The Man Next Door

Chapter Ten

The date with Thomas went amazing.

Part of you had hoped that he would be an asshole, but he was as charming as ever. He picked you up, bouquet of flowers in hand, complementing your outfit.

He'd even opened the car door for you, leaving you shocked. He hadn't even been this respectful when you dated, and you wondered if he'd really changed, or if it was all a ploy.

He took you to play mini golf, which you absolutely dominated at, then the two of you walked to a nearby bar and had a few drinks. Over the course of the night, you caught up with each other, him telling you about his little sister who was now a freshman in high school, how he'd just gotten a new dog, and in turn you told him about your plans for the future.

You had just finished your second round of drinks when he'd suggested to leave. Seeing as it was getting late, you were fine with going home. As you walked back to his car, you stole a few glances at him, your heart tugging.

His eyes were the prettiest shade of blue you'd ever seen, his clothes smelled of sandalwood and peppermint, and when his pinky bumped into yours and lingered there, your fingers intertwined with his naturally. Neither one of you said anything, but you could see him grin from the corner of your eye as he clutched your hand.

The ride home was just as fun as the date- he put on old 2000's songs, and the two of you sung at the top of your lungs, horribly off pitch, but you didn't care. It was only when he'd parked his car in the front of your house when you were brought back to reality, remembering of why the two of you had broken up in the first place.

He'd been acting weird for months, and although you'd always been a laid back girlfriend, it bothered you so much to the point where you found yourself snooping through his phone. You found hundreds of texts between him and some girl he'd gone to high school with, full of evidence that he'd cheated on you with her.

Of course, once you'd confronted him, it didn't matter that he'd cheated, all that mattered was you didn't trust him, and that you'd gone through his phone. You'd argued for days before finally breaking up with him, and that was the last night you'd talked to him.

You hadn't really forgiven him for ruining your relationship, but you had pretty much moved on. So what the fuck were you doing with him now? In the back of your mind you knew he was a distraction, a replacement.

As he hopped out of his car and walked around to let you out, you leaned your head back into his seat, the liquor clouding your head. You clutched the roses he'd given you, scowling at the thought that creeped in your head. He never bought you flowers once, the entirety of your relationship.

You walked into your house, still holding his hand, when you froze- there was a man on your couch. You stopped in your tracks, frozen with fear. You knew your dad wouldn't be home already, so it couldn't be him. Thomas' eyes followed yours and landed on the sleeping figure stretched out on your couch.

You tiptoed closer, quickly realizing what you were looking at. The man looked all too familiar, and when you walked around the couch to face him, your suspicions were confirmed. You had yanked your hand away from Thomas, partly because you didn't want Joel to see, and partly because you were angry.

"Joel?"

It came out as an angry yell, one that made Joel's eyes spring open. Next to you, Thomas hesitated. "Erm, do you know him?" Joel halfway sat up, looking at you, shifting his eyes to Thomas, then to the bouquet he'd given you earlier, a scowl spreading across his face.

"Yes. He's my neighbor. Joel what are you doing here?" He straightened himself out, a look of embarrassment forming.

"Your dad asked me to come by 'n check on you. Told me to stay for a bit." His eyes remained on Thomas, who was still confused.