I'll Be Next Door If You Ever Need Me (PickleChiffon and DarknessHarbinger)

I walk down the hallway, looking for the door with my name on it. It's been a long day, and now I kind of just want to relax. The land lord seems like a nice guy, not a complete jerk, which was what I was afraid of. The apartment is near the school I'm going to in a month once class starts up. I just need to wait until tomorrow for my stuff to arrive so I can unpack.

So, here I am, on my own. In a town where I don't know anyone. I wish I had at least a friend to go to school with, but nobody. No family, no friends, nobody at all. Crap, I don't know my way around here either. I guess I'll drive around after my stuff gets here. But I'm still on my own. Hell, I remember it took me almost an hour to get out the door, my mom didn't want me to leave. Now I kinda miss the fact that she was kinda clingy to me. It's a little scary being alone.

I finally found the door to my place. All the way at the end of the hall, crap that's a long walk. A small sign next to the door saying "Burns" in big black letters on a gold plaque. "Well, hopefully I'm the only Burns here." He mutter to myself as I unlock the door.

After walking inside, I take off my shoes and look around. It's a decent place to live. Enough room for me, maybe a second person if I had one. All of the furniture is already in. There's a couch and a recliner in the living room, with a sliding door to the small deck outside. A kitchen with a fridge, cabinets, sink, dishwasher, oven, stove, microwave, everything I need in a kitchen. A bedroom, with a big bed and a big closet. Two bathrooms, both with showers, but the one in the bedroom is bigger. There's a little booklet on the table with information I need to know, like number of the landlord, map of the apartment complex, password to access the internet, numbers and addresses of local places to eat, and so on.

Then it hit me, I got nothing to do until tomorrow. There's no tv, that's coming tomorrow with my stuff. My game systems are gone. My cable box is set up, but with no tv, it's just a waste of space until then. Even my laptop is coming tomorrow. All I have is my wallet, my phone, my iPod, and my keys. I don't know what's nearby, and I would really like to just relax and watch tv, but there's no tv. "Well fuck." I say to myself.

For the umpteenth time I wonder how I got conned, and it must have been a damn good con job, into being the Welcome Wagon for the building. Oh, I know how it happened. My brother smiled his charming smile and roped me in once again to helping him out. Well, he helped me first to be honest.

I glance at the clock, nearly 8pm. I heard the door open next door, so I know the new tenant is home. I put the finishing touches on the basket, some fresh cookies, homemade jam, with some sweet cinnamon buns nestled in a fresh tea towel. Tying the bow on the cello wrap I look in the mirror. Just enough makeup to high light the color of my eyes and a touch of gloss to accent my lips. Understated, just the way I like it. I grab the basket and my key, and open the door. I walk the short distance to the door. “Burns” on the side of the plate. I knock on the door and wait, a smile on my face in case they look out the peephole first. You never know about new people.

The neighbourhood here is a good one, quiet and friendly, but then I’ve lived here my whole life. A lot of these folks in this building remember when my folks owned it, and when my brother and I were just kids. Now, the folks are gone, my brother owns the place, and I just live here, making sure the community still has that neighbourly feeling. I am just about to knock again, a tad miffed. I heard them come home, I know someone is in there. When the door opens taking my breath away temporarily.

I quit thinking about what to do tonight when I hear a knock on the door. I wasn't exactly in the mood to see anyone, but I just moved here and I don't really want to be seen as the asshole of the neighborhood just because I'm currently in a bad mood. I take a deep breath and walk to the door. I look through the peephole, to see a woman. A very beautiful woman actually.

I step back briefly, my mind rushing. She's older than me, maybe about ten years, but still, she's beautiful. To have someone like her knocking on the door, hell, forget the bad mood, I'll talk to her. I try to steady my breathing and open the door. I smile at the woman and notice she has a basket of goodies. Beautiful woman and goodies, I'm liking this place already. "Hello, may I help you?" I ask, trying to sound polite to her. Thank god for the supermarket job I use to have where I had to be polite for hours.

It is a young man standing before me, mid twenties, maybe. Handsome, though unconventionally so, but in a way, that makes him even more attractive. My eyes flick over him, no ring. So not what I had been expecting. I smile as I push forward the basket into his arms, folding mine over my chest as I lean against his door frame. A nice voice too, a weakness of mine.

“It’s a tradition on someone’s first night, that they get a ‘welcome to the block’ basket.” My eyes rise to meet his. He’s taller than I, a rare feat sometimes. I know he’s being polite, his smile not quite reaching his eyes, and part of me is disappointed that it doesn’t. I won’t keep him long.

“There’s cookies and buns, and some homemade jam. You’re the first new neighbour I’ve had in a long time, but if you need anything I am just next door.“ I pause for a moment before I turn to go.

“My name is Chase, I look forward to seeing you soon.” I smile at him again, before turning and walking the short distance back to my own door.

This could be interesting, having someone new just down the hall. If I didn’t know that it was the only spot available in the building, I would say my brother had planned it that way. I softly chuckle as I close my door behind me. Mama always said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, if so, point to me.

I never even had enough time to talk. Let alone say my own name. I wanted to invite her in, but honestly, I don't have anything in here, so I don't have any way of entertaining her. I shut the door to my apartment and put the basket on the table. Chase. Her name stayed in my mind as I looked through the basket.

After I ate a little bit of everything, I went online through my phone, looking through recipes. I felt like I had to thank her somehow, but I had no idea what she liked. I looked through the pasta, since that's an all around favorite, at least I think it is. Most people I know enjoy some sort of pasta. So that should work out at least. After saving a recipe for homemade spaghetti and meatballs, I turn my phone off to save power and head to bed.

I couldn't fall asleep. I just stared at the ceiling, thinking about Chase. What was she doing right now? Would she even consider a guy like me? I'm sure she's got plenty of guys eyeing her. She's so beautiful, how could she not? I had to think of a way to get to talk to her. Maybe I can get her to help me with moving my stuff in tomorrow. It'll save me time in doing it by myself, and I get to talk to her. I kill two birds with one stone.

I putter about my place, doing odds and ends. Cleaning mostly. When we were young we’d get into fits of cleaning, usually in the middle of the night, both my brother and I, and we fed into each other’s compulsion. I look around the fair sized apartment.

I have one of the rare three bedroom places. The master suite is my sanctum, the second room a guest room, and the third an office. My kitchen is large, and the table that most people would use for dinning is my dumping ground. I don’t think I’ve seen the top for a month or more. Of course, since it is just me, I don’t use it, but right this moment nothing is more important than getting it empty.

My mind wanders to Mr. Burns. The Simpson’s imagery replace by a tall handsome young man with a velvet voice. I should have gotten his first name, I think as I begin tossing out papers and sorting through the trash. I was nervous though, something that typically doesn’t happen to me. Dave had said the new tenant’s things would be arriving tomorrow, maybe I will go make myself a pest and see if he needs help with anything.

I am between projects right now, so have the down time. Who knew that being a design artist would be so lucrative and stingy all in the same breath? No matter, down time always gets filled with tasks of some sort.

It takes only a half hour and the table is clean, with just a slight pile of books on the back side. I make my way into bed, and laying it looking at the ceiling I can’t help but smile. His place is a mirror of mine, without the extra bedrooms, which means his bedroom shares a wall with me. I close my eyes and drift to sleep, dreams fraught with images that make it both interesting and restless.

I finally fell asleep, listening to some rock music on my iPod. Before I knew it, I woke up to a different song, and realized it was morning. I turned off my music, and got out of bed, still tired. I look at the clock to find out that it's already noon. "Dammit. The stuff's probably here already. I opened the door to see that the boxes were already piled around my door, almost boxing me in.

Well, so much for asking for help, I can't really get out. I grunt to myself and begin moving boxes. Thank god they were all labeled I began reaching for the ones labeled "clothes" and brought them into my bedroom. About five of them stacked on my bed before I turned back to go get other boxes. I then grab one labeled "comics" and pick it up. It was a lot heavier than the other ones. I get inside, but I lose my balance and fall on my back, with a box full of comics to fall on top of me. The comic books fell out of the bag and I was almost buried in a large puddle of comic books I collected over the years. "Ow" I say out loud as I pick myself back up.

It’s early, and I am reading the paper, with my coffee when the intercom buzzes. Seems the moving company is here, but Mr. Burns isn’t answering his door. I chuckle softly and then buzz them in with specific instructions to line the boxes down the hall without blocking the doors of the other apartments. 8am and it’s going to be one of those days, I can feel it in my bones.

Sure enough, after brushing my teeth and washing my face I come out to check on the progress, and the moving people have boxed in his
door. Fantastic. I duck back in to check the time on the stove. Only 8:45am.

I’m pretty sure I will hear him once he rouses for the day so I sip onto the couch and turn on the TV. Yeah, I enjoy trash TV in small doses, and today feels like a good one to listen to DNA and lie detector tests. Three hours later I am up and stretching, making sandwiches for lunch.

I’ve just made them when I hear a loud crash and a curse muffled by the wall. Looks like he’s up? Slicing the sandwiches I take half of one and eat it while I find a paper plate. I set the other on it and wrap it with some plastic wrap. Then pausing to ensure I don’t have anything in my teeth, I open the door to my place and make my way over to the boxes encasing his door.

“Hello? Mr. Burns? Are you okay in there?” I can hear the laugh in my voice even though I am trying not to, but the image of the cardboard barricade is comical.

I get up and gather the comics, placing them back in the box. I then hear Chase's voice from behind the wall of boxes. "Yea, I'm fine. I just fell. I guess that's the fun of moving in, huh?" I chuckle to myself as I walk towards the boxes. I move a couple of boxes and place them behind me, until I can finally see her.

Just seeing her was like the light at the end of my tunnel......of boxes. "Hello again. I never got to say this last night, but my name is Brandon. Also, thank you for the goods last night, they were delicious." I reach out to shake her hand, but I lose my balance again around the boxes and fall towards her. I instinctively wrap my arms around her to catch myself. After catching myself, I let out a deep sigh. "Once this is all done, I'm gonna burn all of these boxes, and I'm gonna enjoy it."

I then realize this next. My arms were wrapped around her lower waist, so my hands were on her ass. And my head was pressing against her breasts. My face went red the moment it hit me that this happened. I jump up and apologize. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that I did any of that. One minute I'm falling, and without thinking, I use you to catch myself. Anyway, I'm very sorry. Please forgive me." Well, so much for my chances with her.

"Brandon," I try his name out on my lips, and the next moment he is falling towards me. I gasp a bit starttled as his arms wrap about me, his face in my clevage. A deep blush creeps into my cheeks. I am unsure if I should enclose my arms about him and help him up, or if I should just stand there and let him right himself. His body feels hard, pressed against mine, and it sends a tingle through my body. I've not felt like this in a long time. I smile as he pulls himself up and blushes himself.

"I'm sorry, I let them in thinking they would be more curtious on how they stacked things." I shrug a bit and offer him the wrapped sandwich in my hand. "I made you a turkey sandwich, I kinda thought you might not have anything in your cupboards yet." I smile at him, open and friendly. He is handsome and as his eyes meet mine I can feel myself melting.

"Did you need a hand? Or do you have it under control?"

I take the sandwich and look at her, her body was so soft, especially her breasts. I'd love to feel them again, but who knows if she'll be as forgiving next time if I try that again. "Thank you, I don't have anything yet, but I plan to get some groceries after unpacking."

I then hear her offer to help, and I quickly answer. "Yes, please. Oh, if you don't mind, I'l like some help." He tell her, still blushing from the experience moments ago. I quickly put the sandwich on the table inside and go back and outside and grab another box. I grab a box labeled "games" and bring that to the living room. "For now, just help me bring stuff in, and then we'll unpack and put everything where it needs to go."

I quickly think about everything I brought, and wonder if there's anything I'll be embarrassed of her seeing. I was pretty sure I got rid of any of my adult material before I moved, giving them to friends that still lived in the area. So I should be fine if she sees any of my stuff.

I laugh softly; it seems both of us are just a bit awkward right now. I manoeuvre into his space and pick up the nearest box to me, taking it into his living room. There’s a pile of graphic novels on the floor and I try to avoid stepping on them, wrecking them or breaking my neck. I set the box down and bend to pick up the small pile of books.

“Looks like your books mounted a strategic attack on you,” I say a teasing light to my voice as I put them on the couch. I can’t help but notice how his boxes are all labelled and organized. That’s surprising for such a young kid.

“Brandon,” I ask as I head to pick up another box. “Do you mind if I ask how old you are?” Now I am being just a nosey neighbour, but this young man has peaked my interest and I am curious. I pick up another box, it’s heavy and I nearly let it go as I try to get a better grip on it.

"I'm actually twenty-two." I answered, running to help you with the box. "Here, let's put this over here." I help her walk to to living room, putting it down in front of the couch. As we got back up, I got a little peek down your blouse. A nice little peek at your breasts. I quickly run back out to pick up another box before she notices I was looking down her blouse.

After a while, we finally got the last of the boxes into the house, and I was finally able to close the door. "Ok, now we can finally start unpacking." I open one of the boxes to pull out a small flat screen tv. I place it on the stand in front of the couch and start plugging it in. I first hooked it up to the cable box, then plugged in the tv. "Alright, I have tv."

Twenty-two.” I whistle softly. More than 10 years my junior. Though at 33, I hadn’t really considered myself old until....now. I smile as I catch his eyes wandering to the opening of my blouse. Subtle, on a younger girl I doubt he would have been caught, but I am not a younger girl. The flare of interest in his eyes though is flattering, and I can’t help but blush a bit as I straighten. I can’t help but smile at his excitement over having TV.

“Well that’s a good thing, that means everything else should be hooked up as well.” I laugh as I pop open the nearest box labelled ‘Movies” and start handing him them. My hand brushes against his as I pass them off to him, and I can’t help but wonder after the first time if it’s deliberate on his end, or on mine.

It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to flirt with someone. But I do find that I want to, with him. As soon as the box is empty I turn it over, picking at the tape binding the bottom and peeling it off before collapsing the box.

“One down, “ I say with a bit of a wink as I pull out another box. Given the state of things, the majority would be done before dinner. I wonder if I should be forward and ask him over, but I dismiss the notion. Slowly Chase, I chastise myself, biting my lip wondering what to say next.

After the movies are all set up, I move to the games box and pull out my game system. I plug in my XBox then pull out the games and arrange them to be together. "Alright. Now my games are set up." I flatten the box and hand them to her and reach for another box.

I was starting to feel hungry, and I reach up and head to the kitchen table to have the sandwich she made for me. I took a bite, and I could taste the love she put into her food. I slowed down to savor the sandwich, as I slowly got less and less with each bit. "Mmmmmmmm, good." I mutter as I finish up the sandwich. It helped to have that, but I'm still hungry. Oh well, I'll get something when I'm done.

"So, what do you usually do for a living?" I ask out of curiousity. I wanted to get to know her. Maybe level the playing field for me to have a chance with her. I had to take a different approach to this. My usual material won't work on her, since she's most likely heard it before. So I need to stand out from the other chumps that ask her out.

“I’m a design artist; I do a bunch of things with that, contract work, special projects mainly.” I shrug as I gently page through one of his graphic novels. I did one once, when I was young, and part of me is certain if I look through his collection I’d likely find it, but there is no need for that right now.

I help him with the last box, after he downs the sandwich I brought for him. His excitement about his games being hooked up reminding me yet again of the age difference between us. I was never a gamer. I shake my head softly as I watch him covertly, something about him has gotten to me and I find that I enjoy watching him move, wondering what his skin looks like as it ripples over his body.

“So, I bet you are hungry...what kind of things do you like to eat?” I ask, trying not to be awkward as a list of places close by pop into my mind. I hate eating alone, and wonder if by offering to show him about I can score a partner for the evening meal. Dave is out of town, and if he weren’t; he’d likely be out with his lady friend. I like the girl and will be glad to call her my sister someday, but right now she’s stolen the only constant company I’ve had for the last couple of years.

I turn to her, realizing that I was still very hungry. "Oh, I eat just about anything. I prefer eating asian food, but I'll be happy with whatever I eat." I shrug as I sit down trying to relax. All of this took longer than I had hoped for. I was hoping I'd get some groceries to stock up the fridge, but that'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. I can maybe see if any of my friends are online later tonight after I spend time with Chase.

I had the urge to want to play some games, but I didn't want Chase to leave just yet. I figured she was most likely not a gamer, so I'll just have to hold off on gaming and spend some time with her. Plus I needed to eat soon anyway. Maybe we can go out and eat something together. "Did you want to maybe go out and get something to eat?" I shyly ask her, my face blushing a little again.

I laugh softly at his suggestion.

“Great minds think a like,” I say smiling at him. “There is a pretty good Asian place just a couple blocks down, we can walk there and I can show you a bit about the neighbourhood.” I watch him discreetly, intrigued by the flush in his cheeks.

“I just need to grab my jacket, and then I will be ready to go.” I can feel the flush crawling up my own cheeks as I turn, my hand on the door to his apartment. I slip out and to my own space. I grab my jacket and my little change purse that I put into my pocket, ensuring I have enough money on me to more than cover dinner.

I pause in front of the mirror, the dark jeans I am wearing are my favourites, they accent every curve of my body just right. The blouse is a bit loose and flirty, with an open v-neck line, one that I am fairly certain he appreciates already. I slip into the jacket as I close my door. This isn’t a date, but I am excited to be spending some more time with him, and hope I don’t come off as some pathetic older creeper. He is handsome, and totally cute in his manerisums. I sigh softly as I walk the several paces back to his open door.

"Ready to go Brandon?"

I grab my zip-up hoodie, and put it on. I check to see how I'm dressed first, to see if I was ok to go out. I had my baggy pair of blue jeans, a had one of my dark shirts with some smart ass comment on it. I zip up my hoodie to hide the shirt, making myself a little more presentable. I grab my wallet and my keys and put them in my pocket. I then hear my door open, and Chase asks if I'm ready. "Coming."

I walk next to her, with my hands in my pockets. I had to fight the urge to put my arm around her. We were just neighbors going out to eat, this isn't a date. I kept glancing over at how she looked, my eyes following her curves. I look back in front of me, trying to think of what to say. "So, I'm betting someone like you has a bunch of guys drooling over you." Dammit, not the best thing to say to someone I'm trying to get with. The last thing I'd want to hear is how she can have any guy in the world.

We walk out of the apartment in silence; both of us seem to be lost for words. I’m walking close to him, nearly bumping into his arm. Brandon is keeping pace with me which is awesome, a curse of long legs, I tend to walk fast. I pause for a moment as I take in his words. I laugh softly, letting myself look at him.

“Funny, I was just going to say the same thing, about you and girls.” I flash him a smile with a wink to show I am teasing. “As for me, naw, I am a bit gun shy. It’s been a long time since someone caught my interest, and for me interest is a big thing.” I blush a bit.

“I got engaged young, married when I shouldn’t have and like so many kids by the time we were 25 we’d grown apart, or up, depending on how you look at it. Either which way it’s over, and I focused a lot on my career.” I shrug as I look at Brandon.

“What about you, hun? No girlfriend? Or harems trying to crash down your door? “ I gently tug on his arm, lopping mine into his as we walk, leaning in to point him in the right direction. “We need to turn here, see the lights at the corner there? That’s the place.” I’ve done it now, putting my arm into his. I don’t know if I should untangle us, or let it stay like that. Though as we take a few more steps I blush deeper, feeling my breast brushing against him every time we take a step.

Score, she's single. That's one problem gone, so no competition. Now to get her interested. I blush a little as she grabs my arm. "Well, not really. Nobody has really caught my eye. I did have one long ago, but she cheated on me, so I quit for a while. I guess you can say I'm currently more interested in having fun with friends and working on school. But I'll always be on the lookout for a nice girl to get with."

After saying that, I think about actually being with her for a moment. Sure she's older than me, but I feel like I can really be happy with her. Sure we might not have the exact same interests, but for some reason, I feel we could really connect. I lean in a little as she holds my arm, and we approach the Chinese place. "Well, I sure am hungry. How about you?" I try to take my mind off of it, and change the subject.

“That I am,” I laugh softly, and let go of his arm to grab the door of the small restaurant. They know me better than they should here, and as I usher him in the waitress smiles and bows in greeting. My table is free. God, is it sad that I even have a table? I lead Brandon to it and shrug off my light jacket.

“I hope you enjoy it here, they have a couple of signature dishes that are to die for.” I smile at him as I sink into my seat, watching him. He is young, something that can be seen in his features, but he is undeniably attractive, at least to me. The waitress brings us menus and green tea before disappearing.

I wonder if she’s telling her mother in the kitchen that I have a friend with me, who is decidedly not my brother. Dave brought his girlfriend here, when they first started dating. Mama Leung read his tea leaves and told him she was the one he was supposed to marry, and while that was a year ago now, I can see the path before them is the one she predicted. And I hope against all hope her daughter hasn’t said anything about my companion. I open the menu and smile at Brandon as he looks over his own.

“So, see anything you want?” A hint of a smile and a teasing undertone lie beneath my words, and I wonder if he will catch the hidden flirt.

"Well, there is something, but I'll look through the menu for now." I hope that wasn't too obvious. I thought she was flirting with me, so I decided to flirt back.

I looked around, and seeing the decorations of the restaurant. It reminded me of a typical asian place. I look back down at the menu and look for something that catches my eye. "What are the signatures here?" I ask her, recalling her saying something about the signatures foods being the best.

The people in the place acted as if they knew her. I wonder is she comes here often. If so, I wonder if they think we're dating. I begin to think about teasing the people here about it, by acting all friendly with Chase, but while holding her hand or putting my arm around her. Sending them mixed signals about us.

I smile at him and wink, catching his veiled hint. And my heart starts racing; he’s flirting back. I lean over the small table between us to point out the couple of things I think he needs to definitely try, aware that the very motion has pushed the swells of my breasts up to the open neck line of my shirt.

“This one, and this one,” I say. “Especially if you like shrimp, the peaches and cream shrimp is my favourite, and then the dragon beef is spectacular. They also have a small offering of Sushi on the back page of the menu which is worth looking over.” My eyes find his as I mention the items.

Was that a dip in his gaze? I lean back into my chair and let him look over the menu. I know what I want, and chances are it’s already being made up anyway. Sometimes it pays to be a regular fixture in a place like this. I can see the crown of Mama Leung’s head as she steals a glance at us from the kitchen.

Maybe this wasn’t the best place to take Brandon, given the interest we seem to be creating, but something about having him here at the same time, makes me very very happy. I watch him as he looks over the menu. Our waitress, Jeni looks over at me waiting for a signal to approach.

“So Brandon, see anything?” I ask as I raise my teacup and take a sip. I think my life just got much more interesting having this boy as my neighbour.

I look through the menu. After she pointed out the dragon beef, it really interested me. "Ok, I think I know what I want to eat." I put down the menu and look at Chase. After seeing her wink at me, I felt like I wanted to push a little further with flirting with her. Maybe raise my chances, but I couldn't think of what to say.

Our waitress approaches us as asks for my order. "Hi, I'd like to have the dragon beef. And can I also get a glass of water? Thank you." I hand her my menu and notice that she didn't take Chase's order. I guess she really does come often that they know what she wants. I then turn back to face her, out eyes meeting.

"So, Chase, let's say, hypothetically, that someone like me were to ask you out." I start to get nervous. There's no way something like this was going to work. "What would you say to something like that?" I give her a smile, meanwhile a voice saying, you are a fucking idiot, is booming in my head.