Page 21 of Bad Boy Neighbor

“Your accent is so hot.”

“Do you work out?”

A few girls stopped by to chat, and the moment they leave, Gabriella huffs in annoyance.

“Such a player,” she mutters beneath her breath.

“Excuse me?”

Gabriella turns to face me, lips pressed flat with a visible flush in her cheeks.

“I said, you’re such a player. How many numbers have you scored today?”

“Jealous, much?”

“Please. I have my own problems. I just don’t jump into bed with strangers to forgot them.”

“Interesting, because last week, you invited me back to your place,” I remind her with a goading smile. “So, your position is cowgirl, huh?

“You’re a jerk, you know that?”

“Music to my ears, sweetheart.”

It’s late afternoon when we all decide to pack up and call it a day. Thank God, because Gabriella refused to talk or look at me from that point on.

On the ride back home, everyone remains quiet, exhausted from the sun exposure and heat. Even Ace is snoring in the back. I somewhat hate silence—it gives me too much time to think.

When we reach home, I help Seb and Lana unload as Gabriella waves goodbye. She pauses for a moment as if she’s going to say something but decides against it, turning her back to head home.

Inside, Seb calls starvation and orders us some pizza, much to Lana’s disapproval.

An hour later, I answer the door, paying the delivery guy when I glance over and see Gabriella’s house. Placing the boxes on the kitchen countertop, I yell out that I’ll be back in five minutes, slipping my sneakers on before walking outside.

I knock on her door, unsure why I feel compelled to see her. Moments later, the porch light flashes on, and behind the glass window, I see Gabriella’s face peeking through. Her confused expression pulls away as the sound of the locks clicks, and the door is opened.

“I just came to say it wasn’t my decision to be an ex-soccer player,” I mumble, unable to make eye contact with her. “I got… I got in a motorcycle accident and was injured. So there, piece to your puzzle.”

I don’t want her pity. I’ve carried enough of that on my own. I just don’t want any more speculation. She has the facts, and whatever she does with them is now her business.

As I walk away with my back turned, she calls my name. I spin around, stopping just shy of the gate.

“I need to figure out if the life my father has planned for me is the life I’m willing to settle for.” She sighs, slumping her body against the door frame. “So there, the piece to your puzzle.”

It’s not the entire piece, but for tonight, it left me with a glimmer of something. In a world full of fines, we both are not fine. We all have our crosses bearing heavily on our souls, but sometimes, there’s this unexplainable presence of someone who makes life worth living again.

Like a breath of fresh fucking air.

I walk back home, unable to stop thinking about Gabriella. She has an unusual predicament of being controlled by her father. Honestly, it’s like something out of a 1950s movie. I had questions, lots of them. But there would be a time and a place when the puzzle would make a complete picture.

Sitting on the lounge surrounded by Seb laughing obnoxiously over some commercial and Lana almost passed out on wine, I scroll through my phone and see the lists of girls’ numbers I collected today.

Not a bad haul, I think.

I could get laid tonight.

Or score a good blowie since it’s been forever.

Yet, only one thing replays in my mind, and it’s the one thing I can’t shake off.

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