Good Neighbors

It was mid-afternoon when I received the phone call from the mechanic. He was finished working on my neighbor's car. It took a few days because I insisted on him checking everything out for her and taking care of everything. The only reason I insisted on this mechanic was because we went back a ways and I knew he did good work. Last thing I needed was my neighbor being taken advantage of by someone else. I'm not saying I am being too protective of my neighbor. After all, I would be amiss if I felt like my neighbor was not able to fend for herself. It was just an opportunity to do something nice for her.

I went next door to tell her the good news. I didn't dress up just because I was not expecting anything. I knocked on the door as I usually did even though she told me a while ago not to. She still opened the door and smiled when she saw it was me.

"Hello, Romeo. What brings you over here today?"

"Well, your car is ready."

"Seriously? Can we pick it up tomorrow please?"

"Sure, we can, just say when."

"I just need to make sure I have the cash to pay the guy. Did he tell you how much?"

I looked at her in surprise.

"Um, it's already taken care of."

It was her turn to be surprised.

"Please tell me you didn't..."

"I didn't what, Amor?"

She shook her head.

"I wish you would..."

I started to get the feeling I over stepped. I had to think fast.

"Amor, I'm sorry I over stepped. I was just thinking about how to help. That's all."

I could see her take a breath before she smiled.

"I know, Leo. I know. It's just that I'm not used to being a charity case."

I held my arms open, and she slipped in before I held her tight.

"You're not a charity case. You are a wonderful woman who has helped taken care of me these seven months. You've sacrificed so many nights to spend with me to keep me from being lonely. You've helped me deal with all the crap that grief threw at me. Plus, you're really a sweetheart. Why wouldn't I take the chance of helping you out? What kind of man would I be if I didn't?"

She looked up at me tearfully. I could tell I chose my words correctly, even if it meant baring more of my heart. Truth is I meant every word and she could tell. She melted more in my arms before we adjourned to the couch. We took the normal position of holding each other on the couch as we sat there talking about whatever. It wasn't long until my stomach growled.

"Someone's hungry," she said.

"I'm sorry. I should probably go home and whip up something."

"No, you don't. I owe you dinner. It's the least I could do."

"Okay, but I'm gonna help."

"As long as you keep your hands to yourself," she said with a wink.

We both rose from the couch, washed our hands and started working on dinner. She chose a rice dish that required some cut vegetables. I was working on cutting the veggies while she worked on browning the chicken thighs. We ended up finishing a half hour later and sat down to eat, still talking about random stuff. We started cleaning up. Then I could tell it was getting late.

"I guess I should get ready to go back over. What time did you want to head over to get your car?"

She looked at me before smiling.

"When does he open?"

"I think 8am. You want to head out that early?"

"Sure, but you'll have to spend the night so I can get you up."

"You know what'll happen if I spend the night."

"Oh, you mean the whole warm body snuggling next to me in bed thing?"

I smiled.

"You do know you don't have to."

She pressed a finger against my lips.

"I have a habit of rewarding my knights in shining armor when they help rescue me."

"I hope there's not a waiting list of knights."

She slapped me on the shoulder before going in for a kiss. We started kissing like normal before she led me into her room. She started to undress before looking at me.

"Well, let's get those clothes off, Romeo. We need a shower before we get ready for bed."

I started to undress before she walked away from me towards the bathroom, her butt swinging side to side to tease me. I smiled knowing full well I wouldn't have it any other way.