I wait until I hear the lock click, then I walk back to my place, thoughts of Callie still lingering in my mind. She's still so hard to figure out. She's bold and assertive and says what she thinks, except when it comes to talking about herself. If I even mention anything personal about her life, she shuts down. There's a story there, but she's not willing to tell me what it is. Maybe Lou would tell me, although I don't want to ask him. I'd rather have Callie tell me.
Back at my house, I go upstairs to the spare bedroom and yank the covers back on the double bed. A plume of dust scatters everywhere, making me cough. The sheets need to be washed but the washer and dryer wouldn't start when I tried them earlier. It's no use fixing them. They're too old. I'll have to buy new ones, but until then, I need to get to a laundromat or buy some new bedding. Like I have time for that. There's so much to do. Earlier I made a list but had to stop because it got so long it was overwhelming. It almost made me want to forget the whole thing and just sell the place. But I'm not going to do that. Once I start something, I have to finish.
The next morning, I'm out the door at five-thirty. I drive to the Home Depot on the other side of town, joining up with all the other workers getting their supplies at the crack of dawn. While I'm there, I also buy a refrigerator, stove, and a washer and dryer. To keep the cost down, I bought basic models without all the extra features. My grandfather left me a fairly large inheritance but I don't want to spend it all on this house. When I'm done renovating it, this will be a vacation home, and I'll use the rest of the money to buy a place in Chicago so I can stop throwing away money on rent.
On the way home, I remember I have nothing to eat so I stop at a gas station and get coffee and donuts. Back at the house, I pull the truck in the driveway, and when I turn it off I hear it backfire. Shit. I'm sure that woke up Callie.
Assuming she's up, I go over and knock on her door. She opens it, looking annoyed but also cute, wearing a white t-shirt and pink pajama shorts. I don't think she's wearing a bra because her arms are crossed over her chest, hiding her breasts. Or maybe she's just angry.
"Do you always get up this early?" she asks.
"Usually." I smile. "I brought you breakfast." I hand her my coffee and the bag of donuts, and when she reaches out to take them, I can see that she's definitely not wearing a bra. As she's peering into the donut sack, I take a glance at her breasts. They're nice. Very nice. I force my eyes back to her face.
"So you just assumed I'd be up at this hour?" She closes the donut sack and takes a sip of the coffee.
"Actually, that was my breakfast but I figured I should give it to you. It's the least I can do after waking you up. I knew you'd hear my truck."
She holds the coffee up. "You didn't drink out of this, did you?"
"I might've had a sip or two." I lean against the door frame, a grin on my face. "Why? Does that bother you?"
"Yeah, it bothers me." She scrunches up her face. "I barely know you and I just drank out of your cup."
She's even a firecracker first thing in the morning. I love it.
"You've got nothing to worry about. I don't have germs."
"Everyone has germs."
"Well, trust me, they're not going to kill you."
"Here." She holds the cup of coffee out in front of me. "You can have it. I'll just make some."
I cross my arms over my chest and nod at the cup. "I dare you to drink it."
"What are we in fifth grade? You still dare people to do things?"
"Not other people. Just you."
"Why me?"
"Because you need to get over your fear of germs. And your fear of me."
"You?" She yells it. "I'm not afraid of you! Or your germs."
"Then prove it. Drink up."
She looks at the cup for several long seconds. "Fine." She goes to take a drink, but then stops, a sly smile creeping up her cheeks. She puts her eyes on mine and slowly runs her tongue along the opening on the lid. I swallow, my eyes lowering to her mouth, focusing on the movement of her tongue. The way she's doing it? Holy shit, that's hot. And she knows it. She knows exactly what she's doing.
Finally, she tilts her head back and takes a long, slow sip, closing her eyes and swallowing. I can't take my eyes off her. I've never seen someone drink coffee this way, and after seeing this, I'm pretty fucking sure I'll get turned on every time I smell the damn stuff.
She tilts her head forward again and smiles at me. "Happy now?"
"Very." I smile back. "Looks like you enjoyed that."
"It was okay." She glances down at my jeans and laughs a little. "Thanks for breakfast." Then she closes the door on me and locks it.
Damn, she's good. Just when I think I've got the upper hand, she flips it around on me. I look down and see myself straining against my zipper. It doesn't bother me that she noticed. She's hot, her nipples were on display, and she licked that coffee lid like a porn star. Of course she made me hard. It was the reaction she wanted. But why'd she do it? Does she want to be more than neighbors? Do I?