The Neighbor

Harsh Goodbyes

Cassie waited. And waited. And waited. It's one-thrity! Where is he? Cassie kept thinking. She ordered a second cup of coffee, not wanting to order a pizza by herself, and waited a little longer. When it was two o'clock, she decided to call it quits. Maybe he realized I was right, she thought. She ordered a pizza to go to share with Ben when she got back. She told him she was meeting Sarah here so he wouldn't get all protective. When she got the pizza, she hailed a cab and started heading home. She wondered if the police ever identified who was in that car accident this morning. The car caught on fire and burnt the body so bad, they didn't know who it was. Thank God, Mrs. Riley is okay. Poor woman must be terrified!

The cab pulled up to her house and she noticed most of the police cars down the street were gone. That was good. She walked into the house and called, "Ben, you here?" She didn't get an answer. She walked more into the house and noticed that all the lights were off and blinds were closed. It almost looked like it could be nighttime. "Ben?" She called again. She stepped into the living room and saw a dark figure sitting in her chair. The glow of the cigarette lit up Ben's pale face as he inhaled the smoke. Cassie looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and said, "I didn't know you smoked." He didn't say anything. She rolled her eyes and held up the box of pizza, saying, "I got pizza. Best I've had in Chicago, so far." Again, nothing from him. She shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen. She turned on the lights and opened the blinds. She got out two plates and set two pieces of pizza each on them.

She walked back into the living room and turned the lights on. Ben flinched and exhaled the smoke. He stubbed out the cigarette in an ash tray with several others he had smoken before she got home. Cassie didn't mind the smell of smoke, it was something she grew up around with her grandparents. Doesn't mean she likes it when people smoke, but what can she do?

Ben was about to grab another smoke from the pack when Cassie set a plate of pizza on his lap, and then watched her as she sat down on the couch across from him. He looked at her for a little while longer before saying, "The police around came to ask you some questions." Cassie practically spit out her pizza. "What did they want?" She asked. He took a bite of his pizza and said, "Wanted to know what you were doing last night." "And you told them..." He shrugged, "That we were fucking and wouldn't have heard plane crash in the yard with how loud you were screaming." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You better not have," she warned. He quirked an eyebrow. "It's the truth." Cassie put down her pizza and said, "You know, you don't have to be so crude all the time! Yeah, it's fine during sex, but out of the bedroom, it's not as sexy."

It was silent after that; the only sound was the crunching of the pizza. When Cassie was done, she got up and went into the kitchen. Sne washed her plate, then took out a beer, and popped it open. She took a huge swig and leaned back against the counter. She wasn't happy. She wasn't happy that James made a scene last night, then didn't show up today to explain, she wasn't happy that her boyfriend was being an asshole. She just needed some alone time. Of course, that wouldn't last long because Ben came into the kitchen with his plate. Like her, he washed it, then grabbed a beer, except he didn't leave like she'd hoped. He leaned against the counter across from her and just stared. He looked angry, but she couldn't figure out why he would be.

"You went to go see James," he bluntly told her. Cassie kept her composure and said, "I went to go see Sarah." Ben chuckled and shook his head, while taking a swig of his beer. "Sarah called, dear. She asked if you were home and if we would like to go out to dinner on Friday." Cassie gulped. That's why he looked angry. He continued, "You lied to me, Cass. I don't like being lied to." She started nervously tapping her beer bottle and Ben took notice. Enjoying this, he set down his beer and walked up to her. She flinched when he put his hand up, but instead of doing anything harmful, he brushed her hair out of her eyes. "We all have secrets, Cass," he whispered. "Some more than others. But when you tell me you're going to meet your sister, I expect you to be meeting your sister, not your abusive ex-boyfriend." He ghosted his lips over her cheek and down her throat before saying, "He didn't show up, though. I know he didn't because I know where he is." Cassie took a shakey breath and asked, "Wh-Where?" He placed a kiss to her ear and said, "Well...he was buring to death in Mrs. Riley's home only a few hours ago. By now, I'd say he's on his way to the morgue."

Cassie brought his head up to look at her. She flicked her eyes all over his face and asked, "Is that what the police told you?" Ben chuckled and kissed her palm. "Of course, baby. How else would I know?" Cassie let her hands fall to her sides as she took the news in. How? He was fine last night. He wasn't drunk or anything. But he's dead. He's gone. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Ben roughly grabbed her jaw and yanked her head to the side, causing her to drop her beer and have it shatter all over the floor.

"Are you upset?!" He growled in her ear. "WHY are you upset, darling? I am the one who takes care of you, loves you, FUCKS you, and this is how you feel about that piece of shit?!" Cassie whimpered at how tightly he was holding on to her jaw. "Ben," she cried, "you're hurting me!" Tears were running down her face and gathering at his hand. "Let me get that for you, baby." He licked up the trail of tears and flicked his tongue at the corner of her eye. He harshly brought her head around to face him to see her eyes filled with fear. He let out a dark, unsettling laugh and sweetly nuzzled his face into hers. Cassie was terrified by the way he's man handling her, but being sweet at the same time.

"Remember who you belong to," he seethed. "Remember who owns you." With that, he pushed her head back to expose her neck and bit down where her pulse point was. Cassie screamed in pain as he drew blood, and then lapped it away. His tongue didn't soothe the mark, it just made it worse. He brought her head back down with a satisfying smile. There was some blood on his teeth, but he licked it away. "Mmm, darling that tastes bitter. I need...something sweet." He started to put his hand down her pants, but she acted quickly shoved it away, while taking a hold of his other hand and prying it away from her jaw. She then pushed him away with her foot and he stumbled back into the fridge. She didn't try to run because she knew he'd harm her more if she did. Instead, she shouted, "GET OUT!"

Ben looked a bit taken back. "Now, why would I do that?" Not being able to control any of her emotions at the moment, she shouted through tears, "BECAUSE WE'RE THROUGH, YOU PSYCHO!" His eyes widened and his breathing turned heavy. He started darting his eyes around the room and gripped his hair. He went up to the counter beside him and swiped everything off of it and on to the floor, while yelling, "WE ARE NOT BREAKING UP!" He then went up to her and trapped her by baracking her in his arms. He got uncomfortably close to her face, causing her to turn her head to the side. "You will come crawling back to me," he snarled. "And when you do, I will be there. I won't tell you I told you so, I won't put you out on your sinfully gorgeous ass, but you will be reminded of who you left. You still belong to me. You always will." He tried to gently put his hand on her cheek, but she moved her face away. That made him harshly pull her face to him and before she knew it, his lips were forcefully against hers and his tongue was in her mouth. It was over before it began because he pulled away only a few seconds later. While she was thinking about it, Cassie snapped the necklace he had given her off and slapped in his hand. After giving her a hateful glare, he walked out of the kitchen and walked out of the house, slamming the door with enough force to shake the whole house.

As soon as he left, Cassie broke down in sobs. She sunk to the floor, landing in her broken beer bottle, and started crying loudly. She hated him for doing this to her, but she hated herself more for nearly regretting her words.

**

Ben slammed his door shut behind him and immediately started screaming in frustration. He started hitting pictures off his walls, flipping over tables, and throwing things against the wall. When he didn't have anything else to throw within arms reach, he puched through the wall. After he did that, he leaned back against it and slid down to the floor. He looked at the blood on his fist, then opened his hand to look at the necklace, and said to himself, "She'll come back."