Page 34 of Hate Mail

I frown at her, then follow her gaze to the sidewalk ahead of us just in time to see a half-naked man running toward my building. As he passes under a streetlamp, his muscles glisten with sweat under the golden light. It takes me a second to realize that we’re both drooling over Jake, although Anne seems to have known it from the beginning.

“Shirtless,” she murmurs, as if she’s lost the ability to form a complete sentence.

“Oh my…” It seems that I’m at a loss for words too.

“You better go catch up with him,” she says, nudging my arm.

“I can’t let him see me like this.” I’m sure I still have sand in my hair from lying on the beach yesterday.

I watch as he stretches in front of the building, then picks up a shirt that he must have left on the steps when he started his run. He slips it on.

“Take it back off,” Anne mumbles as he lets himself in. I wait until he’s out of sight before I open the car door.

“See you tomorrow, Anne.”

“Later, Gnome.”

I don’t respond, hoping that if I ignore her enough times, she’ll stop using that nickname. I let myself into the building and wave to Joel, who’s planted at the security desk as usual. He nods at me, the weathered skin around his eyes wrinkling when he smiles. As I turn, I collide with an unexpected object, knocking me off balance. Before I can hit the ground, my fall is broken by the person I just ran into. It takes me a moment to realize that it’s Jake. He smiles down at me, looking amused as he pulls me back up.

“Thanks,” I stammer.

His hands are warm on my arms. Despite the warmth, his touch sends goosebumps over my skin. He’s so close that I would have to tilt my head all the way up just to see his face. I’m eyelevel with his collarbone. I’m afraid that if I look into his eyes, he’ll know that I’m holding my breath, so I find myself staring at his chest instead. I take a moment to appreciate the way his shirt hugs his pectorals. His chest rises and then falls with a deep breath. Time stops for a moment. I can hear his heart beating, or maybe it’s my own. It drums in my ears, so loud that in this moment it’s the only thing I can hear.

He releases my arms slowly. When he lets go, my skin feels cold, and I wish he was still holding onto me. I tilt my head up to meet his eyes. The way he stares at me makes me wonder if I just said that out loud. I think about running upstairs to put an end to my embarrassment, but something holds me here in the lobby with him.

“Thanks for catching me,” I say, trying to laugh it off. I step around him, allowing my arm to brush against his as I head for the mailboxes.

He follows me. I can feel him watching me as I open my mailbox.

“Good trip?”

For a second, I think he’s talking about what just happened a minute ago. It takes me a moment to remember that I just came from San Diego and that’s what he’s asking about. When I look up at him, he has that crooked smile that looks so good on him.

“Yeah. Sorry. I’m not fully awake right now.”

He looks at the number on my mailbox, then back at me. “Huh,” he says. “I didn’t know that you live in the apartment right below me.”

“I do?”

He gestures to his own mailbox. It’s exactly one floor number above mine. I close my mailbox, then turn to face him, my hand on my hip. I think of all the times the noises upstairs have kept me awake late in the evening or distracted me.

“I have so many questions,” I say.

“Like what?”

“Like what the hell do you do up there? Do you have a bowling alley in your living room or something?”

He scoffs. “Yeah, right. Coming from the girl who blasts her music so loud it sounds like it’s in my own apartment.”

“I only do that to drown out the sound of all that noise you’re making up there.”

“I can’t be that loud.”

“Seriously. What do you do up there to make so much noise?”

He shrugs. “I can’t think of anything that would disturb you. I’ve always thought I was a quiet neighbor.”

“You can’t possibly think you’re quiet. On top of the bowling alley, it sounds like you’re running laps up there at all hours of the night.” I gesture to the front door. “Is running outside not enough?”

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