Page 14 of You Saw the Best In Me

I throw my shirt back on, taking another sip from the bottle, and questioning my choices for the second time tonight.

How could I be so reckless? The last thing I need is a situationship, or a fuck buddy, who lives across the hall.

Not to mention, he irritates the fuck out of me, and I drive him crazy.

“One more for the road?” I ask as he emerges from the bathroom, pouring the tequila into a glass this time.

He takes it and clinks the glass against mine, “Here’s to never having great sex with each other again,” he toasts, and I let the liquor burn down my throat.

He turns to leave, gently kissing me on the cheek.

“Goodnight, Maverick,” I say, smiling at him in only my tank top.

“Can you wear more clothes? I can’t promise that won’t happen again if you don’t,” he gestures toward my chest.

“I’ll think about it,” I wink, holding the door open for him and watching as he sneaks back into his apartment.

I close the door and drop to the floor. That was arguably the best sex I’ve ever had, and I can’t let it happen again.

Once was enough, and now he’s out of my system.

A few days after the incident, my new manager finally called, and I have three shifts coming up this week. I’m relieved. I’m starting to go stir-crazy in my apartment, and the tension between Maverick and I is getting too hot to handle.

He still hasn’t pranked me back after I got him twice in one day; first with the marbles and then again with the Solar Guy.

Whenever I leave my apartment, I brace myself for whatever he has in store, but nothing has come yet. The anticipation is killing me.

We’re clearly avoiding each other, but it’s only a matter of time before we have to face what we did, and either move forward or behave awkwardly toward one another.

I’m taking April for a ride this morning to get her out of the house. This cat loves adventures, and once she’s tucked into her backpack, we’re off to see what the day holds for us.

Besides the one glaring memory we share, another thing that replays in my mind is the time Maverick asked me if I locked my car at night, and it threw me off-guard, but I gave him a bullshit answer.

He doesn’t need to know that I obsessively lock my car and set traps inside to ensure nobody has gotten in.

First, I unlock it and let the paperclip fall to the ground. Once that step is complete, I take a survey of my surroundings, including looking in the window of the backseat.

Now that I know it’s safe, I push all the carefully placed trash on the passenger seat to the floor, locking the doors immediately.

My checklist is complete, and my car is safe to drive.

I never worry about the trunk because unless I plan to use it, It’s filled to the top with random shit.

No person is hiding in there; if there were, I’d notice.

I neglected to share this insanity with Maverick, mainly because he’d probably think I’m crazy, but in reality, I need to stay vigilant and safe.

The second I let someone in, I run the risk of slipping and falling right into a trap.

I take April to the salon, deciding to pop in and say hello to my new co-workers.

The first woman I see is short, blonde, and looks to be my age.

“Hi honey, I’m Jolene,” she says, pulling me in for a hug.

“Who’s this cutie?” she asks, waving at my cat in my backpack.

“April, she loves to see new places,” I set April on the floor, and she looks around at her new surroundings.