Love Next Door

Chapter Two- Dismay

Playlist: https://goo.gl/wyJcpB

Work was boring, boring because Jay didn't have free reign of the store speaker system that shift, and customer flow was incredibly slow. His co-worker just kept playing the same pop-electro mix the whole 6 hours he was working. The same upbeat and repetitive songs over and over again. Not to mention he kept thinking all the time about his attractive neighbour, who may or may not have put a spell on him. He even considered asking his uninteresting, female co-worker about it, but how would he even ask without revealing to her that he's gay?

"I'm asking for a friend"
Nope.

He could ask Tahlia, but maybe that was inappropriate.

The walk back home that day was tiring, perhaps because it was his first time walking home from work instead of getting a bus or train. He was also grumpy; there had been hardly any customers and his co-worker had forced him into a conversation about her clingy boyfriend that didn't interest him at all. That conversation had lasted the whole last hour. Getting back inside his building was a huge relief, even if it was much dimmer and darker than outside. Unfortunately, Ash was not there to greet him as he got to his door, as he had secretly hoped. He unlocked the door and threw down his satchel defiantly; it landed with a muffled thud. Then he dug his hand into the open zipped mouth of the bag and retrieved his phone. He planned to dial Tahlia's number, after that he had no idea.

It rang 5 times before she answered, "Hey Jay, how's it going?"

"Everything's alright, you?"

"Yep all sweet here, I just fed the little one and she is sleeping peacefully, thank god. Anyway did you need to ask me something?" How did she know?

"Actually yes, but if it's inappropriate please just...stop me okay?" he said, pausing for a moment in case she decided she didn't want to know."There's this guy who lives opposite me-"

"OH my gosh! Do you have a boyfriend already Jay? I HAVE to meet him!"

"No, NO, I don't...I mean not yet anyway. Tahlia! Tahlia listen!" Jay shouted as she rambled on about how cute it would be to go on double dates. "I'm not sure if he's you know, into me."

"Aww," she fussed, "You have a crush."

"Yeah, sure whatever, I have a crush. But I don't know whether to...make a move or something. I don't know if he likes guys."

"Are you saying that you want me, a straight girl, to tell you if a guy is gay or not? Shouldn't you know?"

"I don't know" he sighed. He rubbed his face in frustration. She continued to talk on about how she didn't have many gay friends besides him, and how the others had just met people at gay bars, but she was worried he would get hurt; it was hard to stop Tahlia once she had started on a rant. He continued to listen to her for at least 5 minutes before he interrupted. He knew that her boyfriend was at work most days of the week for a full 8 hours, he had to support three people after all. So, she didn't have anyone else to talk to all day. "Tahlia, sorry but I don't really want to have a high phone bill. I would keep listening but...well..."

"It's alright" she sighed. "I better go too. Look I think you should just try your luck with this guy if you really like him, or at least start with being friends."

"Thanks, Tahlia, I'll let you know. Bye." The phone clicked off and he slid it into his pocket. More coffee, he thought, I need more coffee.

The next week formed a formidable pattern. Jay would wake up each morning, still half in dream land, still kissing Ash's lips in his mind. He would shave, eat toast with peanut butter, make himself coffee, and tie his hair up without even combing it. Each morning he was greeted by a sleepy, bed-haired Ash in a dressing gown, who smiled knowingly at him as if there was something he was trying to say. It was like there was some one-sided inside joke that Jay didn't understand. Doesn't he have a job? He was strange. Strange but beautiful, so much so that Jay felt like his body turned to jelly and his anxiety was turned up to 100 when he so much as glimpsed him.