The first time I talked to Joel was weird. My mom and I had just moved from Boston, and I was too angry to have the patience to meet the new neighbors. Let's be honest, it had been 15 years. 15 years that I lived in Boston that were thrown away as soon as my father appeared again in our lives. My mother couldn't handle the fact that she had to see him every day and decided to move to Austin, Texas. It was horrible that she forced me to abandon everything that I knew because of a man-made fraud that left us.
We had just arrived at the airport. My mother had been all the flying trip telling me all the plans she had for our "new" life. She already had arranged a great position at the Hotel Saint Cecilia, already had chosen my school and even future car. It was too much information for someone who was flying for the first time on a plane, and the only thing I could think of was whether I could survive if the plane crashed. When we landed, it was another punch in the stomach. It looked like we had ended up on another continent.
It wasn't Boston. What annoyed me most was the accents. No, the sympathy. Oh, that sympathy that gave you diabetes. How can anyone be that sweet and kind? Maybe that's what intrigued me about Joel. He wasn't nice. Well, at least with me. And I never tried to be nice to him. When we arrived at the new house, I sighed. We left our apartment in Boston for a ridiculous house, a stupid garden and a deadly pool with a jacuzzi that must have been made in heaven. Maybe that's what made me forget my irritation against this place.
After I got used to the house and stopped complaining, we packed up everything we had and I went to put the boxes in the trash can in front of the house. There was a little girl playing soccer with a kid, in the garden of the house next door. I noticed that she was very small.
– Ellie! – I was startled by my mom's scream, dropping one of the boxes on the floor, attracting the attention of the children to me.
The girl waved and smiled, continuing to play with the boy, ignoring my presence. It was strange that parents left them without any kind of surveillance. Don't these people know what pedophiles or kidnappers are? Apparently not.
However, I heard the melody of a guitar. A soft melody, but very notorious. Maybe it was someone from the family watching them. I shrugged and went back inside, helping my mother with the list of things to buy at Walmart, 15 minutes from our place.
(...)
We didn't go to Walmart only. We went to T-Mobile, some clothing stores, and footwear as well. Leaving Boston, for my mother, meant to abandon our clothes, cell phones, computers... basically everything we had in Boston, stayed in Boston. It was too dramatic, but so was my mother.
Once again, we had packed the things we had bought. I was about to fall asleep when I heard my mother calling me from downstairs.
– Yes? – I yelled back, still lying down.
There was no answer. Honestly, this is what annoyed me the most about my mother. I got up, mad as fuck. I got my hair in a ponytail and went downstairs, barefoot. I walked into the kitchen, watching my mother pull a batch of brownies out of the oven.
– I heard the next door neighbors are pretty nice. – My mother put the dumplings on a new dish we'd bought.
– We just got here, you don't have any friends and you've been with me all day, where did you hear that? – I mocked her, taking out a brownie of the plate.
My mother gave me an angry look and pushed my hand off the plate, even though I already had one cake in my mouth.
– Alright, I saw our neighbor and I found him attractive, happy? – She smiled at the brownies, happy with her work.
– Honestly, mom... – I sighed, finishing eating what I had still left.
– Come on, Ells, please? – Sometimes I think I'm the mother, sometimes.
I shrugged, snorting loudly. I put my shoes on that were in the hallway and I left the house first then my mother. She convinced me to knock first at the door of this unknown man who I knew had two children. I knocked gently, getting embarrassed as hell. I can't believe she's making me do this.
When the door opened, I was a little shocked. I thought I was going to see a man about 40 years old, at least. But instead, I was received by a man, perhaps with his 27 years and his indifferent gaze.
– Sorry, kiddo, I don't want to buy cookies. – His accent was very attractive, it wasn't like the ones that the people who lived here had.
– Excuse me? No, huh... – I blushed, angry by the arrogance of this jackass.
– We moved into the house next door and we just wanted to meet you so we wouldn't seem snotty. – My mother intervened, saving me from this clown who hadn't stopped looking at me.
– Huh, sure, come on in. – He walked backward, giving us space to go inside his house.
The interior of the house of the idiot wasn't very different from ours. It was very welcoming and had a feminine touch. Obviously, he had a wife, if he already had two kids. I doubt he's a single dad.
– I'm Anna, and this is my daughter, Ellie. We're from Boston. – My mother was all smiley, completely drooling over the guy.
– Joel, welcome to the neighborhood. – The smile that Joel gave was so fake, I wanted to punch him soo fucking bad.
I heard laughs. The same little girl I had seen playing when I was taking the trash out came against me. The blonde hairs were all unkempt and, to my surprise, she looked at me and squeaked with joy.
– I know you! – The smile she had on her lips made me forget all about Joel.
Her little arms wrapped around my waist and her head rested on my chest, humming happily. I fondled her head, in a timid and affectionate gesture, shocked by such intimacy that this child had with me.
– Do you now, Sarah? – Joel looked at me without any kind of reaction. But the way he looked at me was uncomfortable.
– Yes, yes, is she the new nanny? – Sarah asked, clearly happy with the idea.
– No, I am... – I tried to explain myself, but I was interrupted.
– Ellie, right? – Joel addressed to me, approaching me and Sarah.
– Yes? – I was uncomfortable with the proximity.
– I really needed someone to take care of Sarah. – The tone of his voice had a hint of challenge. Like he thought I wasn't going to do it.
– Oh, Ellie used to babysit kids in Boston. All people appreciated the way she treated children with love and responsibility. – My mom got into the conversation, maybe to get a chance to talk more to Joel.
– Oh, really? – He wasn't surprised, he was mocking me, how am I the only one seeing this bullshit?
I didn't answer, rolling my eyes. I was beginning to lose my temper with such disrespect, but I had to keep my cool because of my mom and the crush she had on this dick head.
– So you're going to take care of me, aren't you? Yeah? – So much excitement towards a Jane Doe, Sarah.
– Huh... – to be honest, I didn't want to have to be in the same space as Joel.
– Sarah, maybe Ellie doesn't have the stomach for a girl as hyped as you. – There there was that smirking grin and that defiant tone again, what the fuck's his problem?
– Alright, I'll take it. – I swallowed the amount of profanity I wanted to shove down his throat and rubbed my nose, getting annoyed as hell.
– Are you sure? Maybe it's a lot of work for a girl like you. – Joel grabbed Sarah's arms, who was still clinging to me and pulled her away from me, gently.
I sucked my breath in when his fingers grazed the exposed skin of my belly, affected by intimate contact. It wasn't on purpose, Ellie, control yourself! Joel smiled when he noticed my reaction and I growled lowly at him. I wanted to punch him badly. Maybe I could stab him with my pocket knife.
– Ellie knows what she's doing. As long as it doesn't interfere with school hours, that's fine. It's the last year of high school, she needs to work hard if she wants to be a nurse. – My mother drifted, proud of me.
Mrs. Williams really was a blabbermouth. We don't know this man from anywhere, just because he's our neighbor, do you have to tell him our whole life story? It's bad enough that he knows where we live, control your hormones, woman! She probably doesn't even remember how to be a mother when she has a crush.
– Nurse? That's a lot of work, kiddo. – Joel took Sarah into his lap, kissing her forehead. I don't fancy this nickname.
I could feel the love between the two of them. I noticed that Sarah didn't complain about the strange feeling that Joel's beard gave her every time she rubbed her face against his. I never had that type of feeling towards someone. I forgot to answer him. Joel looked at me, raising one of his eyebrows. Maybe he was angry that I ignored him.
– Oh, I forgot! I made brownies. – Again, another attempt of my mother to draw Joel's attention to herself. Way to go, mom.
– Hm, thank you, it wasn't necessary. – Ungrateful piece of shit.
I tapped my tongue in the roof of my mouth making a loud noise, getting increasingly furious with this fool. When he was going to talk, maybe to recognize my lack of education, a blonde woman walked into the room. She smiled when she saw us. Her hair was short, like Sarah's, and as much as there was no resemblance between the two, I'm sure it was Joel's wife and Sarah's mother.
– Oh, hello! I'm Maria. – She approached me and instead of accepting my extended hand, she grabbed me by the shoulders, hugging me.
I widened my eyes. This family must have problems with my personal space. My mother lost her smile, and if I wasn't so shocked, I would have started laughing, while stroking her back with pitty. Maria hugged my mother as best she could, aware of the dish in her hand.
– You must be Joel's wife? – My mother was disappointed, I could tell.
I looked at Joel who sat on the couch and was already looking at me. I blushed, embarrassed that I got caught and looked away. I was startled by Maria's shrill laugh.
– Oh, Lord, no, God forbid! – The way she mocked the situation gave me a certain joy.
– Ouch? – Joel was angry with such denial.
– I'm his sister-in-law, I'm married to his brother, the best of both. – She confessed, winking at me.
I started laughing with her, really happy with her making fun at Joel. Another guy came into the room, and then I could see the same little boy from earlier in his lap.
– Uncle Tommy! – Sarah called from Joel's lap.
Tommy, I think that was his name, placed the kid on the floor. He smiled in my direction, and something about him made me sympathize immediately with his presence.
– Tommy Miller. – His hand reached mine, shaking it lightly.
– Ellie Williams, we moved in next door. – I smiled at him, happy with the sympathy.
My gaze ran away to Joel who glared at us. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I was getting annoyed that I was constantly being watched. Ellie, stop being a hypocrite, you can't stop looking at him, either!
– And you must be Mrs. Williams, I suppose, ma'am? – Tommy saluted my mother, passing the education test with excellence.
Maria kissed Tommy's cheek and took the little boy into her lap, the kid stretching his hands towards me, smiling.
– I think George likes you, do you mind? – Maria passed George to my arms and I smiled when I saw his chubby cheeks.
– How old are you? He's adorable. – Let's be honest, a little more and I was drooling all over the baby.
– Four and a half, he loves to play soccer with Sarah. – The pride in Tommy's voice was so present in his confession that my chest filled with emotion.
– I have nine and, and... and I won a trophy in the Soccer Little League! – Sarah jumped out of Joel's lap and pulled down my shirt, exposing my tummy even more.
I grinned. Typical child jealousy attack. I slowly lowered myself to the level of Sarah's height and fondled her shoulder.
– Oh, really? But that's awesome! You'll have to teach me some tricks when I come by to play with you.
I heard a dry laugh for mere seconds and I looked at Joel, who tried to swallow the laughter. Didn't seemed a mean laugh or a mocking one. For the first time, I knew his laughter was honest. I gave him a toothy smile back, surprising him.
I returned George to Maria's arms. The conversation flowed until dinner time. I heard that Tommy, George, and Maria were only passing through Texas and that they actually lived in Jackson County, Wyoming. Tommy and Maria were 22 years old and Joel 25. My mother's hopes went completely down the drain when she had to say she was 35 years old. When I said I was 16, Tommy and Maria didn't want to believe it. They thought I was older, maybe 18 years old, by the way I acted, talked and looked. Joel kept quiet, looking at me. Deep down, I preferred that he had made fun of me, but he didn't. My mother embarrassed herself for the last time when she asked Joel if he was married and he, too arrogant, responded simply with a No.
When we were leaving, Joel grabbed my arm, pulling me farther away from my mother. I got freaked out about his mood swing and the physical contact, but I kept my mouth shut so as not to attract the attention of others.
– Give me your number. – Joel ordered, his touch still on my arm.
– Excuse me? – I was stunned with such impertinence, taking my arm away from his grasp.
– I'm going to need it to call you whenever I need you. – The accent was too sexy for me to stay sane while I heard it.
– Whenever you need me? – Maybe it was the perfume, or the hoarse tone of his voice, or maybe the way I could see every muscle from the waist up because of that tight shirt he was wearing.
– Yes... – he approached, lowering himself to my level. – Whenever I'll need you to babysit Sarah.
I blushed violently when he smirked, maliciously. I wanted to cry with such shame that I was feeling. I swallowed the knot in my throat. I couldn't talk. If I did, I'd tell him to go fuck off and start crying. That would be too ridiculous and immature on my part.
His cell phone was in the front pocket of his pants. In an act of courage, I stuck my hand in there, grabbing the phone and pulling it out with difficulty. I felt his thigh muscle tensing and... okay, it wasn't the thigh, was it? I clicked the home button on the phone and realized I've made an even more idiotic figure: the code, Ellie. They all have a code on their cell phones. His fingers stole the phone from my hands and after a few seconds, the phone was back to me, unlocked.
I didn't want to believe how many girls' names were on the contact list, some with emojis that actually referred to sex. I hurried to put the new cell phone number I had purchased today, without even saving it. I left the name for him to decide. I gave him his phone back, still looking at him. Joel kept it in his pants and leaned against the wall, too close to me.
– No goodbye kiss? – His smile was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.
– Fuck you, man! – I wouldn't let him embarrass me any more than he did tonight.