"Please don't worry about me, I'll be fine" Alex said into the phone.
"Hey, I'm your big brother. It's my job to worry. I hate thinking about you all alone at your place with all the shit that's being going on in your neighborhood. Are you sure you don't want to crash at my place? I'll be out of town until Monday and I'm sure John wouldn't mind having you there. Plus he rarely makes it home on the weekends." Chris suggested in a hopeful voice.
Alex sighed. Her big brother had always been over protective of her. She wouldn't have dreamed about telling him of the string of recent robberies that had taken place in her neighborhood but he had seen a short piece about it on the news and called her.
"It's fine really. I don't want to impose on you or John."
"You're being ridiculous. It would really give me some piece of mind." Chris pleaded.
"Fine! You win. It's not worth arguing over."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. The spare bedroom has fresh sheets, and help yourself to whatever is in the fridge."
20 minutes later Alex was in her car driving over to Chris's place. A small part of her was relieved that he had suggested this. Truth be told she'd been having problems falling asleep the past couple nights. Every little noise made her jump with fright thinking it was someone trying a doorknob or sliding open a window.
Alex lucked out and found a spot to park on the street not far from Chris's house. She grabbed her small overnight bag out of the passenger seat and hurried up the driveway. All the lights inside were off confirming Chris's assurances that John most likely wasn't home.
She made her way inside, flicking on some lights as she passed through the hall and into the living room.
"Anybody home?" she called out tentatively. It was only 9 but she didn't want to wake John up if he was already in bed.
She dropped her bag off in the spare bedroom then went back to the living room. It was too early for bed so she turned the TV on and began flipping through the channels. She stopped at a movie channel playing Casablanca. It was one of her favorites and she curled up contentedly on the couch.
She absolutely loved old movies and musicals. People would often joke that she had been born in the wrong era. She loved the big band swing music of the 1940s and had an astounding collection of black and white films. She even looked the part. Her body, while slightly heavier than the current fashion, was reminiscent of the pin-up girls so popular during WW II and she styled her long brown hair and dressed in a way that screamed old Hollywood.
Alex sighed as the movie ended. She grabbed her toiletry bag out of the guest bedroom and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 15 minutes later she was crawling under the covers. She fell asleep almost instantly, the previous week of restless nights taking it's toll.
**
The smell of fresh coffee and the sound of the shower running pulled John out of his sleep. He groaned when he looked at the clock on his bedside table. Jesus, it was only 7:30 what the fuck was Chris doing awake at this time?
He'd gone out with a bunch of buddies from work yesterday and as usual had way too much to drink before stumbling home. Normally he would have been stumbling home to someone else's place, but last night he just hadn't been in the mood.
He tried unsuccessfully to fall back asleep but finally gave up. He reluctantly got out of bed and stretched, moaning as his tight muscles loosened slowly.
He walked to the kitchen not bothering to pull on any clothes over his black boxer briefs. He was downing his second glass of water when he heard the shower turn off. A few minutes later he heard the door open, signaling that it was his turn to use the bathroom. He walked down the hall only to collide with someone who was most definitely not Chris.
A shrill feminine scream reached his ears causing him to wince. He looked down to find Alex, Chris's kid sister clutching a towel around her and breathing heavily.
"Oh my God John, you scared me half to death." Alex said as she tried to control her breathing.
"Hey Alex. What are you doing here?"
"Chris didn't tell you I was coming over?" She asked. "Typical. He wanted me to stay here because of all the break-ins going on lately around my place. I hope it's not a problem." She quickly explained.
"No he didn't tell me, but don't worry about it, you're always welcome here."
"Thanks, and sorry for screaming. I didn't realize you were home."
"Don't worry about it." He flashed her a quick grin. His eyes made a slow pass over her damp body.
"I'm, uh, just going to go get dressed." Alex stammered, blushing slightly.
The hallway was narrow and she grazed him slightly while passing. That little bit of contact sent an electric tingle through John.
He'd always thought she was gorgeous but Chris had told him in no uncertain terms that she was of limits. Still a guy could dream... He closed the bathroom door and turned the shower on quite a bit colder than normal. The image of Alex's curvy body wrapped only in a tiny towel burned into his mind.
**
Alex leaned back against the bedroom door and took several deep breaths. She had not expected John to be here. She'd had developed a crush on John when she moved to the city six years ago for college. For the first few months here she thought that maybe he had feelings for her too, but he never made a move and she had eventually moved on.
One look at him in his boxer briefs was enough to make those old feelings come rushing back. The man was sexy, no doubt about it, and there was something about his crooked grin that made her feel weak in the knees.
"Get a grip!" she whispered to herself before pushing off the door and getting dressed.
She was sitting at the kitchen table sipping on her second cup of coffee when John entered the room.
"So are you hanging around here for the day?" he asked.
"I was planning on it. If that's not a problem... I have a bunch of tests to grade."
"Sure, no worries. How's teaching going? You teach high school chemistry right?"
"Yeah, I love it."
John let out a light laugh and shook his head.
