Wallbanger (Cocktail #1)(23)
Author: Alice Clayton

“Did someone order pad thai?” I heard above the chaos. I looked and saw a petrified delivery boy standing on the top step, reluctant to come any further.

Everyone stopped.

“Unbelievable,” Mimi muttered and walked into my apartment, motioning for the delivery boy to follow her. I set Clive just inside the door and pulled it shut, cutting off his cries. Simon ushered Purina into his place, telling her softly to find something in his room to put on.

“I’ll be there in just a minute,” he said and nodded again for her to go inside. She glared at me once more and turned in a huff, slamming the door.

He turned back to me and we stared at each other, both starting to laugh at the same time.

“Did that really just happen?” he asked through his chuckles.

“I’m afraid it did. Please tell Purina I am sooo sorry,” I answered, wiping tears from my eyes.

“I will, but she needs to cool off for a while before I will attempt that—wait, what did you just call her?” he asked.

“Umm, Purina?” I replied, still chortling.

“Why do you call her that?” he asked, no longer laughing.

“Seriously? Come on, you can’t figure it out?” I said.

“No, tell me,” he said, running his hands through his hair.

“Oh, man, you’re gonna make me say it? Purina…because she, God, because she meows!” I blurted, laughing again.

He blushed deep red and nodded. “Right, right, of course you would’ve heard that.” He laughed. “Purina,” he said under his breath and smiled. I could hear Mimi arguing with the delivery guy in my apartment, something about missing spring rolls.

“She’s a little scary, you know?” Simon said, gesturing toward my door.

“You have no idea,” I said. I could still hear Clive wailing behind the door. I pressed my face to the edge and opened it just an inch.

“Shut it, Clive,” I hissed. A paw came out through the crack, and I swear he flipped me off.

“I don’t know a lot about cats, but is that normal feline behavior?” Simon asked.

“He has a rather odd attachment to your girl there—ever since the second night I lived here. I think he’s in love.”

“I see. Well, I’ll make sure I convey his sentiments to Nadia,” he said. “When the time is right, of course.” He chuckled and prepared to go back inside.

“You better keep it down over there tonight, or I’ll send Clive back,” I warned.

“Jesus, no,” he said.

“Well, then turn some music on. You gotta give something,” I pleaded. “Or he’ll be climbing the walls again.”

“Music I can do. Any requests?” he asked, turning to face me from inside the doorway. I backed up to mine and put my hand on my door.

“Anything but big band, okay?” I answered softly. Heart moved down low in my tummy, flitting about.

A look of disappointment crossed his face. “You don’t like big band?” he inquired, his voice low.

I pressed my fingers to my collarbone, my skin feeling warm under his gaze. I watched as his eyes followed my hand, further heating me with the intensity of his gaze.

“I love it,” I whispered, and his eyes jerked back to mine in surprise. I smiled a shy smile and disappeared into my apartment, leaving him smiling back at me.

Mimi was still yelling at the delivery guy as I came inside to school Clive, a simpering look on both our faces. Five minutes later, with a mouthful of noodles, I heard Purina yelling something in indecipherable Russian on the landing and his door slammed. I tried to hide my grin, instead playing it off as a particularly spicy bite. No wallbanging tonight, I guess…Clive would be so depressed.

At around eleven thirty that night, as I was settling into bed, Simon played me some music through our shared wall. Wasn’t big band, but it was pretty good. Prince. “Pussy Control.”

I smiled in spite of myself, delighted at his wicked sense of humor.

Friends? Definitely. Maybe. Possibly.

“Pussy Control.” I thought of it again and snorted.

Well played, Simon. Well played.

Chapter Eight

THE NEXT EVENING I was headed out to yoga when I found myself face to face with Simon once again. He was coming up the stairs as I went down.

“If I said, ‘we have to stop meeting like this,’ would it sound as trite as it sounds in my head?” I offered.

He laughed. “Hard to say. Give it a try.”

“Okay. Wow, we have to stop meeting like this!” I exclaimed.

We both waited a beat and then laughed again.

“Yep, trite,” he said.

“Maybe we can work out some kind of schedule, share custody of the hallway or something.” I shifted my weight from one leg to another. Great, now it looks like you have to pee.

“Where are you off to tonight? I seem to always catch you when you’re leaving,” he said as he propped himself up on the wall.

“Well, clearly I am headed somewhere very fancy.” I gestured to my yoga pants and cami. I then showed him my water bottle and yoga mat.

He pretended to think very carefully, and then his eyes widened. “You’re going to pottery class!”

“Yes, that’s where I’m headed…ass.”

He grinned that grin at me. I smiled back.

“So you never gave me the scoop on what you heard at brunch the other day. What’s going on with our friends?” he asked, and I didn’t at all feel a flutter in my belly at the mention of the word our. Not at all…

“Well, I can tell you that my girls were quite taken with your boys. Did you know they’re all going to the symphony benefit next week?” I said, instantly horrified that I went there that quickly.

“I heard that. Neil gets tickets every year. Perks of the job, I suppose. Sportscasters always go to the symphony, right?”

“I would assume, especially when one is trying to cultivate a certain man-about-town persona,” I added with a wink.

“You caught that, huh?” He winked back, and we found ourselves smiling again. Friends? Definitely a stronger possibility.

“We’ll have to compare notes afterward, see how the Fantastic Four are doing. Did you know they’ve been going out on double dates all week?” I said. Sophia had confided that they’d been going out constantly, but always as a foursome. Hmm…

“I did hear something about that. They all seem to be getting along well. That’s good, right?”