The intention was to sell. It had been for some time. There was no real reason to get rid of or to keep the lake front property either way. The house had been purchased years prior for all the typical reasons one would buy a lake front property; for weekend getaways of boating, water skiing and retreat from suburb life. These big dreams and plans for fun filled family weekends were clouded by the burn of what was reality and that was a struggle. No house was going to save their marriage. It had been a nice attempt but the house had only been happily been used once, maybe twice by their growing little family in the years that the house had been owned. Now if the house was visited it was solely by himself and that was only to open it in The Spring and again in The Fall to winterize it.
Negan had been divorced 10 years now and the time had finally come for him to let it go. A lot needed to be let go of come to think of it but the lake house was a good place to start. He had definite plans and he would rather leave his beloved and understanding ex wife a substantial amount of money from these loose ends rather then the pile of assets that without a doubt would add undo stress to the situation. She didn't deserve that.
The weekend had been set to meet with the realator to list his home for hopefully a quick sale. The faster it got sold the more he could focus on other things. He'd spend this last weekend to himself to let the lake and his best intentions be freed.
As he drove to his weekend home the mixed feelings of selling like he often had when he had thought about selling arose. It was for what was best but he fell into a depression that he had always felt something special about the house. Even after his divorce, he still felt as thought there was something special waiting there for him. There was a sense of fulfillment and joy that lay in his heart each time he made his way. Would this time be it? Would he finally discover the reason as to why he felt so strongly? This was its last chance and he felt anxious in wonder as he existed off the freeway. The feeling was there, his heart was skipping as it did and the pull was there. It never made sense. There had never been anything for him and the weekends had only left him feeling more lonely then he already was.
Turning down the quaint street a small smile peeked the crook of his thick mustache being welcomed in with the rightly colored leaves of Fall. Between Spring and Fall, The Fall weekend was his favorite time to visit. The lake was stunning this time of year. It wasn't just the colors that reflected off the waters but it was quiet. Most weekenders such as himself had spent their last weekend at their cabins on Labor Day weekend and had pulled in their docks and hoists for season. Their boats had went to storage to wait for the following Summer. If there was a boat on the water it was typically a small fishing boat. Those boats sat still. There was no screaming engines or a strong wake that broke at the beach. There wasn't much noise if at all. He had the shore line to himself pretty much.
There his place sat in waiting. Curtains were drawn and the leaves had begun to blanket the yard and stain the walk. Everything looked to be the same on the street with the exception of his immediate next door neighbors house. It had always been both the lesser and the oldest of the homes on the street. In fact, it was a eye sore really. The paint color was outdated and chipping. The roof had been covered in moss from the lack of sunlight from the cover of the large trees. It was also the only home on the street to have a dirt drive way. The house had actually been a thought of his knowing that it would deappriciate the value of his house for a listing price but that certainly wasn't the case now. Big changes and a lot of sweat equity had went into that corner property since he had last seen in that past April when he had made his Spring visit to open up his own house. The place not only had gotten new siding but a metal roof had been installed and that wasn't left to mention the freshly paved driveway and new garage door that greeted any visitor. There was no way that the owner he had known had done these upgrades. Hell, he could count on one hand in the years that he had owned his place that he had ever seen the owner. The house had obviously been listed and sold to new owners and by the looks of the truck parked on that new asphalt that most of the work probably was done by the new owner. Fuck if he had made the decision in the Spring to sell his place he could've sold it to that guy.
He couldn't help but eyeball and appreciate the curb appeal it now had as he threw his bags over his shoulder and fingered threw his keys shuffling threw the leaves to his front door. His place now looked the eye sore. If he gave a damn he'd not let that happen. He'd keep up with The Jones's but he didn't. It was time to sell.
It was just as he expected as he turned the key to let himself in. The familiar smell of locked up must and mildew met him with damp and thin air. He'd without a doubt have to open up the windows to air it out and make a trip into town for some cleaning supplies. Cob webs needed knocked down and the counters needed a good slopping to remove the settled dust. For now all there was to do was nod at what work was before him and set his bags down by the kitchen bar. However all of this could wait for at least a good hour before he'd get busy. The realator was set to arrive the following day. He had time to go sit out on his deck and take in the lake for an hour. After all, that feeling of something special was there for him that he had always felt and this visit was no exception. If anything it felt considerably closer then ever before. Maybe it was just because it was to be his last visit and near his end. He hoped the lake would provide him an answer this time as he pulled the curtain across the foggy sliding glass door.
The breeze that came off the water was boarder line chilly stepping out onto the deck. Flipping up the collar of his shirt to better cover his bare neck he looked first out at the water. It was nothing but a glass top mirrored surface in red and golden hues from the opposite shore line. He walked to the railing to best lookout for nothing to obstruct his view. The site was so romantically stunning that it reminded him of how desperately alone he felt. He had always thought if he had ever met someone or that was to say if he had ever allowed himself to meet someone special, he'd bring him there for long romantic weekends. Especially weekends like this in The Fall when the colors were out and the air was thinning. He drew a deep sigh knowing that a companion was something that was never going to happen just as he was interrupted from this depressive thought.
A sudden deep and boisterous laughter echoed threw the stillness that pulled his attention to snap his neck to look in its unfamiliar direction; his new neighbor. At very first he noticed the new darkly stained deck that had replaced the dry rotted one and secondly the mountain of a man that the big laughter had erupted from. He was apparently on the phone and had stepped out on his deck to further his call. He stood in his stocking feet and crunched his phone between his cheek and hunched shoulder while he lit a cigar. The vanilla smoke carried over as did the amusement. Even from where Negan stood on his own deck he noticed the white smile and deeply inset dimples in his neighbors cheeks as he carried on.
Cash hadn't noticed his neighbor at first. Why would he think to look in that direction? He had closed on his house in May and Negan hadn't been back to his place since April. The only activity that ever happened at his neighbor's house was that the lawn got mowed every other week. He wouldn't have looked over either had it not been for Negan receiving a phone call of his own and the ringing had startled him.
"Let me call you back, Ray." Cash said throttling down his laughter to a hault laying eyes on his neighbor for the first time. For a split second a shared glance from across decks was made as Cash had hung up from his call and a Negan had answered his.
Negan had turned his back to take his call from his realtor to confirm their appointment for the following day but felt his neighbor's eyes burning a whole threw his back. He could smell the cigar smoke and he knew that he was waiting out the call so an introduction could be made.
Cash's eyes were indeed on Negan. In fact, they were all over him. This entire time he had figured his neighbor to be elderly because the house had not been visited once during the entire Summer. He figured that his neighbor probably had held onto the house for his kids but his kids could are less. The next thought that passed was that maybe this was one of his children and most likely the eldest because he guessed him to be in his early 50's give or take. Maybe his father had passed and he was there to settle the estate. That was the feeling that he was getting staring at his backside. Then there was his backside. He'd never paid much attention if ever at all to another man's ass but there he was unable to break his stare following his hips as Negan paced his deck boards. His legs were long and lean; damn near up to his ears with a gap suggesting he was bow legged because the sun shown threw the gap. His jeans hung a bit sagging at his seat and it worked but he'd bet that he'd look even better in his jockey shorts that accentuated his runners physique. And as he contemplated those shorts, he imagined him to choose colors. Not white. He shook his head. Why did he gives shit and why had the thought crossed his mind in the first place? But then come on, who wouldn't? The guy moved like a goddamn cat.
Negan felt the unapologetic stare while he lined up his meeting but figured it to be territorial, possibly something of a superiority because he really had turned that house right around. It was no longer an over grown and moss covered vacation home but dark and masculine. It was luring and it really did look sensational but he wasn't about to give him that leg up either. Negan had not a clue that it was actually in wonder of what color underwear he was wearing. And for the record, Cash had guessed correctly. He did choose colors and today he wore forest green.
Negan hung up from his call and dropped his phone down deep into the roomy front pocket of his jeans before slowly turning to face his watchful neighbor.
"Did you get all that?" Negan questioned sarcastically out loud to see that Cash had come to the very edge of his deck with his snuggly fit, hoodie clad, tree trunk sized biceps slung over the railing in waiting.
"Ex military. Bad hearing." Cash smartly replied tapping the soft spot beneath his ear lobe.
"Dick." Negan murmured to himself not caring for the smug reply.
"I can be but see I'm in the process of decompressing and healing so I do try my hardest not to be." Cash said waving an arm out at the open water. Negan narrowed a glare. He was definitely asserting his dominance.
"I guess that issue is selective." Negan smarted.
Cash chuckled in response.
"I learned to compensate my loss of hearing by reading lips and that thick, western, gun slinger mustache of yours didn't quite conceal you calling me dick all too well." He winked with a click of his tongue.
Jesus Christ, was he flirting? He was. He felt it as soon as he expressed it. What in the fuck was he doing? Cash hadn't a moment to contemplate his confusion for Negan wasn't the type to leave an inch of wiggle room.
"Ah." Negan cooed in slight appreciation of the smart assed reply "So you're the new king of the mountain?" He confirmed with a sway of his back as he reached his own deck's end to best face his neighbor across the way. "And with mitts like that I think I shall call you Mufasa." He instigated with a swirl of his wrist.
"Whatever wets your whistle, Wyatt Earp. I'll be your Huckleberry." Cash curtly nodded and adjusted the bow of his glasses to get a good long look at the deepest and muddiest voice that he'd ever heard come from a man. Especially from one as tall and lean as him. His eyes were dark too and Negan was checking off all sorts of boxes for Cash that he wasn't aware of that he had a list for.
Negan raised his chin in a challenge. That quick witted reply couldn't have been any hotter. Cash was checking off plenty of boxes all on his own.
Then there came a pause. A sudden drop in the give and take because what in the hell was this development out of thin air about anyway? Cash softened first and extended his arm over his rail even though there was no way their shake would meet, it was the offering that mattered.
"Cash Howlett." He introduced politely of himself as he would anyone.
"Negan Coldwell." Negan reciprocated in a much less confrontational tone.
"Negan." Cash answered merely just to taste his name in his mouth. "That's different. I don't believe that I've ever met a Negan before." He repeated of his name again with a sincere grin.
There were those dimples again. Negan shied away from looking.
"Most likely not. Did you guess me for a Dave or a Michael?" He questioned.
Cash shook his head no.
"Too basic. Negan works well." He answered feeling his heart accelerate and his cheeks grow warm. Yup. He was flirting. What in the hell was wrong with him? Was Negan picking up on it? God, he hoped not but it was already very obvious that Negan wasn't a stupid man.
Thankfully for them both Negan was receiving another phone call. Recognizing the ring tone to be Emily, his ex wife he knew to take the call. She was about to save his ass.
"You'll have to excuse me. It's my wife." Negan immediately shared in order to yet again hide and to put up a wall between what he was feeling in order to avoid humiliating rejection and turned to pull his phone from his pocket.
Cash was the one who felt a punch to his gut as he stood dumbfounded to what he was feeling and watched Negan disappear back in threw his sliding glass patio door.
"And you're a fucking idiot." Cash told himself shaking his head and then he too went back in his house.
