Page 21 of Spark

“Fuck you.” Her voice was steady but quiet as she tiptoed closer. “Fuck.”

Closing her eyes and trying to calm down, she sighed. Three weeks, not a word. And suddenly, three lines sent her into a rage. Obviously, moving on was not quite in the cards yet. Mia sank back down, sliding the computer closer. Highlighting the rambling message, she tapped delete, closed the page, and shut down the computer. If he could be radio silent, so could she.

Chapter Twelve

“NO, no, no!” Terry practically yelled over Janet, who was once again out of her chair, jabbing a finger at the overweight middle-aged man. The other tenants exchanged glances; Mia and Tony locked eyes, rolled them, and let out a few muffled “teehees.”

“Janet, this building is perfectly secure. If you need more, move to the White House!” Terry flung a hand toward the older woman, making a shushing sound as he plopped back down. To Mia’s surprise, Janet sat, brushing nonexistent dirt from her ankle-length skirt and tugging at the collar of her turtleneck.

Mia scanned the group, waiting for someone to speak next. All the tenants attended the building meetings every six months, when Terry liked to hear complaints or discuss rent increases. Officially, they were scheduled monthly, but only Janet usually showed up, while those with personal disputes would come to work things out. When Terry was present, everyone else followed suit. Despite living in the same building, most were only on a first-name basis, except for Mia, Tony, and Janet.And Oliver, she supposed, glancing to find him leaning against the wall, his elbow propped up as he typed away on his cell. She quickly looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze or have him approach her and try to sit with her and Tony. The other tenants were scattered around, some seated alone or in pairs.

They all sat still, distracting themselves as they waited for the meeting to continue. Janet made a small throat-clearing sound, drawing attention back to herself. She scanned the room, then stood once more, clasping her hands in front of her.

“If I am allowed to continue with my discussion, uninterrupted, as was everyone who spoke before me,” she began, raising a brow at Terry. He shook his head, but she pressed on before he could interrupt. “I sat in silence through Tony’s ridiculous spiel about why he can only offer two free ‘simple’ coffees a week to tenants or a discount of only 30% but not both.”

Tony opened his mouth, but Mia reached across the table to pat his arm. He sighed and relaxed.

“This building is over a hundred years old and needs to be updated for our safety!” Janet’s voice rose with each word, ending in an echoing shout.

The other tenants exchanged awkward glances.

“We deserve reassurance that some stranger off the street can’t just walk in here and do God knows what!” She took a deep breath and looked at Oliver.

He stood more in the shadows than in the light, his blonde hair falling into his eyes as he stared at his phone. Feeling the sudden attention, he looked up, stood straight, and smiled. “Hello, guess that’s my introduction.” A few soft laughs broke out as he stepped forward, his gaze locking onto Mia's.

His wolfish smile widened as he discreetly checked her out, and a sneer formed on her lips. “I’m Oliver, third floor.” He broke their gaze, sweeping his eyes over the room and giving little waves to various tenants. “Hi” and “Nice to meet you” circulated as he placed his hands on his hips.

“I’m a detective at the station not far from here; I work on crimes from neighborhoods all around.” His expression grew grave as he scanned the room, and the other tenants took deep breaths. “I know the dangers. Crime is only going up, and buildings like this are broken into every day.”

The room sat silent; the tenets seemingly uninterested. Oliver cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of him.

“Why, just last week a building not far from here was broken into.” Eyes looked up, some etched with intrigue, others slight concern. “in that building,” Oliver continued “The bottom floor had no keycard or locked entrance. Each floor had a locked door, but it was a simple key lock.” Oliver released his hands, dragging his fingers through his blonde locks before scanning the crowd with his wolfish smile.

“The criminals were about to bust the locks easily, and then boom, they were able to break and enter into each apartment.”

Shocked gasps rippled through the crowd, but Mia felt only a tinge of anger. Next to her, Tony covered his mouth, looking at her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, hoping to dissuade him from buying into the fearmongering. He looked torn.

“The building manager was on the third floor, changing a lightbulb in the hallway, when the criminals came up, breaking the door open.” Mia looked to Terry, his scowl softening into concern. “As the crooks broke in, the building manager fell from his ladder. One of the crooks, in surprise or sheer malice, kicked the older man in the head before both fled the scene.” Oliver frowned sadly; his eyes now downcast. Mia felt a sneer on her lips as she heard tony let out a gasp. She eyed the room, people were interested on, eagerly taking in her words. Oliver tsked lightly before meeting Mia’s gaze as he looked up once more.

“Luckily for all of us, I know the guy who installed the security doors at the precinct.” Oliver flashed his big smile again, and Janet mirrored it with a grin of her own. She practically glowed as everyone around them sighed in relief and nodded. “He can come down here and install a security door on each floor. Each one will open with key cards assigned to each resident.” He held up his police key card, showing the laminated front with his picture and ID number. “Only those with registered key cards will have access to each floor.”

Soft cheers and “woos” spread through the small group, while only Mia and Terry looked displeased. For Mia, her reasons were entirely different.

As bodies began to shuffle out and conversations waned, the decision about the key cards was nearly unanimous. Only Mia and Tony voted no, and he only did so because she had silently pleaded with him not to raise his hand when they called for ayes. She owed him an explanation but didn’t know if she could provide it at that moment. Thankfully, Tony was quickly occupied by Terry, who needed to discuss the “Future of the building and businesses within it.” Mia welcomed the opportunity to slip away before Oliver…

“Mia.” The man in question appeared behind her. Spinning around, she met his green eyes and wolfish grin with a pained smile of her own. They hadn’t spoken to or really seen each other in the last two weeks, and she hadn’t complained. She reminded herself to relax, feeling the tension in her muscles ease as she straightened her spine. Drawing in a breath, she waited.

Taking her silence as an invitation, Oliver raised his hands in apology.

“I need to apologize.” His fingers splayed in front of his chest, making him seem smaller. Mia placed a hand on her hipand raised an eyebrow, and he nodded with a shy smile. “You’re right, I owe more than one apology. I’m sorry.”

He looked down, his hair falling in front of his face, making it hard for Mia to read his features. She let out a deep breath, her hand falling from her hip as she looked around. Half the group was gone, including Janet. Only a couple of tenants remained, along with Terry and Tony, who were engrossed in their own conversation.

“Oliver, listen…” she began. “I don’t want any bad feelings between us, okay?” She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been kind of a dick since you moved in.” Oliver gave a half-smile and nodded. “I don’t owe you a reason for not wanting to go out. No is the answer.” Beyond her nerves, she felt a surge of bravery. “You’re handsome, sure, but I’m not interested. I’m fine being neighbors, maybe friends someday…”

“Friends are great!” Oliver interrupted, his smile widening, his eyes lighting up with hope.

“Someday,” Mia emphasized again, letting the word linger. “Can we just start with being cordial?”

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