DIARY 2: The Sexy Neighbor Next Door
Chapter Four: The First Spark
Emily sighed as she dropped another box onto the floor of her new apartment. The late evening shadows crept across the room, casting long, uneven shapes against the bare walls. She looked around at the chaos of mismatched boxes and furniture that still needed assembling. Moving had been exhausting, and now she faced the daunting task of making the place livable.
Just as she reached for a box cutter, there was a knock at the door.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked to the door, peeking through the peephole. A man stood on the other side, tall and broad-shouldered, with tousled dark hair and a smirk that seemed to come naturally to his face.
“Hey,” he greeted casually when she opened the door, leaning one arm against the frame. “You must be the new neighbor. I’m Jake. Thought I’d introduce myself before you barricade yourself in with all those boxes.”
Emily blinked, caught off guard by his easy confidence and the deep timbre of his voice. He was dressed in a fitted gray T-shirt that clung to his chest and jeans that hung low on his hips. She quickly realized she was staring and cleared her throat.
“Oh, hi. I’m Emily,” she said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess in here.”
Jake glanced over her shoulder at the sea of boxes. “I can see that. Need a hand? I’m pretty good at heavy lifting.”
She hesitated. She didn’t know this man, and yet there was something disarming about him. The way his dark eyes sparkled with humor made her feel oddly at ease.
“I wouldn’t want to bother you,” she said, though her tone lacked conviction.
“Come on,” Jake said with a grin. “What kind of neighbor would I be if I didn’t help the damsel in distress? Besides, it looks like you could use a break.”
Emily laughed despite herself. “Okay, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you—this place is chaos.”
Jake stepped inside, and the small apartment seemed to shrink in size as he filled the space. He looked around, rubbing the back of his neck. “You weren’t kidding. So, where do you want me to start?”
Over the next hour, they worked side by side, unpacking and moving furniture. Jake’s quick wit kept Emily laughing as they sorted through her things, and she found herself relaxing in his presence.
“So, what brings you to this building?” he asked, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as they collapsed onto the couch.
“Needed a change,” Emily admitted, sipping from the water bottle he’d handed her. “New job, new city, new everything.”
Jake nodded, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. “Well, welcome to the neighborhood. If you need anything, I’m just next door.”
“Thanks, Jake,” she said, meeting his eyes. For a second, the air between them seemed to shift, a quiet tension settling in.
Jake stood, breaking the moment. “Guess I should let you get some rest. But don’t hesitate to knock if you need anything. Even if it’s just a chat.”
Emily walked him to the door, her pulse quickening as he turned to look at her one last time.
“Goodnight, Emily,” he said, his voice softer now.
“Goodnight, Jake,” she replied, watching as he disappeared down the hall.
As she closed the door behind her, she realized she was smiling. He was hot, and her mind couldn't help go back to that earlier.
The moment when her eyes fell on his pants, she could see his bulge. Did he get a hard on because of her? Obviously not right, they didn't have any intimate moment that could lead to that, right?
Well, she couldn't say it probably wasn't because of her. She was a 5'7 busty lady, with big rounded boobs and curvy hip. He would be crazy to not get a hard on.
She blushed at the thought and got back to work. As she continued to unpack and settle into her new space, she couldn’t shake the sense that her new neighbor was about more than just friendly. Little did she know, that was only the beginning.
Two days later
Emmy's phone rang. She answered, hoping it was the recruiter. But the voice on the line was deep and male. She could recognize it in her sleep.
"Hey," Jake said. "How's the unpacking going?"
"Slowly but surely." She said with a chuckle.
"How about I take you out to dinner as a thank-you for not letting me die of boredom from helping you."
She was about to say yes when she caught herself. It was too soon. She barely knew Jake. It wouldn't be wise to go out to dinner with him.
"I'm really not up for it," she said.
"What if I said, pizza night? I know this awesome pizza place. Their pepperoni pizza is amazing."
She sighed. He was really trying to be nice, but it was too soon for her to get involved.
She had just gotten out of a six years marriage. She just got a divorce and was looking to start afresh. It was too soon to get caught up with another man.
"Jake, I appreciate it but I'm not up for dinner. Maybe some other time."
"You're going to have to do better than that, Emmy."
The way he said her name sent a thrill through her body and she wanted nothing more than to tell him yes, but she really couldn't.
"Maybe some other day, but tonight's not it. Thanks though."
The line was silent for a moment before Jake said, "Okay, but don't get too comfortable eating alone. I'm always here for you." And hung up the phone.
Emmy stared at the phone in her hand before tossing it aside and getting back to work, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt.
He had helped her a lot with packing and the least she could do was grant him that dinner date but she couldn't.
* * *
She was done with her unpacking a day later and after she took her bath, she found herself sitting in front of her laptop, staring at her screen with nothing to do.
The house was quiet and lonely. She was hungry and there was no food to eat. The kitchen was not yet equipped for cooking and she didn't fancy going out to eat alone.
As she sat there, her phone rang. Her heart quickened in her chest as she saw the name Jake on her screen.
"Hey Emmy, hope you're good." Jake said when she picked up the phone.
"I'm good, how about you?"
"I've been better, and I've been worse," he said, chuckling. "I was thinking of ordering pizza. You should come."
Emmy laughed. "Jake, I'm good. But thanks."
"You know what Emmy," he said. "You're not so cool when you're saying no to me. Why don't you give a man a break?"
She smiled. "I'm not looking to break you."
"I'm not asking for a date, I just want us to be friends. I'm a fun guy to hang out with."
"I appreciate it Jake," she said. "But I really don't want to get into a friendship with you."
"Emmy, come on, I won't bite. Well, maybe not till you ask me to."
She laughed and could tell that he was smiling.
"Goodbye Jake."
"Goodbye Emmy. Enjoy your evening."
He hung up before she could say another word.
* * *
Emmy couldn't concentrate all day. She couldn't stop thinking about Jake and his persistence.
He was so sure about himself. She admired that. The confidence in him was enough to attract her.
But she had just gotten a divorce. She wasn't looking to start dating anytime soon. What would her friends think?
* * *
After work, she went to the supermarket to buy some groceries for the week.
She didn't even realize she was heading in the direction of Jake's apartment until she stopped in front of his door.
He opened it and smiled at her. "You know Emmy, I like a woman that's persistent."
"I'm not persistent," she said, her cheeks warming. "I was just passing by and saw the lights."
He stepped to the side. "Come in then."
Emmy stepped inside.
Jake was wearing sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. She hadn't seen him in casual clothing before and found that she liked his rugged look.
"So, you want to tell me what really brought you here."
Emmy shrugged. "I just wanted to talk, I guess."
He raised his brow and went to sit on the couch. Emmy followed him and sat down next to him.
"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for the way I've been acting," she said. "It's just that, I just got a divorce, and I really don't know how to date again. But I have been thinking and maybe we could try."
He looked at her, his eyes unreadable. "You want to try... us?"
"Yeah, if you do."
"I do." He said, a small smile on his face.
She smiled, feeling a warmth spread in her stomach.
They sat in silence for a moment, then Jake said.
"I've been trying to get you in my bed since the first day you moved in, but I think we should wait. It's good you want to try us out. Why don't we go out on a date tomorrow?"
Emmy's heart was beating fast. She had known that he wanted to get her into his bed, but to actually hear it out loud...
She shook her head. "Tomorrow? That's a bit fast, isn't it?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe a bit. But why not. You know what they say, why wait when you can have it now?"
"Why can't we have it now then."
She found herself asking.
Jake's eyes darkened as his gaze roved her body. "Is that an invitation?"
Emmy felt like she was going crazy. She wanted Jake with a passion she had never felt before and she couldn't understand it.
This man wasn't anything like her husband, and yet he called to her.
"Yes." She said.
Jake rose to his feet. "I'd like to be sure you're sure about this, Emmy. You said you don't know how to go about dating again. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and say you didn't know what you were doing."
"I know what I'm doing," she said. "And I want to do this."
"Okay then, let's see how ready you are." He said and sat back down, his back straight and his thighs wide apart.
Emmy stood up to face him. He gestured to his lap and said, "Show me."
"What?" she asked, her breath catching.
"Come on Emmy, I think you know what I mean. Show me what you want to do."