"Watch where you're going or you'll scratch it, Jimmy!"

Watching him maneuver the cherry wood coffee table into my new apartment was sending chills down my spine. I had picked it out with Momma and Maggie a few weeks ago and it was my parents' "housewarming" gift for me, so naturally I wanted it to at least make it passed the door without being ruined. Personally, I think he was doing it on purpose to spite me, seeing as how I was leaving the farm and country behind in order to move to Savannah to go to school. All I do is give him a look, and he knows what I'm thinking. If there's one thing Jimmy's good at, it's reading my eyes.

"That's the last of it, Sweetheart" my father coos. Everyone had made the trip to move me into my new apartment, probably because they knew they'd miss having me around. They all thought Maggie would be the first one to move off the farm, the first one to go to school, the first to marry and start her life. While I was no where closer to walking down the aisle then my older sister, she had chosen to stay on the farm with our parents and farmhands instead of leaving. I always knew she would. I was always the one who wanted to leave the nest, she was comfortable.

I strolled over to my father and hugged him tight, only to be squeezed in return. "Thanks so much, Daddy, Momma, you two." I gently pried myself from my daddy's and hugged the others too before they took off back to the farm.

"Be good now, ya hear?" my mother warned before following my father out the front door. Maggie hugged me, told me she'd miss having me around the house and that she loved me before she followed suit. That left Jimmy and I alone to say goodbye.

"Have a safe trip back" I say softly, unsure and uncomfortable of the environment around me. His eyes told me everything he wasn't. His fear, his sadness, every emotion he had always been too "strong" to convey.

As we walked to the door, hand in hand, I stayed just as quiet as he was. I think it's because neither of us knew what to do or what was going to happen. Was our relationship going to be the same? Would we call each other every night and fall asleep to the other's breathing? Would our days be full of "I miss you" text messages and Facebook messages? Or would "we" simply fall apart at the seems?

We stopped in the doorway, each of us leaning on different sides of the frame, our hands joined in between us. "That's all you're gonna say to me?" he finally croaked. " Just 'Have a safe trip back'? Aren't you hurting or somethin'?"

He was right. I should have felt worse. I should have been crying and holding onto him in efforts of trying to get him to stay for as long as possible. But I wasn't. Him leaving was just another event in the day, like sitting down and eating breakfast. Before I knew it, Jimmy leaned into me, his hands on my hips as he pressed my back into the frame. "I'mma miss you, Beth". I could feel the raggedness of his breaths against my skin, his lips only centimeters from my own. That's when I heard them.

Hoots and hollars, catcalls, the works, suddenly filled the air as two men appeared in the hallway. They were leather-clad and reeked of cheap booze and stale cigarette smoke. Obviously they were still feeling the effects from whatever bender they had been on the night before.

"Well look-y here Baby Brother!" shouted the older of the two men as the younger desperately tried to get the door open to the apartment across from mine AND hold his brother up at the same time. He didn't look like he was enjoying it very much. "New neighbors! We LOVE new neighbors, don't we brother?"

Jimmy's fists clenched as the older man continued to make a fuss. I knew better than to get involved, especially when Jimmy felt threatened. I knew he wouldn't hit me...purposely, but I still kept my distance by shrinking behind him just inside the apartment door. "Take your drunk ass inside old man" he spat at the two harsher looking men. I should have called my father to tell him what was going on, but I didn't. For whatever reason, I just sat and watched, pulled in by some strange desire to watch the argument unfold.

I heard the younger of the two brothers drop the older onto something by the door before he was right on top of Jimmy, looking down on us both. "Watch who yer callin' old, boy" he threatened gruffly, stepping even closer to Jimmy. His eyes locked on mine and he grinned something evil. "Wouldn't want to embarrass ya in front of your little lady here."

As I watched Jimmy's chest puff out, I heard my father's voice and was finally able to breathe again. "Is there a problem here, son?"

Jimmy turned and kissed me chastely before moving toward Daddy. "No, Sir. I was just saying goodbye." Daddy patted him on the shoulder before eyeing the man who was now standing directly in front of me now that my Jimmy-shield was gone. "You alright in there, Beth?"

Looking up into the man's eyes, I found myself fixed in my place. "Yes Daddy, I'm fine. I'll talk to you tonight." There was something that kept my gaze locked on the rough-and-tumble stranger who was apparently my neighbor. "I'm just getting to know the neighbors."

Before long, they were both gone, leaving me alone in my doorway with my eyes still fixed on the man in front of me. We sat there for a moment in complete quiet before I found my voice again.

"Is your brother alright?"

He looked at me for a moment and laughed to himself, as if he couldn't believe I'd even think to ask, and his stance loosening a bit as he did. He dropped his head to look at his boots before continuing. "Merle? He'll be fine. Just picked 'im up from the drunk tank." He picked his head up again and his face was a tad more serious than before. "Sorry 'bout his botherin' ya. I'll be sure to keep 'im quiet when yer boy gets back."

And before I could correct him, he turned on his heels and walked back into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. I quickly closed my door after him and stood in my kitchen only briefly before screams and shouts made me practically jump out of my skin. I knew it was coming from across the hall, but I couldn't make out what they were yelling about.

"Thank God for wonderful neighbors" I sighed sarcastically. One day of my lease down, 364 more to go.