Page 4 of Dear Bad Boy Next Door
Well, my day just got a bit more interesting.
3
LUCY
I’m not sure if I expected him to acknowledge the letter or not. I might not have bothered if I was in his position. I mean, he just watched me do a face plant in front of him. And he doesn't have any other interactions or references to go on about my character—well, I guess, I can now add my love letter to the mix.
I'm sitting on my sofa, flipping through the channels, when I hear the knock at my door. I freeze, unsure if I did hear what I thought I heard, but then another confirms it. My heart starts pounding in my chest despite my brain telling me not to get my hopes up. What I did this afternoon, sticking my letter under his door, was impulsive and entirely out of character. If Beck is really standing on the other side of the door, he could just be here to tell me thanks but no thanks.
I stand up and straighten out my sundress. My mother would be appalled by the wrinkled state it's in, but I don't care. I peek out the peephole, and sure enough, Beck is standing on the other side.
“You can do this,” I tell myself. “You’re already in the water. It’s time to see if you’re going to sink or swim.”
I swing open the door.
Beck leans his arm against the door jamb but doesn't say anything at first. His eyes narrow in on my face like he's seeing me for the first time, and he's taking it all in. I’m not sure what to say. In my mind, the letter I gave him put the ball in his court. I want to see what he decides to do with it.
He holds up the purple envelope. "Years of only monosyllabic responses from you in passing, and then suddenly you send me this letter."
I shrug and decide that honesty is the best course of options for me here. “I figure that since I did a face plant in front of you, all sense of shame was long gone, so I might as well tell you what I feel."
I half expect him to turn and walk away, but instead, he chuckles to himself. "You're an odd one, aren't you?"
“I prefer eccentric.”
“Okay then, 4B. What’s the plan?”
I stare at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
"In the letter, you mention something about wanting to live your life with uninhibited freedom. What’s the plan?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t really think beyond stuffing the letter under your door.”
He shakes his head. "I don't accept that. If you thought that nothing was going to happen, you wouldn't have done it. Now I'll ask you again. What is it that you want to do? Something that you've been holding back on. Don't think, just say the first thing that comes to mind."
He’s so direct. It’s both intimidating and exciting at the same time. I notice his arm leaning against the door jamb and the tattoos covering it. I’ve always wanted a tattoo, but I never thought I was the type of person that could pull one-off.
“A tattoo.”
His eyes widen, and his head jerks back in surprise. I like that he wasn't expecting that answer.
"Every time I think you're going to zig, you zag. I can't figure you out."
“Is that a good thing?”
“I don’t know yet.” He smiles. “But I’m interested in finding out.”
BECK
Who is this woman? I’ve passed her in the hallway so many times, thinking I’ve got her all figured out, but I couldn’t be more wrong.
“Come on,” I step back from her door and gesture for her to follow me. “Grab a jacket.”
“Where are we going?”
“To get you a tattoo.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, but I can still see a twinkle of excitement there too. She isn’t going to put up a fight about this.
