Page 14 of A Little Christmas! Johnny
My spiral of negative thoughts is interrupted when something fluffy and soft is thrown over my head. Reaching up, I realize that Russ must have thrown a blanket over me. It’s so soft and smells lightly of dryer sheets. I should really tell him that blankies shouldn’t get hit with fabric softener. It weighs them down and makes them a fire hazard.
Later, though.
Pulling the blankie tighter around me, I start to calm down. My thumb is tapping against my lips, but I resist the urge to suck on it. There’s too much risk of Russ seeing.
“I sorry, Johnny,” Russel whimpers from the direction of the floor. There’s something different in the tone of his voice that reminds me of the night I first met him. Lifting the edge of the blanket, I see him sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor in front of me clutching a very worn teddy bear that has a pacifier clipped to it. Something about the pacifier is itching my brain, but I don’t want to think about it right now.
“It’s okay, Russ,” I reassure him, not really knowing why he’s apologizing to me. “It’s been a long day and I think I just need to go to sleep.”
He nods quickly and jumps to his feet, pulling me up with him. We’re halfway up the stairs before I remember I’m still holding the blankie... blanket. At the top of the stairs, I ask him where I should put it, having not seen where he grabbed it from. He tilts his head like Jess used to do when they were trying to figure out what the grownups were talking about. Instead of answering me, he pulls me into what I earlier assumed was another guest room or an office, but it looks like a kid’s room – only something isn’t quite right with this either.
Russ takes the blankie... blanket from me and hops into the bed, burrowing himself under the covers with his teddy tucked securely in his arms. He points to the nightlight on the dresser, so I switch it on before he rolls away from me. I can take the hint and turn off the overhead light on my way out of the room.
As soon as I’m in the guest room across the hall, I dive under the blankets. What the hell did I just see?!
I don’t know what bothers me more: the fact that I don’t see Russ any differently after watching him turn into basically a child in front of me or the fact that my only thought at seeing him in that room is that I want that. My secret room at the house is going to be so much more awesomer than Russel’s room.
14
DEXTER
My phone wakes me barely two hours after I finally managed to drift off. Unlocking the screen, I’m not surprised that it’s my neighbor waking me up. What is shocking is the fact that he’s texting instead of just barging his way into my home.
My Favoritist Neighbor EVA:
Don’t be mad
I’ve given up on changing his contact name back. Russel regularly breaks into my phone somehow and changes contact names to whatever he fancies at the time. Surprisingly, he’s kept his name the same for the last few months. Josie from work has had some creative names over the last couple of weeks, so I know Russ has been in there. Josie is one of his former fuck buddies and to say it didn’t end well is an understatement.
Me:
if its about the car, take it back
My Favoritist Neighbor EVA:
it’s KINDA about the car
More about who owns the car
Oh, thank fuck he didn’t buy it. He can get away with an older car, but his dad would never allow his son to own a vehicle where the doors don’t match the fenders – any of them. That thing is at least four different cars Frankensteined together. But if it’s not Russel’s...
Me:
Do u need me to play the jealous husband and kick some bitch out?
U know better than to go out without a wingman
The man doesn’t know how to say no when women come on to him. Considering he’s searching for a Mommy Domme, any time a woman takes initiative, his resolve melts and he surrenders to her whims. Then by the time morning rolls around, he wants her gone but lacks the ability to stand his ground.
My Favoritist Neighbor EVA:
A few more pings sound from my phone while I’m in the bathroom taking care of my morning routine. Even with the text barrage, Russel will likely stop by to ask me for a ride to work again. I highly doubt he’s going to trust some random piece of ass with taking him to work and have them find out who he actually is.
On my way back to the bedroom, clean and fully awake, I grab my phone and frown at the messages he left while I was busy with my hygiene stuff.
My Favoritist Neighbor EVA:
someone did stay over
