Chapter 2
The party was in full swing, the air thick with the scent of cheap beer and cloying perfume. Abby weaved through the sea of bodies, the bass of the music thrumming in her chest. She wasn't much of a party girl, but tonight, she wanted to be there for her friend, see some people she didn't get to see all the time. High School graduation was only 5 weeks ago, but already her friends had kind of split apart, finding their own things to do and accomplish. Just part of moving on to the "real world" i guess.
Abby made her way around the house, waving and saying hello to those she knew, and even those she didn't really know. It was mostly all girls, with a few that brought their boyfriends along. She had dated two boys during school, one her junior year, and one her senior year, and she had discovered that guys her age, and even maybe five or ten years older than her, didn't really do anything for her. Sure a lot of them were good looking, but younger guys tended to be kinda immature and full of themselves. Something Abby just didn't care for at all.
She stopped and talked with one of her closest friends, the birthday girl Amanda. They hugged each other and found a place to sit. Amanda asked Abby, "So what's your plan for summer and beyond?" Abby gave a slight shrug of her shoulders "I'll be helping my dad out with his work until I find something better to do." Amanda was nodding while she snacked on some popcorn sitting close by "Can't be too bad working with your dad right?"
"Nah, he's very easy to deal with, plus traveling to places is always fun." Abby said as she smiled. Amanda looked at her "Don't you meet older men, your dads clients or whatever?"
Abby quickly replied, "Oh yea, everyone my dad deals with is at least forty something." Amanda smiled wider at her, "Any of them good looking? Worth checking out more?"
Abby laughed a little, "Not sure I'd want to mix work and fun like that. Could go bad if someone got their feelings hurt or something. But yea, several of them are pretty nice looking."
They sat and talked a little while about various things, and by the time everything wound to a close, Abby was glad she went.
Growing up in her house, with her parents having the lifestyle they did, Abby was used to seeing older men around regularly. They were always nice, always easy to be around, always fun to hang out with when her mom didn't have them upstairs. Mom had a few that would come on a Friday and stay the weekend and they would all hang out by their pool, watch movies, and go out to nice places to eat. It was like having an old friend of her parents that dropped in from out of town, at least until bedtime came and her dad stayed downstairs in the spare room while mom had her other man upstairs.
If other people ever knew about their arrangement, they would be shocked and horrified. "How could they do that with their daughter home?" "Those people are awful parents, that poor girl." But all Abby ever felt at home, was lots and lots of love and happiness. It worked great for her parents, and they were amazing, loving and happy people. How could she ever complain, or question how things were? She had it better than a good ninety percent of her friends, who had to deal with their parents not getting along sometimes, complaining about bills or many other things, and even splitting up entirely.
Mom and Dad had a great relationship, both still attracted to each other and happy to be together. What they did was not a problem, it was just part of who they were, and that was just fine with her.
It was on a Friday night, and Abby was hanging out in her room, listening to music and painting her nails. The house was quiet, and she knew her parents would be getting ready for another night out. She had been invited to go with them to a nice restaurant and then to a club to see a band play, but she passed, telling them she wanted to take it easy and relax.
Her mom had said they understood, and would see her in the morning.
Abby continued to paint her nails, listening to the sounds of her parents getting ready down the hall. She could hear her mom's laughter, and her dad's deep voice. She knew her dad was having fun teasing her mom, likely playfully slapping her ass or something. She had seen it many times, and always enjoyed watching them, knowing how much they loved each other.
She had finished her nails, and was thinking about getting a snack, when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.
Before she could answer, it opened, and her mom poked her head in. "Hey, baby," she said, smiling. "We're heading out. You sure you don't want to come with us?"
"Yeah, I'm good, Mom," Abby said, waving her hand. "I'm just gonna chill here tonight."
Her mom's smile widened. "Okay, sweetheart. Have fun. Love you."
"Love you too, Mom," Abby replied, watching her mom disappear. She heard her dad's voice downstairs, and then the front door closing.
She knew they were on their way, and she was truly alone now. Several minutes later, she stood up, and decided to go get that snack. As she walked down the stairs, she could hear the doorbell ring. She stopped and listened, wondering who it could be. Her parents were gone, and she wasn't expecting anyone.
She took another step down, and the doorbell rang again. She sighed, figuring she should at least see who it was. She walked to the front door and peeked through the peephole. She could see a man standing there, tall and handsome, with salt and pepper hair. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
She took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and opened it a crack, chain still in place. "Can I help you?"
The man smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Hi there, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm Mark Thornton, I live three houses down and across the street. I believe something was delivered to my house that belongs here, Are you Renee?"
Abby hesitated for a moment before opening the door, and taking the box from him. "No, that's my mom actually. I'll make sure she gets it. Thanks for bringing it by." She looked up at him, her long black hair cascading over her shoulder.
Her hazel eyes, so much like her mother's, flicked over him, assessing with quick eye movements. "I'm Abby," she said, her voice soft. "It's nice meeting you, Not sure how the mailman could mix our houses up."
Mark smiled, his eyes lingering on her for a moment before he stepped back. "It's not a problem. At least I've met someone on this street now, and know two names. You never know about new neighbors sometimes. Was great to meet you, and I'll let you enjoy the rest of your night." He gave a friendly wave and a smile, and turned to walk down the sidewalk, turning to the right and waving again before he disappeared around the garage.
Abby watched him walk away, her eyes scanning him again. He was tall, maybe six-two, with broad shoulders that tapered down to a lean waist. She liked his salt and pepper hair, and could tell he took very good care of himself, even in business clothes.
Abby closed the door, a small smile playing on her lips. She walked into the kitchen, the box still in her hand, and put it on the counter. She turned on the light, illuminating the room, her mind racing with thoughts of Mark. She couldn't help but feel a spark of attraction. There was something about him, a confidence and a charm that she found incredibly appealing.
She shook her head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. She was just being silly. He was probably old enough to be her father, and he was just a neighbor.
She grabbed some water and a snack, and turned to go upstairs. But as she reached the top step, she paused. She heard a noise from outside, like a vacuum cleaner or something in the distance, She went into her room and looked out of a window, seeing Mark leaning in the backseat of his car a few houses down. She saw him stand with a mini-vac in his hand, apparently satisfied with his work. He closed the doors of his car, and walked up the steps and into his front door.
Her parents returned home a few hours later, apparently deciding to just have dinner and return home, and Abby joined them downstairs for a little while before they decided it was bedtime. Abby remained downstairs for another 20 or 30 minutes, mindlessly dealing with her phone, when she got up herself and started heading for the stairs. Before she even reached the bottom of the stairs she could hear her mom from their room, obviously being pleased very well. Her mom had never been very quiet during sex, something Abby got used to a long time ago. It's just how things were in their house, happy parents being happy together. She smiled a little as she went into her bathroom and brushed her teeth and her hair, changing into her typical sleep outfit, and climbing into bed.
It was a few days later, and Abby was walking with her mom, something her mom was adamant about doing twice a day. They had walked their usual route, three blocks down, four blocks over, and were back on their own street again, talking about nothing all that important, when Abby heard her name called. She looked over and saw Mark, standing between his car and the front porch of his house carrying a briefcase and giving a wave to her. "That's the man that brought your package over the other day." she told her mom, as she led them across the street toward Mark's house. He met them by the curb, "I guess this is the first time I've seen you ladies out since I moved here." He gave a big smile that the setting sun seemed to catch just right, making it seem a lot brighter than it should.
"This is my mom Renee" Abby told him, and Mark extended his hand and shook her mom's.
"It's a pleasure meeting you Renee" he said to her as the handshake ended.
"Thank you so much for bringing my package over, I would hate for stuff I need like that to get lost" Renee looked up at him and said.
"It was no trouble at all, just being a good neighbor" David replied smiling easily.
We all stood and talked for a little bit, David asking how long we had lived in the neighborhood, the things we liked or disliked about it, even if we thought any of the other neighbors were worth him watching out for. He told us that he had divorced a few years ago, had two sons, one in college, and that he worked in finances. We didn't ask specifics, but enjoyed getting to know some about him. The sun was starting to set, so me and mom said we needed to go and get some dinner going, sure that we'd see him around again sometime.
We waved goodbye and headed home. Mom went straight into the kitchen as soon as we got inside, me though, I went straight up to my room. I didn't know what it was, but there was something about Mark I just couldn't shake, something that made my heart race and my hands shake. I couldn't understand it, but I knew I couldn't ignore it either.
I decided to take a shower, hoping to clear my head. I stepped under the hot water, letting it run down my body and soothe my tense muscles.
I closed my eyes, trying to push thoughts of Mark from my mind. But the harder I tried, the more I could see his face, his smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.
