I watched in horror as my two older brothers brawled in the front yard, drunkenly swearing and throwing punches at each other. My father, only slightly less drunk, stood on the porch behind me and bellowed at them to knock it off.
Whirling around, I glared at Dad. "It's almost two in the morning! You have to do something."
Dad merely rolled his eyes. "What got them started this time?"
I didn't bother explaining that one of them insulted the other's girlfriend. Instead, my stare traveled to our neighbor's house, where a light had just switched on in what I guessed was the bedroom. "Shit!" Bounding down the porch steps, I took off for next door, ignoring my father's confused calls.
My brothers were still fighting when I knocked on Marcus's front door. The porch light's sudden illumination made me squint. As soon as he opened the door, I blurted out, "Please don't call the cops!"
Dressed only in a pair of lightweight sweatpants, he glowered at me in silence for several moments before looking over my shoulder. I didn't have to turn around to know he was watching my siblings roll around the yard. "I am so damn tired of living next to your family."
My cheeks burned in humiliation. "I understand," I hurriedly replied. "I'm tired of them, too." I feared Marcus might slam the door in my face. Of course, I wouldn't blame him a bit if he chose to. He'd moved next door to us in the spring, right after I turned eighteen. At first, he'd been friendly, always quick to wave when he saw me. But over the course of the summer, my brothers had grown more unruly, and this was far from the first time I'd had to apologize to Marcus on their behalf.
I hated how my family always had to fuck everything up. Marcus seemed like a great guy; in his mid-twenties, he was already far more mature and responsible than my brothers would probably ever be. He had a good job and left for work on time every day. If he had a party at his house, he was considerate about the noise level, and guests weren't coming and going all night. He was a perfect neighbor.
And he was also gorgeous. Tall and dark-skinned, he wore box braids and had the sexiest smile. I had no illusions that he could ever be interested in me; with my long red hair and pale skin that easily burned in the sun, I looked like the shy, awkward young woman I was. My ex-boyfriend, whom I'd dated throughout my senior year of high school, often told me I had beautiful blue eyes, but I figured he felt he had to compliment me on something, and it wasn't going to be my freckles.
As I now looked pleadingly at Marcus, I feared he'd finally lost all patience. "I have some good news for you, though," I said in a bright voice. "Can I come in for just a minute?"
"It's late, Maddie." His tone was surprisingly calm.
"I know, and I promise I won't be long. I just wanted to talk to you without all the noise, and..." I helplessly gestured toward my idiot brothers.
He let out a heavy sigh but opened the door wider. Stepping into his living room, I marveled at how tidy it was. Thank God he'd never seen the inside of my house! Though I did my best to keep it clean, it was a full-time job picking up after my brothers and father.
Marcus closed and locked the door behind us. "Sorry it's so hot in here," he said. "The air conditioning went out yesterday. I'd open some windows, but my neighbors are carrying on like a bunch of dumbasses." Seeing me flinch at his words, he added, "Present company excluded."
He was kind enough to offer me a drink, and as we sipped from our glasses of soda in his kitchen, I knew I needed to make this quick. Marcus would be getting up early in the morning to go to church. "So the good news," I began after taking a deep breath. "I'll be heading off to college in a week, and you won't have to put up with me anymore."
He set his glass down on the counter, then folded his arms over his chest. "You know you ain't the problem."
"I know, but..." I stared at my bare feet. The dress I wore was modest, covering most of my legs. I'd pulled it on when I heard my brothers start fighting earlier. Looking back up at Marcus, I smiled again. "There's even better news. You know how our house has been for sale?"
"Yeah," he said slowly. "It's had a for sale by owner sign out front since I moved here. Doesn't seem to have generated much interest, though."
"That's the thing!" Reaching forward, I rested a hand on his forearm. "An older, retired couple looking to downsize has fallen in love with the place. I mean, the house needs a lot of work, but they really like the quiet setting, with just our two houses out here on a dead-end street. My dad wants to move in with his girlfriend, so he's agreed to sell."
Marcus's eyes widened at the news. "What about your brothers?"
I knew he wasn't asking out of any concern for them, but rather, he wanted assurances that they'd end up far away from here. "I'm not sure," I said. "One of them will probably go live with my mom, and I figure the other one will rent an apartment somewhere." As I spoke, I noticed Marcus's shoulders relaxing. His smile was wide enough to match my own. "This fall, you'll have new neighbors!"
"That's the best news I've heard in months!" Without warning, he took the glass from my hand and set it next to his on the counter. I shrieked with laughter when he wrapped his arms around my waist and whirled me around. As he held me, I could feel how strong he was; he carried me like I weighed nothing at all.
By this point, Marcus was laughing, too. He started to set me back down, but I wrapped myself around him, holding on tight. He gave me a quizzical look, still grinning. Before I had a chance to lose my nerve, I pressed my lips against his.
He made a surprised sound but didn't immediately break the kiss. It was only when I grew more eager, seeking out his tongue with mine, that he firmly placed me back on my feet. Still, I kept my arms around his neck.
"This has been fun, Maddie, but like I said before, it's late." He avoided my gaze while extricating himself from my embrace.
"Come on!" I sounded like such a stupid girl, but I was desperate to stay a little longer. "Don't tell me you're finished celebrating already!"
Marcus rolled his eyes. "What else did you have in mind?"
My heart was beating so loud, the sound of it almost drowned out my brothers' shouting. Those fools were still fighting. I couldn't let them distract me now, not when my nipples were hard beneath my dress, and my panties were already wet. For months, I'd secretly lusted after Marcus. Once I left for college and my family moved away, I'd probably never see him again. The upside to that was, if he wasn't at all interested in fucking me, I'd be humiliated, but I'd never have to see him again. Under the circumstances, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.