Love Thy Neighbor (Friend-Zoned)(12)

Only now do I notice we’re both in pajamas. Ghost wears a tight white tee and blue pajama pants. I wear my Minnie Mouse pants and tank combo.

I chuckle softly and clarify, “You broke into my apartment to steal my milk?”

Ghost smiles, runs a hand through his longish sandy hair and bites his tongue.

Oh, geez. He looks like a little boy when he does that.

Adorable.

He says apologetically, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

My stomach rumbles. I glance over at the clock. 8:57am.

I ask slowly, “Want some French Toast?” Ghost looks stunned. I rush to continue, “I can’t make it just for one person. The recipe I know is for two people. I always make too much for myself, so if you want some, I’ll make it for both of us otherwise the rest will go to waste.”

And pause for air.

He grins. “Uh, yeah. Sure. As long as you have bacon too.”

I roll my eyes and mutter, “Who on earth makes French toast without bacon or syrup? ”

We both stand and walk to the kitchen. I start removing things from the fridge and cupboards. I ask Ghost to get some plates and just as I’m about to tell him where to get them, he goes to the exact place my plates are kept, removes two and places them on the counter.

My eyes narrow. “Ghost, have you been in my apartment before last night?”

His back is to me but he visibly stiffens.

Oh my God!

I lean closer to him and whisper-hiss, “Oh my God! You have! When?”

He turns, holds up his hands in surrender and explains, “The day after that first night. I came home while you were still at work and cased the place. I was just checking how secure it was. That’s all.”

My fists ball and I close my eyes. “How thorough were you?”

He replies immediately. “Pretty damn thorough.”

Eyes still closed, I ask a hushed, “Did you go into my room?”

He doesn’t say a word. So there’s my answer.

My face flushes and I whisper, “Did you go through my underwear drawer?”

He doesn’t answer this either.

OH MY GOD! That means he saw…

“Oh my God!” I shout and cover my face with my hands.

Ghost sputters, “I- I- I only looked for a second. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s normal. Lots of women use vibrators…”

My face turns beet red and I yell, “Stop talking!”

“…I know quite a few women who pleasure themselves…”

I screech, “Shut up, Ghost!”

“…I mean, I was surprised at first. You don’t seem like the kind of woman who needs a vibrator…”

I walk over to him and cover his mouth with both my hands. He closes his eyes. I whisper, “We will never speak of this again. Ever.” He stays quiet for a long moment but nods once.

I let go of his mouth, turn around and go about making our breakfast.

***

My eyes close in bliss as I bite into another piece of syrup-covered bacon.

Not only is she sexy, but she cooks too.

Nice.

We’ve been fairly silent over breakfast. Ever since the vibrator conversation, she hasn’t said much.

I don’t know what the big deal is.

It’s hot.

I’d bet at least fifty percent of women own one. I like a woman who isn’t afraid to please herself.

I clear my throat. “This is great. I didn’t know you cooked.”

Nat looks up and smiles. “Well you never asked, did you? Not much of a conversationalist, are you Ash?”

I love when she says my name.

Poking at my bacon, I admit quietly, “No. Not much. No.”

“Why is that? You’re clearly intelligent. You wouldn’t be able to do all that fancy security stuff if you were dumb. Why don’t you talk much?”

I shrug and explain, “I prefer to listen. You can find out a lot about a person if they think you aren’t interested in what they’re saying. It helps me figure out the type of person they are.”

She plays with her food and asks quietly, “Do you listen to me when I talk?” I nod and she asks, “What have you learnt about me?”

I lean back on my chair. “I’ve learnt looks can be deceiving.”

Her brow furrows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shake my head and accuse, “Hell, no. If I tell you, you’ll just punch me again!”

She rolls her eyes and vows, “I promise not to punch you again. Today.”

I utter, “Okay. You asked for it, pretty girl.” I exhale loudly and rest my forearms on the small dining table leaning closer to her. “You act like a tough girl, but the things that hurt other people hurt you just as much. You just don’t say anything about it. You never show your true emotions and are very guarded with people you meet. You use sarcasm to deflect truth and you don’t trust easily. You sometimes use your looks to get what you want. You hide behind bright red hair, pretty dresses and sexy lips. You’re also unpredictable. Basically, you are a guy’s wet dream and worst nightmare all rolled into one. You’re the woman a guy falls in love with but doesn’t really know. He falls in love with one version of you. You’ll only show the real you when you feel safe in the relationship and it might not be what that man wants in the end.”