The Man Next Door

Chapter Nine

"Get the fuck out Joel."

It was all Joel could think about for weeks. He hadn't wanted to break things off, but he knew it needed to be done.

That didn't stop him from thinking about you, however. The first night after you'd kicked him out of your house was the worst. He'd tossed and turned all night, thinking about the tears falling from your eyes, and how it was his fault.

He wanted you in his bed again, wrapped in his arms, so he could apologize for hurting you. Watching you cry broke him inside, and leaving you alone in the kitchen that night felt like the biggest mistake of his life.

But he couldn't fight for you. He couldn't pursue you anymore, it was simply too risky. He wanted to pick you up from your house and take you somewhere where you could be alone, just to spend the whole night showing you how sorry he was.

He'd done his best not to call you, to actually keep his distance, when you'd texted him.

"Can we talk?"

It took every fiber in his being not to call you that second. He knew it would hurt you, but he felt like he was making the best decision.

His job kept him busy for a few weeks- he'd been working on a house in Dallas for some asshole who moved from New York, so he was almost surprised when his phone buzzed a few weeks later and your name popped up.

His heart sunk when he read your text. It was no surprise though, he'd been ignoring every text you'd sent him, not trying to contact you at all. He was working when you texted him, and your message stopped him in his tracks. His heart clenched in his chest, his ears ringing simultaneously.

"Fuck you Joel."

This is not what he really wanted. He wanted to be with you. He was supposed to be making you happy, and now you hated him. One of his coworkers noticed the look on his face as he stared at his phone, knuckles going white from clenching his fists. He'd asked if Joel was alright, earning a low growl from Joel's throat.

"Get back to work." His voice was gruff, the tone in his words were venomous. He shut his phone off and continued the rest of his work day in silence.

Once he'd gotten home from Dallas, Sara begged him to invite you and your father over, but he made a shitty excuse about his back hurting and being tired from the job.

He stared at the ceiling that night, trying his hardest not to think of you, but as he turned in his bed he remembered the night you slept in his bed, in his clothes, and it drove him wild. His mind flashed back to that night in his bathroom, you sat on your knees and your pretty eyes stared up at him while he filled your mouth. He imagined your quiet whimpers, your hands clawing at him as he fucked you against the counter.

His dick ached to be freed from the waistband of his boxers. His hand slipped under the fabric as he thought of your mouth wrapped around him, eyes watering as you took him as deep as you could go. His eyes clenched shut, groaning softly, wishing you were back in his bed. He stroked himself faster, thumb rolling over the tip of his cock, his breath shaky and uneven. You made him feel so good, and yet he'd still thrown it all away. His hips pumped into his hand, quickening in speed as the knot in his stomach tightened and his orgasm quickly approached, finishing into his hand.

-

The shrill of his phone ringing abruptly woke Joel up the next morning. It was his day off, not to mention it was early as hell. The sun had just began to peek into the sky, casting a pretty pink glow. He reached over to grab his phone, fully expecting it to be Sara, but to his shock it was his best friend.

"Hey. Everything alright?" his voice was husky and full of sleep.

Your dad laughed on the other line, clearly much more awake than Joel was. "Yea, yea, everything's good. Listen, I need you to do a big favor for me."

Joel ran his hand over his face. He never minded helping his friends out, but he had a weird feeling that this favor would somehow include you. "Okay."

"I'm goin' out of town for a week, work emergency. Can you just check in on my kid every once in a while? She's been actin' so weird lately, 'n I don't know, I just feel like she could use some company. Already asked Sara but she's busy this week. Whatcha say old man?"

Joel's heart dropped. He'd do it, of course, but he knew you wouldn't be thrilled about seeing him. "She's twenty-three, you really think she wants some old man checkin' in on her like she's a kid?"

Your father chuckled. "Aw, c'mon Joel. She won't care, plus that girl adores you. Besides, you don't need to be over there the whole week, just need you to pop in and make sure she's alright. She won't tell me anything, but I think some kid broke her heart. She's been mopin' around the house for weeks."

And it was his fault. But your father didn't know that, and Joel didn't want to draw any suspicion to the subject, so he agreed. After they hung up, Joel ran his hands through his hair. What had he gotten himself into?

-

Joel decided to wait a day to go over to your house. He still thought it was stupid- no twenty three year old needed to be babysat- but he was doing your father a favor. He wouldn't admit it, but he was happy to have an excuse to see you again. He wondered what you thought of your dad's request, or if you were even aware of what your father had asked him to do.

It was Saturday, and the sun was just beginning to set when he decided to head next door to your house. He felt weird walking over without Sara, or without your father being home. Nonetheless, he knocked on the door and waited for you to answer. He waited for a while, and he started to wonder if you knew it was him at the door. He texted your father, saying he was pretty sure you weren't home. He'd responded by telling Joel to head on in anyways, inviting him to have a beer and relax.

Joel reached under the plant next to the door for the spare key, pushing his way into the house. He called out your name, confirming that you were not home. He grabbed a Bud Light from the fridge and kicked his shoes off, spreading out onto the couch. He turned on the tv, flipping through the channels and eventually choosing a basketball game that he didn't actually pay much attention to.

He scrolled through his phone, ending up on your text thread. He wanted to text you and tell you that he was at your house, but he selfishly chose not to. What if she didn't come home because she knew he was there?

As the sun set and he finished off his beer, his eyelids fluttered and he drifted off to sleep. It was only two hours later, much after the sun had set, when Joel woke up. It wasn't the door shutting, or the voices that drifted into the house that woke him, but rather an angry voice yelling his name.

"Joel?"

He sat up, startled, momentarily unaware of where he was. He quickly remembered when he saw you standing in front of him, your face blood red  with anger. To his horror, stood next to you was some douchebag kid, about the same age as you, his fingers interlocked with yours.