The Neighbor

Confessions

July 3rd 2021,
Last night Eric and I went on our first date. Well first official date I guess. It was amazing he won me a big plush toy and we rode all the rides at the fair. Including the Ferris Wheel where we shared our first kiss. It was so great and I can't wait for many more dates with him.

I woke up the next morning exhausted from yesterday. I grab my phone and let my manager know I won't be coming into work today. I text my mom and let her know I'm safe over at Eric's. I texted Avery about last night since I didn't get the chance to call her. Then I noticed the other side of the bed was perfect. It's like Eric didn't even sleep next to me. I wasn't upset about it but I wonder where he slept. As I'm getting up I see a neat pile of clothes and a note on top.

Good morning, I went to the grocery store so we could hopefully make dinner together tonight. Your parents weren't home earlier so I wasn't able to get you any of your clothes. I hope you don't mind borrowing mine for the time being. Make yourself at home while I'm away.

See what I mean how sweet can a person get. I grab the clothes and I find his bathroom. Holy shit! His bathroom is huge! I try not to freak out about how big this bathroom was but I couldn't help it. I started a hot shower and I put my music on shuffle. When I got in the shower i realized I didn't have any soap to use, so I had to use Eric's. I didn't mind smelling like him for just a day. I knew I would have to go home eventually. Just as I got out the shower Eric was home. "Renea are you in there" he said knocking on the door. I quickly put on the shirt and his boxers he lended me. It was all way too big but it was cute and comfy. "Yea I'm in here. You can come in I'm dressed" I said through the door. Eric walked in with a bag full of toiletries. "I figured you'd want to brush your teeth and shower but I see you've already showered" he said looking me up and down. "Yea I used your soap if you don't mind" I say taking the bag from him. He couldn't take his eyes off me even though I looked ridiculous in his clothes. "Yea no problem. I said make yourself at home and I'm happy you did" he said hugging me. He brought my own toothbrush, deodorant, lotion and some random mini perfume bottles. "Aww thank you so much, but you do know I live 20 steps away you didn't have to buy all this." He leaned against the sink and ran his fingers through his hair. I could tell there was something on his mind he just didn't want to talk about it. "Yea I know but it can be annoying taking things from one place to another. So I got you things you can keep here. In case you ever wanted to have another sleepover" he said making faces. "You're so sweet and goofy" I say hitting him.

Half the day consisted of us eating snacks and watching all of our favorite movies. It was the best relaxation day we both needed. "I'm gonna go start dinner if you want to help" he said cleaning off the coffee table. He planned on making steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus. "Sure I'll make the potatoes" I say running into the kitchen. Eric went outside on the back to start the grill. "You cook in silence or do you listen to music" he asked. Truth was at home I hardly ever cooked since my mom did it all the time. When I did cook I normally have my headphones in so I won't distract anybody else. "I normally play my music but we can listen to yours" I say washing off the potatoes. Eric grabbed my phone and plugged it into the stereo. My favorite song called tonight by Summer Walker played first. We danced around the kitchen while cooking for awhile. Eric went into the fridge and pulled out a beer. He pointed the beer towards me and I went to take a sip. "You know I don't recall ever talking to you about your age." He says confused. We both knew who the oldest and youngest was in this situation. We were so comfortable around each other age never popped up. "I'm 22 which is above the legal drinking age" I say taking the beer and stealing a sip. Eric looked away and took a deep breath. "And I'm 43 which is 21 years older than you" he said taking the beer from me.

He walked into the living room and sat on the couch. I followed him and sat next to him. "Are you okay" I asked confused at the sudden mood change. I played in his hair which was something I did often to calm him down. "Do you think your parents would approve of this" he asked placing his hand on my thigh. I never really thought about what my parents would think of us. They just know we are friends for the matter. "My dad wouldn't approve of any relationship I'm in. My mom wouldn't mind it as long as I'm happy". I say. There was a long pause in our conversation. "I talked to my parents the other day and I've been telling them about you for days now. I sent them a picture of us that we took at the carnival and they flipped" he said taking a drink of his beer. I was confused on why he was telling me this so I just listened to every word he had to say. "My dad thinks you're too young for me and they were shocked that you were black." he said looking me in the eye. I shifted a little uncomfortably thinking about the conversation he must've had. "Hey calm down" he said grabbing my legs and placing them over his lap. I knew he could sense my uneasiness about the topic. "That doesn't change anything about how I feel about you. I still think you're the smart, funny, gorgeous girl that lives next door. I still want to spend every waking moment with you. And I sure as hell wouldn't change last night for the world." He said rubbing my leg.