Neighbors

Chapter Twenty-One: The End of A Beautiful Thing

Three weeks went by faster than I had anticipated. Ian and I tried to see each other as much as we possibly could. But it was rough. The night before I was supposed to be at my dorm, Ian told me he had something special planned. I was to meet him at 8.

Seven thirty rolled around and I was about as nervous as the first time Ian and I had sex. I didn’t want this to be the last time. I didn’t want to go to State. I didn’t want to leave Ian. But I had no choice.

This meant I had to make the most out of this night. I glanced at myself one more time in the mirror before I moved quickly down the stairs. Just as I was about to leave, my mother called out to me.

“Ryder, are you going out?” she shouted, her footsteps echoing throughout the house.

“Yes,” I called back. “I’m just saying goodbye to some of the neighbors, before I go tomorrow.”

“This late into the evening,” she questioned. “Okay – Well, could you at least bring this dish over to Mrs. Bloom’s for me? She’s been waiting for ever. I really don’t want to bring it over tomorrow.”

I groaned as she moved into the kitchen, retrieving some casserole dish. I grabbed it and carried it over to Mrs. Bloom’s house. I rang the doorbell two or three times before it opened up. Chris was the one who met me.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” he grinned madly as I handed him the dish.

“Compliments of my mother,” I retorted sarcastically. “Give that to Mrs. Bloom for me.”

Just as I was about to walk away, he grabbed my arm. “Wait a minute. That’s it. You don’t even say hello or should I say good-bye, in this case. I heard that you’re leaving tomorrow.”

He let go of my arm as soon as I turned around. I guess I could spare a minute or two, considering I had been a complete asshole to him. To be fair, he didn’t really deserve it.

 “Yeah, I am actually,” I shrugged. “I have to be back early for swimming practice. What about you?”

“I have like another week or so,” he replied his eyes flickering to the ground.

“Look Chris, I’m sorry about the way I’ve acted,” I apologized. “I shouldn’t have been such an asshole to you.”

Chris nodded. “Don’t worry about it, dude. We’re cool. Keep swimming, Phelps.”

I smirked. “Look out for me on the Olympics. See you later.”

Chris chuckled as I walked over to Ian’s place. It was five past eight. I’m sure he didn’t mind I was a little late. I shoved my hands into my pocket as I moved up the porch steps. I tapped my knuckle lightly against the door a few times. I could hear Hercules barking as Ian’s voice echoed throughout the house.

He opened the door after a minute or two, his eyes tracing mine. “Well – come on in.”

I pulled my shoes off, as Ian closed the door shut behind me. A sweet smell entered my nose as I moved towards the kitchen. Just as I was about to walk in, Ian stopped me.

“You stay in the living room,” he ordered as he pulled my jacket off of me. I groaned as I found my way into the living room. Hercules followed me as I moved towards his desk, my eyes catching onto a stack of papers. I smirked as I picked up what appeared to be his manuscript. It was titled “J.R” a novel by Ian Golden.

I flipped to the first page, my eyes tracing along the dedication page.

Dedicated to J.R.

Who was J.R? Ian hadn’t mentioned anyone with those initials before. Was this his last boyfriend? Someone in his family? A friend? I flipped through the pages, stopping in a random spot.