What The Hell Happened?

5

"Okay, I still have about five minutes till my boss demands to see the photographs which we're to use this week, but tell me what's up?"

I had texted Phil right after I discovered the identity of my landlord's son.

You're never going to believe it. Call me.

"So, you remember Tattooed Neighbour?"

"He banged you?"

"No!"

"So what's it?"

"Turns out his dad owns the building."

"Unbelievable!"

"I thought so too. This is not good,"

"Why not? This is great news!"

"In what way? Now I'll never get him to shut up."

"No. I mean when you guys start bonding, you wouldn't have to worry about rent. He'd talk it out with his father."

"I'm not going to bond with him. He's an arsehole. Even if it were in some f****d-up universe I'll never stop paying my rent! That'll make me look cheap."

He laughed. "True."

"What?"

"Angry guys are the best in bed, you know."

"You've told me that before. Freddie wasn't rough with me the first time we tried it. I mean, we wanted to try it."

"Well, I'm sure you'd enjoy it with... whatever his name is."

"I doubt it. Never gonna happen."

"Why don't you give the guy a break? Do you even know his name?"

"No. I didn't get to ask him the last time I saw him. He didn't seem too happy."

"When is he ever happy about anything?"

I chuckled. "Probably not a lot."

"That's weird... and hot too...shit I'm on. They're calling me. I have to go."

"Have fun!"

"Bang a neighbour!"

"You're crazy."

"Yeah, I know. Love you!"

"Love you too, idiot."

Talking with Phil always put me in a good mood.

With thirty minutes to go before my therapy session with Dr Ginny, I decided to call Dad. It'd been so long I'd heard from him last. He picked up at the fourth ring.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, Dad. I'm just checking in. How are things over there?"

"Good. What about you? How are things at the new place?"

I can't stop thinking about my mysterious neighbour next door.

"Great. I got a job to keep me busy. How's Mom?"

"She recently began knitting classes with the Sheriff's wife, Lydia. She hardly stays home these days."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with having a hobby. I'm glad she's doing okay?"

"Are you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. How are you pulling through?"

"Great. Dr Ginny has been truly helpful."

"Well, I heard Alex is getting married in a week. Did he tell you anything about it?"

No Dad. Alex never spoke to me since Freddie ditched me.

"No. We don't talk anymore. How are the preparations going?"

"It's gonna be super. His dad, Brad Pitt is gonna perform and there's gonna be a big wedding on Saturday with lots of socialites in attendance. There's gonna be an opera about them soon..."

And on and on Dad went.

I zoned out when I noticed that there seemed to be low music coming from the other side of the wall. My door was open so I traced the sound to Tattooed Neighbour's apartment whom I thought wasn't home.

"Um, Dad I have to go."

"Oh, son I'm so sorry. I didn't realize..."

"Yeah... yeah sure. Bye!"

I hung up.

I cracked my bedroom door open to listen and true enough, it was coming directly from Tattooed Neighbour's place.

Then I heard a girl's laughter over the music. Oh wow, he has a girlfriend! Bad news, Phil. I stayed still, pondering. Maybe I should just pretend to be asleep so I could hear whatever it was they were saying. Before I could think things over, I heard the girl moaning, then he groaned.

Shit. s*x alert!

I wondered if it'd be best if I just go out shopping since it was a Saturday and my day off from work. It would be awkward running into them if they knew I heard them.

After fifteen minutes of trying to ignore the bed squeaks amidst 'f**k. Oh yeahs' from the moaning lady, I decided to leave.

I never made it out anyway.

Still lingering a bit behind my door, about to bolt off, his door burst open releasing the sound of Jack Harlow's What's Poppin'? and laughter. I froze behind the door, unable to open or close it completely for fear of being found out. So I stayed still, peeking out through the small crack.

I watched them pass me by without noticing. Tattooed Neighbour looked as though he just had wild s*x with his hair sticking out of all sides and his sweatpants hanging low to expose his well-carved 'V-line' while the blonde lady seemed to be adjusting her panties as they talked and laughed on their way out of the building. The apartment turned eerily silent when the door slammed. Good thing they left, I sighed.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping in and surfing the net aimlessly. I came across a recent caption with a photo attached of Alex and Freddie on their way to the mall. Alex smiled directly at the camera pulling Freddie down for a kiss while Freddie held onto his waist, their foreheads touching. Suddenly a wave of jealousy clutched my guts as I turned the phone off, burying my face into the pillow. I stayed that way for hours crying and cursing the hidden demon in me that forced me to fall for Freddie in the first place.

Growing up in a small town, the guys I met from the time I was in middle school up to grade eleven were cookie cutter. I had yet to meet someone like Freddie; dark and dangerous on the outside but clever and smart on the inside; one who stole hearts the minute he walked into a room.

The last boyfriend I had before him was nerdy and a church-going kinda guy, one who my parents and everyone just loved and adored. He wore braces and glasses and was a three-time honour roll student. Back while we dated, he was always trying to berate and put me down with critiques which I couldn't take so I broke up with him.

I shook my head to rid my thoughts about Mac and Freddie then sat up to meditate a bit in preparation for my phone therapy session with Dr Ginny; a Relationship trauma expert.

At three hundred bucks an hour, Dr Ginny was anything but cheap. It was Dad's idea to book him so I always have someone to talk to about my feelings. Though I wasn't sure if it was working, I continued to go along with it every Saturday at eight-thirty.

Wouldn't it be fun to forward the bills to Freddie and see what he thinks?