Page 9 of Reserved for Him
I ran a hand over the top of my head. “I mean… She’s attractive, but you know I ain’t looking for nothing. Plus, I don’t think we would mesh well.”
“Did it seem like she was interested in you?”
“It probably was misplaced. She might have just looked at me like I was a hero or something. She’ll forget about it by tomorrow.”
I didn’t want her to forget about me, but I knew she needed time to heal. I wasn’t trying to be anybody’s rebound.
“She definitely won’t, but I ain’t gonna hold you. It might not happen soon since she just got out of something, but I think you’ll be seeing more of her.”
“She lives next door.”
Quan sucked his teeth. “You know what I mean. I’m just saying don’t blow your opportunity if you get one.”
We talked for a little longer before we hung up.
When I went back into the living room, I looked out the window and saw that Junicia had left. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get into any trouble while she was out.
I didn’t have anything else to do, so I sat on the couch and put a movie on. The whole time my mind kept drifting to my neighbor. I was glad I could put a name to her pretty face, but I would continue to keep my distance.
Chapter
Five
Junicia
It had beena few days since Leo stole my car, and I hadn’t heard from him since. I did file the police report, but I didn’t press charges. I just wanted it on record in case he did something else. I tried to show a little sympathy since he was going through a hard time, so as long as he didn’t bother me again, I wouldn’t get the police involved. I wouldn’t tell Franklin that if he asked, but I hadn’t seen him since that day either. We lived so close but somehow kept missing each other.
If I didn’t know any better, he was purposely avoiding me. I wasn’t sure why because I knew that he noticed that something was brewing between us. It was the way he stared into my eyes. They were so dark and intense. It felt like he was interested in me but didn’t know what to say.
I was surprised when he stepped in for me. It was for sure unexpected since we didn’t know each other. I didn’t know what to say or do. I wanted to repay him for what he did, but I didn’t know how. I knew nothing about him to know what he liked. I saw him sitting on his porch a lot drinking out of a coffee mug,but I wasn’t sure what was in there. For all I knew, he could have been drinking liquor. I was a little judgmental, but he didn’t seem like the type to drink all the time. Not that all drinkers had a look.
Before getting fired, Leo was a social drinker. If he was out or at a party, he would have one or two drinks max. After he lost his job, he started drinking every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. I knew it was hard for him to lose a job and his license, but he wasn’t going to get another job if he continued with his behavior. He wasn’t my problem anymore, at least I hoped not.
All day at work, I thought about Franklin. I always thought he was handsome, but seeing him up close, I was able to fully take in his features. He had dark eyes that looked like black coal. Being close to him made my body shiver. He probably thought I shivered because of the cold, but it was the effect he had on me.
I wanted to kiss him when he came on my porch, even though I was a little nervous at first. It was our first encounter, and I didn’t know what to expect. There was concern in his eyes when he asked me if I was okay. I couldn’t see the full design, but he had a tattoo that peeked over his jacket and on the side of his neck. The man was sexy as hell, and quiet, but underneath lay something else. Pulling a gun out on a stranger had me thinking there was more to Franklin than met the eye. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was curious to find out.
I needed to be worried about if Leo would come back to my house or not. Something told me he wasn’t going to go away so easily since he hadn’t already. His being quiet could have been plotting something against me. I didn’t know what he was capable of, and I didn’t want to find out. I just prayed that it finally sunk in that things were over, and he would go about his business. Maybe he could find some other unsuspecting woman who didn’t care about him not having a job, or any ambition. Itwas possible he already did, and that’s why he hadn’t bothered me.
When I got home from work, I peeked over to see if Franklin’s car was in the driveway, but it wasn’t. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see him.
“Leave that man alone.” Talking out loud helped me get my thoughts together sometimes.
On the way home from work, I had stopped at the liquor store for some wine and picked up dinner from a restaurant nearby. I had forgotten to take something out for dinner, and I didn’t feel like cooking anyway. I had to travel forty-five minutes to another hospital to do a survey, and by the time I got home, I was tired.
I was in the middle of watching a movie when my throat started itching. At first, I tried to play it off, but it continued. After a few minutes, my arms started itching as well.
“What the hell?” I tried clearing my throat to scratch it, but it wasn’t helping. The next thing I knew, my lip began to swell.
I got up to get some Benadryl from the bathroom when I heard a crash through my living room.
“What the fuck was that?” I turned to walk toward the window and saw a brick lying on the floor.
“I told you this shit wasn’t over!” Leo yelled from my front yard.
I snatched the door open even though I should have been calling the cops.
“Leo, why the fuck did you throw a brick through my window? What part of this is over aren’t you comprehending? For someone to be so smart, you’re fucking stupid!” I walked toward him not caring about the swelling in my lip or the fact that he could have done something to me.
