Bob and the Girl Next Door Ch. 01

1. All characters are 18+

2. No characters resemble real people

3. Enjoy the fiction

*

I shouldn't have said what I said. I didn't have much of an excuse, other than I'd had a bad day. That's still no excuse to ever yell at a girl.

Let me back up and explain.

My name is Grant, and I'm a graphic designer. I have an office, but my home office is just as equipped, so I do plenty of work from home. I'm also an avid gardener. That's been most of my life recently. I have a few friends, but not much of an outgoing social life.

Linda and I split up about a year ago, after 5 years of marriage. She met some other guy and divorced me to run off with him. Good riddance. I kept the house, so she took half my money. I haven't heard from her since she moved out, but her sleazy lawyer keeps calling me, trying to get more of my money. Fuck her and fuck that guy too.

I also kept Bob, my bulldog. He never listened to Linda anyway. He follows me around the house and garden, follows my commands, and naps anywhere he likes. He's good-natured and he never barks at anyone. He's lazy but lovable.

About six months ago, Olivia Tenner moved in next door. It was uncouthe to ask a woman's age, but I guessed she was in her late 30's, and she was a divorcee herself. Her husband had cheated on her several years back, and she'd appropriately kicked him out.

Olivia came with her teenage daughter Anna. The spitting image of her mom. Both were blonde, tall, and slim with long legs. A killer combination.

I'd gotten to know Olivia somewhat. She worked as a nurse, so her hours were crazy sometimes, but Anna was old enough to take care of herself if Olivia ever had to work overnight 12-hour shifts. Even despite her work schedule, Olivia managed to take care of her house and lawn, which I think is a good quality to have in a neighbor.

On the other hand, I didn't really know Anna. That's okay. I'm 32, so I get it that a teenage girl wouldn't have much in common with me. Now that it was summer, and school was out, I'd see Anna outside more and more. And, as it got warmer, she started wearing less and less, as young women tend to do.

So today, a hot Tuesday in early June, I was working at home. I had been working on a design project for weeks for a big company. If they liked my designs, it would mean big bucks and more work coming my way.

My phone rang as I was putting on the final touches. "Hello?"

"Hi, Grant, it's Bill," came the voice of my boss.

"What's up?"

"I have some bad news. Gintronics is going with another design."

My jaw dropped. "What? I've been slaving away at that project! The due date wasn't until Friday!" My voice was loud enough to wake Bob from his slumber on the floor nearby.

"I know," he told me, "but it looks like they went with someone else, ahead of the due date. I just wanted you to hear it from me."

I shook my head in disbelief. "So all that work is a waste."

"Well, hold onto it, I guess, in case they change their minds. But I'll get you another assignment soon, Grant."

"Okay. Thanks Bill."

I'd just hung up when I saw the mail truck out the window. Now seemed like a good time to get away from work anyway, so I left my office and went to check the mail. Bob followed goofily behind me.

I shuffled through the junk and found a legal-looking envelope. Inside was a court summons, for two weeks from today. That bitch Linda and her attorney were trying to get more alimony from me. I rolled my eyes, though nobody was around to see it.

I tossed the mail on the kitchen counter, and headed out to the backyard. This was my paradise. I had the best lawn on the street, a nice patio, and flowers of all kinds planted all around. I even had a small plot of vegetables in the back. When I wasn't maintaining the plant life out here, I usually sat and read a book on the patio. It was the best place I knew to calm myself on a day like this.

I looked to the side and saw Anna, laying out in the sun, wearing only a bikini. It was a good, cloudless day, so I didn't begrudge her for wanting to take advantage of it. She didn't look at me. If she'd heard me come out, she was ignoring me.

I spotted a few errant branches on a bush, so I grabbed my pruning shears. To my shock, they broke in my hands on the first snip. I grumbled as one of the metal pieces slipped from my hands and fell to the ground. What a lousy day. I tried to look on the bright side, that it gave me an excuse to go buy new garden tools, but that wasn't making my mood any better.

As I walked back towards the house, I looked at Anna again. I thought how lucky she was to still be young, and not to have to deal with grown-up crap yet. As I looked, she sat up and locked eyes with me. "Get a good look, you perv?" she called out.

I hadn't been perving on her, but now my brain got a glimpse of her teenage figure. Her bikini was bright pink. Not much to speak of on her chest. Her flat stomach and long legs made up the difference.

What I should have said was, "I wasn't staring at you. I'm going inside now."

But I was in a bad mood. The project getting cancelled, and the letter from Linda and her lawyer, and my tool breaking, and now this.

So I yelled at her. "Why would I want to look at you? What the hell would a grown man do with a flat-chested 17-year-old child?"

She clearly wasn't expecting the foaming rage that exploded from my mouth, as her eyes got wide. The only thing she could think to say in response was, "I'm 18."

"Whatever, like it makes a difference," I shouted, storming off, slamming the door as I entered the house.

Once I'd cooled down, I realized I should apologize for my unexpected tongue-lashing. I also made a mental note to apologize to Olivia when she got home from work. I had no excuse to yell at her daughter like that. But when I looked back outside, Anna was gone.

----

I'd realize later that what I'd just done, very unknowingly, was negging. Negging is when someone says something to put you down, whether explicitly or implicitly, to shake your self-confidence. I'd pointed out something Anna was already self-conscious about - her breast size. I'd also called her a child, when she probably thought she was grown-up at 18. She'd thought she was hot stuff, since I'm sure she was a popular girl in her high school. I broke her esteem just enough to make her suddenly think otherwise.

And, since I was the one who did it, I was the one she needed to impress in order to redeem herself.

----

It was later that evening when I saw Olivia arrive home, and I was able to catch her before she went into her house. "What's up, Grant?" she asked.

"I wanted to apologize to you and to Anna. I kind of yelled at her today," I said, then explained all my frustrations that I took out on her.

When I'd finished, Olivia put her comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you told me, and apologized," she said. "I'll talk to Anna."

I was relieved she understood. I didn't want to make enemies with my next-door neighbors. "Thank you. Please let her know I didn't mean anything I said."

"I will," she assured me, stepping through her door. "Have a good night."

In the morning, I didn't have any work to do, since my project was still either on hold or cancelled. So I made a quick trip to the hardware store to get new pruning shears, and a few other gardening supplies I had been thinking about. When I got home, it was almost noon. I made myself a sandwich and took it outside to the patio, along with a glass of lemonade. Like yesterday, it was a beautiful day to be outside. Bob trotted over to his corner of the lawn to do his business, then came back to the patio and curled up in the sun.

I was halfway through my sandwich when I saw Anna come outside. She didn't come over. I half-hoped that she would, so I could apologize and we could be friends, but the other half of me was glad she stayed in her own yard, so I didn't have to have that awkward talk.

Either way, I put extra effort into not staring at her. That was more difficult today. I had noticed her cute teenage body yesterday, and today she was out again in another bikini.

I focused on my yard, my sleepy dog, and my sandwich. I gave the occasional glances in Anna's direction. At one point I realized her chair was closer to my yard than it had been yesterday. But maybe I was imagining that. Another glance made me think she was watching me, but maybe that was natural after my outburst yesterday.

She sighed audibly, and I turned my head towards her. It was clear that sigh was meant to attract my attention. She smiled at me from her chair. I smiled back and gave a nod of acknowledgement. She wiggled on her chair, like she was adjusting her position, but it also seemed like she was wiggling her body for me.

If that was her intent, I was uncomfortable with it. I was also done with my sandwich. I downed the last of my lemonade, grabbed my dishes, and went inside with Bob without looking back. I spent the rest of my Wednesday afternoon doing inside chores, trying not to think of Anna's bikini body.

----

Thursday came, and I called into my office, but I still had no new assignment. At least the weather was nice. I thought briefly about Anna, but I threw those thoughts away. I had gardening work to do, and I had done all my inside chores yesterday.

Bob trotted out the door happily as I went out. I glanced next door. No sign of Anna or Olivia. I grabbed my gloves and a bucket and set about to pull weeds. I knew other people hated weed-pulling, but it was somewhat therapeutic for me. Ridding the world of evil, one weed at a time.

I heard the door open and shut next door, but I was facing away from it, so I didn't look up. I did look up as footsteps in the grass came closer. Anna stood there. Thankfully, not in a bikini this time, but a tank top and short shorts. Still not much left to the imagination, but at least her midriff was covered.

"Need any help?" she offered.

No one has ever helped me pull weeds. Why would anyone want to? But I didn't want to be mean or suspicious, so I simply nodded. "Sure," I said. "Want to start right there?" I pointed at a cluster about ten feet away. "Make sure to get the roots too, or they come back. Do you have gloves?"

She shook her head. I got up and headed to the garage, and was amused when both Anna and Bob followed me. I chuckled as I rooted in a drawer. "Usually I only have one loyal follower," I remarked.

Anna looked down at Bob. "He's a pretty dog."

"If by pretty you mean lazy, then yes he's gorgeous." I found an older left-hand glove, then found its mate a second later. "These will be big on you, but they'll keep your hands clean."

We went back to work outside. I glanced over a few times to make sure she was doing a good, complete job, which she seemed to be. Bob did his part by napping by the bucket in between us.

When she'd finished her section, she announced, "I'll move over to this part here."

"Okay," I responded, without really looking up. When I did, I saw her bent over the flower bed. Her shorts really were very short. As the material shifted upwards, I could just make out the lower curves of her ass. I doubted her mother would let her wear those shorts out of the house.

As the sun grew warmer, I watched Bob get up and trudge to the patio. I had left a water bowl for him there, which he partook of noisily. I looked over to Anna. She was still bent over, her cute butt still appealing. I could see the skin on her upper back, above the material of her tank top, starting to glisten just a bit. But she was finishing that bed's weeds.

"Thanks for your help, Anna," I said. "Want some lemonade or something?"

"That would be great, thanks," answered Anna. She stood and walked with me to the patio. She sat in one of the chairs there as I went inside for drinks. When I returned, Bob was napping at Anna's feet.

"That means he likes you," I told her, eliciting a smile from the girl. "So, how bored are you, that you actually wanted to help me pull weeds?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Well there's no school and I don't have a job," she started, "But really, I wanted to apologize to you."

"I was going to apologize to you. I never should have yelled at you."

"My mom told me," she nodded, "but it was my fault. I thought you were looking at me, like the boys at school do."

"No, but I remember being one," I told her. "Boys are desperate little pigs."

She laughed. "You're right. But you're not a boy, you're a man." I saw a look in her eyes. It was like she looked at me yesterday. There was desire there. Not just sexual desire, but a need to prove herself to me.

I tried not to play into it, and changed the subject to school. I figured she still had another year of high school, but she told me she had worked ahead, and was actually going to graduate in December. "I want to start college in January," she told me proudly, "I'm going to major in advertising."

"That's nice, that you already know what you want to do," I told her. "I'm a graphic designer myself, so I do a ton of advertising campaigns."

Her eyes lit up. "Have you done anything I've seen?"

I thought for a minute. "Mostly local things. Do you know Bruno's? The Italian restaurant?" I asked, and she nodded. "I did the logo for them a while back."

"That was you? Cool."

It was weird to think of my work as being described as 'cool' by a teenage girl, but I guess I would take it. "Bruno is a friend from way back, so he gave me the job when I was first getting started."

We finished our drinks, and Anna started putting the old gloves back on. "So what's next?" she asked eagerly.

I was still a little uncomfortable with her being around. I made up a little white lie. "Actually, I've got some work to do inside."

"Oh. Okay." Anna's face dropped a little. "Maybe I can help another time?"

I smiled. "Well, you did pretty good on those weeds, so maybe."

Her smile came back. She handed me the gloves, but I held out my hand. "You keep them," I told her. "I've got no need for them."

"Thanks, Mr. Fuller," she said, then looked down. "Bye Bob." Then trotted back to her house. I watched her go, and it seemed like she was moving her hips a little more than was necessary.

I opened the door, but Bob was still watching her go. "Come on, Bob," I called, and he broke his trance and headed inside with me.

----

Let me explain my yard. I live on a cul-de-sac, where the yards are angled because of the way the houses circle the end of the road. As a result, our front yards are pretty small, but the back yards are bigger than normal.

I've spent years getting my yard to how it is now. Everything is well-maintained. The patio has nice, comfortable furniture. Raised flower beds hold the plants in place. The lawn itself is green and healthy as well. Olivia's house, in contrast, is just grass and a small deck, where a small grill sits. Nothing special. That is, until Anna got inspired.

----

That weekend was rainy, so I didn't spend much time outside, and I didn't see Anna out at all. Monday morning, I finally got a new assignment for work, so I had to go into the office for a few hours for meetings.

When I got back, Olivia and Anna were unloading flats of flowers from the trunk of the car. "Hi, Grant!" said Olivia, waving at me.

I walked over, curious. "What's all this?"

"It's Anna's idea," Olivia told me. "She wants to do a few flowers around the house. She told me she spent some time with you the other day."

I nodded. "Yes, she helped me pull weeds."

"Hi Mr. Fuller," Anna said, coming back from dropping off flowers in the back yard. "I got my own set of gardening gloves," she said, holding up her hands proudly. They were pink, and matched her pink tank top.

I could tell she was excited, and truthfully, I was happy for her. "That's great," I told her. "Gardening is always a good hobby."

"Can I ask you questions, if I need help?" she asked.

"Sure," I told her confidently. If I was good at anything, it was working in the garden, so I knew I could answer any questions. "Any time, let me know. But if you two will excuse me, I'm sure Bob needs to come outside." I left them to go rescue my dog, who was bouncing at the door to get out.

That afternoon, I got down to work on my new assignment, but I kept an eye out from the second-floor window. Anna was trying hard, but it was clear she had neither the skills nor the tools to do what she wanted.

So, being the good neighbor, I went outside around 3:00 and brought my shovels. I showed her how to dig more efficiently, how to space the flowers according to their needs, where to plant them in full sun or partial shade. By the time we were done, it was 7:00, and we were both sweaty and hungry.

"I could go for some dinner about now," I told her, collecting the tools.

"Want to come over to our house?" Anna asked eagerly. "Monday is always pizza night for us."

I shook my head. "I don't want to intrude on you and your mom."

Suddenly, Anna took off into the house, and returned with Olivia a minute later. Olivia told me from her deck, "Grant, you're welcome to join us. It's the least we can do after you helped Anna so much today." Anna was grinning next to her.

"Okay," I relented. "Can I have a minute to clean up first?" I gestured to my dirty clothes.

They both nodded. "I'll order the pizza," Olivia said, "and you clean up." Turning to her daughter, she said, "You too, Anna."

Anna rolled her eyes, but agreed. "Yes mom."

Thirty minutes later, showered and changed, I arrived at their door. Olivia let me in. "Good timing," she told me, "the pizza got here just before you." She showed me into the kitchen and handed me a paper plate. "Help yourself."

Anna came down a minute later, hair still wet from the shower. She wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and another pair of short athletic shorts. From the slight wiggle I spotted under her shirt, I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. I think she thought she could get away with it, since her breast size wasn't very big. I pretended not to notice, but her mother sure did. "Young lady," Olivia said, in a warning scolding tone that only mothers can master.

"What?" Anna stopped in her tracks.

Olivia made a gesture, hidden against her own body so I didn't quite see it, but I heard her mutter, "We have a guest."

Anna got the message. "Fine," she said, stomping back up the stairs.

Olivia sat down with me and reached for the pizza. "Sorry," she explained, "she's been told to dress properly around houseguests."

I shrugged, pretending to be comfortable. "Oh. I didn't really see anything."

When Anna returned a minute later, she was wearing the same shirt, but her chest was more properly restrained. She also had longer shorts on.

Dinner was pretty enjoyable. Olivia's a great person, and she works hard for her daughter's sake. Neither of them had seen Olivia's ex-husband, Anna's father, in several years. I didn't ask, but I pieced together he had moved away long ago, after the divorce. But it was nice to have common ground with someone else who'd been through that experience.

Anna kept her eyes on me throughout dinner. Every time I looked her way, she was smiling. Not a friendly smile, I decided. A smile that wished her mother wasn't right there.

When the pizza was gone and we parted ways, I promised to return the favor by cooking for them sometime at my house. Olivia was pleased by it, but Anna's eyes practically glowed. I could almost see her giddily thinking about being with me in my house.

----

The next few days, I would work on my work assignment most of the day, then go outside. It was sunny again, so Anna had returned to her sunning chair in her bikini. She'd wave when she saw me, and I'd wave back, trying valiantly to ignore the showcase of her fit teen body.