5

Spencer Cypress

My mind was heavily occupied after returning from my trip. I had to force myself to stop drinking pure coffee and going to sleep at 2 in the morning. My friend already mentioned that I was looking even more exhausted.

That morning, I woke up to a strange sound I hadn't heard in a while. Knocking. On my front door.

When I checked the clock, I saw I had only slept for five hours, not my usual 8-9. I forced myself to get up and walk to the front door.

"Phoebe, if that's you I swear-" I opened the door and saw Mr. Hunk from across the street along with his dog version of himself.

"Hi, Spencer! I-" Graham said until I shut the door in his face.

"Uh! Just a minute, Graham! Let me get fixed." I began to panic. I ran upstairs, cleaned my face and put on a decent outfit.

After trying to make myself look as presentable as possible, I returned and opened the door for him. Luckily, Graham was still there.

"Hi, Graham. What can I do for you today?" I asked, leaning against the door frame and trying my best to appear as nonchalant as possible. But I'm sure I could feel a bit of foam from my face wash on my face and toothpaste on the corner of my lips.

"Would you like me to come back later? You look like you just woke up." He said.

"No, no!" I said. I saw he was holding a large glass container in his hands.

He held it out. Graham looked away, a slight blush on his face. "Uh, I made you almond milk. You were upset that we didn't have any, so I made some."

I glanced at the container. It was a nice gesture. Honestly, it was probably the nicest thing anyone had done for me in a long time.

"Thank you." I said, also looking away because my face felt hot.

"Uh, I'll leave you to it." He said.

"Wait. Would you like to join me for coffee? Have you had breakfast?" I asked him. He rubbed his neck and smiled.

"Ah, I mean. If you insist. I'm sure a cup wouldn't hurt." He replied. Graham just looked incredibly handsome. This tall man standing before me, his face red.

I led Graham inside and back to my kitchen. Thankfully, my living room was cleaner than last time. I placed the almond milk in the fridge while I began to set up the coffee maker.

"So..." Graham said. Juniper made himself at home on the carpet.

"Uh, thanks, again." I said. It felt awkward now suddenly.

"Have you been drinking?" He asked.

"No, I haven't. Well, not that much. That was probably a one-time thing. But I vow that I won't let myself become shit-faced like that again." I told him.

"Good. Seeing you like that honestly made me scared and wonder what led you to that." He said.

I turned around and leaned back on the counter. He saw a few feet away from me at the table.

"Let's just say that I'm fighting for my livelihood right now. And that night was the lowest I had felt since this had all started." I replied. While my intuition says to trust Graham, I don't exactly have the best track record for trusting others. It's how I got into this position in the first place.

"Must be something big if it requires you to move from the big city to Apple Valley." He commented.

"And you'd be right." I said. I turned back and finished the coffee. "So, Graham. You're... how old are you?" I asked.

"28." He replied. "And you?"

"25. So, I'm only three years younger than you. Anyways. A young man such as yourself would surely have some friends to hang out with."

"A few." he said with a blush on his face. "Uh, they're mostly coworkers. And maybe a few of the other younger town residents. The young people and the old people don't exactly have the same hobbies, so we keep to our own."

"I'm sure then that you young people have fun things to do around here." I said as I poured two mugs of coffee.

"Of course. There's the Grove Bar and we can go shopping in the town. Sometimes people sneak onto the football field of the local high school and play around." Graham explained. I brought the mugs over to the table and slid his cup. He thanked me.

I then brought out the almond milk and some macarons I picked up on my way back.

"Did you graduate from there?" I asked.

"No. I only moved here about 8 years ago." He replied.

This bit of information was interesting. He himself was at one point a newcomer. And he's had to assimilate to the rest of town. And yet, there is also another question: Why would he suddenly move to a new town at 20?

I watched Graham eat the cookies and enjoy them while I looked at him. He was intriguing. I'm glad to have him as my neighbor.

I poured my almond milk into my coffee and drank it. It didn't taste like the ones I buy in LA. This tasted better. Far better.

"Is it good?" Graham asked. He looked expectantly at me, almost waiting for my approval.

"Perfect. Please let me pay for this. Such an amazing creation deserves to be rewarded."

"Consider it a gift." Graham said. There he goes again not wanting anything for his generosity. Who has hurt you that you feel the need to do good but never receive it back?

"Then I'll find a way to pay you back." I replied.

His eyes suddenly lit up. "By the way. I heard you talking about me last night when you returned home." He said.

I spat out my coffee, which splattered all over my face and on the table. I wiped everything with a blanket, feeling Graham look at me. He had a smile on his face.

"Shit! I said some things about you that I regret. It wasn't right of me to talk about you in that manner and I'll never do it again." I quickly said. I hoped he wasn't mad. Just when we were starting to get closer.

"Calm down, city boy. I'm not mad. I found it nice, actually."

"You aren't mad that I told my friend about you?" I asked.

He shook his head, his light brown hair waving around. "It actually made me think of something."

"Which is?"

He sipped his coffee. "I find myself also feeling the same way towards you. For some reason, the thought of you hasn't left my mind. You have an amazing sense of fashion, your hair is so shiny. I like the way your face turns red when you're looking at me."

"You are quite blunt, did you know that, Graham? Most people would keep these confessions in their minds and never let them out."

"Well, a friend told me that I should be more open to others. And I figured that since I knew how you feel about me, it is only fair you know about how I feel about you."

My hands were grasping at the table mantle under the table. It was a dream come true. Something that I-and many others- have wished for: The chance to know that the man you are crushing on is also infatuated with you.

But also, I knew I had to hold back. I'm sure Graham thought of himself as straight. And I don't want to rush him into a relationship. Also, I myself am a mess in terms of life, mind, career, and everything in between. Bridging Graham into my mess will only hurt him.

"Look, Graham. I will admit that I do like you." I said.

"But maybe we shouldn't date, right? Is that what you were going to say?" He asked. When I looked at him, he didn't seem disappointed. On the contrary, he looked a bit relieved.

"That won't be an issue, will it?"

"Not at all. I have some past... problems. I might tell you one day if you keep living here and we get closer. But I don't think I'm ready to see someone." He explained.

"I understand. Shall we just put a pin in it for the future? Maybe one day when the dust settles and we feel more comfortable around each other, then we can come back to this." I said.

He nodded excitedly. He really is a golden retriever in human form. I can only imagine what he's like in bed. But I shouldn't think about that.

We finished our breakfast quickly afterwards. Graham took it upon himself to fix the creaky door hinges and show me how to fix the drains in the spare bathroom that had been bothering me.

"I gotta go now. Juniper here has some chickens to herd."

"You've got chickens?" I asked.

"Yeah. Would you like to see them?" He asked.

Right as I was going to respond with a yes, my phone dinged. It was an important one that I couldn't drop.

"Some other day." I said.

Before Graham walked out, he turned and gave me a charming smile. He definitely knows that I like his smile considering how much he's done it.

"Even though we're going to remain as friends, I want you to know that I do indeed find you handsome. I have never been with a man before. But I like to pride myself in being able to recognize beautiful people." Graham said.

"We'll meet each other in the middle one way, Graham. So don't go off and fall for someone else." I warned him.

He let out a hearty chuckle. "My heart is starting to become imprinted by yours. Don't think of me as a fool."

Graham then walked out of my house. I stood outside the porch and watched as he ran after Juniper as the dog began to chase a lizard.

He turned and gave me a wave before disappearing into his backyard. Meanwhile, my attention was on him. And I groaned when I had to take the call from my lawyer.