me with hawk-eyes. I cocked an eyebrow at her, hoping for some kind of explanation for her outburst. “So a short skirt?” I prompted when it became clear she was too busy staring at my legs to say anything.