Page 35 of Faking it with my Off Limits Neighbor

“I’m your boyfriend, Charlie.”

Is this guy for real?

“No, Eddy. You were my boyfriend. You were supposed to be faithful to me and only me. But you’re so full of yourself that your superiority complex got the better of you.”

“I would’ve stopped,” he yelled.

His words hit me, and I’m stunned for a second by what they might mean. I flounder before I realize the truth. “You mean you were still sleeping with them, even after I found out? Even after I left you?”

He looks at me with an expression of bewilderment, as though this shouldn’t be new information. “Yes,” he says plainly.

“Oh, my gosh, Eddy,” I gasp. “Leave.” I fling a gesture to back up my words. “Just leave and never come back. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

The anger returns to his face, his cheeks getting redder and redder. “So, you’d sooner have that loser who left you in the first place instead of me?”

Suddenly, his unexpected presence makes sense. He’s only here because he’s discovered Troy is back in town. He’s been challenged. His ego and pride have a point to prove. Well, he won’t be using me to prove it.

“You need to leave, and you need to do it now!” I yell.

I don’t wait for a reply and slam the door in his face. I’m so filled with rage and frustration that I’m actually shaking.

“Of all the pigheaded, arrogant, ignorant morons.” I storm into the kitchen and begin pacing back and forth. There’s this mass of energy inside of me, trying to get out, trying to get some form of release. And believe me, I want badly to get rid of it. But if I punch something, which is what I really feel like doing right now, I’ll do more damage to myself than whatever I hit.

“He’s the one who cheated on me. He’s the one who continued to cheat on me even after I found out. Who the heck does he think he is, arriving at my door and asking for another chance? As if I would ever consider getting back together with him, even for a heartbeat?”

I’m ranting like a crazy person as I pace back and forth, and I suddenly feel like I need some fresh air. Crashing through the back door, I gulp in air like I’m suffocating. As I stand there, breathing in and out erratically, my head feels light, and a tingling sensation starts in my fingers.

You’re hyperventilating. You need to calm down.

I drop and sit on the step to my back patio, trying my best to slow my breathing, taking long breaths in and letting slow breaths out. The lightness in my head eventually passes, and my fingers feel normal again. But out of nowhere, my throat tightens; unable to stop them, I feel tears pour down my cheeks.

I don’t really know why I’m crying. Maybe it’s because of a lot of things. Maybe work has been a bit overwhelming, or maybe it’s because my period is just around the corner and I’m feeling more emotional. What does it matter, though? Eddy’s arrival has triggered these tears, and I no longer care where they’ve come from. I’m going to just let them fall.

I’m still sobbing when I hear a soft voice from my left.

“Are you okay?”

16

Troy

I’m not at the restaurant today because the engineers are refitting the entire kitchen; fryers, ovens, stoves, and everything. But that doesn’t stop me from perfecting my craft. I don’t need a restaurant kitchen to narrow down my ingredients and get the dishes perfect.

It’s as I’m wrist-deep in a peppered sauce that I hear yelling outside. I’m a bit surprised. This is a pretty quiet neighborhood, and you don’t generally get domestic disturbances, especially not out in the open. But these guys are clearly going at it in the street. I shake my head and am about to start grinding in a bit of salt when I realize that I recognize the woman’s voice.

Is that Charlie?

Grabbing a cloth, I wipe my hands and head to the living room window at the side of the house. I can’t see Charlie from this angle, but sure enough, there’s a guy at her front door, gesticulating dramatically.

“I’m your boyfriend, Charlie,” he says.

What?!

Immediately, my blood runs cold, but a second later, I hear Charlie’s retort. “No, Eddy. You were my boyfriend…”

On no level do I believe that Charlie is capable of playing the cheating game, but I still feel relief flooding through me. The argument continues for a few more moments, and then I hear Charlie’s front door slam shut.

This Eddy character stands in Charlie’s driveway for a few seconds longer before turning and walking away. He climbs into a Mercedes, and with his tires screeching, he hauls away.

---