AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, I work.” I watch Davis’s eyes volley back and forth between the two of us and for the first time he really seems engaged. “Don’t you start lying to my neighbor.”
Aiden shrugs. “Not lying. Just stating facts.”
He knows as well as I do how hard I work. I think he’s enjoying this tit-for-tat far too much, so I turn my attention back to Mr. Illusive. “Just ignore Aiden. I try to.”
Chloe moves in our direction, curious blue eyes taking in the new arrival as she snuggles up against her husband and thrusts out her hand. “Hey there, I’m Chloe, Aiden’s better half. And you are?”
Davis offers her a shy smile and his hand. “Davis. I live next door.”
“Ah.” She smiles at me and attempts to flutter her lashes in her coy yet ridiculous attempt to get a rise out of me. Chloe is a big fan of the shock factor, so I shouldn’t be surprised when she asks, “Are you and Merrick dating?”
Poor Davis…his eyes widen so far they practically pop out of his head. And the little amount of color that had started to return to his face fades immediately. “Um…no. I’m um….I’m um…I’m married.”
Chloe being Chloe, she laughs at herself and dismisses the uncomfortable line of questioning with a wave of her hand. “Oops, my bad. Sorry about that.” I watch as she takes in his bare ring finger, then glances around the room. “Is your wife joining us? We could use some more estrogen in this room.”
Davis’s brown eyes grow black with anger as he bites out his next words. “She’s out of town.”
There’s so much more to his story than I’ll ever learn today, so I give Chloe a silentgo-awaylook, and turn back to the once again uneasy man across from me. “There are all kinds of things to eat—nachos, wings, chips. Please help yourself.”
Refusing to look at me, he keeps his attention turned toward the television and gives me nothing more than a brief nod. Aiden and I share a look that speaks volumes, and then he follows in Chloe’s wake, leaving me to take his seat and to try to recoup the afternoon.
The silence between us is unnerving and my need to fill it with inane questions paramount. “Which team do you want to win?”
He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter.”
Why the hell did I think an afternoon watching football together would change anything?But dammit…I’m not going to apologize for being myself. If he’s a homophobe, that’s on him.
“When did you and your wife move into the neighborhood?”
His shoulders lift in a vague attempt at a shrug. “I don’t know…seven…almost eight years.”
“You like living here?”
He shrugs again, and I swear I want to shake him hard and force conversation. Talk to me. Please…. just talk to me.
But my inner begging does nothing to alleviate the awkward moment. There’s more silence. More nervousness that I can’t undo or make disappear, which is why I blurt out, “You don’t like me very much, do you Davis?”
Finally he turns to face me, and his eyes scroll lazily over my face. “I don’t know you.”
“It’s not like I haven’t tried to let you know me.”
His cheeks flush in an adorable truth-telling moment that lets me know he’s well aware of what an ass he’s been to me. “Yeah, I know.”
“How about we start over?” I thrust out my hand and toss on a big smile. “I’m Merrick. Nice to meet you.”
My hand lingers there in space for a few long seconds, and just when I’m willing to give up he gives me a half smile and slides his palm into mine. “Davis. Good to meet you too.”
This time our handshake is unhurried, and I’m happy to see that he doesn’t quickly look away when I ask, “Tell me about yourself, oh neighbor of mine.”
“Not a lot to tell.”
Clearly, I’m going to need to assist him with this thing called conversation. “How long have you worked at the Mercedes dealership?”
He thinks for a moment, takes a sip of beer, and replies, “Ten years, I think. Maybe more.”
I’m the type of man who clocks every success in dates and times memorized down to the minute. I know exactly how long I’ve lived in this house—six months, three days. I know how long I’ve been in business with Aiden. I know exactly how old I was when I informed my parents that I was gay. I’ve never, ever been vague about things in my life. Yet Davis sits here, almost uncertain about the important events ofhislife. Just shows how different we are.As if I didn’t already know that.
“Do you like what you do?”
