The Cop Next Door (Edited Version)

Happenchance

Chapter One

Santa Ana was blistering in the heavy heat of an August afternoon. The sun-baked the streets, sidewalks, and anything else in its path that couldn't make it under the shade. Sweat was inevitable, even in the refuge of shade or with the assistance of a fan. The city's citizens were either cooped up inside with their air conditioning on full blast or at the beach in the cool water; I was one of the cooped up. Three fans directed toward me and my shirt still clung to my chest and back with perspiration. A tall redhead skipped past my room sporting a pair of jean shorts and a bikini top.

"Where are you going?" I yelled after her, unwilling to get up from my seat in front of the rotating fans.

"I'm heading to the beach, want to come?" She popped her head into the door frame of my room just in time to catch me shaking my head in response. "I figured; see you in a couple of hours!" The front door slammed behind Vivian and I sprang up, pulling off every item of clothing I had been wearing. Now fully nude and without the barrier of clothing, I was free to let the fans cool off every part of my body.

My fingers scrolled through a playlist on my phone and settled on a certain nineties hit by Sir Mix-a-Lot. My silly choice of music couldn't and wouldn't be made fun of by my best friend now that she had left, so I wasted no time in letting loose. My hips moved to the beat of the song, matching each phrase, loop, and hook. I used a toothbrush as my microphone, rapping along with the voice that bounced through my speaker system.

Partway through the song, the doorbell rang and I quickly pulled on my robe, tying it tightly around my body as I scrambled toward the entrance of my rental. With the music playing quietly in the background, I opened the door and sucked in a dense breath. The man standing on the steps of my porch towered over my small stature by at least a foot, making my body seem like a garden gnome next to this Michelangelo sculpted marble statue. Short dark brown hair was slicked neatly to the side in an organized, clean-cut manner with a gentle fade moving down his scalp; mirrored aviator sunglasses shielded his eyes from me, adding to the effect of his blue police uniform that was fitted perfectly against his heavily muscled body.

"Sorry to disturb you, Miss." He smiled charmingly down at me and I forced a girlish giggle back down my throat.

Gag, get yourself together.

"It's no problem, Officer. What can I do for you?" I bit my lip, moving some hair away from my face as my eyes found his nametag. 

Officer Rivera

"I'm just going around the neighborhood introducing myself. I'm moving in next door to you." His voice echoed with a hint of a Spanish accent as he pointed to the old Jones's house that had been sitting for sale for almost a year. It had been the wonderment of the street, a beautiful piece of architecture that was one of the largest brick buildings in the neighborhood. The exterior walls gave way to long windows from floor to ceiling, the second floor utilized an open concept with bay windows allowing a beautiful view of the city. Before they had moved to be closer to family, I was a frequent babysitter for the Jones' four-year-old son and had seen the inside of the beautiful home many times.

"Oh, well, welcome to Ophelia Avenue." I smiled warmly and moved from one leg to the other awkwardly. This wasn't the way I wanted to make a first impression, standing in just a robe with sweat trickling down my back. "I'm Jane Kingsley."

"Officer Daxon Rivera." He smirked down at me, bringing his fingers to the collar of my robe. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything." He motioned toward my robe causing a heavy blush to crawled up my neck to the tips of my cheekbones.

"Not at all," I swallowed hard. "I was about to take a bath actually, so I better get back; the tub is probably overflowing." I gave a nervous laugh in an attempt to hide the obviousness of my lie, but as I turned to reenter my home I hoped he wouldn't call me out on it.