Apartment 311

Ch | 44

Noah Silas Anderson

Chapter Forty-four: "The Anderson family"

I woke up later than normal, but couldn't complain. No alarm, no Gael, no yelling neighbors, or accidents outside.

Actually, I felt really good. If it weren't for the smell of warm vanilla and beer on the clothes I fell asleep in, and fresh tattoo, I would've thought it was all a dream.

Because I slept like a baby, I had a lot of energy. I could've dropped and did fifty push-ups, the way I felt.

Normally I'd go to the gym, but my time passed. So, I hopped in the shower, blasting my music through the Amazon Bluetooth speaker.

I got dressed and kept looking at my phone, thinking Brooklyn would call or text me. Tired of the waiting game, though, I finally made the first move. I sent:

Still mad at me?

Eager, I didn't leave the chat. I saw her typing a lot then she deleted it. Finally, she replied:

I never was

Relieved, I relaxed a little about what happened. Brooklyn's oddly more passive than I anticipated, and I'm not complaining.

*

On the third knock, Brooklyn opened the door. She put on a small smile and let me inside.

"Smells like bleach," I commented as soon as I walked in.

She laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I clean when I get... bored, or upset," Brooklyn admitted, pushing some supplies in the storage closet.

"What were you upset about?" I asked, blocking her path to exit the closet. She dipped under my arm and walked around, going to wipe down the countertop.

She just shrugged, avoiding eye contact. Waiting for an answer, I just sat down and watched her helplessly wipe circles on the black laminate.

Finally, Brooklyn stopped cleaning and threw the rag down. She sighed deeply and said, "I just didn't like that, and I saw her trying to hit you. I don't wanna sound crazy but, I am a black belt in karate, and I kickbox."

"Yeah?" I chuckled, jabbing her exposed abs to test her. She buckled and laughed, falling over my lap.

"Yeah, so don't piss me off," she giggled, "or I'll beat your ass."

"I'm not too scared, I think I can handle it," I replied, licking my lips as I stared down at her.

She swallowed hard and whispered, "Yes you can."

Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Brooklyn quickly stole a kiss and then went back to her cleaning.

It was Sky calling. I was kind of stuck, I wanted to answer it to see what she would say, but didn't want to with Brooklyn right there. She must've noticed I was torn by my facial expression, so that's why she asked, "Who is it?"

I mouthed "it's her," and Brooklyn put the broom against the wall to stand by my side and be nosy.

"Answer it," she whispered-yelled, rushing me.

On the last ring, I accepted the call. Like always, I just breathed into the speaker and let her speak first.

"Seriously, Noah, what the fuck. You disrespect me in my own home and then can't even text me back or answer the phone?"

Brooklyn looked at me bugged-eyed and tried controlling her laughter. I shook my head as I tried listening to the rest of Skylar's rant.

"What's your middle name?" I pushed the phone away to randomly ask Brooklyn.