The Man Next Door

Chapter Eleven

Everything was quiet in the house, still and peaceful.

The rain that cracked open the sky after you fell asleep had stopped, and the sun was now shining, raindrops twinkling on the windows.

You spent the night in Joel's arms, sleeping better than you had in months, years even. The way his chest rose and fell while he slept lulled you to sleep, and his arms wrapped around you kept you safe. You could stay in his arms for the rest of eternity, you thought.

You slept without any bad dreams, or any dreams at all really. Your mind was simply at peace. This of course, did not last.

It was early in the morning, too early to hear the familiar sound of a truck door closing shut. You must've been half awake, because the noise made you jump up. Your sudden movement made Joel pick his head up, looking rather puzzled.

"'S'matter?" He looked around, trying to find the source of your panic.

You flew off the couch, scrambling to get away from him. "Joel. My dad is home." His eyes widened, propping himself up on an elbow.

"How do you know?"

You paused for a second, thinking maybe it wasn't your dad, maybe it was just a neighbor. The sound of a key being inserted into the lock confirmed your fear. You had maybe three seconds.

"Joel, you are asleep." You bolted from the living room, trying to put as much distance between you and Joel as possible. It was up to Joel to make up a story now. You heard the front door shut just as soon as you shut yourself into your bedroom.

You were still wearing the same outfit from your date last night, so you quickly changed into a slouchy pair of pajamas pants and a big t-shirt. You could hear your dad and Joel talking, and from what you could tell, the conversation wasn't heated. Thank god.

You heart drummed in your chest, still coming down from the fear of being caught. It was close, too close. You and Joel needed to be a lot more careful.

Then it dawned on you. Why was your father home so early? He was supposed to be out of town for a week, but yet he was standing in the living room talking to Joel. Your stomach did a flip. You recalled last nights events, between Joel and Thomas. You knew Thomas had your father's number while you were dating, had he called you dad and told him something?

The curiosity got the best out of you. You took a deep breath, hoping that what you found outside that door would not be bad news.

You rubbed your eyes as if you'd just woken up as you rounded the corner. Your dad spotted you, and to you relief, he smiled.

"Mornin' angel. I'm makin' some coffee, want a cup?" He seemed to be totally oblivious, not questioning why Joel had spent the night. Then again, it wasn't supposed to be suspicious. Joel was his best friend, and he'd slept on that couch more times than you could count. But knowing what you knew, the guilt ate away at the pit of your stomach.

"No thanks." You chewed on your lip, trying to think of the most natural way to ask him why he wasn't out of town still. Why he'd interrupted your peaceful morning with Joel.

"Your job get canceled?" You grabbed a stack of plates from the cabinet, not making eye contact with your father. Joel had joined him in the kitchen, busying himself with making eggs.

Your dad grabbed the pot of coffee, pouring a large cup for himself. "Yeah, actually. My client got sick, asked if we could reschedule. Kinda blows, but that means I can take you two on the trip I've been wantin' to plan. Sara too, of course."

For the first time since you'd ventured out of your room, Joel caught your eyes. Only for a brief moment, then his attention shifted back to the stove.

"What trip?"

He pulled out a chair and sat at the table, sipping from his cup. "I know it's not really your, uh, style, but there's this gorgeous lake, really popular for fishin' and.-"

"Dad, I love you so much, but I'm sorry, I'm not going fishing. Last time I went fishing I fell in the water."

He laughed a little too hard, as if reminiscing on the hilarious memory. "Okay, fine. I'm assuming Sara won't want to go if you aren't going. So that just leaves you, fucker. Whaddya say, me, you, couple 'a day on the lake?"

Joel had started to eat his plate of scrambled eggs, not really engaging in the conversation. When he saw your father's and your own eyes on him, he set his fork down. "Dunno, I've got work.."

"Oh come on, I know you've only got a million vacation days saved up. You hardly ever use 'em. Take a couple days off, lets just go have a guys trip. Just like old times."

You watched Joel's face, and you could almost hear him thinking. "Well, Sara does come home soon.. I guess she could stay here with your kid.."

You dad jumped up from his chair, splashing a bit of coffee onto the table. He grabbed Joel's shoulders and shook him excitedly. "That's what I'm talkin' about! We leave tomorrow!"

-

Joel had left after he ate breakfast, and your father was preoccupied in the kitchen when you walked past the living room, spotting the bouquet of roses on the floor from last night. You hurriedly picked them up, relieved that your dad hadn't spotted them since he'd gotten home. You snuck them into you room, staring at them for a moment before tossing them in the bin.

Sara called you a few hours later, telling you she was home and asking when you could hang out. You told her your fathers plans, which she laughed at.

"It's sweet that he invited us, but yea I don't know why he thought we'd love the idea of fishing."

-

Later that night, much after your phone call with Sara, and hours after your father went to bed, you sprawled across your bed on your stomach, phone in hand. You had texted Joel a simple "Hey", and of course he responded with a phone call.

"Miss me already?" You stifled a giggle, knowing Joel hadn't found your comment funny.

"That was a close call today." He sounded stressed, as if the day had worn him out.

You hesitated. You didn't want him to run, but he was absolutely right. You were playing a risky game, and the two of you were not doing the best job of hiding it. "Okay, so we'll be more careful."

You imagined him running a hand through his hair, furrowing his brow. He stayed quiet.

"I can hear you overthinking Joel." He grunted, and you knew you were right. "Shut up."

You changed the subject, tired of talking about the close call earlier. "So, fishing trip, huh? You excited?" You tried to be upbeat, but in reality you were bummed that he'd be gone.

"Matter 'a fact I am. Been a while since me 'n your pops spent time together." You knew this must have been tough for him. Your father was his best friend, so of course he didn't want to hurt him. But if he ever found out about what he got up to with his daughter, he'd be absolutely furious.

"Well, I'm gonna miss you Joel Miller."

"Mm. 'M gonna miss you too babygirl."