Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2022 03:27:23 +0000
From: bwacko <bwacko@protonmail.com>
Subject: My New Neighor Nick - Part 5

Please enjoy the story below. Please let me know if you enjoy it by
emailing me at bwacko@protonmail.com. I try to respond to everyone!
Hearing from people really makes it worth it. :)

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Chapter Note: This is the chapter where things started really going
differently then I'd originally thought, but that's how stories work!
Lots more to come, so I hope you enjoy!

---

Eyes still closed, I put a hand to my head, wondering how long I'd been
out. Long enough for Luis to call and talk to his mom. Was that safe? I
still felt a little groggy. Surely that couldn't be good.

A weight settled on my chest, and it was too light to be Nick.

I opened my eyes and saw Luis sitting there, still grinning that same
wide grin. "Good news. You get to watch me all night. Oh boy are we going
to have fun. Forcing Nick to do shit is fun, but you, you're even older.
I've never had a bitch as old as you before."

"Look kid, you had your fun, but it's over," I said. After all, I was
free now. He didn't have me in any kind of hold. I reached up and shoved
him lightly to try and get him off, but he stuck like glue. I frowned,
then pushed harder. I finally shoved him off and sat up, but he didn't
seem at all dismayed as I stood up and readjusted myself to hide my
semi-hard dick.

"It's not over until I say it is, little bitch. I'll let you rest for
now, get your pecker in order, but we're going to have all kinds of fun
later. Right Nick?"

"Uh, yeah," Nick replied, sounding uncertain. I just looked at him. Was
he really going to let this little shit treat him like that?

Luis grinned, then walked to the bathroom and closed the door. I looked
at Nick. "What the hell, why didn't you help me?"

"He's a freak Jason. Why do you think I wanted to move so bad?"

"You shouldn't be scared of him. He's just a kid. You're bigger than he
is!"

"I can't let him find out I get hard from boys," Nick said immediately.
"If my parents found out they would flip. I just let him do whatever and
don't fight it."

That didn't make me happy, but I kind of knew where he was coming from.
My parents would flip too, I was sure.

Luis reappeared shortly after and I looked at him with a frown. "Look,
kid, you can stay here tonight, but stop being a little shit."

The kid crossed his arms over his chest, and I noticed he was flexing.
Like it mattered. "Or what?"

"Or I'll make you."

Nick seemed to pale slightly, Luis just quirked a brow. "Oh really? I'd
like to see you try."

"Step out of line and you'll do more than see." I wasn't afraid of this
kid. He was fit, but in the end I was stronger and older.

"Whatever," he said, then went and walked to the couch, flipping on the
TV.

It was just about lunch time and so I ordered, well, more pizza. It was
the easiest at this point. Nick sat on the couch with Luis and they were
talking about whatever. I ignored them. I was still not happy with the
situation. After the pizza arrived I made sure that everyone ate and for
a while things seemed pretty relaxed. It was early afternoon when the
shit started again.

"Hey, little bitch, why don't you grab me a soda." Luis said from the
couch.

I'd taken up a seat on the carpet just to avoid any conflict. Now I
snorted derisively. "Get it yourself shrimp."

"What did you call me?" Luis asked.

I glanced over my shoulder at the couch, smiling sweetly. Luis was
leaning forward, looking displeased. I just said it again. "Shrimp. You
know, because you're so small."

The kid practically flew off the couch towards me. I was ready. I thought
I was ready. I got on my knees and turned, grabbing his arms as he
reached for me. I stopped him in his tracks, and I could tell that
surprised him. He hadn't realized how strong I was. Still, I felt his
muscles flexing under my fingers as he tried to force me back.

"What's a matter? Little more difficult when you don't cheat?" I asked
innocently, and I could tell that it made him angry. Good. He tried to
throw me off balance, but it didn't work. He tried to pull away, I tugged
him back. He was the wrestler, but I wasn't dumb. I saw him build up for
a big push and I struck. He pushed forward and I pulled, throwing him on
the ground and causing him to roll to a stop.

Luis jumped to his feet too fast for me to get on top of him and he
struck again. Literally. He threw a punch and I barely backed away from
it.

"Dude!" I said loudly. Another punch came and I grabbed his arm and was
able to pull him down again. This time I climbed on top of him before he
could get to his feet and sat on his stomach, pinning his hands.

"RAA! Let me go!" He yelled angrily, and to my surprise I had trouble
keeping him down as his muscles flexed and bulged. I quickly pinned his
arms under my legs and sat with all my weight, keeping him in place.
Barely.

"No, not until we talk." I said loudly back. He was furious. He wasn't
used to not being in charge, I could tell. He struggled, but I was too
big. "Wrestling around is one thing, but throwing punches is completely
different. What the hell is wrong with you!"

"I don't have to listen to you, you're my bitch!" He yelled back, and I
just rolled my eyes.

"Fine, you want to throw punches?" I reached behind me and placed my fist
on his abs. Then I raised it and punched down. Not hard, but hard enough
to gain his attention. He stopped struggling briefly, then redoubled his
efforts. I hit his abs again and again, harder each time, all without
otherwise moving or letting him free.

Nick watched from the couch, first with a look of amazement, then
uncertainty. He hadn't moved. He was willing to let it play out,
apparently, without getting involved.

Luis finally stopped struggling and just glared up at me.

"This mean you're ready to listen?"

There was no response, but still no more struggling, so I took that as an
affirmative.

"You aren't the boss, you understand? We're all equal. You want something
you get it. You want to play around then whatever. But the minute you
start throwing punches then it's going to get ugly. Understand?"

For a moment I wasn't sure he would say anything, but finally the kid
nodded slightly. "Yeah, fine."

"Good. Now, just so you remember that it's not all bad," I scooted back
slightly, making sure his hands were still pinned, then started digging
my fingers into his armpits and sides.

Luis didn't expect that. The anger vanished in fits of laughter and he
began squirming.

I smirked as I dug into the boys muscles, tickling the entire way. I
decided to give him a fighting chance and scooted back further, freeing
his hands. He reached for my own, but he was laughing so hard he couldn't
really fight back. I scooted again for more real estate and that's when I
felt it.

So did Luis. He froze, looking horrified.

"Well well well," I said, a smug grin growing. "What's this?"

"No, don't!" Luis said, reaching for my hands, but they moved behind me
to his waistline as I yanked down his shorts. His face went red. I
glanced over my shoulder. He definitely wasn't through puberty yet.
Hairless, completely, and his dick still wasn't growing. At least, not in
the puberty way. However it had grown. Hard. His little pecker sticking
straight up in the air.

"It's always the ones that pretend they're against something," I said
wryly. Nick was shocked. Luis was still red. I pulled his shorts up. "So,
seems like we're at a bit of a stalemate there, eh? Now what?"

"Get off of me," Luis demanded, and for once I listened. He stood up,
still embarassed, and tugged on his shorts to make sure they were
covering everything. Then he went back into the bathroom. It made sense
why he'd gone in there earlier now.

I looked to Nick, who just shook his head in surprise. "I never would've
thought...I mean, wow..."

When Luis reappeared he didn't say anything, just went to sit on the
couch, pouting. I decided not to bring it up. For now. As long as he was
being good.

A short while later the phone rang again and Nick picked it up. "Huh?
Yeah, sure. Uh, Luis, it's mom."

Luis went to the phone and was talking quietly to his mom. I didn't hear
their discussion. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, so I just watched the TV.
It did seem like he was on the phone for a long time though.

"My mom wants to take me and Luis to dinner, then go by the house to get
him some clothes to sleep in. Will you be okay with dinner by yourself?"
Nick asked, and I just nodded.

"There's leftover pizza. I'll be fine."

"Okay, cool."

"Mom says ten minutes," Luis said as he hung up the phone.

Just about on time she arrived and Nick and Luis left, promising to be
back in a few hours. I thought some time to myself might actually be kind
of nice.

My plans wouldn't see fruition.

The doorbell rang. I got up and went to the door, wondering if one of the
two had forgotten something, but as I oppened the door I found myself
gaping instead. On the other side stood a tall, beautiful teen, my age or
maybe a year older. Easily six feet, he had on a loose shirt and baggy
shorts. He had short blonde hair and striking blue eyes, and just about
the nicest smile I'd ever seen.

"Hey, are you Jason?" The teen asked politely and I nodded, dumbstruck.
Every line of his face was perfect, and though I couldn't tell his build
he looked to have at least an average type body, if not fit. Standing
there, shirtless as I was, I felt like I didn't even compare without
seeing. "Oh cool. So you know Luis then, right?"

That question confused me slightly, and it must've shown. "Uh, yeah, I
guess. He's my friends brother. They just left like five minutes ago."

"Ahh, okay. Well, I'm Chase," the beautiful teen said, extending his
hand. I took it to shake.

That was a fatal mistake.

As soon as he had my hand in his firm grip he yanked me forward, then
drove his opposite fist deep into my stomach. I felt myself lifted off my
feet from the power of the blow, and I dropped to my knees, clutching my
stomach. It felt like my insides had been completely rearranged and were
trying to find their way back to their original positions. Black spots
dotted my vision.

Chase stepped past the threshold and pushed me backwards. I fell to the
ground on my back, hardly able to move. I heard the front door click
shut, then lock. "Luis called me a little while ago, sounded really
upset. Said you were giving him shit about wrestling. Picking on him.
Beating him up even." Chase looked down at me and my vision cleared just
enough to see the pissed off look he now had. He was still pretty damn
hot though.

"He...lied..." I managed to gasp out, and Chase just smiled slightly.

"Yeah, sure he did. I'd probably say that in your situation too." Chase
reached down then and a vice-like hand wrapped around my throat. He
started lifting me up and it felt like my head might pop off, so I did my
best to stand on my own as well. "I'm here to tell you that you're a real
piece of shit, and I don't take kindly to people treating my little
wrestling buddy like that."

I was struggling to breathe, much less talk. My eyes were watering, my
body shaking from the pain in my stomach. I was already not doing well.

Chase held me at arms length, then started walking, forcing me to walk
backwards, almost on my tip toes since he had my throat. We turned the
corner into the cleared living room and he threw me to the carpet.

I fell hard onto the ground and started coughing, taking in big gulps of
air now that I could.

Chase looked me over, appearing disgusted. But then his sweet smile
returned. "I hope you're ready for some pain, because I'm going to teach
you what happens to someone that messes with my wrestling family." He
reached down then and pulled his shirt up and over his head. It was then
I realized how screwed I was. He was solid, lean muscle. Easily a hundred
and eighty pounds of hairless, smooth muscle. Solid eight pack. The whole
thing. I was looking at a god. And it was hot. I had a feeling that
sentiment wouldn't last for long.

"Please," I managed to gasp out, "I don't know what he told you, but
that's not what happened."

"I'm sure you don't see it that way," Chase said as he tossed his shirt
against the wall. He reached down and grabbed my neck again, pulling me
back to my feet. "I'll show you how it looks from the other side." He
pushed me up against the wall, then unleashed another fist into my gut.
My legs tried to give out, but Chase held me up so he could unleash
another powerful blow. I swear my insides were completely bruised and I
was probably bleeding internally. Yet I still was held on my feet, more
by the wall and his strong hand then my own means. A third blow came, and
then he finally let me fall to the ground.

I crumpled, curling into a tight ball. My vision was blurry, my breaths
were short and labored, my pain surreal.

"I'm going to show you how real wrestling can be." I felt Chase grab one
of my arms and pull me to the center of the room, then the next thing I
knew I was laid on my back with a wall of muscle sitting on my chest, his
knees on either side of me and my arms pinned above my head. He held both
of my wrists in one of his hands, leaving one of his free. He flexed his
free arm, and my dick took notice despite the pain I was in. "This is
what hard work and wrestling gets you. Not whatever these are." He
reached down and squeezed my bicep.

I flexed out of reflex and he just smirked.

"Here's a lesson. To build muscle you have to destroy it first." Then the
next thing I knew pain shot through one arm, then the other, back and
forth as he began punching my biceps with enough force that they were
turning to jelly. I tried to flex against the blows, to kick free, I even
tried to bridge out, but it was like a toddler wrestling a full grown
gorilla in weight, strength, and skill.

By the time he released my wrists my arms were shaking and when I tried
to make an effort to push him off I could barely raise them.

Chase put his hands on his thighs and leaned down close to stare me dead
in the eyes. "I am going to take you apart piece by piece. I got you for
two hours. That's more than enough time."

I wonder if he saw the fear in my eyes.

The wrestler moved off me and laid on his side, sliding one leg behind my
back and one leg across my mid-section. It was Nick's favorite hold
against me, except this time legs like tree trunks were in the place of
his big yet smaller ones. I saw the actual muscles in the legs flex and
then felt a pain like I'd never imagined. I thought Nick was bad, this
was ten times worse. It lasted mere seconds, but it felt like an
eternity. Whatever stomach muscles I had left after the gut punches was
shredded in an instant. Even worse, he squeezed again, and again, and
again. My hands were on his thick legs, but I might as well have been
trying to move a mountain.

Chase was methodical in his destruction. He knew what he was doing. Every
time the pain was almost so great I passed out he eased off, never giving
me the relief of unconsciousness.

After an eternity the legs disappeared and I rolled onto my side, tears
flowing down my cheeks from the pain.

I felt another familiar hold then as a well muscled arm wrapped around my
neck from behind and I could feel Chase's breath in my ear as he
whispered. "I'll give you a little moment of painlessness, how's that
sound?"

My hands automatically flew to the muscled arm, but they were still shaky
and weak. Even if they hadn't been, I wouldn't have had a chance against
the monster that held me. I passed out.

I woke with a jolt, the pain of my body coming back full force. I groaned
and rolled to my side, hands going to my stomach as if they could somehow
make the pain disappear.

"Luis said there was some nice full sized mirrors here. I didn't realize
it was three closet doors worth. This'll be good." Chase's voice wasn't
far away, and it was only after he spoke that I realized he'd carried me
up to one of the bedrooms. "I want you to see your suffering."

I looked up slightly and saw the bedroom door open. Chase was setting up
the closet doors. Now was my chance. Pain wracked my body as I pushed
myself to my feet and went for the door. I didn't make it far.

"Wow, you can still stand," Chase said as his arm wrapped around my bare
chest and pulled me back. "Maybe you're not the pushover I thought you
were." He reached over then and lifted my feet off the ground. I was in
the air, then the center of my back hit something thick and solid and I
found myself being bent on either side of Chase's leg.

"Oh fuck," I managed to get out as my back screamed in pain at not only
hitting the knee, but now being bent in the wrong direction. A strong
hand was on my chest and the other on one of my legs, pushing my back
down against the knee.

"Yeah, feels good doesn't it," Chase said, his tone smooth silk. He
pushed me off then and I hit the carpet on my stomach. The next thing I
knew he was sitting on my back and reaching under my chin, pulling up and
bending me yet again. This time he had me facing the mirror, and I could
see every muscle fiber in his body flex as he treated my battered form
like a doll. "Sucks to be the one picked on, doesn't it," Chase said.

"I...didn't..." I tried to gasp out yet again, but it fell on deaf ears.

"You did, and now you're paying for it."

He released me and I fell into the carpet, feeling completely broken. I
didn't know how much time had passed since the strong boy's arrival, but
it felt like forever. I caught the reflection of the clock in the mirror.
It had been fifteen minutes.

Fuck.

I had to do something. I didn't know what I could do, but I had to try.
He'd destroyed practically my whole body. Except my legs. I still had
those, even if I didn't have my core for support. I saw in the mirror
that he was reaching a hand down for my chin again and I moved. I jerked
my head back and hit him in the chin, startling him enough that he jerked
back slightly. It was barely enough, but it was enough. I rolled under
the muscle and shot my legs up, clenching around either side of his neck.
Elation filled me. I did it! I had him!

I saw the surprise on his face, but then it turned into a smug look.
"Well well, I didn't know you had so much spunk." As I squeezed my legs
he didn't look in the least bit concerned. Suddenly he stood, then
dropped back to his knees. I hit the carpet hard and my legs lost their
grip. "You want to see how legs work. Alright."

I suddenly found myself turned around and had one thick tree-trunk of a
leg engulfing my neck. Chase adjusted himself so that my head was lifted
slightly and I could see myself in the mirror. "You know that if done
improperly, a choke can kill you? Otherwise you can knock someone out
from a few seconds to almost thirty, depending on how long you hold it
for. It's a fine line. I've always wanted someone to test how long I
could knock someone out for."

Hearing his words were terrifying as he talked so non-chalantly about
choking me to death. My hands went to the thick leg but then he grabbed
them both and pinned them beside him. I was already weak, now I didn't
even get the chance.

"This is going to be fun." I felt and saw his leg flex, just the
slightest bit, but the effect was immediate.

I struggled. Nothing. Within seconds I was out. When I came to I noticed
something was different. My nether regions were cold. Because they were
exposed to the cold air. My shorts had been pulled off, and my dick was
hard.

"It's always the one's who talk shit," Chase said, tsking, echoing my
sentiment to Luis earlier. The irony. "I should've known that you'd get
off on this. That's the only real reason anyone ever says shit, cause
they're afraid of their own bodies. Well, now your secret is out."

I tried to speak, but his leg was so thick it kept my jaw from being able
to move.

"Let's see how long it stays hard for as you go to sleep. I'm curious." I
felt the slight flex again and my dick twitched and started to ooze,
causing Chase to chuckle above me. He still held my arms and again I was
out. "Wow, you stayed hard the whole time," I heard Chase say as I came
to once again. "You're just full of surprises all around."

I realized then my hands were free, and I moved them to his thick leg. It
was pointless, but it made me feel better that I might be able to try
SOMETHING.

"Here's the next test. Does it stay hard the entire time if I put you out
slow."

I didn't exactly like the sound of that, but he seemed almost as
enthralled with my dick as I was.

"You know there's stages to being knocked out by a blood choke? At first
you feel the pressure, but there's no real effect."

I felt his leg flex, but not like it had before. It was just enough that
it started digging into my arteries without cutting off the flow.

"Next, the blood flow just starts being effected, and you start to feel a
little woozy. Maybe even a little panicky."

As he narrated, his legs followed through with the action, and I felt the
pressure increase just slightly. And I felt the wooziness, and the panic
spike. My hands tried to find a way between my neck and his leg, but he
didn't even notice as he watched in the mirror.

"Then at about the half way mark the little blotches start to appear in
your vision as the brain becomes starved. Panic rises, fear sets in."

As the spots appeared in my vision I felt it, the panic, the fear, but
god was my dick loving it. The possibility. The control.

"Then little by little, as the pressure increases, your limbs get heavy.
You realize that there's nothing you can do. Your efforts to free
yourself were useless. You're under someone else's control. And then
you're unconscious."

It became difficult to keep my hands on his leg as the weakness settled
in. The darkness grew with the pressure. Then I was out yet again.

As I came to again I knew things had changed before I even opened my
eyes. The leg was still around my neck, but it was from a different
angle. The weight of Chase was above me, resting just at my neck. There
was no cloth. The skin was bare. He was naked.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect to get hard beating the shit out of
you, but wrestling can be like that. Seeing your reaction just set me off
I guess."

I opened my eyes and was staring up at a thick, leaking cock, then
mountains of solid muscle. One of my arms was pinned above my head,
against my neck, just in the right position to cut off the blood if he
leaned the right way. My other one was free. Most excitingly, Chase was
stroking his cock slowly right above my face. His eyes were half-glazed,
and he had a mild look of confusion, like he didn't know if he was doing
the right thing.

All I knew was that, for the first time in my life, I wanted someone
else's cock in my mouth. It was as beautiful as the rest of him. Big, but
not gigantic. Just perfect for him. I found my free hand searching for my
own hardness and I began to jerk slowly as I stared up at all that lean,
solid muscle. My body was still in pain, yet it ached for the pleasure
too.

As I slowly jerked myself, I watched Chase's cock closely. He stroked,
and every now and then he let it dip low, just above my mouth. I was
nervous. I didn't know how he would react. I didn't know much of anything
at that moment. All I knew was that, one time he let it come low, and my
tongue lashed out, brushing against it's length.

Chase froze, and his eyes shifted down to look at me, confusion still
clouding his features. I just stared up at him while continuing to jerk
myself. I was already close. I was biding my time.

"You want it?" Chase's voice was unsure. He was supposed to be punishing
me, after all.

"Only if you make me," I replied without thinking. Where the hell had
that come from?

Chase smiled slightly, not the evil thing, but a mischevious one. Then he
leaned slightly forward and I felt the pressure against my neck. At the
same time his dick touched my lips. "Suck it or sleep."

I waited, I made him wonder, I was almost out again when I finally opened
my mouth, and the pressure on my neck eased. His cock slid in so easily.
I'd never given anyone a blowjob before, but I did what I thought would
feel good. I sucked, I let my tongue move around it, teasing it, touching
the sensitive areas. Chase's head rolled back slightly in ecstasy. I took
it in as much as I could with the limited movement I had. Let it slide in
and out. He must've already been close. I saw his stomach muscles flex,
and it was my only warning. Warm liquid filled my mouth. I had no choice
but to try and swallow it, but there was so much. I knew some of it
leaked out the side.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck." Chase said, finally looking down at me. "Jesus." I
started stroking harder, looking up at the mass of muscle. Then suddenly
I found my hand knocked away from my dick and another took it's place as
Chase half-turned to stroke me hard and fast.

"Ohhhh..." I said, having never had anyone else be near my dick before,
besides what Nick and I had done, always through the clothes. This was
someone actually touching it. This was different. Something about the
fact that this mountain of muscle had me pinned and was forcing me to cum
had my dick ready to explode. And it did, warm white liquid shooting out
and hitting me in the chest, almost hitting Chase where he sat on me.

Chase released my cock and turned fully back forward again, staring down
at me, trapped in his legs. Conflicted.

Then the front door opened. "Yo! Jason! We're back. All the restaurants
were packed. Who's car is out there?"

Chase's eyes widened and he unwrapped himself from me quickly, then
pulled on his shorts. I was a little slower to move. I stood and went to
wipe the spunk off with some toilet paper, then put my shorts on before I
made my way downstairs, still in pain all over.

Chase was chatting amicably with Luis and Nick when I stepped into view,
stopping on the landing.

"Holy shit, what happened to you?" Nick asked, and I wondered just how
bad I looked.

"Someone told Chase that I beat the crap out of them and made fun of
them," I said, acid in my voice. I saw Luis' eyes widen. I saw fear.
"Instead of telling him the truth. That I was used and tortured and my
only revenge was lightly punching your stomach and tickling you."

Chase saw Luis' look and he paled. "Wait, you lied to me?"

"He made fun of me!" Luis cried, trying to get Chase back on his side.

"I made fun of you getting hard after you made fun of me for the same
reason," I said, still on the landing of the stairs, looking down at the
other three boys.

Nick realized what happened and he turned to look angrily at Chase. "What
the hell did you do to my friend?" he yelled, shoving Chase.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know. I didn't think Luis would lie about
something like that!"

"I should call the fucking cops on you! You came into my house uninvited
and beat the shit out of my friend?"

Chase looked like a dear in the headlights. And as much as I really
wouldn't mind him suffering, this needed to end before it got out of
hand. "It's fine." I said loudly. "He apologized, and besides feeling
like shit there's no permanent damage." I walked the rest of the way down
the stairs and all three of the others stared at me, as if not believing
what I'd just said. "Come on. There's enough pizza leftover for all of
us." Without waiting I walked past the others and to the kitchen.

I got to the kitchen and started pulling out glasses and paper plates. It
took a couple of seconds before anyone followed me. I was surprised to
see Chase. Nick followed, still looking pissed as he glared at Chase.
Luis was last, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Things were tense at first as I handed out plates and got out the soda.
But as everyone started eating it seemed to relax. A little. Conversation
started slowly, small talk between Nick and Chase. Luis joined in. I
watched and ate in silence. I still hurt all over. Yet despite that, I'd
had a mind blowing orgasm. I was conflicted.

After we ate Chase stood up. "I should, uh, go." He went to retrieve his
shirt and then walked towards the front door as he slipped it on. I
followed him like a good host, showing him out. I opened the door and he
stepped out onto the porch, then turned to look at me. "I really am
sorry." he said, and he sounded sincere. I could see it in his eyes even.

"I know." I replied, not over it. Not enough to accept the apology.

"You aren't going to hurt him, right?" Chase the protector. Even after
Luis lied he was still worried about him.

"No," I said immediately. "Torment, probably, but not hurt." My eyes
narrowed slightly. "I don't do that."

The words had the desired effect and Chase looked like he'd had all the
air knocked out of him. "Right." He managed to say. He started to turn,
then stopped. "Let me see your hand." When I didn't move he added.
"Please."

I finally extended my hand. To my surprise he pulled a pen from one of
his pockets and started writing on my hand.

"My number. Just in case...you know...you need it." There was something
there. Something more than concern. It was in his tone, it was in the
look he gave me.

"Thanks," I said simply, not giving him anything in return. It was
another blow after all that had happened, and I saw his face fall
slightly.

But then he just smiled, warily. "Alright. Later." He walked to his car
and got in.

I watched as he drove off and only then did I close the door.