Apprehension: Part One

LAST KNOWN ADDRESS

"So, have you found a place to live yet?" he asked. 

"I have. It wasn't the easiest thing to do when out of town."

"I hope you at least found a good place."

"It's not bad, with the exception that it doesn't have an elevator. I have to walk up four flights of stairs which, when you're bringing in stuff from your car, really sucks. It was the only apartment that matched its online photos. Who thought you could get catfished by an apartment building?" Allie said.

"Typical," replied Alex. "There are so many old buildings in Cleveland. A lot of them aren't exactly ADA-compliant. As long as the front door and first-floor apartments are wheelchair accessible, no one says anything. At least it was an apartment and not a person."

"True. Have you ever been?" 

"Catfished?" he asked. 

"Yeah." 

"Once. It wasn't an awful experience. But it was a surprise. How about you?" he asked. 

"I don't date." 

Alex looked over at Allie, shocked. "You don't date?" 

"Nope. So, tell me about the fish." 

"Nothing unusual, " Alex began. "She was a little older and much heavier than her pictures, but you could see it was still her when you looked her in the face. She was beautiful, nonetheless. We only went out one time, but we had an enjoyable time. She was extremely sweet," he said.

"You got laid, didn't you?"

"Wow, you don't hold back, do you?" he asked. 

"No. I don't have time for that kind of shit. So... did you get laid?" 

Alex tried to change the subject. "So why don't you date?" "

Yeah, you got laid," Allie chuckled.

The drive began to seem like a labyrinth to Allie as Alex took turn after turn. One way street after one way. "How... the fuck... am I going to learn to get around this fucking city? I may fuck up that track record, Alvarez!" she exclaimed. 

"I have faith in you. Didn't you always have to learn new landscapes when you were deployed?"

 "Yes. I guess you do have a good point," she said.

"So, if you ever need any help getting things into your apartment, I would be willing to help."

 "Are you just trying to get into my apartment, or are you trying to get into something else?" 

Alex put on a sexy smirk. "Oh, I would never overstep my bounds. I'm a perfect gentleman." 

"Well, that's too bad because I would have considered it," she said, turning to look out the window.

 His ears turned red in embarrassment. "Really? You would?" 

She turned back to face him. "No," she laughed.

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He parked the shop and looked at the house. "Well, here we are. Chez Brighton."

It was a double house. Brighton lived on the bottom floor. The paint was peeling, and the wooden front steps were rotting away. Several bags of trash piled up in the corner of the porch, and a vehicle on jacks was in the driveway. "Delightful place," Allie said sarcastically. 

"Do you want the back or the front?" 

"Back. They tend always to run out the back." 

"I guess you do know what you are doing. If he runs, you radio me as soon as you start the pursuit," Alex said firmly.