Ride or Ruin

Boy Next Door

The apartment was quite a bit cooler than outside, which felt good, but I did hope to enjoy the sunny afternoon weather. My dream of a little outdoor seating area had just vanished with the realization that Cole would be able to spy on me throughout the work day. Nighttime would be safe, though. I would just stay here until night and then go see Lily. She seemed like she enjoyed the nightlife more anyway.

I reached for my cellphone to call Lily and drop the Cole bomb, when a light tapping came from the door. I was still leaning against. The sound made me jump and I backed away like it was a portal to another world. "Who is it?" I asked innocently. This almost felt like the beginning of a horror story. "The boy next door." His voice was as smooth as caramel and I imagined it vibrating against my lips as he spoke my name.

I snapped out of it and cracked the door open. He leaned against the door frame with one hand and the other was tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. I melted at the way he looked at me. I had chosen to wear another short summer dress since the weather here was warmer than what I was used to in Washington, especially for springtime.

"I didn't get the chance to introduce myself last night." I know I shouldn't fall for his charm but the tone of his voice sounded so sweet and endearing. "I'm Cole, Cole Lawson." He pulled out his hand from his pocket and extended it towards me. An innocent gesture, but shaking his hand felt like making a deal with the devil. I opened the door wider, "And I believe I told you I'm not interested." Ignoring his raised hand, I folded my arms across my chest, a move that unintentionally brought his gaze to my chest as my breasts were pressed together.

I immediately unwrapped my arms and reached to shut the door on him. His foot blocked the door as I went to slam it and he leaned a little closer to me to speak. I couldn't tell if he was trying to be intimidating or flirty, but either way, I was starting to get infuriated. "Did I do something to make you not like me? I thought you just got into town last night, I couldn't have made that bad of a first impression."

I pouted my lips and smirked at him at my own attempt at being intimidating, "Well, you did, and I've heard about the kind of person you are. Some girls are into bad boys but not me, so don't even try." I kicked at his shin to move his foot from my doorway and he jumped back laughing. It felt like he thought I was joking, like this was some sort of cute game we were going to be playing. I slammed the door on him again, this time successfully and turned the lock to keep him out. I could hear his soft and deep chuckle on the other side of the door. "I'll be seeing you later, Harlow."

My heart jumped at the mention of my name. So he already knew who I was. My name in his voice repeated in my head as a tingle went through my belly. I could still smell his scent from inside the cool apartment and I secretly wished he would stay at the door like a lost puppy waiting for me. The urge to open the door back up and yell at him to go away both confused and excited me. Instead, I reached for my phone again from my purse that I left on the floor.

I called Lily but could barely hear her over the bar music. "Jesus Lily, it's not even five o'clock yet." The music quieted down and I assumed she was now outside. I told her about the encounter with Cole and she sighed heavily. "s**t, I forgot he worked there now. Look, you'll be fine just ignore him. He'll get bored and move on, you're just the shiny new thing in town right now."

I wondered if Lily was drunk right now. "So, you did know he worked right next to where I just signed a lease. How am I supposed to avoid him when he's going to be watching me every time I go in and out of where I live?" My voice was starting to raise and get more high-pitched, something that happens every time I get too anxious or stressed out.

"Why don't you just come meet me at the bar? I'll buy you a drink and you can vent." I sighed. The bar was the last place I wanted to be but with not much else to do, it was either go there or be trapped here. I had to unpack and get my apartment set up how I liked to make it feel more like my home but after that encounter with Cole, I was too worked up. I felt trapped here with him watching my doorway.

"Fine," I told Lily and hung up but not before hearing a squeal of glee coming from the other end of the line. I decided to change into something more agreeable to the town first, after remembering the glares from the previous night, and opted for a simple baby blue blouse with tight-fitting jeans. It wasn't really biker bar apparel but it would hopefully allow me to pass without being too judged. I applied a thin line of eyeliner too, just to make Lily happier. She was always pushing me to live more dangerously, except when it came to Cole apparently.

I looked through the peephole in the front door before heading out. Getting ready took longer than I realized and the auto shop doors were now closed. The thought that Cole might head to the bar after work ran through my mind and I thought about calling Lily to see if he was there or not. But if I did call Lily and she did see him, she would tell me not to come. I grabbed the apartment key and my purse and left for the bar without calling Lily, the thought of Cole's animalistic gaze haunting my thoughts.