Page 6 of The Legend Next Door
Oh Jesus. The LEGO. He’s been working on that plane for days. He’s used a veritable shit ton of bricks to build it. So much LEGO. There’s going to be LEGO in every corner of the house.
I’ll never walk barefoot again.
His mouth dips down and the shadows in his eyes wobble.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I say quickly. “We’ll pick up the pieces, and I’ll help you build another one.”
“It won’t be the same.”
“No, it won’t be the same, but we’ll keep trying until we build something you like just as much. I promise.”
“I better get going,” says Jeremiah, getting off the swing. “Sorry about your plane, buddy.”
“Next time, I’ll show it to you before doing the test flight, Jelly.”
I open my mouth to tell him there won’t be more test flights anytime soon, but Jeremiah gives Luca a smile that wipes away the wobbles and says, “Deal,” so I let it go.
“I’ll see you at the fence later,” calls Luca as I walk Jeremiah to the gate.
“Yeah, you will.” Jeremiah laughs.
“Sorry about that,” I say when Luca’s out of earshot. “I meant to check with you earlier whether you’re okay with all the attention. If it’s too much, please let me know, and I’ll talk to him.”
“No, no, it’s fine. He’s good company.”
“Are you sure? ’Cause I know he goes a mile a minute, and once he starts, he can’t stop. It can get a bit much if you aren’t used to it.”
“I’m sure.” He says it like he’s certain. Not just about this but about lots of things in life. “He’s a great kid, Ben.”
I know it’s something people say. It’s a social norm. It’s like when you meet someone’s pet. You’re obligated to say that it’s cute whether it is or not, but I still feel a quick burst of pride because Jeremiah is right. My kid is a great kid.
“I’m glad you moved in. It was too quiet before you guys got here.”
When he’s on the other side of the boundary, and the gate has been latched, I return the mug to him. As soon as I do, I realize my faux pas.
“Oh. I, uh, I made it for you,” he says. He holds the mug near the top. I hold it near the bottom. His fingers brush against mine. Neither of us is sure what to do next. I let go of the mug quickly. He tries to hand it back to me, changing direction and taking it back as I reach for it. I drop my hand to my side. He continues to hold his out.
It’s an awkward-as-fuck mess.
I reach for it again, determined not to be rude about a gift, but this time, he snatches it away deliberately and clutches it to his chest with a cheeky smile.
“I’m taking it with me,” he says, “so I have an excuse to bring you coffee tomorrow.”
5
Jeremiah Blake
“ThethingsIwouldlet that man do to me,” I trill, resting my head on the back of the sofa and letting my eyes flutter shut for dramatic effect. “I’m telling you, Ness, it would make even you blush.”
Vanessa is, by her own insistence, a pervy little kinkster, though I’ve never seen any evidence of that side of her. She says she keeps that part of her life private as she’d hate to shock me or mar my good opinion of her, but personally, I think it has more to do with the fact that you have to leave your house and interact with people you don’t know before you’re able to be kinky with them. At least, that’s what you have to do when your best friends, and the only people you see outside of work, are two gay men.
She turns on me, leaning in just close enough to make her seem threatening, and slides her finger up the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses up with grim determination. They stay where she puts them for one, maybe two seconds, and then begin their descent to where they were before. “Like what?” she demands.
I let my mind drift and land on Ben’s face. He was sitting on his porch swing the first time I got a decent look at him. His legs were crossed, an ankle resting on a knee. Thighs open. Ordinarily, thighs like his would give me pause. Thick thighs always do. But as soon as I saw his face, I couldn’t see anything else. Not the house. Not the swing. Not the sky. Just his face.
And holy shit, what a face it is.
His bone structure is perfect, and I don’t say that lightly. You know how lots of people are attractive but have a narrow margin of attractiveness? Like, if their nose were a tiny bit bigger or their lips a tiny bit thinner, they wouldn’t be nearly as good-looking? Well, Ben’s nothing like that. Each of his features is gorgeous. Comfortably gorgeous. Brows. Nose. Lips. All beautiful in an almost brutal way. Dark hair. Dark brows that are thick and heavy enough to cast a shadow over the upper quadrant of his face. Stubble that does nothing to hide a strong jaw. All of it speaks to a rugged, stripped-back masculinity that would be borderline scary if it weren’t for his eyes.
