Page 5

Chapter Five

FALLON

I was able to avoid my new neighbor for a few days, making sure it was clear before leaving the house. After the last time, I had no interest in going back and forth with her again.

I had the day off, so I managed to get a good amount of cleaning done around the house. Before I took the trash out, I wanted to take a shower and do some laundry.

Peeking through my peephole, I bolted out the door when I saw it was clear. This was going to get tiring after a while, but for now, I did what I had to do.

I said a quiet thank you when I got to the laundry room and saw that it was empty. The last thing I wanted was to run into my neighbor. It was bad enough she was in my damn thoughts all the time.

The laundry room was on the first floor of the apartment building and was decently sized, with three washers and dryers lining the wall. On the opposite wall, there was a long table for folding clothes.

I had just started the washer and turned around when someone walked in. Before I could see who it was, my heart stopped and I jumped. I couldn't deal with her right now. I was having a relaxing day, and had no intention of letting her ruin it. But when I finally saw who it was, my shoulders relaxed and I let out a breath.

Grateful didn’t even begin to cover the emotion I felt when I saw it was just my friendly neighbor, Robbie. Robbie was a 65-year-old man who lived with his wife, Debbie. He was retired, but he was home less often than I was. He was always out walking or picking flowers to bring home for Debbie. Every day, he brought her a single flower, and it was never the same kind.

“Oh, hi, Robbie. You scared me. I thought you were someone else,” I said with a smile, trying to catch my breath.

He frowned. “Hey there, Fallon. I’m sorry to scare you. I’m a little concerned for you, though. With a reaction like that, who were you expecting?”

I sighed. “No one as lovely as you, I’m afraid. How’s Debbie?”

He smiled at the mention of her name. “Oh, she’s as beautiful as the day I met her. She’s upstairs reading one of her dirty books.”

I could have done without that image… “Oh, well, good for her.”

He laughed. “Yes. Anyway, are all the washers taken tonight?”

I looked toward the laundry room and shook my head. “No, I’m just using one, so you’re right on time. The rest are all yours.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Fallon. So, how are you doing besides worrying and waiting for someone terrifying?”

I laughed. “I’m not waiting on anyone. I was hoping to avoid them, but I’m doing pretty well. Enjoying my day off and having some time to myself.”

I was hoping he would stop prying. I didn’t want to talk or even think about her.

Why was I still thinking about her? I needed to just shake it off and move on. I couldn’t let some uptight stranger affect me, even if I could have drowned in her ocean-blue eyes.

“Well, I’m sorry, and I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself today. See you at drying time.” He waved and headed to do his laundry.

“Yes, see you then. Tell Debbie I said hello.” I waved goodbye and left.

When I closed my apartment door behind me, I set a timer on my phone and made dinner. I had leftover steak and potatoes from the night before, so I popped them into the microwave and made some red rice.

I was stirring the rice when my phone rang. I wiped my hands and swiped the screen, putting it on speaker. “Hey, Pen, you’re on speaker. I’m cooking.”

She laughed. “Oh shit, don’t die, please.”

I rolled my eyes. “Excuse me, I’m an excellent cook, okay?” I mean, I wasn’t Rachel Ray or anything, but I was decent. I used to cook with my mom all the time when I was younger.

“Yeah, well, what else is going on? Have you fully recovered from the party yet?”

I groaned. “Yes and no. I mean I’m not hungover or anything, but mentally, I’m drained.”

“From your neighbor? She really did a number on you, didn’t she? You were drunk, you need to let it go.”

The remaining irritation from a few nights ago was starting to resurface. “She was the worst! And yeah, I know. I think she was drinking that night, too, to be honest, I don’t know. It just rubbed me the wrong way, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” I didn’t want to think about her either, even though my brain protested and did anyway.

“Fine, fine, I can take a hint. So, what are you making?”

I continued stirring the rice and told her. Of course, she continued to tease me, but I ignored her.

“Okay, but how are you, Pen? Drea told me what happened with Gregory. Are you still staying at your parents’ house?”

She sighed. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ve ever been apart this long. I’m just so mad—I can’t stand to be anywhere near him right now. But I’ll be fine, babe.”

It broke my heart to hear her so upset.

Penelope’s husband thought it would be a brilliant idea to cancel their plans together so he could go play golf with the guys—on their tenth anniversary. I knew she would forgive him at some point, but my heart still hurt for her.

“Okay, just take it easy, and don’t let him suffer too long. I love you.”

“I won’t. I love the idiot too much, you know that. And I love you, too, Fal.”

When we hung up, I took my plate of food to the couch, propped one leg up, and grabbed the remote, scrolling through Netflix for a good thirty minutes until I found a movie I actually wanted to sit through.

Caleb and I used to watch Stuart Little at least twice whenever I babysat. It was his favorite movie. Watching it now, even though I was alone, made me feel connected to him, like he was still with me, even though we were miles apart.

I didn’t regret moving away, not for a second. Sometimes, though, it was hard being away from my family.

When I went to dry my clothes, Debbie was there with Robbie. She gave me a warm hug and we chatted until the dryers went off. I asked about the romance novel she was reading, and she was excited to talk about it with me. Robbie just rolled his eyes, smiling as he read a magazine. I tried not to think about how much of her books they re-enacted.

I returned with my clothes and put them away as I finished the movie. I tried to take a little nap, but my mind wouldn’t stop running.

My past kept creeping back into my head—the good and the bad. I thought about my mom and stepdad, wondering what they were doing and whether they were working or spending the day with Caleb. Then I thought about my little brother.

He was only five, but I wondered if he was upset with me for leaving. He was my little shadow, following me around everywhere and clinging to my legs like a sloth to a tree branch. I smiled and wiped away a stray tear before it hit the pillow. I knew moving to Seattle was the right decision, but that didn’t mean it was easy.

Then I remembered how I ended up where I was to begin with. My ex and I had been together for so long, I thought I had finally found my happy ending. The only thing I found was betrayal and heartbreak.

When I found out she cheated on me, I didn’t think I’d ever leave my room. I moved out and back in with my mom for two years before I moved to Seattle.

I wallowed for too long before I started to rebuild myself. I still had doubts that I wasn’t responsible for pushing her into someone else’s bed. I must have done something wrong—she sure acted that way. She acted like I didn’t even matter, like what we had, or what I thought we had, meant nothing.

When I confronted her, she turned it around on me and acted like I was the one who was texting someone else. She now has a new “baby” she goes home to every night. I thought I was her home, but I guess things changed.

It had been over a year, but some days were harder than others. I had definitely moved on, and I didn’t want anything to do with her anymore, but it still hurt to know I wasn’t good enough for someone.

I shook my head, exhausted by all these emotions, and closed my eyes until sleep took over.