Page 26 of Never Kiss Your Neighbors

“Are you working late?” Marissa asks when she finds me hunched over my laptop one evening.

“What? No. Well, kind of.”

She gives me a curious look after that nonsensical reply, and I explain that I found out I’m eligible for tuition reimbursement benefits from Community Bean, so I’m looking into online courses at the community college so I can finish my degree.

“That’s great!”

“I’ll work on it slowly, just one course at a time.”

“That’s good. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin. And you’ll want to keep some time open in your schedule for dating.”

When I frown at her, she says, “How long are you going to keep pretending you’re not interested in the neighbors?

As I actively ignore the question, Goldfish comes over, sits in front of Marissa, and barks a couple of times.

“See, even Goldfish agrees,” she tells me. To Goldfish, she says, “I’ll take you for a walk soon, buddy. You have to wait.”

“Want me to take him?” I offer. I’ve been sitting too much today, and going out for a walk will be a good way to avoid further questioning about my interest in the neighbors.

“If you want to.”

“Sure. I’ll just make sure Jessie’s still asleep. Be right back, Goldfish.”

I grab a thin sweater and clip the leash onto G’s collar. Marissa’s usually the one to walk him at night. I walk him during the day, when I purposely steer clear of the men’s house, both to avoid running into them, and to avoid seeing their female fans camped outside.

Now that it’s after dark, I consider walking down their street, and it makes me feel like a schoolkid with a crush. So silly. What will I do next, write their names in my notebook?

The neighborhood is usually quiet, and now at night, it’s extra peaceful. No cars, no other people out. There’s an owl somewhere nearby, callinghoo-hoo-hooooo.I should probably come out at night more often, especially since I’ve been avoiding the back yard.

At the corner, I decide to head in the opposite direction from the men’s house. It’s bad enough that I stalk their channel now, even though I tell myself not to. I don’t need to stalk their house, too.

A sound behind me startles me. It takes a second to realize it’s the sound of someone running, which puts me on edge, but when I spot the man’s silhouette, and clock the steady, unhurried pace, I realize it’s just someone out for a jog.

Goldfish starts barking, even though I tell him to shush, and he doesn’t stop until the man is about to pass us.

Once Goldfish realizes that the jogger is Cam, he immediately stops barking and starts wagging his tail. Actually, his whole body is wagging as Cam crouches down to pet him.

“Good evening.” He looks up at me, flashing a grin that crinkles the outer corners of his eyes.

“Hi.” I’m suddenly shy, which is ridiculous for someone my age, but Cam is, of course, shirtless, and the magnificent muscles on his chest seem to glow under the streetlight.

We just look at each other for a long moment, as Cam finds the sweet spot behind Goldfish’s ear that the dog loves.

“He doesn’t like people running,” I say, feeling the need to fill the silence.

“Hmm?” Cam seems distracted, then says, “Oh, right. How’s your day been?”

“Good. Nothing eventful. How about you?”

“Same. Nothing eventful until now.”

I lift my brows. “Now? What happened?”

Cam rises to standing, his body just inside my personal space. My stomach flutters. “I ran into you. It’s the highlight of my day.”

I laugh a nervous laugh, “Must have been a boring day.”

He frowns at me. “You have no idea, do you?”

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