Phoenix

Chapter 3

    As I directed my car left onto Orange drive my pulse began to race.  I knew that I was excited about the idea of seeing the sexy neighbour.  But why was it so enticing?  I knew absolutely nothing about the man.  For all I knew he could be married, gay, damaged.  But it didn’t matter to my hormones at the moment. Something about him had instantly drawn my interest.  I said a silent prayer to whatever god was listening to let him be in the front yard.  I crossed through the gates of the community of houses and turned left again. But as I neared home I saw his drive was empty the motorcycle gone and no hottie in sight.  A sinking feeling rushing over me.  My god Olivia get your s**t together.  I pulled up into the driveway and pushed the button that would open the garage door.  Then pulled my car into its spot.  Walking down the hall towards the kitchen, I dropped my bag at the office so that I could do my homework a bit later. That stupid salad had not kept me full enough and my stomach was screaming in protest.  

The fridge was pretty bare.  I found some eggs and a few vegetables and made myself a quick egg scramble.  While I munched on it I peered into the fridge and the freezer writing down things that I would need to make us meals over the next few days.  I got the impression from the lack of food in the cupboards that Tim ate out alot. I would help out with that I liked to cook.  I pulled the money from my pocket that Tim had given me that morning I was sure that it was enough for at least four or five days worth of groceries.  Hopefully by the time I got home the neighbour would be back. I felt like ogling.  Once again I stunned myself with my thoughts.  Jesus Christ Olivia, he is not a piece of meat. I shoved the bills into my wallet grabbed my keys and headed back out to my car.  Seemed silly to have pulled it into the garage when I was just going to be leaving again.  But I jumped in and pressed the button to open the door again.  While it was cranking open I decided to look for the button that would open the top on my car.  It was such a beautiful day out.  It would be a shame not to get sun on my pale skin.  Finding it near the shifter I pressed it and giddy with joy watched it fold neatly back into the pocket above the trunk.  I grabbed my sunglasses out of my purse.  Perched them onto my face. Took the hair tie off my wrist and wrapped my hair into a disorderly messy bun.  Then I turned to shoulder check as I began reversing out of the garage.  There standing on his front porch in all of his muscled, tanned glory watching me intently was the sexy neighbour.  

I felt the saliva drain from my mouth as it dried and instantly became irritating.  Sweat beaded on my forehead.  My heart began to race. My hands clammed up and my brain started to smoke I swear.  I calmly took a breath and began backing out of the yard.  Focused intently on not hitting anything.  When I was clear from the garage I turned to shut the door.  Pressing the button and taking that minute to compose myself a little bit more.  I took in a rattling nervous breath, backed out of the driveway without looking at him.  Put my car into drive turned to look right at him.  Raised my hand and waved at him.  His face never changed in appearance.  He simply lifted his hand and gave me a quick twitch with two fingers.  Then I drove off down the road.  My face burning hot with the blush that had spread along my cheek bones.  I couldn’t understand why this man had such an effect on my body.  It made no sense at all to my mind.  I was the kind of person who thought things through.  Who made charts about my decisions not someone who just instantly knew I wanted someone.  

    As I drove down Orange drive I realized that I didn’t know my way around very well yet so I headed back towards the high school I knew that there were some stores around there.  There had to be a grocery store.  The wind blowing through my hair was refreshing and helped to cool my burning hot cheeks.  I drove past the high school and turned left into the box stores.  There was a safeway at the end of the lot.  I parked my car as close to the store as I could get. I was hot and did not feel like walking a long distance in this stifling heat.  Locking the door and then laughing.  Like that would keep anyone out of my car with no top up. I would have to remember to not bring much into the car if I was leaving the top down.   I grabbed a basket on my way into the store.  I rummaged through the beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables grabbing what I needed and some herbs and spices and then I went to the meat aisle.  I grabbed some chicken and a little beef and headed up to pay.  The cashier was a boy I recognized from one of my classes.  He had brown eyes and brown hair.  Dark skin like everyone else around here.  My pale skin was definitely setting me apart from these kids.  When he finished with the elderly lady in line in front of me he started ringing me through. 

“Good afternoon, welcome to Safeway I hope you found everything you needed.” He smiled a perfect smile in a way that made me that that he really like his job.  Maybe I should apply here.  

“Yes thank you.” I replied.  He studied me for a minute.  

“Don’t you go to Apadia?” He asked me happily.  I smiled back at him. 

“Yes, today was my first day. I thought that I recognized you!” He kept swiftly scanning through my groceries.  Typing in numbers quickly off the top off his head for the produce without a barcode.  He had worked here a while I could tell.  

“I’m Eli, I was in your english class this morning.” He said smiling at me.  

“Oh right! Thats where I remember you from! Hi Eli, I’m Liv.” 

He had finished scanning in my products and smiled down at me.  

“That comes to 39.87 Liv.” I handed him the cash, that still left me with around fifty dollars.  I was assuming that Tim had given me so much so that it would last me a while.  So I put the rest in my wallet.  I would have more than enough for the rest of the week and I could take some left overs to school with me too.  I smiled at Eli again, 

“Thanks Eli, I will see you in english on Monday.” I was about to walk away when Eli said, 

“Liv, can I have your cell number?” I was stunned for a minute I did not even know what to say to him.  The shy girl inside myself was embarrassed but I refused to be rude.  

“Oh, Eli, I actually don’t have a US number yet. Ummmm…”. I grabbed a pen and wrote out my name. “When I get one I will let you know! I would give you my house number but I don't know it. But until I get a cell why don’t you just add me on f*******:?” I smiled as genuinely as I could.  He smiled back and said, 

“I will hold you to that! You have a great night!” I smiled and headed for my car.  Arms full with all the groceries.  I set the paper bags in the passenger seat and jumped into the driver’s seat heading home.  I skipped through the channels looking for some old rock and found what I was looking for in the strong  beat of Mississippi Queen.  I let the music carry me home. I was beginning to recognize more and more of the local features around me.  I loved the look of the cacti and the rocks.  I loved the sun, and I loved camelback mountain.  I had been certain yesterday I would never get used to this place.  But less than twenty four hours and I was already adjusting.  It’s the sun I thought to myself.  You are going to become an addict of this heat Olivia.   I turned onto Orange drive again and swung into the gated community.  The neighbour was once again absent.  But his bike was parked in the drive.   I stopped outside the garage and pushed the button and let myself in.  I set the grocery bags down on the counter and then turned the oven on.  While I put away groceries the oven heated up and beeped.  I prepped some chicken and vegetables piled it all into a casserole dish, covered it and slipped it into the oven.  

While I was waiting I decided to do my homework.  I sat down in the office and scattered out my math.  Working tediously through the algebraic equations.  My mind hated math and I was only about halfway down the page when the doorbell rang startling me.  I knocked papers across the room.  But ignored them as they flew into various areas of the floor I jumped up and ran to open it.  

There in all his god like glory stood the sexy neighbour.  I damn near fainted when I saw his face in my doorway.  He stood there his arm muscles bulging through his tight t shirt.  His pecs pushing against the fabric.  There was a faint outline of his ab muscles through the dark material.  The sheer power of his body was obvious to anyone.  This man worked out a lot.  I did not let my eyes go any farther and I weakly squeaked out, 

“Hi.” He smiled at me, a closed mouth smile that reached right into his eyes.  His eyes oh how beautiful his eyes.  He had amazing eyes.  They were dark brown but not only dark brown.  They held flecks of gold, red, grey but still shone chocolate.  

“Hello!,” He was holding a dish of some sort of desert in his hands.  

“I’m Liam, I live next door.  I hadn’t ever seen who lived here until yesterday so I decided to be neighbourly.  I brought s*x in a pan.” I almost died right there, my face was so hot I was surprised it had not spontaneously combusted.  I was in almost physical pain from how embarrassed I was.  In the other hand he was holding a bottle of wine.  Oh my god, wine, I needed wine.  Wine would help so much! And it was friday so I didn’t have to get up in the morning.  I held out my hand to shake his hand. 

“Liv, do you want to come in? I’m making chicken and veggies.” 

He smiled shook my hand, and took a step into the foyer. 

“Sure Liv, nice place you have here.” He said with a chuckle.  I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  Wondering why he had laughed.  As though he had heard the question spoken out loud he answered.

“My house is the same. I like your taste.” He said smiling, I chuckled in response. 

"It's my dads house." 

I quickly closed the door behind him and led him to the kitchen.  Where he placed the bottle of wine.  

“Let me look for a bottle opener, I just got here yesterday I don’t know where everything is.” I said quietly starting to turn.  Then over my shoulder I asked,

“Do you live in that big house all alone?” 

I could feel the radiant red throwing heat from my cheeks.  Please say yes, dear god please say yes.  I prayed silently.  Then turned my attention to finding that damn bottle opener.  I started pulling drawers open like it would save my life.

“Just Joe and I.” He said in answer to my question.  Yup of course he’s gay.  I can never catch a break.  The last drawer that I opened held my treasure.  I popped the cork on the bottle like a pro.  Partly because I was a pro.  Living in Vancouver my mother had been quite the wine connosieur and had allowed me to drink at home for a while.  Not a lot. But I had sipped wine at dinner a few times a week for the last year.  Once I had the cork out I realized I did not have glasses.  I started to giggle, mostly out of embarrassment.  I was trying my hardest not to look at Liam.  But I was positive he was watching me.  

“Something wrong Liv?” He asked innocently.  Still chuckling to myself I said, “I have no idea where the glasses are.” He started to giggle with me.  Then got up to look through the cupboards with me.  From the far corner he said, “Jackpot!” and then brought the glasses to the island where the open bottle waited.  He poured a little into each glass.  I took a sip and then a big swig.  Then went to open the oven.  The chicken was still about fifteen minutes from being cooked fully.  So I turned back to the handsome man sitting at my kitchen Island.  He was watching me intently.  Once again my face burned like the sun had touched it for hours.  

“You blush a lot Liv.” He said with a smirk forming on the corners of his mouth.  

“I know” I said, barely louder than a whisper.  He smiled again.  

“How come?” He asked innocently as though he didn’t know what he was doing to me.  I didn’t really know what to say.  I couldn’t tell him that it was because I wanted him.  Because he was so beautiful.  No I couldn’t say any of that.  

“Ummm…. Well I am kind of shy, and I’ve always blushed.  I don’t know.” He started to chuckle again.  

“So Liv, you aren’t from Arizona, your skin is far to pale.  Where do you hail from?” Hail from? What? How old fashioned.  

“Vancouver British Columbia.” I answered.  He stopped moving entirely and looked right at me.  “Wow, you are a long ways from home! What brought you here?” Twenty questions much Liam? 

“Well my mother got married.” I paused, a moment.  Pondering how to continue.  He watched like he knew I was thinking.  

“Harry is a wonderful man, I loved having him as a step dad.  But they are expecting a baby.  The house we lived in was small and I didn’t want to finish my last year of high school with a baby so I moved here to live with my dad in Phoenix.” 

Before I could grab another sip of wine my glass was swiped from under me.

“High school?” He said, flabbergasted. 

“Yea, I am in grade twelve… But I wasn’t done with that.” He moved towards the sink. 

“Hey! That’s good wine don’t dump it I love blue elephant!” He turned around and gazed at me.  I couldn’t tell at all what he was thinking.  Then he spoke.  

“I cannot be here with a 17 year old while she drinks wine illegally and her parental guidance is not home.” I chuckled and then I started to really laugh.  Liam c****d his eyebrow at me.  Obviously not finding my response funny. 

“Tim won’t care, my mother always lets me drink wine he knows that.  I’ll tell him it’s mine.” He stood there torn between the two decisions.  I was rather confused about the big deal was but I could see the concern in his eyes.  Then he slid the glass back under me and I continued sipping.  He continued with his assault on my history immediately. 

"So how did you get ahold of wine then?" He asked my slyly. 

I scratched my chin. Fair question. But he skipped right past the question knowing that he stumped me. 

“Do you like it here?” He asked, leaning forward his muscled arm bulging when his elbow bent and he placed a hand under his chin.  My mouth dried with desire as I noticed his muscles ripple.  I took another sip of wine.  Wetting my mouth and then spoke. 

“Well I have been here for less than twenty four hours.  But it seems ok.  There’s some nice people at Apadia and it seems like a good school.  The neighbourhood is beautiful and my bedroom is about as big as my old house was. Plus my car is beautiful.” He watched me intently, his eyes peering into my soul.  

“But?” he asked innocently. How was it that he kept reading my mind like that? 

I sighed loudly, “But, I miss my mother, I don’t know Tim that well.  I don’t think he is going to be around much so I am probably going to be lonely.  I think he bought this house to keep me happy.  I know he gave me the car to keep me happy and I am worried that our relationship will consist of him just buying me things and I would like to actually spend time with him too.” Oh my god, what the hell Olivia! Stop spilling your guts to this man! You don’t even know him.  Play hard to get.  But I could feel the wine kicking in.  I was drinking it far too fast and with no food in my stomach.  And I was completely intoxicated on the sight of him anyways. I quickly decided to interrupt his questions. 

“What about you? Where are you from? What do you do?” He smiled, sipped his wine and said.

“Well, I am from Frankfort Kentucky originally, but I moved around a lot.  Military brat.  My dad is a retired Marine, and I am a Marine.” I stopped sipping, placed my glass down.  Looked into his face, and whispered.

“Like you go to war?” He didn’t smile this time.  I worried for a minute that I hit a nerve.  Was that rude? 

“Yes Liv, I go on active tours.  I have been on 3 tours to the middle east.” Wow, not only was he handsome.  But he was a war veteran too.  An image of him in uniform popped into my head and I liked it.  I had to shake myself back to reality.  Dear god Olivia, quit this crap. But I wondered absently if his tattoo was a sign of a marine.  I didn’t really know how to change the subject this seemed so private.  Something that I really had no right to be asking about.  

“Well Liam, thank you for your service.” I said watching his reaction.  He smiled and whispered. “I think the chicken is done.” I jumped up, ran to the oven ripped it open and removed the pan.  Yes it was done, just perfectly too.  I grabbed the phone on the wall and called Tim’s cell number that was on the board beside the phone.  

“Hi Ti… Dad, are you going to be home soon?” 

“Yup, I am on the bluetooth in the car Olivia, I will be home in about two minutes.” I smiled, maybe I would get to spend some time with him.  

“Ok, see you in a few” I put the phone back on the hook.  I searched through the cupboards for plates.  Finding them beside the stove and turned to search for knives and forks.  Liam already had three of each.  

“Oh, thanks” I said.  Glad that there was someone helping me on this treasure hunt. 

“Anytime.” I took the dishes into the dining room and started setting the table.  Liam came in with a pot holder.  Just as I was placing the chicken onto the table I heard the garage door open.  I brought our wine and the bottle plus one extra glass to the table just as Tim walked in the door.  He smiled politely at Liam and held out his hand to shake his.  

“Tim.” He said politely 

“Liam,” they smiled warmly at each other.  

“Dad Liam lives across the street.  He brought dessert so I invited him for dinner.” I said, praying that they would get along.  My heart had intention of Liam spending some time here.  

“Well Liam, that was extremely thoughtful thanks.  Olivia thanks so much for dinner baby that was so sweet.” I smiled at him then he noticed the wine. 

“Should have known you would find a way to find some wine.” he added nodding towards the bottle.  I smiled sweetly and when he looked away I winked at Liam.  We dished up and chatted over dinner.  Sipping wine, telling jokes.  When everyone was done dinner I cleared the plates and brought in the dessert.  It was amazing. Liam could make a mean s*x in a pan.  He excused himself at around ten o clock.  So I walked him to the door.  As he pulled his leather coat on I once again noticed his tattoo. I wanted badly to brush my fingers over it.  But I restrained myself.  More like I didn’t have the lady balls to do it no matter how badly I wanted too.  

“Thank you so much for dessert and other stuff Liam.” I said.  He smiled and said, 

“You are much more entertaining when you’re having a conversation with a few glasses of wine.  Rather than when you stand on your balcony.” He laughed when he saw me blush and turned to leave.  As soon as he was out the door I closed it quickly.  I headed into the kitchen to clean up.  Tim was sitting at the Island with paperwork scattered around him.  I started to load the dishwasher and was putting the last plate in when he said, 

“Olivia, I think we should set out some ground rules.” Uh oh, was I in trouble for letting the neighbour in? 

“Ok dad,” I said as I closed the door.  

“Honey, What was your curfew at home?” Curfew? 

“I never went out I didn’t have one.”  He looked at me curiously.  

“Ok so eleven?” Sounded fair to me. 

“Yea I can’t see that being an issue.” I happily answered.  He looked relieved like he expected an argument.  But I had no intentions of arguing with him.  He was my parent.  

“Ok and can we agree on no boys in your room?” The blush attacked my face.  Oh my god, please no.  Not this. 

“Yup not a problem dad.” I said, this time embarrassingly looking down.  He smiled with a relieved sigh. 

“Ok, and now I know you are almost 18 and I expect you to want to act that way.  That’s fine.  I’m ok with wine once in awhile.  But no drinking and driving and if you are going to have s*x please be safe.  I can take you to a doctor if you need any….” 

I cut him off quickly. 

“Dad, please let’s not have this talk.  I know about it.  I will be ok.  If I need you I will let you know.” 

He looked embarrased now too.  His face as red as mine. 

“I know hun but, if…”

 once again I cut him off.

“Dad, please… I won’t be having s*x for a long time ok.”

“Olivia, you never know…”

“I’m a virgin dad.” I blurted out.  I didn’t know there was a colour more red than he already was but he found it and I was positive so did I.  

“Well ok then dear, ummm…. Here take this.” 

He held out a small piece of plastic.  I took it.  It was a shiny black credit card.  With my name on it. A credit card? What the hell.  

“It’s for fuel and groceries and anything you need ok Olivia.  Don’t be afraid to use it.  Let me know if you need more money.  Its got a limit of 2500 on it.  You can use that every month if you need too.” 

what! 2500 dollars! I didn’t think that Harry even made that.  I used to get an allowance of twenty dollars a week at home.  Bag lunches too. The idea of having twenty five hundred dollars at my disposal was completely astounding.  I used to get twenty dollars a week at home. I took it and smiled at him.

“Thanks dad, I won’t need this much money though.” He smiled

“Well hunny even if you don’t use it all just keep the card in case of emergency.  Oh and…” He handed me 5 more twenty dollar bills.  

“Lunch money since you obviously did some grocery shopping today.”

It was nice not having to save my twenties to buy jeans or t shirts.  I jumped up walked over to him and gave him a big hug.  

“Dad I really don’t need this much money.  That’s a little outrageous isn’t it?” He smiled at me. 

“Olivia honey I used to give your mom five thousand dollars a month.  When you decided to move here I didn’t have to pay her child support anymore.”  I was kind of stunned.  I had no idea that she got that much from him.  Then I was worried that she migh have needed that money and me moving here had ruined that for her.  Crap what did I do?

"Dad, is she going to be ok without my money coming in?" I asked him innocently. He smiled,

"Don't worry kid, I didn't just cut her off I won't let her starve." He said. I inwardly sighed a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks dad.  I’m going to go to bed.  Goodnight.” He hugged me tightly again and then gave me a peck on the forehead.  I walked up the beautiful spiral staircase down the hall to my bedroom.  Dug out my ratty old pajamas and slipped them on.  Then I walked over to the french doors and stepped out onto the balcony.  Liam was nowhere in sight.  I stretched my arms high above me and gazed up at the moon.  After a few minutes standing in the bright arizona moonlight I gave up and headed back into my room.  Closing only the screen door I slipped under the covers and drifted off into sweet dreams of gorgeous brown eyes and happy conversations.