Lust Next Door - S01 E34

4 months ago

Lust Next Door - S01 E34

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 34

Liam seemed nice, easy, and safe. All things she craved and protected in her life before she met Connor.

Serena: Glad you messaged me :) what's up

Liam: I have a ticket to my game tomorrow, wanna come and watch?

Immediately Serena let out a wistful sigh looking down at her phone, a distraction was what she wanted and one fell right into her lap.

And it just so happened Serena wanted this distraction to be more than that eventually.

So agreeing was easy. Everything with Liam seemed easy.

Serena: that sounds perfect actually, I'd love to.

Liam: Meet me there at 6? Game starts at 7 so it'll give me some time to sweep you off your feet ;)

Serena: You're hilarious, looking forward to it.

She looked out her window and allowed herself to smile, this was good. He seemed good. Even if it felt a little lack luster right now, Liam was good. She was so used to the aggravating explosion of feelings that was Connor, that this felt dull in comparison now.

That pissed her off even more, that man next door was tampering with her life in more ways than one. Claiming her heartstrings to pluck for himself, and rip in half whenever he wanted.

Serena groaned and mentally cursed him out. All the more reason to explore different options, Connor and her together was like fire and ice. Complete opposite, and never gonna work together.

She looked back down at her phone and scrolled through her short contact list, one swipe brought her to the bottom. A sad pitiful list. Everyone else her age probably had ten times this, and normally that fact didn't bother her, but today it made tears rupture down her cheeks.

Spilling fast and hot, she tried her best to stop the weighted tears. Swiping her hands across her cheeks desperately while she took in short breaths, Serena never cried, not in a long time. She hated what crying meant, where it brought her back to.

Without really thinking she called Melody, inhaling deeply to steady her breaths and leave her tears to continue to fall silently, unheard and bubbling down her face like a brook.

"Hello there, I'm glad you called because I wanted to reach out anyways. These chapters were awesome! Thank you." Melody dragged out the word awesome and finished her praise with a light chuckle.

"Oh yeah of course." Serena's voice lacked any sort of enthusiasm, her throat coated in thick sadness.

"Everything alright dear? Why'd you call?"

"I'm not even sure, Mel." Serena pulled her knees up to her chest and glanced down, a chain was slung over her heart, slowly pulling it down to drown in herself.

"I've just never been more confused in my whole life, and I've pretty much been to hell and back before." She mumbled reaching up to swipe her mute tears off her face, "so now I'm calling my editor, because your the only person in my phone that I can talk that isn't him."

"Connor, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah." Serena finally sniffled, hiding her teary face into the safety of her arms.

"Oh honey, don't feel bad you're calling me. I know you better than a lot of people, and you know me well too. I've been working with you for, gosh how many years now? I'm old." Melody sighed into the phone which made Serena smile a little.

"Well anyways the point is; you're more than just a client to me, you're also my friend darling. This seems like a lot right now, whatever is going on with Connor, because frankly the hell you've been through, you were able to understand as just that. Hell. This is something entirely new to you, and as much as you'd to like control and understand everything since what happened, something like this you just can't." The older women reasoned into the phone.

"I don't think I like not knowing. It hurts, it's different kind of pain then before. But it brings up the same fear I've always had." Serena sighed and closed her eyes, letting two pearly tears crest her face.

"Can you explain exactly what is going on between you and Connor? I could give you better insight if I knew a little more."

"Basically, we hate each other Mel. I promise, half the time we are arguing, making fun of each other, or he's deliberately trying to make me angry. Then the other the half...we...oh gosh don't make me say it." Serena shoved her blushing face into her arm as if someone might see.

Melody just laughed, "I got it don't worry."

"So that's us. It's this twister of ups and downs and fighting and flirting and I can't wrap my head around it. I can't decide if he's a good person or a shitty one wrapping himself up with a ribbon for me. There's moments, small, consequential moments where I find myself...looking at him longer than I should. If that even makes sense. But it's fast and followed by an insult or quip, gone just like that. Oh and he idolizes Skylyn Voss."

"Oh geez." Melody hissed, "I kind of gathered that from his incessant interrogating."

"Yeah I know, he's got every one of my books. He knows, well he thinks he knows, all these things about her. Has all these expectations and hopes around this character I hide behind, he's dedicated theories and time to Skylyn. Then to find out that Skylyn is just me." Serena groaned, "Every time I think about that I feel like I'm gonna be sick. He'd be crushed, so fucking disappointed, I can't ever tell him."

"Well I think it's telling that his theories about the author are true. Maybe he knows Serena better than you think if he's able to understand Skylyn so well."

"No. Melody Morris, I just watched some girl leave his house, there is no understanding anywhere. Connor will be Connor, a party animal, no strings attached, kinda guy."

There was a beat of silence as Melody listened, and Serena could tell she wanted to something else, something more, but instead the silence dragged out a bit longer. Filling the space between their words and Serena's anger. She let out a short laugh finally and spoke.

"People are surprising. Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, thanks again for listening." Serena let a fond smile pull her lips up, even if she didn't get much clarity on her situationship, talking about it and having someone just hear what she said felt good.

"Of course, have a good night Serena. And remember...you're not with Peter anymore, you're not in that house, you're here."

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