After the Meantime
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"Ugh…" Michonne whined from under the pillow that was laying on top of her head. Any noise should have been muffled from the thickness of her head covering but that was not the case. There were thuds and bangs emanating from somewhere disrupting her sleep.
There was nothing more Michonne enjoyed then sleeping in on a Saturday morning after a stressful week at work. Her bed was a plush top that her body shank into when she laid on it, sculpting to her form and hugging her as she relaxed her tense body. But that was not happening with all this noise.
Bang. Bang.
There was the clatter again and she was able to discern that it wasn't coming from inside her home. She was glad that she wasn't being burgled by the world's worst robbers.
She threw the Egyptian cotton sheets off of her body and pried the pillow from her head. Thankfully, the blackout shades kept the sun that she knew must be present outside her windows from shining into her eyes. She looked at her alarm clock on her dark wood nightstand.
'8:30 AM' it read.
"What the hell!?"
Michonne scrambled out of bed realizing all the noise was coming from the hallway of her apartment building. Once she stepped out of her bedroom the sunlight did hit her causing her to shade her eyes with her hand until they adjusted. She was about to proceed to the find out what was causing all this racket when she stopped short, remembering her state of undress.
The rich brown skin of her bare legs and stomach shined as though she'd just applied lotion and not clambered out of bed. She went back to her bedroom and threw on a pair of lounge shorts and a tank top to cover up the bra and panties she slept in before making her way through her apartment.
She had no plans on being confronted by her nosey neighbor, Mrs. Neudermeyer, who you could swear had superhero level hearing to make out a pin dropping even though her place was down the hall. More than likely she was just a lonely, nosey, old woman looking for any drop of excitement.
As Michonne walked she could still hear those irritating thumps that were now accompanied by grunts when she got to the front door.
Without glancing out she unlocked then threw the door open and yelled, not caring who was present.
"It's 8:30AM on a Saturday morning!"
Four men carrying a large bed frame were trying to fit it through the apartment across the halls front door. They all turned to her, huffing and struggling to hold the king bed frame in order to look over their shoulders at the woman that just appeared to reprimand them.
"Sorry, it's move in day." One of the men responded while the others looked her from head to toe.
"I was trying to sleep in. You know, since it's Saturday morning." She ignored their looks at her exposed legs and rolled her eyes to further prove her annoyance.
"We didn't plan on the noise. My brother clearly didn't check the dimensions before we brought this in."
The men had finally decided to give up on holding the bed afloat and they sat the awkward piece of furniture down with a thud. The guy who had been speaking to her dusted his reddened hands on his pants and stepped forward to extend one.
"Hi, I'm Aaron."
Michonne looked at his hand, rolled her eyes again and begrudgingly shook it.
"Michonne." She muttered then pushed a loose loc of her hair that hung in her face behind her ear.
"That's Shane, Ezekiel and my brother, Rick. He's the one that will be your neighbor." Aaron pointed to each man and they head nodded their greetings to this peeved yet beautiful woman.
Ezekiel was a peanut butter complected man with locs that were thicker and slightly shorter than her own with a nice smile. The other three men were all brunettes. Aaron had a tapered cut and kind greyish-blue eyes. Next was Shane with a buzz cut, ears that poked out and a mischievous look in his brown eyes. The last man, Rick. Michonne had to admit was striking with his blue eyes, brighter than his brothers with longer hair that fell in waves and a chiseled jaw.
Michonne stared at Rick and he seemed to grow nervous even though it was just for a second before Aaron continued.
"Again, we are sorry."
Michonne had to remember what she was there for after looking away from Rick.
"Well, how do you plan to fix this?" she crossed her arms under her chest and Ezekiel stepped forward.
"We have a tool kit in the moving truck. We'll get the screwdriver and take the bed apart." he offered apologetically.
"You are going to take that bed apart with a screwdriver?" her irritation returned when the pull of sleep abruptly resurfaced.
Shane rubbed his head and smirked at her. "Yeah, don't worry we got this all under control."
Michonne knew men like him and she was not moved by his cockiness.
"Really, because that's not what it looked or sounded like a few minutes ago."
The men looked to Shane, surprised that his usual chest puff had garnered him an admonishment instead of a coquettish giggle. The man lightly chuckled and he simply looked down.
Michonne looked back to Aaron since he was the only one that seemed rational.
"I have a power drill, you can borrow. Just get it back to me in one piece."
She didn't wait for their responses, she just went to her entryway closet and bent over to pull out the box. She carried it back out and even though Aaron reached for it, she averted him and went straight to Rick. His pupils dilated and he swallowed so that his Adams apple bobbed when she got closer.
Now that they were up close, Michonne really got a good look at his handsome face. His eyes squinted as though he was looking at the sun. His lips especially the bottom one was surprisingly full for a white guy. A moment ago she was exhausted but suddenly she felt a charge of energy flow through her.
'What the hell was happening?'
Rick adjusted his stance but didn't break this connection that she felt so she had to get back on task without his help.
"Since you're my new neighbor, I'll hand it to you. That way I know who to come looking for if it's not returned."
Michonne managed to hand it to him without touching his fingertips. She quickly about faced and went back to her apartment slamming the door closed behind her without a word.
Once she was safely inside she pressed her back against the door and tried to calm down. She couldn't believe she was shaken by this man when she'd gone out there to intimidate him and his moving company. She felt the blood rising to her cheeks and an uncomfortable flutter in her belly. She couldn't resist one more look at him, so she peaked through the aptly named peephole. The men stood around watching Rick remove the drill from its case and he began to remove screws from one side of the frame placing them into the pocket of his snug black jeans. His white t-shirt was not leaving much to the imagination, as he moved and she could tell he had a good physique.
'Calm down Michonne, you are acting like you've never seen a cute guy before.' She thought to herself as carefully released the slide for the peephole so it wouldn't jingle.
Michonne peeled herself away from the door to head back to the bedroom. She removed the clothes that she had just put on and climbed back into bed. She pulled the sheets onto her body and fluffed her pillow before resting her head on it. All she wanted was to fall back asleep and ignore what just happened, but when she closed her eyes she saw blue ones staring back at her.
'Nope.'
She huffed trying to get the man's image out of her head. But she couldn't so she grabbed her remote and turned the television on hoping the white noise would help clear her mind. Concentrating on that would empty her mind of any of her own thoughts. Surprisingly, she didn't hear anymore commotion coming from the hall.
After a few minutes of the cartoon, Teen Titans, she felt her eyelids begin to droop. Michonne didn't fight it and allowed herself to be pulled back under, finally continuing her rest.
"Man, you are one lucky son of a bitch." Shane exclaimed.
"What?" Rick responded confusion marring his face.
"That he is." Ezekiel added.
The guys were holding the bedframe up so Rick could unscrew it without the pieces crashing to the floor and having his neighbor come back out to yell at them again.
"I don't know what you guys are talking about."
"Did you see those legs?" Shane raised an eyebrow at Rick as he held a removed piece of wood. "Even Aaron can tell you that woman is hot."
Aaron rolled his eyes and continued to help his brother remove the next slat.
"Really Shane?" he responded. "But yes, she is quite beautiful." Aaron agreed.
"That woman is fine." Zeke smiled.
"Uh, are you guys here to help me move in or ogle my next door neighbor?" Rick asked after he unscrewed the last plank.
"Man, we can do both." Shane smirked.
Zeke burst out in a throaty laugh while Rick just sighed and started bringing his headboard into the apartment.
His best friend since childhood, Shane followed behind him. His brother, Aaron carried the footboard while his friend, Zeke carried the other plank. Once they got in the primary bedroom, Rick began to reassemble the frame attempting to avoid the conversation.
Though he worked, the mahogany beauty was still present in his mind. Her face, even though irritation framed it, was gorgeous. Her legs were amazing, toned and they looked to go on for days. Her waist was small and her breasts full, spilling slightly over the neck of her tank top. Her skin appeared smooth, her heart shaped lips looked soft but her brown eyes were mesmerizing. He was glad she looked away because he couldn't earlier.
"But seriously, you gonna take a shot at her?" Shane crudely questioned bringing the topic back up.
"Uh no. Ever heard of not shitting where you eat?" Rick deflected.
"So you wouldn't mind if I gave it a shot?" asked Ezekiel and they all turned to Rick.
He knew they were watching his face for some sort of sign so he turned his back to insert a screw back into the frame.
"Huh, do I want you two assholes causing problems with my already pissed off neighbor?"
"Wait a minute, Shane is the asshole. I… am a gentleman." Zeke pretended to be fixing a bow tie at his neck.
Shane laughed. "You might be right about that."
"Can we just finish getting this moving done. I have a date with Paul tonight and I'm not going to be late because all of your hormones are out of control." Aaron chastised.
"Our hormones? You are excited for your date with Paul and hormones don't have anything to do with that?" Rick quizzed his younger brother and Aaron just coyly smiled.
"Wait, you're still dating Paul, that artsy guy that does martial arts? Looks like Jesus?" Shane asked.
"Yes, he's a great guy and damn sexy." Aaron looked starry eyed.
"You know what, if I swung that way, I'd give him a go. He is pretty." Shane admitted and chuckled.
The other three guys sighed then laughed as well.
"Well, I guess I'm glad I don't have any competition then." Aaron shook his head.
"Alright, let's get back to it. This very fortunate man has a date to attend." Zeke ended the chatting and the men got the work started back up.
As the day progressed, while Rick was moving boxes and the rest of his furniture in he kept thinking back to Michonne. His heart would flutter like he was beginning some school boy crush. The view of her Georgia peach ass when she turned to bend in her closet had other parts of him reacting too. He had to get a grip it was only the first day in his new home. He couldn't be fixated with his neighbor this soon.
Once all the moving was complete and Rick's de facto movers had departed, he took a quick shower to cleanse himself of any sweat that accumulated. He was happy to finally be in his new place in this fresh city. He was from King County, a smaller area of Georgia where everyone knew everyone and that included all of your business. He needed some respite from all of that while he waited for his divorce to go through from his soon to be ex-wife Lori.
Things just hadn't been working out between the two of them. There was a disconnect and the only time they really sought each other out was when Carl, their son was involved. The silence became overbearing when he grew older and began to socialize with his friends leaving them behind. There weren't any more trips to the zoo, aquarium or circus. Carl wanted to hang out with his friends at the park, play video games and read comics. The chasm could no longer be avoided and Rick and Lori decided to split amicably.
At first, Rick got a rental in town to make the shared custody of their then twelve-year-old easier. It also helped providing him with the close proximity to his job as a sheriff's deputy in King County. However, the looks of sadness from people for his failed union began. It progressed to looks of disappointment when people realized they were not getting back together once Lori began to date Tobin, the man that ran the local hardware store.
Rick was happy that Lori was able to move on and find happiness but his own prospects in that town were slim pickins. Almost every woman there in his age range was someone he knew for most of his life. Even worst was that fact that Shane, his best friend had run a course through quite a few of those women and Rick had no intentions on being Eskimo brothers. They were already close enough.
Now that Carl was a bit older Rick was ready to begin his new lease on life and Kennesaw was the place to take a stab at it. He had to admit that the nights had gotten lonely and he hoped to meet someone to share them with. He felt he could do that here without the prying eyes of a judgmental town.
Rick had opted for an apartment in a relatively new construction since it would mean less maintenance for himself. He didn't want to spend time mowing the lawn, cleaning gutters or repairing issues in an older home, when he could be with Carl or dating someone special.
The thought of dating someone instantly brought Michonne to mind. She was beautiful and sexy but he remembered his earlier statement to his friends. So he tried to put the idea out of his mind but she just kept appearing. Perhaps they could grow to be friends, after all he didn't even know if she would be interested in him.
He was surprised they hadn't crossed paths the rest of the day since him and the guys were in and out bringing in his belongings. She really meant that she was planning on sleeping in that day. He smiled to himself remembering her irritation at their foolishness. It was not something he wanted to experience again so he decided to go ahead and try to return her drill, it was 8PM. Surely, she had to be awake by now.
He put on a fresh white t-shirt to accompany his plaid pajama pants, stepped into his slippers and picked up the drill case that he'd sat near to the front door. He didn't give himself time to chicken out, he went straight to her door and rang the doorbell then waited. After a minute without an answer, he wasn't sure if he'd missed her or if she was indeed still asleep. He was about to ring a second time when he heard the dragging of feet on the other side.
"Who is it?"
"Rick, uh your next door neighbor."
The door opened for him to see Michonne standing there in a new casual outfit of an oversized t-shirt tied at the side of her waist revealing just a little bit of her stomach and her shoulder. She wore tight black leggings that just reminded him of what her sexy legs looked like under them.
"Hey." She responded much more relaxed then she was earlier.
"Hey." Rick was dumbstruck when their eyes locked again and his heart sped up.
'Man, you gotta get a grip.' he thought.
Michonne was the one that broke the spell again.
"You got something for me?" Michonne coyly stated.
'Why did she have to say that while she looked at him like that?' That remark nearly sent all the blood flooding to his groin.
"Uh yeah. Your drill back in perfect condition." He handed it over.
She took it and placed it on the floor just inside the door.
"I'll be the judge of that." She smirked placing a hand on her hip. The move caused her shirt to lift slightly and Rick fought to keep his eyes on her face.
"Yeah, I guess you will."
They stood there in a comfortable silence before Rick spoke. "My brother was right, I am sorry for waking you up. I should have taken some precautions… and measurements."
"Thanks for the apology. I guess I should apologize too I was kind of rude. I'm not a happy girl when I'm tired." They both smiled.
"Yeah, but I don't want to get off to a bad start with you. We should have a good relationship… I mean friendship. You know look out for one another." He stumbled over his words.
"Sure, I'd like that Rick."
'Damn.' Rick liked the way she said his name.
Maybe his whole decision against dating the neighbor was something he should reconsider. Maybe he should ask her to dinner as an olive branch to see if she would be open to the idea.
Rick was just about to pose the question when the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. A tall muscled dark skinned man came down the hall in their direction. Michonne looked over to the man and awkwardly smiled.
"Babe." The man stated when he got closer.
"Hey." Michonne responded and looked back at Rick quickly then back to the man just as he approached. He slid his hand around her waist and leaned down to kiss the corner of her lips.
An awkwardness immediately filled the small space with Mike looking to Michonne and then Rick waiting for some sort of starter.
"Hey man, I'm Mike." He proclaimed and extended his hand to Rick. "The boyfriend."
Michonne looked anxious but Rick saw right through this guy. He was clearly marking his territory but Rick wouldn't be fazed by his bravado. They shook hands forcefully in an attempt to outdo the other man.
"I'm Rick. Rick Grimes. The next door neighbor." Rick responded coolly as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder to his front door.
Mike molded his body to Michonne's squeezing her tighter to him while glowering at Rick.
"Uh, Mike you should just go ahead in. Rick was just returning the drill I let him borrow."
"That's right. And I really appreciated it." Rick looked away from the man and back to Michonne.
"Yeah, she's a good woman. I'm gonna go ahead in and get comfortable." Mike announced smacking Michonne's behind as he walked in.
Michonne once again wore her earlier look of irritation.
"Sorry about that, I don't know what the Captain Caveman act was all about." She apologized.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Rick smirked and raised his shoulders.
"I guess I should get inside. I'll let you know what condition the drill truly is in." Michonne smiled and stepped backwards into her apartment.
"Goodnight Rick Grimes."
"Goodnight Michonne..."
"Hawthorne."
"Goodnight Michonne Hawthorne." They both smiled at one another as Michonne slowly closed her apartment door leaving Rick's mind reeling in the hallway.
'Shit' she has a boyfriend, of course she did. He should have considered that. Well, he was glad he had at least found out before he'd made a complete ass of himself.
He spun on his heels and returned to his apartment. He headed straight to his kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge before collapsing on his couch in the living room. He figured it wasn't a good idea to date, them being neighbors and all. If the relationship went south, there was no escape hatch when you have a two-year lease agreement. Rick browsed through sports cable channels landing on a game to focus on. He resolved that he'd have to look elsewhere for love.