Erik's feet were lead when he stepped out of the cab in his apartment's parking lot. "Have a good one," he said, tipping the driver.
"You too sweetie," the cabbie said. She was an older lady who spilled over the seat of her minivan. He didn't look back as she drove away.
Climbing the stairs was a one step at a time ordeal and he used the handrail to pull himself up. Every muscle protested the climb up the stairs, the accident had done a number on his body.
"Hey neighbor," a woman said when he made it to the balcony outside of his door. It was the neighbor with the tight fitting dress from earlier in the day, but now she wore grey sweatpants with some brand name printed up the side of one of the legs, and a plain white tank top. She was sitting on the ground in front of her door. "Man, you look like you feel pretty rough. You okay?"
"I'll be fine in a few days. Got broadsided a few hours ago. Totalled my truck; killed the driver of the other vehicle I think." he said.
"Oh shit!" She replied.
Erik nodded. "Yeah fun time. Ten out of ten, totally recommend it." He held up the finger symbol for okay with his thumb and forefinger making a circle.
She jumped up when he stopped to lean against the rail. "You really look like shit."
"Thanks, it's the compliment every man wants to hear from his hot neighbor," he said with a smile.
She stopped short, firing him a smirk, "Well, you seem to be feeling mostly fine then. I'll leave you to die in peace."
"I appreciate it. All of the noise you make over there in your apartment really disturbs my beauty rest." Erik said, trying to make sure his sarcasm was clear. He didn't want to look like an asshole, but he also couldn't help the sarcastic humor sometimes. It made the pain easier to bear somehow, like a single tylenol that faded after a few seconds.
"I'm practicing for a concert, can't you tell?" She said, stepping closer and leaning on the rail with her backside and crossing her arms.
"Yeah, what do you play? Washboard?" Erik stood straight up, determined to make it into his apartment upright, but felt his entire back stiffen.
The dark and mysterious neighbor girl, in his mind that's what he called her because he didn't know her name, paused before responding. She looked out over the parking lot and Erik recognized the look of someone turning inward and watching a memory play out in their mind. "I played the violin once. When I was a kid. I liked it a lot."
Erik let the moment play in her mind, then spoke. "Why did you stop?"
"Money. I was a teenager and parents weren't made of money, you know?" she answered.
"I know how that is. I was raised by my Dad. Mom was a druggie, so I get the whole money thing." Erik said.
"Man, I bet that was a good time." She said, her face turning towards him.
Erik shrugged. "It was a time. He was in construction, felt he was too stupid to do anything else with his life other than work for someone else. We didn't talk much then, don't talk much now. Not much in common really, but it was well enough."
"Let's get you inside before I have to carry you in, neighbor," she said, changing the subject on him.
Pulling out his keys, Erik thought about his dad and how little they talked, how much they didn't have in common. It was an odd thing to think about at that moment. He unlocked the door and the neighbor girl watched him go inside and sit down on his couch. She stood outside the door and watched, her winged eyeliner making him think of a sexy predatory bird, despite her casual clothing.
He had left the door open, expecting her to follow him inside, but she didn't. Instead, she disappeared in the direction of her own apartment then reappeared in his a few moments later with bottles of tylenol and advil. "Here, take these," she instructed him, pouring out two pills of each, then she handed him a beer bottle.
Angry Orchard had a crisp, sweet flavor that lacked any hopps. "Wow, that's really good."
"Good, I want you to drink that one and maybe a couple more to relax your muscles." She said, plopping down on the couch next to him. Making herself at home, she put her feet on his table, crossing one ankle over the other. Popping the top on a bottle, she offered to cheers him. "I'm Erica, and I'm gay by the way, so you can stop hitting on me."
Erik chucked a laugh, then clinked his bottle against hers, "That's ironic, I'm Erik and straight, so I guess you can hit on me any time you like."
A single chuckle rocked her chest.
Erik wasn't sure how long they sat there, together, in silence. He just enjoyed having the peaceful company. She opened up three more beers for him and they traded short, nondescript memories of nothing important. She talked about riding her bike, he mentioned hiking. They both had black labradors as kids, but at different ages. Dark came and when the bugs started flying in, Erica reached over and pushed the door closed.
An odd thought crossed his mind and he attributed it to the pain, exhaustion, and stress, but it didn't make it any less true. Because of that quiet evening, he decided that he loved her. Thoughts swam like catfish in a pond in his brain, passing between his eyes of their own volition, but he committed to the idea of loving her. Not a romantic love, but one of family. Then he realized why. Of all of the people he had met in the last week, she was the first to treat him like family in the past several months. She was like a cousin, one that he was allowed to think was super hot, because she was, but never able to do anything with because she was blood relation.
"Yeah," he said, nodding to himself.
"Yep," Erica replied without context. They clinked their glasses together.
...
Erik woke up to find a blanket covering him. It was dark in his apartment but Erica was still next to him, her legs curled up to her body and turned sideways, her back against him. His phone was vibrating in his pocket and he dug it out. A random number was calling him. "Hello?" he said in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, my name is Haley and I'm supposed to be meeting an Erik here at Wild Card-"
"Yeah, yeah, that's me, I'm sorry, my bad. I was in a car accident yesterday and totally forgot to set an alarm. I'll be over as soon as I can."
"Okay, I have my whole team here now and we don't have all day." Haley said with a no nonsense tone.
"Of course not, just start the clock now, and I'll be there in like twenty minutes, I promise, just have to call a cab."
"I'll see you soon then." She hung up a second later.
Erica shifted and took her back off of him. "I'm glad you survived the night. What's going on?"
"Gotta get to my club and let the cleaners in," he said, pulling the cab number from his recent calls.
"Need a ride? I'll give you one."
"Yeah?" he asked, a little surprised.
"Sure, it's not like you're a serial killer." Her face held a sleepy smile.
"Sweet, alright, lets go."
Ten minutes later Erica drove out of the parking lot in a blue dodge neon, both of them sipping on Monster Energy drinks she kept in her fridge. The cold bite of carbonation brought his mouth alive and his muscles felt sore, but looser than he expected.
Erica spoke, "So your uncle, who you only met once, had a lift truck fall on him, destroy his back, then the insurance company gave him a huge settlement because it was negligence or some shit, then he opened a strip club and ran that shit from a wheelchair like a boss, until he died last week? Then you got t-boned yesterday and totalled your truck? What kind of karma are you carrying over there?"
He couldn't help but laugh too, "I don't know but I won't lie, I'm glad I'm still walking."
"No shit. Okay, who was that girl my sister saw you with the other day?"
"That was your sister?" Erik asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna smile at your dick. She's bisexual though, so she might, but she's married so don't go there."
Erik decided to just answer her original question. "That was Amber, met her at office supply, but now I don't know what's going to happen because I haven't seen her in a couple days and I don't have her number to at least text her and let her know what's going on."
"She knows where you live. If she cares enough she'll come by." Erica's disregard reinforced his own feelings on the matter. They pulled into the parking lot of his club to find six women and two young men standing around.
He leapt out of the car as soon as it stopped then climbed the semicircle steps to unlock the door. A solid woman with brown hair and golden eyes put out a cigarette then followed him inside. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but he found a disaster inside.
"So what are you looking for us to do Erik? Our morning job cancelled on us so we're all yours until noon. I'm Haley by the way," the woman said, holding out her hand.
He shook it, a firmer grip than he was expecting greeting his own. "So here's the deal, I've only owned the club a little over a week, so if you have pointers on what I'm about to tell you, I'm all ears. My goal is to have everything cleaned up and ready to go by tomorrow afternoon." Erik paused and did some math in his head, then rounded up and counted out six hundred dollars. "This should cover six of you for four hours."
Haley turned and started issuing orders to her people in a snappy voice. Erik took a second to listen to her tone, impressed at her efficiency. He hadn't even told her what to do yet. Her people drug in two vacuum cleaners and one started grabbing mugs then headed towards the back. One more busted out a trash bag and started throwing empty bottles and refuse into it.
