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Chapter 44: Colton
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The boy next Door Chapter 45: Alyssa
This night has swerved a direction I could have never predicted when I saw him standing outside the fine arts building this afternoon. Even though I've done everything possible to keep Colton at arm's length to avoid developing feelings for him. It's been a losing battle from the very beginning. If I hadn't realized it when we talked in his room, I do now.There is something undeniable between us. There always has been. I'm tired of trying to fight the attraction. I'm tired of fighting the feelings that are still there. Or denying they exist in a feeble attempt to move on. I can't do it any longer. I have no idea what will happen between us or how this will ultimately end. For all I know, it could be badly. What I do know is that there is relief in finally accepting the situation.I place my palms on his naked chest, slowly sweeping them up, needing to feel the sinewy strength that lies beneath. I rise to my tiptoes until my lips can brush across his. My hands drift from h
The boy next Door Chapter 46: Colton
Just as I'm adding the finishing touches to a paper, an email pops up in the corner of my computer screen. Everything inside me freezes as I stare at the name. It's as if I'm dangling at the tippy top of a sky-high rollercoaster, perched for a descent. C. Radcliffe.In what universe did I think reaching out to my mother was a good idea? Why did I think it would give me the closure I needed to move on with my life?Right now, it seems like the worst thing I could have possibly done.All of a sudden, I feel like I'm going to puke.Instead of opening up the message and reading it, I slam the laptop closed and shove away from the table I've been working at. The more distance I put between myself and that computer, the better off I am. My chest feels heavy. It feels as if there is a thousand-pound elephant sitting on it, making it impossible to breathe.A cold sweat breaks out across my brow as I grab my keys and wallet and head out the apartment. Less than twenty long-legged stride
The boy next Door Chapter 47: Colton
F*ck.Why did I agree to this?Why did I even reach out in the first place?Why couldn't I have left well enough alone?I was perfectly fine living my life.Well...maybe perfectly fine is something of an overstatement, but it was all good.I sit behind the wheel of my BMW in a parking space on the street in front of the coffee shop somewhere in the middle of where we both live. It's about an hour away from school. The only other person who knows I'm here is Alyssa. I couldn't bring myself to tell Dad or Jenna. They probably would have tried to talk me out of this. Maybe not Jenna. I think she would understand. But Dad?He definitely would have. He loves Jenna but he's salty about how Candance just walked out of our lives without ever looking back.As I stare at the cream brick and the worn wooden sign that hangs over the door, I'm kind of wishing I would have given them the chance to change my mind.I don't want to be here. And yet, I can't bring myself to turn the key in the
The boy next Door Chapter 48: Colton
My heart constricts. "You wouldn't have disturbed me." Maybe if she had, I wouldn't have been walking around all these years thinking that there was something wrong with me. I wouldn't have felt so abandoned. I wouldn't have pushed away the people who only wanted to love me.She clears her throat and blinks back the tears that fill her eyes. "Tell me everything. Catch me up."I give her the Spark Notes version of my life. From elementary school through college, along with my plans for the future. I gloss over the hurt and pain she caused. The entire time, Candance sits quietly across from me, squeezing my hand from time to time. The longer I talk, the more my muscles loosen. "I heard your father remarried.""Yes," I say carefully, "when I was seven." When she remains silent, I tack on, "Her name is Jenna.""She's been good to you?""She has." For some reason, I'm afraid to say too much. I don't want to unwittingly say or do something that will ruin the fragility of this m
The boy next Door Chapter 49: Alyssa
It's past two and I still haven't heard from Colton.I wish he would, at the very least, shoot me a text. Or give me a quick call. Anything at this point. I just want to know that everything is all right.That he's all right.As I push through the lobby door of the apartment building and hustle down the cement walkway, I slide my phone from my pocket and peek at it for the umpteenth time in the last thirty minutes.I really wish he would have let me come with for moral support. He shot that idea down pretty quickly when I had offhandedly mentioned it. I could have sat in the car and waited for him.Ugh. I sound like a needy girlfriend right about now. And you know what? We're not even going out.It's just...I feel like after all these years, Colton is finally allowing me a glimpse into who he truly is as a person. I'm only beginning to understand him. What I'm most afraid of is that this meeting with Candance is going to somehow close the door on that and we'll backpedal. I
The boy next Door Chapter 50: Colton
"Good practice, man. Keep playing like that and you'll be back on the field in no time." Beck slaps my back as he walks past on the way to his locker."Thanks." I hate to jinx myself, but yeah, it kind of felt like old times out there. Everything Beck threw my way, I caught with ease. Not a fumble in sight. It was nice. Reassuring. As if one piece of the puzzle has finally fallen back into place. With each practice I've been steadily improving. it's almost like I'm getting my groove back.All I can hope is that it continues, and that Coach is taking notice.So far, he hasn't said anything. He's been watching from the sidelines and jotting down notes. It's enough to set my nerves on end, but I try not to let the pressure get to me.Which hasn't been easy. Especially with everything that happened with Candance. I was afraid that it would mess with my head even more than before, but strangely enough, it hasn't. Don't get me wrong, what she said hurts like a mother fucker bu
The boy next Door Chapter 51: Colton
I pull my BMW into the circular drive and park near the front entrance before cutting the engine, grabbing my duffle bag from the front seat and exiting the vehicle. It takes only a moment before I'm up the stairs two and punching in the code on the keypad. Once unlocked, I push open the front door and step inside the two-story foyer. As soon as I do, the scent of beef stroganoff hits me full force. I inhale a big breath, doubly glad I decided to get the hell out of Dodge.Even if it's only for the night.Jenna pads through the hallway from the kitchen with a dish towel in her hands. Surprise lights up her eyes when she catches sight of me. "I thought I heard the front door." She closes the distance between us before rising up on her tiptoes and pressing a kiss against my cheek. I lean down, wanting to make it easier for her. Jenna tops out at five foot. Sometimes I like to tease her by asking what the weather is like down there. "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming
The boy next Door Chapter 52: Alyssa
Monsieur Dupre claps his hands together and we all pause. "We will do it again until it is perfection!"For just a moment, my shoulders sag before I lift and take my position. We've been practicing the same piece over and over. He wasn't kidding when he said that we would keep at it until the movements were perfection. The guy is a real taskmaster. Although, that's what makes Monsieur Dupre such an amazing instructor.The music resumes and lift up onto the toes of my shoes, stretching my arms over head and holding the pose before raising one pointed foot out in front of me. The music arcs and still I hold the pose. My muscles begin to tremble."Bon!" he says.Instead of dwelling on the pain, I force it from my mind and lose myself in the rhythm of the music.Like before, the only thing that soothes the pain of this last breakup is dance. I'm able to lose myself in the precision of the movement for hours at a time. It helps me not think about-Nope. Not going to do it.Even wh
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