Chapter 2
Iwatch through the peephole as the girl across the hall gets moved in. I caught a few glimpses of her while they were bringing in boxes. But now all the movers are gone and there she stands in the hallway looking at my door.
I moved here about six years ago and don’t get out much. With the internet and delivery services, I don’t really need to. My place is really two apartments combined. It’s part of the reason I got the place so quickly. I could live anywhere, but I didn’t want to live in the city and this was close enough to all the things I needed.
Some people might think it’s hard to be inside all the time, but I like it. When you look like I do, going outside sucks, so staying in my home and being alone is better than getting stared at like a freak.
My mom named me Bull the first time she laid eyes on me. She said the whole time she was pregnant I was kicking up a storm, and then when I came out I was twice the size of all the other babies in the nursery. I set a record in the state for the largest baby delivered that year, and then I kept on setting records until I quit going to the doctor. I didn’t like how everyone watched me like I was about to Hulk smash the building or something.
Sure, I have to duck to go through doors and bend my knees to get under the shower spray, but I’m not a monster. The problem is that I’m not just tall, I really am built like a bull. I’ve got a wide body with thick arms and legs and I’m probably the strongest man in the world. I lift weights but nothing too crazy. My body just wants to be big, so I could pick up a bag of flour and gain muscle.
It’s the reason I stay indoors and the reason I don’t have any sort of relationships. It’s not worth all the questions and looks, and my life is easier when it’s just me. My mom died when I was young and I never knew my dad. As I stare at the pretty girl I wonder if she’s got any family looking out for her. Is she alone, too?
When I first saw her I thought she was someone’s kid sister they brought along for the move. But then I realized she was telling people where to put stuff, so it must be her place. She’s so small that I bet she gets asked about it all the time. I know me being so big gets attention, but I’m sure her being so small does too.
Her dark hair is piled up in a messy bun and some hair has escaped down her neck. Her eyes are dark, but her features are so soft that she looks like a cherub. I can tell even from here that she’d smell sweet and feel delicate all over. How can something so innocent be real?
To my utter shock she takes a step towards my door and raises her hand. I jerk back as her knuckles make contact and then I put my hand over my mouth.
I stare in stunned silence at the door and I can hear the beating of my heart in my ears. How long do I have to stand here before she goes away? I don’t dare look through the peephole again just in case she can see a shadow. If I move from this spot she might hear the floor creak, so I stand there hoping she’ll just go away.
“Hi there,” she says in a sing-song voice. “I’m your new neighbor Teeny.”
I hold my breath as she knocks again and curse myself for being so fucking nosy to begin with. Why did I stand there for so long watching her? I try to reason that it’s because she’s new and lives across from me, but really it was one glimpse and I couldn’t look away.
“Well, my real name is Louise, but everybody just calls me Teeny because of my size.”
I’m dying to see her, so I take a chance and move just a bit closer to the door. The floor creaks and I curse under my breath.
“I think I heard you on the other side of the door,” she says, and I see her squint as she looks into the peephole. “Sorry, I’ve been called nosy more than a few times. I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello.”
I open my mouth to say something, but I lose my nerve and clamp my mouth shut.
“Okay, sorry to bother you. Have you a good night.”
For just a second I can see her look crestfallen as she turns to walk away.
“Wait,” I call out in my deep and unused voice. I clear my throat and watch her stop and look at my door once more. “Sorry, I’m, um—” I look around for an excuse and glance down at my bare chest. “I’m not dressed.”
Her cheeks pinken and she brings her hand to her mouth to smother her smile. “I’m so sorry.”
It’s not unusual that I’m not wearing clothes. Being as big as I am, it’s hard to find things that fit and most of the time I’m more comfortable in boxer briefs.
“It’s okay,” I hear myself saying, because I want to make her feel better. “You moved in?”
Why am I talking through the door like an idiot? I rest my forehead on the wood and close my eyes. I wish I could open the door and get a good look at her, but I know the second she sees me she’ll probably ask to get a new place. She won’t want to live across the hall from Frankenstein’s monster.
“Yeah, I’ve got lots of boxes and unpacking to do, but I’m kind of excited about it.” She gets a dreamy look in her eyes for a second as she smiles to herself. “Anyway, I should probably go do that.”
I wait to see if she’s going to say anything else, but she just looks up and down the hall before her eyes come back to my door.
“Okay, I guess that’s it. Nice to meet you, um, what was your name?”
“Bull.” My voice sounds like I’ve been eating nails and I hate that I’m not smooth or able to play it cool.
“Bull?” she asks, and I nod, but she can’t see me. “That’s funny. I’ve always loved bulls since I was a kid and read Ferdinand.” She smiles and shrugs. “Anyway, have a great night.”
“Bye, Teeny,” I say, but it’s so soft I don’t think she hears it.
I watch her go to her apartment and look back one quick time before she goes inside and closes the door. I stand there staring for another few minutes just to make sure she doesn’t run back out and want to talk to me again.
I sigh as I push away from the door and go back to my living room. Why would she want to talk to me? I didn’t even open the door.
When glance outside I see that the sun is beginning to set and it’s time for dinner. I think about what I want and then it dawns on me that Teeny might not have had a chance to get any food from the store with moving all day. It’s been a long time since I moved, but I remember that it gets hectic and then before you realize it you”ve skipped a meal and you’re starving.
I go into the kitchen and grab a menu from the Chinese place down the block. I don’t know what she eats, but everyone likes Chinese, right? I call and order a couple of things for her that I think she might like and then order some food for myself and explain to them that they are two orders across the hall from one another.
After I hang up I pull on some shorts and then go to my office and try to pull up any documents I can on Teeny and who she might be. I did security for a long time because it was the easiest job in the world for me. My size alone would deter criminals and I did some bodyguard work for a few celebrities. I just got tired of all the looks I got when I went out, and since I already had a list of high-profile clients I decided to do private online consulting. I’ve made a ton of money doing this all from the comfort of my home. It also allows me to have access to a lot of things that most people don’t. Like Teeny’s lease agreement, for example.
Our building is comprised of just a few residences and I happen to own mine. The one across the hall from me is owned by a man with a large investment portfolio who leases this one out on occasion. I pull up all the paperwork he filed with his business. I want to know who everyone is around me even if I never meet them face to face. So when I found out who he was I got all the information I could on him.
There isn’t much to go on other than a credit check and a co-sign on the lease that looks like her parents. I was right in my first assessment that she looked young—she’s just turned eighteen. I think about her soft features and how delicate she was, and then I think about her curves everywhere else. She might be barely legal, but she’s got the body of a woman.
I spend the next hour scouring the internet to see if I can find her on social media or any job application sites. But when I hear a knock at my door I remember the food I ordered. I grab my wallet off the counter and take out the cash for a tip when I hear another knock.
“Coming,” I call out as I hurry to the door and pull it open.
“Oh.”
There stands Teeny with two big bags of food as she looks my half-naked body up and down. My initial reaction is to slam the door closed, but I’m afraid it might scare her even more.
“Sorry,” I mumble because what else do I say? She’s been stunned into silence and I’m reminded of why I don’t interact with people.
“No, I’m totally sorry. It’s my fault. They just dropped all this food at my place and tried to tell them they had the wrong address but they insisted.” She holds up the bag and smiles so sweetly at me it feels like she kicked me in the gut. “I think these are yours.”
“I um, ordered you food,” I mutter in a low voice. I feel completely naked even though I’m just without a shirt. Why do I always sound so unsure of myself?
“There’s no way this is all for me.” Her eyes are wide with shock as she looks down at them.
“Well, it’s for both of us, but they forgot to give me mine,” I say quietly, closing the door just a little bit to try and hide my size.
“I can’t believe how sweet you are.” She looks up at me with her dark brown eyes and they are so honest and sincere. “Do you want to just eat together since they got it mixed up?”
Why is this young woman not running for the hills? She’s too unaware of how small she is and how easily she could be kidnapped and murdered. She’s inviting me to have dinner with her when she doesn’t even know me. But maybe I’m the kind of person she needs in her life to look out for her.
“Let me put a shirt on,” I say quietly as I stare down at my chest then close the door. I curse myself and then open the door. “Would you like to come in?”
She laughs a little as she nods and then steps inside. What the hell am I doing?