Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
F ranklin
I didn’t think Junicia was prepared to hear the truth about the feelings that slowly developed for her, so when she asked me why I did what I did, I chose to keep it to myself.
I was a little anxious about how the next twenty-four hours were going to turn out.
It was clear that we were attracted to each other, but I had already determined I wouldn’t make the first move.
I wouldn’t miss my opportunity either if I was given one.
“Let me show you to the guest bedroom, so you can put your stuff down,” I told Junicia when we got into my house.
“Okay.”
Most of the houses on our street were set up the same way, so it wouldn’t have been hard for her to find the room, but I wanted to be a courteous host. It was the least I could do since I basically forced her to stay the night.
I knew it would bother me if she left, especially because I wasn’t sure if they kept her ex in jail or not.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable until we knew what was going on with that.
It was the weekend, so I didn’t have to work the next day.
I wanted her to call the police station to find out any information about whether they would keep him or not.
“Our houses are practically the same, so I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding things. There’s towels and stuff in the bathroom. If you need another blanket, there’s some in the hall closet, but you should be good,” I told her when we entered the bedroom.
I stood in the doorway as she walked over to the bed and placed her bag on top of it. “Thanks. I’ll be fine. I’m going to call my cousin really quick, so she doesn’t worry about me.”
“Cool. I’ll be downstairs if you need me for anything.”
Her cheeks rose when she smiled. “Thanks.”
I nodded, then left the room. I closed the door to give her some privacy, even though I wanted to hear what she told her cousin.
I wondered if she would tell her anything about me besides being her neighbor.
I was sure her cousin would be worried about her, but she was as safe as she could be with me.
While she handled her business, I went downstairs to occupy myself. I sat on the couch to find something to watch when my phone chimed.
Sharelle: Hey, it’s Sharelle. I haven’t heard from you, and I was just wondering if you were okay.
I read the message, trying to decide how I wanted to respond to her. I wasn’t that interested, but I wasn’t quite ready to tell her, just in case, so I kept it simple.
Me: What’s good? I’ve just been caught up with work and shit. I’ll hit you up soon.
Sharelle: Oh okay. Talk to you soon.
I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, then stuck it in my pocket.
Nobody important would call me before the day was over, and I didn’t want to be bothered.
It’s not like that many people called me anyway.
It wasn’t time for my weekly call with my parents, so they wouldn’t call unless it was an emergency, and if they had one, they could get through.
Junicia’s laughter filled the silence in the house while she talked on the phone with her cousin. That was the most noise in my house since I moved in, besides when I had the volume high on the television.
I couldn’t hear what they talked about, so I turned on the television to find something to watch to occupy myself. I settled on a baseball game and got comfortable.
It took over an hour before Junicia came back downstairs, but she was more pleasing to the eye than before. She changed into a onesie that had butterflies covering it and it hugged every single curve her body held. I didn’t know if she was trying to entice me or what, but the shit was working.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she walked toward the couch.
“Sorry if I was too loud when I was on the phone. I had to ensure my cousin that you weren’t trying to kill me.”
I shifted in my seat and cleared my throat when she sat next to me. The scent of warm apple pie made my mouth water.
“It’s cool. I hope you told her you were safe.” I tried to play it cool, but sitting so close to her had my heart beating faster.
She played with the zipper on her pajamas. “Yes, I did. We share locations, so if something did happen to me, she would know it was you.” She smirked.
I had no plans of doing anything to her but keep her safe.
“Would you like some wine or something?”
“No. I’m okay. What were you watching?” She tucked one leg under her bottom.
“I don’t even know the name of the movie, but it went off. You can turn to something else if you would like.” I passed her the remote and got comfortable again, at least as much as I could.
I didn’t know how I would survive the rest of the night with her smelling so damn delectable.
It took her a few minutes to find something to watch, and I was surprised when she put on a baseball game.
“Are you into baseball?” It may have sounded like a dumb question, but I wasn’t sure if she put it on because she thought I wanted to watch it, or if she was generally interested in it.
“I do. I’m a Stingers fan, and I go to their games when I can.”
It was refreshing to meet a woman who liked the sport as opposed to someone pretending to like it for my benefit.
“That’s what’s up. How did you get into baseball? Do you watch other sports?”
She turned to face me but kept looking at the television. It was cute that she was all into it but still occupied me. I shook my head at myself because how was someone watching television cute?
“My father and grandfather are huge baseball fans, and being an only child, my dad took me to games when I was little. It was his way of doing what he loved and still bonding with me. He even got me a mitt one year for my birthday when I turned six, and we used to practice in the yard. I played softball in high school and college.”
“That’s dope. You might have to show me your arm one day.”
She giggled, and it was the cutest fucking thing. There was that cute word again.
“It’s been a while, but I still got it.” She swung her arms like she was hitting a ball.
We both laughed, then she turned to focus on the game again. I watched her as she got into the game, yelling and clapping at the TV.
“I’m sorry if I’m being too loud.”
“It’s all good.”
I was glad she was comfortable enough to be herself around me.
It also helped that she didn’t pay me too much mind, because I didn’t even know what to say to her.
It was like I forgot how to have a conversation when she was around.
I wasn’t much of a talker anyway, but still, I could have asked her some questions or something.
I smiled whenever she got mad at one of the players. The Stingers were the local team from Spring Oaks, and they had a pretty decent roster. I’d gone to a game or two before.
“Are you from here?” Junicia asked when a commercial came on.
“No. Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I could just tell. Plus, I never saw you before you moved in.”
“I’m from New Jersey, but I moved here when I was a teenager, then I left as soon as I could for college.”
It was weird that we never ran into each other when we were younger, but I went to a private high school.
My parents thought a private school would be better, but those kids weren’t any different than the kids in public school.
The only difference was they had money to get into more shit.
They did harder drugs and other bullshit.
I stayed under the radar because I was quiet.
I made a couple of friends there, but when I left, I left them behind as well.
They weren’t my cup of tea, just something to pass the time.
My folks probably would have sent me away if they knew the shit them kids were doing.
“What school did you go to? I’m sure if we went to the same high school we would have met.”
“I went to St. Mary’s.”
“Oh, private school. No wonder I never saw you.”
I wish I had met her before I met my ex and before she met hers. If I would have seen her back then, I probably would have tried to holler at her. But then again, back then I was a little more insecure because my parents tended to make me feel like I wasn’t good enough.
“Yeah. And I left to go to school in South Carolina because they had the best program for what I wanted to do.”
“That’s cool. What do you do?”
“I’m a biomedical engineer. What about you?”
“I’m a regional manager for the Joint Commission.”
Damn, knowing she had a college degree and a good paying job made me want to ask her how she ended up with her dude, but I didn’t.
Every time I saw him, he looked like he was up to no good.
She was smart and beautiful. Yeah, buddy definitely fucked up unless she was crazy underneath her beauty.
I guess it would come out at some point if that were the case.
“What a coincidence. We are both in the medical field in some type of way.”
“It is. Originally, I was a floor nurse, but bedside wasn’t for me. I applied for the Joint Commission and made my way up. It’s demanding at times, and sometimes I have to travel, but I enjoy it.”
“Loving what you do is important.”
The game was still on, so we fell silent as we watched the final inning.
“Sounds like it’s raining,” I said to Junicia when the game went off. “I think they are saying it may be a thunderstorm.”
The rain came down hard, hitting the roof and the windows. I was glad I fixed her window, because if not, her house would have flooded.
Junicia stretched and yawned.
“I guess it’s time for bed. It’s been a long day.” I stood from the couch.
“Yes, it has. I’m going to head up for bed. Thanks again, Franklin.”
“No problem.” I watched her walk up the steps, leaving her scent behind, before I turned the TV off. I went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water, then made sure everything was turned off and the house was properly secured.
When I was done, I looked out the window to make sure nothing was going on, and the street was quiet except for the rain falling.
I saw lightning in the distance and knew the thunder wouldn’t be far behind.
Usually, I slept with no problem during a storm, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be possible with Junicia in the next room.
Once I made it upstairs, I wanted to check on Junicia to make sure she was good, but I headed to my room instead. Hopefully, sleep would find me soon before I got the chance to overthink her being in my house.