Best Friend Next Door (Love Next Door Book 2) *Rough Draft*

Chapter 29

Issac could have skipped into his class room, with the morning he'd had. No, he hadn't woken up with Melanie, but the memories lingered through his daily routines, and though it was too early to call he texted her a cute message like he did last night. He'd made sure he called Christian. It was worth waking him up to keep an eye on Melanie. The last thing she said before she dozed off was that she was going to see Brody, and he had been in agreement with Christian on the fact that she needed to say away from him. 

He placed his laptop bag on his desk and thumbed through the file folder side looking for the days lesson. He was thankful that he'd planned ahead, but he also knew when Melanie came home more often he would need to actually get work done. I vision came to him, he was naked in his bed grading paper, and she was at his side naked and curled up beside him. 

It wasn't uncommon for those thoughts to come to him, it was just that now they didn't haunt him knowing that he was so close to having her. He'd had his doubts before. He told himself when they were kids, that she would never see him that way, and in college she was the only girl he'd really been around. Now, they were experienced, they'd seen things and still desired each other. 

A hiccuping whisper snapped him out of his daydream. He felt his cheeks sting releasing the wide smile he still had painted on his face, and then the burn from the embarrassment to realizing he wasn't alone. He'd noticed the open door to his office where the hiccuping cries were coming from. 

"Penny?" He said entering noticing his assistant huddled in a chair by the book shelf her face puffy, red, and wet clutching her phone in front of her like a life line. 

He quickly, walked over and knelt in front of her, sliding hand over her hands clutching her phone, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head leaning back into the book case, her eyes glistening with tears. In a lot of ways he felt she was a little sister. "Hey." He smile her eyes finally found his and then fell. A warm tear hit the his knuckle. 

He slid a hand under her knuckle gently making her eyes meet his, he took his other hand reaching for a kleenex carefully brushing tears from her cheeks. Her head fell as she took the tissue from him. "Penny, are you okay?"

He wondered if someone had passed away. He stood and pulled her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. "What's wrong baby." He cooed. 

"It's just, I'm so stupid."

He cradled her cheeks, "You're not stupid."

"I slept with him, Issac." She said. 

He had almost forgotten he was trying to get her together with Dorian, "I'm sure he doesn't think less of you." Isaac said rocking her, "Dorian isn't like that."

She shook her head, "No, Isaac." Her head fell.

Suddenly he grew nervous. This was unchartered territory. One that she needed a girl friend or a sister for, "What is it?" He said, "I'm sure what ever it is. Dorian will understand."

"That was my first time."

His swallowed thickly. He wanted to call Melanie and ask her to talk to her or tell him what to say without making a totally ass out of himself, "The first time is always a little painful, but it gets better." He soothed, but just talking about made him wish he'd had another chance to be Melanie's first. He would have been gentle and careful. He was suddenly jealous of the first guy she'd slept with him. She said he was her teacher, and he'd hurt her. 

She shook her head and it fell, "It just wasn't right, and he just went along with it. I mean, I didn't tell him, but guys can feel it right? When he's..."

Isaac swallowed again, not thinking he would have to discuss the facts of life with his teacher's assistant, "Penny, you should have told him anyway. I'm sure he would have. You should have at least told him you were uncomfortable."  She looked away to a spot on the tile floor. He felt bad for chiding her.

"Look Penny, we all make mistakes in that department. My first time was with the biggest whore in my school." He said, "I was just trying to be cool. I must have done everything wrong. I think her words were 'tell me that's not it.'"

He'd heard her snicker but the shameful feelings flickered back, but he'd noticed she was smiling, and he just smiled back. At least she was smiling...at his expense but it was past and now things were as they should be. 

"I still feel like, I could have gotten to know him better." She shook her head, "I mean you would have thought I'd never been with a guy before."

Isaac rubbed her back, "We all make mistakes. If I could take my first time back trust me I would. Things have a way of working themselves out." He said. 

Isaac gave her a hug and went into the classroom, and gave her time to fix herself. He couldn't help but feel a little guilt. He was sure Dorian wouldn't have intentionally tried to hurt Penny. It was just a miscommunication on both parts, still the big brother in him needed to talk to Dorian. 

He called him during lunch and agreed to go to the gym with him. It was a win-win. He could bulk up, for another tryst with his favorite girl, and could get to the bottom of what happened with his two friends. He'd called Christian to see if he had been keeping an eye on Melanie. 

When he'd told him that Melanie went back into the city to meet with a producer, his heart drop. When he'd hung up he searched his call for a missed call or text message. It was a long drive into the city, and Isaac knew when ever anyone said they were going into the city, they made plans to stay at least a day or two. Even worse, she didn't tell him, that could have meant that once again she was playing the cold shoulder game again. It seemed like just as he though that he had broke down what ever that was between them, that wall will building again. 

He'd called her, and it rang until the voice mail picked up. He'd had it memorized and his heart couldn't take hearing it again. He quickly hung up. He shot up from the lunch table and went back into his office. No he wasn't going to cry like Penny, not to say he didn't want to. He heard his dad voice again. Telling him 'I told you so'. He'd felt like Penny, he felt that Mel had taken something precious from him, and never taken account his feelings. She'd used him. Like she'd always had. Just like when they'd kiss in the tree house. He may have initiated the kiss but he remembered her lips moving with his. She'd kissed him back, and as soon as they had been caught she blamed him. He had taken that blame, out of a stupid honor system he made up in his mind, and what does she do? Kicks him square in the balls. What was happening now was true Melanie fashion. No more. He told himself. 

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When Melanie had gotten the call, she couldn't believe it, but it was something to add to her long list of things to do. Atlanta was a couple of hours away, but her plan was to go early shower, meet the producer go back to her apartment take a nap head back home and go see about Brody, then maybe on down times she could plan the wedding. Maybe just devote the entire next day, and week to Val's wedding. That was the theory anyway. 

She didn't think she would be rushing home right after the meeting too excited to sleep and ready to tell her sisters the good news. Everything would have to take a back seat to what she had to tell them.