Bab 11: Good Friendly Neighbor
One look at the frightened expression on her face and Tom could guess what she was thinking, "Calm down. I wasn't stalking you, and I'm most definitely not here to blackmail you. I just happen to be your next-door neighbor." Tom assured her, raising both hands as though to show that he meant no harm.
Lucy looked at him uncertainly, and when she saw the harmless smile on his face she took a moment to compose herself and her thoughts, "And you swear this meeting is purely coincidental?" She asked suspiciously. Sonia was going to have a good laugh if she heard about this unfortunate 'coincidence'
"Come on! what else could it be?" Tom asked, making her relax slightly even though she was still feeling uncomfortable.
"Look, I don't mean to deflate your ego or be rude... last night was great, and the sex was mind-blowing, but it was just a one-time thing. Like I don't intend to... You know, get involved with you or have a repeat of it." She said as she rocked back on her heel.
The sides of Tom's lips twitched in amusement when he realized that she actually thought they had sex and he had deflowered her. He decided to play along since there was no need to tell her the truth, "Ouch!" Tom said, sounding like his ego had been bruised.
"I must have been very lousy on bed. I thought if the sex was great the woman was supposed to come back for more." Tom said making her wince.
"Let's just be good friends and good neighbors, okay? Let's forget about whatever happened." Lucy said as she moved away from him to put some distance between them.
"Okay. If that's what you want. So as a good friendly neighbor, what can I help you with?" Tom asked as he looked around the house.
"Let's just move the furniture and then set up the bed." She said, sounding clearly relieved that he was willing to forget the past.
They both worked in silence for some time, Tom helped her carry the heavy stuff into her bedroom while she busied herself with arranging the kitchen. After working for about thirty minutes, Tom decided to break the silence so he joined her in the kitchen, "By the way, how was work today? I know we agreed not to talk about yesterday, but I gathered you woke up really late... I hope it didn't cause any problems for you at work?" He asked, reminding her that she was curious about something.
"It's fine. I was just wondering... That building, what was it? A hotel? Or a private residence?" She asked without turning to look at him.
"Oh! It's a friend's family house."
"I see."
"Yeah, I figured since it was a one-night stand there was no need for either of us to know where the other lives... But I guess that wasn't necessary after all." Tom said with a grin making Lucy chuckle.
She was glad they could joke about something like this like it hadn't happened. Who knows? Maybe he could be her first friend in the city, after all, she thought, "I guess so." She said as she turned to look at him. She almost swallowed her tongue when she noticed he had unbuttoned his shirt and his bare torso which was glistening with swear looked very attractive. Bad idea! She decided as she turned around and returned her attention to the cupboards she was cleaning while Tom also returned to the living room.
When she was done in the kitchen she walked over to the living room to check on him and smiled appreciatively when she noticed that everything was almost set. She couldn't help feeling very grateful for his help since she knew had she be doing it alone, she wouldn't have gone halfway by now. She couldn't wait for him to leave so she could have a warm bath, and relax her body and mind, but for now, she needed to be a hospitable host to her sinfully gorgeous next-door neighbor.
"So what do you do?" Lucy asked from the doorway since that seemed like a relatively safe topic to discuss with her neighbor.
"I fix things. Sort of like a handyman. But I had a job interview today, though. So if it goes well I'd become a company driver." He said flashing her a smile.
"Oh!" A driver? She wondered with a frown. She hadn't pegged him to be such an ordinary man. Why a driver of all things? And a handyman?
Tom almost smiled when he heard the hint of disappointment in her tone, "Yeah. Although my job as a handyman takes care of most of my bills, I need this new job to keep body and soul together." He explained as he straightened from what he had been doing and looked at her. He smiled when he noticed the dirt stain on her cheek and the side of her nose. How she managed to still look attractive even in those thick glasses was beyond him.
He reached out his hand to take the photo frames from her when he noticed she wanted to hang them on the wall. Tom's eyes fell on one of the pictures she and Lucas had snapped, their hands on each other's shoulders and a grin on their faces as they posed for the camera, "Boyfriend?" He asked curiously.
Lucy giggled, "Nah, that's my twin brother Lucas. He would have helped me move, but my relocation was impromptu so he couldn't get a leave from work on such short notice. He's a medical doctor." She explained as she surveyed the walls, looking for the best spot to hang the pictures.
"How lucky. I've always wished I had a twin. I feel like there's a special connection between twins that are lacking in other relationships. Don't you feel specially connected with your brother?" Tom asked as he hung the picture on the side of the wall she was pointing at.
"I wouldn't know. Maybe because he is my only sibling, so I don't know. What about you? Do you have any siblings?" She asked making Tom swear loudly.
"Oh shit! I promised my mom I was going to give my siblings a call. Yes, I do, I have a brother and a sister. Since we are done here with the bulk of the work I'll leave you to it and return to my apartment. I need to check on my siblings." Tom said as he hurried towards the door.
"Oh! You're not going to have a taste of the apple pie?" She called out as he hurried towards the door.
"It's for you, so enjoy it. I've got some at home. You can bring the tray to the apartment next door when you're done." He said as he shut the door behind him.
Immediately he was out he grinned to himself, proud of himself for acting so neighborly, and very glad he had come up with a good excuse to leave in such a friendly manner. She wanted a good friendly neighbor? She was going to get just that.
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