3

Graham Birch

The new neighbor had now been living across from me for a week. I didn't really see Spencer ever leave his house. On occasion, he would come out to throw out his trash or maybe go for a short walk.

I'm guessing some of my coworkers have also noticed this. And word spread quickly about the city boy that didn't come out of his house. It's strange. And since I'm the closest one to him, of course people ask me about what I see myself.

But I always respond the same: I don't know anything about Spencer.

I began to grow worried because of how rarely he came out. Juniper also must have sensed something was going on because he would always run to the other house's porch and stand there, waiting at the door.

While putting everything in a basket, Juniper was looking up at me.

"Wanna go with me?" I asked him. Juniper wagged his tail and began running around while sticking out his tongue.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said.

Juniper and I made our way across the street and towards Spencer's house. I knew he hadn't been out much based on the dust on the porch. It's common for everyone to sweep their floors of dirt. And yet, his was caked in dust.

I knocked on the door three times. "Spencer! Are you in there? I wanted to check up on you." I announced.

Juniper sat directly in front of the door and looked up, waiting for someone to open.

When nothing had happened, I knocked again. "Spencer! City boy! You alright in there?" I said. But there was no answer.

I set the basket down on the floor and reached for the doorknob. The knob was unlocked, which isn't unusual in this town. Crime is low enough that people often go out while leaving their doors unlocked.

"Wait here, Juniper." I said. "Spencer! I'm coming in. I hope that's..." When I stepped in, I was met with a mess in the living room. Papers were scattered all over the floor. A printer was making a strange noise. I was sure it was jammed but no one had fixed it.

And yet, no sign of Spencer.

"Spencer!" I yelled. Knowing this house from being here before, I quickly ran to the master bedroom. The bed was a mess. Bottles of alcohol were scattered all over the floor and the smell was putrid.

Then there was a sound. Coming from the bathroom was the sounds of someone vomiting. As I peered inside, I saw Spencer leaning into the toilet.

"Spencer?" I called.

I saw him jump then slowly turn around. His eyes were red and teary. And his black hair was messy and all over the place.

"Graham. Uh," His face turned red and he faced away from me. "I'm sorry. Let me get fixed."

Instead of leaving him, I kneeled next to him near the toilet and pushed his hair up.

"Let me help you get cleaned." I said to him. He was a bit confused, probably still drunk. But then nodded shamelessly.

Spencer allowed himself to be cleaned. I wiped away his face and also turned on the shower for him.

"You're pretty good at this." He said.

"Ms. Alder, the woman who used to live here, would sometimes need help with basic things and I was the closest one to her." I replied. I grabbed the towel and began to dry his hair. "You'll feel better after a nice lunch."

While I was drying his hair, Spencer's face became red. I found it quite adorable.

"I can handle the rest." He said. I let go of the towel.

"Very well. I'll head downstairs. Do you mind if I use your kitchen?" I asked. His eyes immediately bulged.

"No!" He shouted. He stepped back and looked down. "Uh, I know you saw the mess. And I don't want you to have to see all that after helping me."

I chuckled. "Nonsense. I've seen worse."

As I went to turn around, I felt him grab my wrist. He looked quite desperate. I think he also realized what he had done as he let me go.

"You must really not want me to go down there." I said.

"Please? I'll get changed quickly and clean down there. Then you can do what you need to do." Spencer said. He looked desperate. I did barge into his home and walked around like I owned it. I'll follow his rules.

So I waited around while Spencer cleaned himself up and got dressed. I had forgotten Juniper and whistled for him. He joined us in Spencer's room.

Spencer cleaned the living room in a quick manner. I couldn't see what was on the papers. As much as it wasn't my business, curiosity got the better of me. But the papers were all shoved into a closet before I could even get a glimpse of them.

"The place is clean." Spencer announced.

"Great. Can I use the kitchen now?" I asked. He nodded and went to sit on the couch. Juniper comforted him while he typed away quickly on the computer.

"How are you so quick at writing on that thing?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, years of practice, I guess. And working." He replied, not once looking up or stopping his typing.

"I can't even type on my phone with both hands." I said. He chuckled a bit. At least I got him to smile today.

While I cooked, I began to wonder why he had been drunk. Surely that is a sign that something is wrong. Everything about him has been strange since he arrived. His arrival was quick, he is reclusive about his home, and feels like he's holding back on something.

"Why were you drinking so much?" I asked.

I heard him stopping his typing. "Uh, let's just say that I... am not having the best of luck with things right now."

I turned around and set out a styrofoam plate since he didn't have any dining ones.

"Food is ready. Come and eat." I said. Spencer came to the dining table.

"This looks good." He said.

"Thanks. Now eat. You need fuel in your system." I said.

"Will you not be eating with me?" He asked.

"I think I've been here long enough. I should leave with Juniper before he decides that your house is now his property." I replied. I began to walk past the kitchen and called for Juniper to follow me.

"Wait! Eat with me. You spent all that time helping me get clean. The least I can offer is for you to eat with me." He offered.

He did look quite adorable as he wanted me to join him to eat lunch. And I'm sure the Juniper could use something to eat. So I joined him and ate with him.

"Here, Juniper." I said, throwing him a piece of meat which he caught in his mouth.

"How long have you had him?" Spencer asked.

"About five years. I was driving back from running an errand and found a small ball of fur walking alongside the road. When I checked, it was a puppy that looked a bit dirty. I asked around but no one knew where he came from. So I decided to keep him." I explained as I reached my hand down to pet him.

"Has it just been you and him this entire time?" He then asked.

"We had the former neighbor, Mrs. Alder. And some of my coworkers are fond of him. It would be nice to have someone who would happily play with him."

"Right," Spencer said.

We finished our food afterwards. Spencer threw away the plates. I noticed his shelves were full of bottles of alcohol.

"You should try to drink something else besides this stuff." I said.

"I miss my morning lattes." He said. He turned around and showed a machine that I had seen but wasn't sure what it was. "I even got an espresso maker. But since I don't have almond milk, and normal milk is bad for me, I can't do anything."

"If you had almond milk, would that help?" I asked.

He nodded. "But it's fine. I guess I can use the juicer I bought and make some orange juice in the morning." He said. He let out a large yawn and covered his mouth.

"Are you tired?"

"A bit."

"You should get some rest. Don't forget to eat the leftovers for dinner. And stop drinking so much. You need to protect your body."

"Protect it with yours." He muttered. Spencer cleared his throat.

I collected Juniper and myself and we left Spencer's home. When I got inside, I couldn't help but look outside and watched his house. I spent the entirety of my free day just observing the man across the street.

"What do you think, Juniper?" I asked my dog. He cuddled against my legs at night time. "Am I going mad for paying so much attention to him?"

Juniper placed his head on my ankle. He nuzzled his head, which I took as him saying no.

As I looked over at Spencer's place, I saw the lights of the living room on. I hope he doesn't pull an all-nighter again. His eye bags, while attractive, are not good for him.

Did I just call his eye bags attractive?