The Good Neighbour

I stood up and walked to the door. "Emily says you're hurting, Laura. I look at you and see myself in many ways, but I keep my pain rather well hidden. You wear your pain clear as day. I don't actually know what happened to you. I'm sure you're wondering why I'm even interested in you. I guess part of me thinks, because you seem to despise me so much, I'm protecting myself from being hurt again, because you're not interested. But there's also that part of me, I guess as a man, that sees the walls you've put up and wants to see them come crashing down, but that's because I believe there's a wonderful human being behind those walls. Maybe you'll see there is at least one guy out there who isn't a complete piece of shit. I mean, I've figured out who or what has hurt you, at least. Thing is, I adore your kids already. Did you hear what she said to me?"

Laura wiped her cheeks but nodded. "Yes," she whispered, "I was at the doorway."

"I'm not sure how to answer it. But I don't want to break her little heart." I glanced back one more time. "Know when I said you were attractive? I wasn't lying. I think if you smiled at me, you'd be utterly perfect. Breathtakingly, achingly beautiful. Add to that you're clearly a good person at heart..."

"You don't know that," she retorted softly.

"I know enough. I see enough." I opened the door. "Goodnight, Laura."

I was nearly home when I heard footsteps behind me, turning to see her chasing after me. I stopped and turned as she came to a halt a couple of paces away. "No-one has bought me dinner in three years, Chris."

"It was just Macca's. More for the kids."

"But you didn't have to do it." She started to fidget. "Why? Why do all this for me? For us?"

I shrugged almost helplessly. "As I said, your kids are adorable. But I've not just helped you. I've helped everyone around here."

"But you seem to focus on me more..."

"I'll admit, I am. Because, for some strange reason, I'm finding myself drawn to you. In fact, despite the fact you seem to despise my very existence, I find myself quite liking you actually. One of those things, the heart wants what it wants. The brain? Well, it's been fooled before." I took a deep breath. "Laura, I'm not going to chase you forever nor force you into anything you don't want. But I will keep doing what I'm doing. I'm in the fortunate position where I can help people. It's who I am at heart. If you accept it begrudgingly, so be it. Accept it with a smile? You'll get one back. But your kids seem to adore me at the same time. Might be worth thinking about..."

"You'll just leave," she whispered, now hugging herself.

"Hardly. I own this place. I have no intention of going anywhere for a very long time. This is my home."

"Then you'll get bored, either of the kids or me... or both..."

"Unlikely but I can understand the concern. I'm a single man, never married, no children."

"I don't trust you."

"You barely know me. I've invited you to my house and garden more than once now. You've barely said a dozen words in all that time. Well, I can say you've got manners, at least." I took a step towards her. "So, I 've got a way to rectify all these problems. Come over for dinner."

"What?"

"Come over for dinner. Just you. I'm sure one of the girls can watch the kids for a few hours. Come over for dinner."

I watched her eyes and face, considering the offer. "When?"

"Wednesday night."

"Okay."

I smiled. "Cool. I've got your number. I'll message you later."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Laura."

"Night."

I watched her walk away. She had a tight little arse on her. What surprised me was that she did glance back. Didn't see a smile on her face but it was enough that she looked back. I waited until she'd disappeared inside before I turned home.

My phone lit up the next morning. Laura must have shared the news. Sally called me on Monday night. "Chris, what the hell did you say to her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've never heard her so flustered in all the time I've known her. She even sounds a little excited."

"Well, colour me shocked. I figured she accepted the invitation just to shut me up."

"Guessing if it gets serious everything else you're doing stops?"

"Of course it would. But it's just dinner. It's a modern world. We're not even dating yet, so I will continue having fun until she suggests something, not that I'm expecting it. But considering we haven't even had dinner yet, I'm not going to count my chickens."

"Chris... Just treat her right. For all of us. We all adore you, so don't fuck this up."

"Thanks for the pep talk, coach."

She laughed, wished me goodnight, and hung up.

Wednesday arrived quickly. I spent the morning washing my car. Not that I needed to, I found it rather therapeutic, cleaning inside and out. I started preparing dinner mid-afternoon, not wanting to spend half the night cooking, so it was all about preparation and just warming up later on. Part of me was definitely thinking I wanted to impress her, the other part just wanted a peaceful night and perhaps actually getting to know each other.

I was half-thinking she just wasn't going to show up, but when Sally messaged me at 6pm, letting me know Laura had dropped off her kids, I figured she was giving herself an hour to get ready. I had the starter keeping warm in the oven when she knocked at my door. I opened it to reveal her dressed in a yellow sundress, a pair of flat shoes, fantastic legs, faint make-up on her face, and she'd even done her hair.

I was actually speechless for a few seconds. "Thanks for coming," I finally said, standing aside and gesturing.

There was no missing the fact she was nervous as all hell, fidgeting immediately. Taking a chance, I gently took her right hand in my left, making her start for a second, before gesturing with my head, leading her through to the kitchen. Pulling out one of the stools, she sat down, resting her purse on the counter.

"What would you like to drink? Beer? Wine? Something else?"

"I'd love a beer."

"Anything particular?"

"Whatever you're drinking will be fine."

I was a beer snob. Most Australian popular beers are nothing more than bottled piss. I usually drank imported beer from Europe. I had plenty of beers from Belgium and Germany, ensuring I had the right glass as I poured her a beer before doing the same for myself. "Hope you brought an appetite," I said.

Being as pale as she was, the blush was noticeable. "Chris..." She paused, looking around for a moment. "I... I mean..." She sighed to herself before meeting my eyes. "Thanks."

Then she smiled. Jesus wept, I was proven one hundred percent right. Achingly beautiful. I definitely gazed at her in silence, which obviously made her self-conscious. That just made her blush, then add that to a shy smile, and I stood absolutely no chance. Watching her curl a little hair over her ear, she was beautiful to adorable within a second.

I already had the table set, so I made sure she was seated by serving the first course. I had candles on the table, slow jazz playing in the background. We ate for a couple of minutes in silence before she said, "Wow, this is... Chris, this is fantastic. You made this?"

"Yeah. I'm no culinary master, but I'm somewhat confident in the kitchen."

"This is really good."

"Thanks."

She cleared her plate. Always a good sign. Sipping at our beers, I asked, "So who are you, Laura? Asked you here for dinner and realised I actually know next to nothing about you. I've asked the girls but they obviously won't tell me. Don't want to earn your ire apparently."

She laughed. My god, what a glorious sound. Noticing my reaction, she blushed again. But she was relaxing in my presence, which is all I wanted. Her eyes had changed. No longer what I'd been greeted with so many times. Maybe she'd given everything I'd said some thought and was at least willing to meet me halfway.

"Want the whole story?"

"Just the important parts."

She offered her hand. "Laura Cassidy."

"Christopher Jones. Pleased to meet you."

The name meant nothing to her. She'd perhaps give it some thought later. "Cassidy is my maiden name. I'm twenty-five. I was born in Melbourne but my family moved to Sydney when I was five. Have lived in the suburbs all my life. Mother to three children, as you know. Work as a PA in the city. Long hours as it's a prestigious law firm. But those hours mean I could afford my house. I'm obviously single."

"PA? University degree?"

"No. I graduated high school and went straight into the workforce. Retained my job through three pregnancies. One of those places which understands young women want kids but won't kick them to the kerb when they do want to start a family. Plus, I work bloody hard at what I do, and I'm good at my job." I smiled at the confidence in her tone but she faltered as no doubt it wasn't all sunshine and roses. "Chris..."

I took a chance and took her hand. "Just dinner, Laura," I said softly, "Just want to get to know you."

"I still don't know why. You're a single man. Even I can see you're good looking. I wonder what you even see in me."

"Everything."

She glanced at me, knowing she was judging my tone, my face, everything about me in return. "I'm a single mother with three children and a history you don't want to know about. I'm hardly a catch."

"You're a beautiful young woman, with a career, her own house, who is raising three wonderful children. How the hell are you not a catch? If you're worried about the kids, I think it's already proven that two of them adore me. Katie just doesn't know me yet."

She scoffed. "That's all I've heard. 'When is Chris visiting again?' 'Can we go visit Chris today?' All I hear is your name half the time." She tried to glare at me, but it didn't work. "I don't want to see them hurt too," she whispered.

"Not going to happen," I said, taking our plates and loading those into the dishwasher, before grabbing our mains from the oven and serving those, also taking two new beers from the fridge, ensuring they were different and low alcohol. At most, I wanted a buzz. I didn't want either of us drunk.

She took one bite of the meat and moaned with pleasure. I chuckled at her reaction. She blushed again but stared at me in amazement once she swallowed. "Please tell me you bought this."

"Nope. Prepared everything this afternoon."

She put her knife and fork down before lowering her head, unable to look at me. I took her hand again, feeling her squeeze mine in return. "No-one has done this for me before," she whispered.

"There's a first time for everything, and maybe I'll get the chance to do this more than once. I hope you'll accept another invite. I'll feed the kids first before making sure we get some peace and quiet." She met my eyes, leaning across to wipe her cheek. "All you need to do is give me a chance, even if it's a small one."

"I've been hurt too often," she sighed softly.

"I would say 'I know', but I don't. Laura, let's finished dinner then tell me. I let go of my burden. Only you know the truth. So, let me carry yours in return."

She managed a smile, picked up her knife and fork, and ate another mouthful. The smile that formed, the delight in her eyes, utterly worth it. We made general chit-chat about the neighbourhood. She thought the pool made me the most popular house on the street. She actually loved my car. Didn't know much about them herself, but she knew a good one when she saw it. Admitted to loving what I'd done with the house inside. Apparently I did have good taste.

"What do you actually do though?" she asked over dessert.

"A bit of this, a bit of that," I replied, cleaning my spoon before placing it in the bowl, "I tell you what. Next Wednesday, take a day off from work and I'll show you."

"What do you mean?"

I rested on my elbows for a second. "After my last couple of relationships, I have difficulty trusting people. But I want to trust you, Laura. But to do that, I need to show you a few things. More than anything, humour me. Next Wednesday, you'll learn more about me than you'd expect. All good, I assure you."

She chewed on the invitation for a couple of minutes. "Okay. Anything I need do?"

"Wear something spectacular because you'll be on my arm all day."

We retired to the living room once we'd finished eating. She now sat much closer to me, each of us with a glass of wine, hearing her gasp at the selection I had, asking her to select whatever she wanted. Considering the number of bottles of wine I had, the numerous bottles of liquor and liqueurs, the beers, the house itself, I'm sure she was doing sums in her mind.

"Want to hear the whole truth?" she finally asked.

"I'll listen to whatever you have to share."

She took a sip of wine before placing it on the table, relaxing back and actually moving closer. "I was twenty when I fell pregnant with Emily. It wasn't planned. I wasn't planning on having children until the age I am now. I was on the pill but, well, I was actually pretty bad at remembering to take it. My own fault, though I don't regret having Emily. I do regret Brian entirely.

I loved him, or thought I did. But as soon as I was pregnant, he changed. He..." She paused before whispering, "He hit me. A lot. Never hit me where the baby was. He was a prick but wasn't stupid. But the further along I was, the worse his behaviour. And he demanded things from me."

I placed my wine down and ensured I sat in a way I could get closer. "What happened?" I asked softly.

"I was seven months when he put me in hospital."

"Jesus..."

"I didn't see him again. Restraining order. Made sure he was charged. Emily has never met her father. He's not on the birth certificate. I made sure of that. Dad was ready to kill him, so were my two brothers. But I gave birth to a healthy baby girl eight weeks later. She got me through the worst of it afterwards. I don't know where he is now. I wasn't living where I am now when I was with him."

"Where does the blonde come from?"

"My mother." She ran fingers through her hair. "I'm a natural brunette." I smiled as there was a little playfulness in her tone, particularly when she met my eyes. She was relaxing, despite the topic. That's all I wanted. Long as she stopped glaring at me with unbridled hate. "The father of Mark and Katherine, Katie, wasn't an abusive piece of shit. He's was an altogether different piece of shit. He killed my faith in just about everyone for a while."

"Why do I have a feeling this might be worse?"

"Worse in a different way. I guess I leapt into my relationship with John rather quickly. I was a single mother with a baby and, well, I guess I was a little desperate for love. John seemed to fit the bill. I was pregnant within six months of meeting him. He was delighted. We bought the house, moved in, and everything seemed great. Mark was born, he was a good father, treated Emily like his own, and we made plans to have another child and getting married. It was only after I found out I was pregnant with Katie that I learned the truth."

That's when she needed to wipe her cheeks. Figuring I might as well, I pulled her into my chest, feeling her arms wrap around me in return. Caressing the back of her head, I felt her snuggle into me. I smiled to myself as she was very warm and soft. "He was having an affair from the time I was pregnant with Mark to the moment I found out and confronted him. With my best friend, Simone."

"Fuck," I murmured.

"They're now married. They had the audacity to invite me to the fucking wedding."

"Fuck," I repeated.

"So many of my friends knew about it too. It just about destroyed me. No-one around here knew about it, at least, that's why I can still trust them. But all my old friends? Gone. I refused to have anything to do with them. They chose their side."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "But now I understand..."

"I never hated you, Chris. I just... I don't trust easily, and never think the best of anything. I'm naturally suspicious nowadays." I snorted, making her giggle. "Thank you, Chris. I really mean that. No-one has ever done something for me without wanting anything in return. The lawns alone look so much better."

"While you're welcome, that's not entirely true. I invited you over for dinner."

She snuggled into me even more. "I'm glad you did. I haven't had a night like this in a long time."

We sat for a few minutes in silence, Laura snuggling into me, stroking the back of her hair. I heard her sigh and she gave off the sense of being content, at the very least. When she lifted her head away from my chest and met my eyes, I didn't hesitate for a second. The moment our lips met, it was like a spark went off. Thirty seconds later, she was lying back on the couch, my tongue playing with hers as my body ended up between her legs. She was wearing that same perfume again. I could taste the food we'd eaten, the beer and wine we'd just been drinking. Her lips were soft. Her eyes were alive with delight. She moaned softly into my mouth as my sheathed erection pressed into her.

It was only when my hand found one of her breasts that she gently, but I think reluctantly, pushed me back. "Too fast," she whispered, "God, I want to, but too fast."

"Sorry."

"No... No, please don't apologise. The body is willing, Chris. It's more than willing. But the head needs to catch up first."

I glanced at my watch. "What time were you getting the kids?"

"Ten."

"Why don't we get them now and put them to bed?"

"You'd do that now?"

"Sure."

Sally was surprised to see us, but she smiled as I guessed she could see dinner had gone rather well. The kids were fast asleep, but I was able to pick both of them up, each head resting against a shoulder, as Laura carried Katie in her arms. Walking inside her house, she put Katie to bed first before taking Mark from me, putting him into bed, a kiss on his cheek from both of us, before we both put Emily to bed. She woke up just enough to see me, earning one of those adorable little smiles. "Goodnight, munchkin," I whispered, kissing her cheek, Laura giving her a kiss too.

I stood in the living room, wondering what to do next. I was a little out of comfort zone now. Laura walked towards me, looking as nervous as I felt. "The kids adore you in return, Chris," she said.

"Yeah..."

"Emily has never been this affectionate with anyone she doesn't know, but she's adored you from the moment you appeared on my doorstep. To me, that tells me that you're a good man. Kids just know. Then again, I think all the kids in this neighbourhood adore you."

"It's the pool. Kids dig pools. Chicks dig cars."

She fidgeted again. "I know you're sleeping with some of the girls. Are you going to..."

"I told all of them it will depend on you, Laura. I invited you to dinner tonight to get to know you. Now that I know a little bit more about you, I want to know you even more. If you want to give this a shot, you give the word, I tell the girls no more."

"You'd do that for me?"

"In a fucking heartbeat."

She kissed me for that. It wasn't just a kiss. It was something else entirely. I'm still not sure how we didn't end up in her bedroom doing a lot of other things, but we ended up on her lounge all over each other again. I lifted her dress, lowered her panties, found out she was a natural brunette, and made her cry out as I gave her one hell of an orgasm. Then I gave her one more... and another... and another...

Carrying her to her bedroom, I undressed her before pulling back the covers and making sure she was comfortable. Kneeling by the bed, she gazed at me with a dreamy smile. "If I stay, the kids might expect it again and again. I'd love to stay but don't want to send the wrong message this soon," I said, "But I had a great night, Laura. I'll send a message tonight, if you want me to?" She took my hand and squeezed it before nodding. "Okay, we're going to give this a shot?" She nodded again, noticing her eyes glistening, caressing her cheek with my fingers. "You know I was right about one thing. You are achingly beautiful when you smile." I kissed her softly. "Goodnight."