Next Door Neighbor

Wrapping the towel around my waist, and checking quickly to make sure that the couch obscures Janet from the front door, I open the door, expecting to find some neighbor furious about the noise. It's still fairly early in the afternoon, so most of them are probably still at work, but I know there are more than a few who work odd shifts, or don't work at all. I'm more than a little relieved to see the person behind the knocking was not the old couple across the hall, or weirdly uptight stoner two doors down. Instead it is Karen, the redhead, who lived in the unit next door to me.

If I'm being brutally honest with myself, I've had a crush on Karen since she moved in. I've always had a thing for red hair and freckles. Throw in a dynamite body and a wicked sense of humor, and she's just about the whole package. One small catch, though we've been friendly since we first met, she'd made it pretty clear that she wasn't buying what I was selling. I don't think she had a partner, I never saw her going in to her unit with anyone else, or coming out. Regardless, we hung out quite often, either in the local bars, or just crashing in her apartment or mine. Given the basket of dirty clothes in her arms, I'm guessing its laundry day.

"What did I tell you about listening to porn on full volume Mike? It's not going to fool anyone into thinking you've got someone in here with you. Plus? It's four in the afternoon. Come on, knowing will fall for that." The bright eyes and full smile remove all malice from her words.

"Har-dee-har, Karen. Look, I was just trying to help you by covering up the constant buzzing coming from your apartment. By the way, I should thank you. Thanks to you, my battery heavy stock portfolio is doing GREAT!"

"Well, good; with a face like yours, you're going to need to be rich. Glad I could help. Speaking of help..."

"Ah. There it is, what can I do for you?"

"As you can see, I'm putting together furniture in my apartment. Could I borrow a hammer? No, you dolt, I was hoping you had some laundry detergent I could borrow. I've gotta get this load done, and I'm all out."

"You sure? If you have dirty panties, I could just take them off your hands for you..." I give her my best suave look. Or at least I think I do.

"HA! You're still working on that 'eyebrow wag,' aren't you? You're almost there." Damn. Guess I need more practice. "But seriously, do you have any?"

"For you, I guess. I'll go grab it, be right back."

Despite the flirting, I cannot help but feel the blush rise up my cheeks when she lets out a wolf whistle as I retreat towards my pantry. "I'm glad you can appreciate the view in front of you, OOF." As I was walking back to her, I trip over the pile of my discarded clothing, stubbing my toe on the solid mass of coins in my pants pocket. If I had been listening closely, rather than swearing like a one-eyed carpenter, I might have heard the faint sound of a small object bounce its way towards, and out the door, settling at Karen's feet.

While I did see her bend down to pick something up, I didn't see what it was, nor did I hear her sharply gasp when her fingers grasped it. Instead my attention was drawn to the straight shot view down her top that her posture creating. "Here you go Karen. No hurry getting it back to me, I just did my laundry yesterday day. But, swing by when you're done. I've got something I want to show you." My voice seems to snap her back to attention as she stand back up.

"Uhhh...sure. I'll come by after I finish my laundry. See you then...Mike."