I have to move, thought Rick. The idea seemed impossible. He could no more stand up under his own volition than he could levitate through the power of his mind. He sat on the couch with his legs spread listlessly and his back plastered to the fabric by sweat. It was too hot.
“Alright – I understand. I just had to ask to be sure. We’re dying over here.”
Rick shifted his eyes to look at Tim talking on the phone with the landlord. He didn’t turn his head. That would have been impossible. It was too hot to move your head.
“Open the windows? We didn’t think of that – holy crap, you’ve saved us.” Tim couldn’t even put the proper force into his sarcasm.
I have to move, thought Rick again. Like an earworm of a pop song, this stupid idea kept returning. The concept of moving was foreign, but the idea of having moved had appeal. If he could, through some miracle, find himself leaning forward then his back would be free of the couch and it might feel cooler. The breeze might dry the sweat that was forming a bond between him and the furniture. But there was no breeze, and there was no way to move.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude…yes, I’ll wait to hear from you…yes, you too.” Tim hung up the call and placed his phone on the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. He was standing. Rick thought he was an arrogant bastard for showing off with such an impossible physical feat. Then he rubbed it in further by casually dropping down to sit on the couch.
“They said they can’t turn the air conditioning on until the city lifts the restrictions,” said Tim. “And that won’t happen until power usage is down far enough to support it. Maybe by Monday, they said.”
If he can move down, I can move up, thought Rick. But neither direction seemed possible. The heat seemed to have a natural buoyancy that kept him in exactly this position. It reminded him of that cooking method where they vacuum-seal meat and then keep it floating in the water at a precise temperature. He felt like his body was probably reaching peak medium-rare by now. He tried to remember what that method was called.
“So what do you want to do?” asked Tim.
“Suvee,” responded Rick. When Tim shot him a confused look, he clarified, “I remembered the name of that cooking method. We’re being suveed.”
“Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
“It’s too hot.”
“So get up and stand by the fan,” countered Tim as he shoved him off the couch. Rick was a big guy – over six feet tall and broad of build – so the shove was more a suggestion than a mandate. But Rick used it as motivation, and once he was up he managed to walk woozily over to their lone box fan. It was propped on a little table by the open balcony door. It barely pushed any air across his damp chest, but it was better than nothing.
Rick stood there looking over the fan and out the balcony of their third-floor apartment. The sky over Dallas was light blue and empty of clouds. Today’s high was supposed to be 97 degrees, but it was already past that and it was only noon. The sounds of joyful screaming and splashing taunted him. Their unit was right over the complex’s pool. The idea of jumping in was almost irresistible, but today was Saturday and as usual, the pool was packed edge to edge with kids. Even if he went down there, he doubted he could find a square foot for himself.
He was staring blankly at the branches of the trees as they bent back and forth for some time before he considered what it meant. There must be wind, he thought. Curious, he stepped around the fan and out the sliding door. The balcony was only a couple of feet deep – just enough room to stand. There was a faint breeze blowing into his face out there. But like a stray cat, it startled away rather than entering the apartment.
“We could go somewhere,” offered Tim from the couch. “Though, I bet the stores don’t have air either. But we could walk around, at least.”
“I don’t want to spend my one day off walking in the heat,” Rick responded distractedly. He was thinking about the breeze. Turning, he said, “Let’s open the door.”
Tim frowned. “Why?”
But Rick was already walking purposefully across the living room and down the short hallway that led to the front door. He opened it and, seeing that the landing was empty, walked out to hold it wide.
“Is that better?”, he asked.
“Is what better?”, asked Tim as he stuck his head around the doorway.
“There’s a breeze outside, but it’s not coming in because we only have the windows on one side of the apartment open.”
“We only have windows on one side of the apartment.”
“I know that. I’m saying, what if we prop the door open? Do you feel a breeze in there now?”
Tim walked back into the living room and stood there with his arms held out wide. Like Rick, he was just wearing gym shorts. He closed his eyes and tilted his head this way and that, then with a shrug said, “Not really. I mean there’s a little more air, I guess.”
Rick looked around the landing. It was an enclosed area, so opening the door gaziosmanpaşa escort just made the apartment space a bit bigger. He thought about going downstairs and propping open the door to the outside. But it didn’t seem like that would make much difference, and people would probably close it again anyway.
Then he looked at the door across the hall. This was the top floor of the building, and there were only two units. He was holding open the door to 301, and he contemplated the door marked 302. Tim came out to stare at it with him.
“If we opened that door,” Rick mused, “and they had their windows open, then we’d have a wind tunnel.”
Tim broke into a wide grin. “I think that’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”
Unit 302 had been empty for the past two months. But last weekend Tim and Rick returned from a road trip to find that it had been rented out to two young women. They’d been working all week and hadn’t had a chance to introduce themselves to their new neighbors. Rick felt some nervousness at the prospect. He’d never had his friend’s confidence with women. He’d only dated two girls through his mid-twenties. Both relationships had lasted a couple of years before ending amicably.
Tim, on the other hand, had been with over a dozen girls that Rick knew about, and he was sure there were many more he didn’t. Tim had a natural charisma about him. That, combined with his blonde hair and boyish good looks, seemed to put women at ease. Before long they’d ease right out of their clothes. Rick was always a bit jealous of it.
Tim strode up to the door and knocked twice. A woman’s voice called out, “Is that the landlord? Thank God, it’s about time!”
The door opened and Rick got his first good look at one of his new neighbors. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with red hair that was pulled back into a single long braid. Her skin was pale white. She was wearing small, tight shorts and an equally small but looser shirt. She was barefoot, with her toenails painted a bright red to match her fingers. Always one to avoid too much eye contact, Rick found himself staring at those fingernails on the hand that held the door open.
She seemed a bit taken aback to find two shirtless guys outside, with one holding open the door to the opposite apartment. As Tim grinned at her, she said hesitantly, “Hello?”
“Well, is that him?” came the voice from before. It seemed to belong to her roommate, who was out of view behind her. Rick could see part of a living room that appeared to be a mirror image of theirs.
“No, it’s the neighbors, I think,” said the redhead, talking over her shoulder while watching them.
“I’m Tim,” said Tim. He was still grinning, and the girl started to smile back. Rick could see the charisma starting to work already. “This is Rick,” added Tim with a thumb in his direction.
Try not to make it sound like a letdown, would you? thought Rick.
“I’m Sadie,” replied the girl. Her smile was unconsciously growing as Tim held her eyes to his. Rick wondered if this was the same way snakes charmed frogs into staying still so they could eat them. “Um … that’s Anna,” Sadie added, gesturing behind her.
“What?” came the disembodied voice of the now-named Anna.
Sadie rolled her eyes and turned around saying, “Just come out here and greet the neighbors!”
“I gotta put a shirt on, just a sec.”
Tim’s grin got wider as Sadie turned back, embarrassed. “Sorry, she’s always like that,” she offered.
“Shirtless?” asked Tim.
Sadie blushed. It was quite obvious on her light skin, and Rick found it incredibly attractive. He watched the red move from her cheeks down into her neck as she said, “No, just tactless.”
Tim laughed and said, “That’s fine. We’re big fans of tactless.” Sadie looked over at Rick as if appraising him anew as a man of little tact. He wondered if that was the impression she would have of him from now on.
“Well crap, they don’t have shirts on – why did I bother?” announced Anna as she stepped up beside Sadie. Rick blinked in surprise. He wasn’t used to meeting women who could look him directly in the eyes. But while Sadie was average in height she looked tiny standing next to her roommate.
Anna was a sturdy woman. She had blonde hair cut short. She’d donned a t-shirt from some athletic event, but her large breasts pushed out the fabric and exposed her midriff. She was toned there, and everywhere else. Her arms and legs were darkened from being out in the sun and didn’t seem to have a bit of fat on them. Her nails were all-natural, and her eyes were a piercing blue.
She looks like a valkyrie with a tomboy haircut, thought Rick.
“This is Tim and Rick,” explained Sadie, pointing to each in turn.
“Hey Rick,” said Anna with a smile. She stared at Rick with an intensity that stifled his response. He suddenly felt very exposed, standing there in just his shorts. With his size, he was used to women being intimidated by him. Over the years he’d developed gölbaşı escort a habit of hunching into himself whenever he was meeting a girl for the first time. He’d been doing that since Sadie opened the door. But Anna’s frank confidence made that pose feel less like politeness and more like vulnerability.
So this is how the frog feels, thought Rick. Anna seemed to be reading his uneasiness and her grin widened. Of course, he thought, predators can smell fear.
Finally, she shifted her gaze to Tim. For the first time since Rick had known him, Tim was speechless in front of a girl. He was only five foot eight. While he sometimes complained about not being taller, Rick thought that Tim’s height was actually part of his success with women. It enhanced his boyishness and made him seem more approachable. Girls would let their guard down around him, unaware of what an unrestrained lothario he was.
But he always dated girls who were shorter than him.
“And Timothy. Nice to meet you,” said Anna.
Tim swallowed. “It’s just ‘Tim’, actually.” His grin came back like a startled animal checking for safety.
“So what’s up, boys?” Anna asked, leaning her arm casually on the doorway. It easily cleared the top of Sadie’s head.
Rick waited for Tim to continue since he would usually do the talking when they met new people. But Tim seemed to have become stuck again at the image of Anna looming over her roommate like a lion protecting a cub. So it fell to Rick to explain about the air conditioning prohibition and his idea of propping the doors open to get a breeze in both apartments.
“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Anna. “I think we have some boxes still unpacked from the move. We can use them to hold it open.”
“No need,” interjected Rick, bending down to produce a doorstop from their apartment. He leaned forward to push it firmly under the edge of the girl’s door. When it was in place he realized he was only inches from Anna’s foot. Looking up, he was presented with a view straight up the tent in her shirt. He could see the entirety of the underside of her braless breasts. They were whiter than the skin that was exposed to the sun. Drops of sweat were beaded all over them from the heat.
Anna was arching her back to emphasize the view as she looked down at him. “That oughta’ do it. Thanks, Rick.” She actually winked as she said this.
Rick hastily withdrew and glanced around in embarrassment. Tim’s grin had become something bemused and entertained. Sadie was blushing again and biting her lip as she looked at Rick.
“Okay, we’ll let you know if it works. See you later, boys,” said Anna, turning to retreat into their apartment. Sadie gave a little wave and bounced after her. Rick and Tim were left standing on the landing in stunned silence. Finally, they headed back into their place.
Tim stopped at the door to the kitchen and pointed at Rick, causing him to stop in the hallway. “I call dibs on Sadie,” he said.
Rick struggled to process this as he stood there watching Tim go into the kitchen and begin rooting through the cupboards. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Tim shrugged, “I mean I call dibs.”
“She’s not a car seat. You can’t call dibs.”
Tim smiled greedily as he began putting glasses on the counter. “Maybe not, but I sure want her to give me a ride.” When Rick gave him a disapproving look he continued, “Come on – don’t you just want to grab onto that ponytail and ride off into the sunset?” He mimicked a cowboy with reins in hand – but with decidedly more hip-thrusting than John Wayne had ever used.
Rick sighed. “Tim, I know you’re gonna do what you’re gonna do, but please try to be respectful. She seems like a sweet girl, and we have to live across the hall from them.” Rick said this thinking back to the adorable blush that had worked its way around Sadie’s face.
Tim put the blender on the counter and said, “Relax. This means you get Anna. So you’re getting the better deal there. You know … volume-wise.” He giggled a bit at his own joke.
Rick considered this. “I don’t think Anna is the kind of woman someone ‘gets’. I think she ‘takes’.”
That stopped Tim in his tracks. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he conceded. “She’s got a hell of an aura, huh?” He shook his head with a bemused expression.
Movement in the corner of Rick’s eye caused him to look out the door. He could see all the way through into the girl’s apartment, but apparently, they had forgotten about that. Anna was walking through her living room completely topless. It was only a moment before she was gone and Rick was left realizing what had just happened. Then he abruptly retreated into the living room and out of sight from the door. It wouldn’t do at all to be caught peeping at them, no matter how unintentional.
Tim closed the freezer door and looked through the window from the kitchen to the living room. “We’re gonna need more ice. I’m going down to the Buc-ee’s. You want anything?”
“What are you making?”
“Frozen margaritas.”
“What keçiören escort for? Are we out of beer?”
Tim made a face. “You don’t offer beer to girls on a hot day – you offer frozen margaritas.”
“You’re going to go over there and offer them drinks?”
“No, they’re going to come here.”
“They are?”
Tim waved the conversation away. “Just trust me, I know how these things work. They’re going to come over here in a bit, and we need more ice. So I’ll be back in ten.” With that, he headed out the door and down the stairs.
Rick wandered over to stand in front of the fan. The additional breeze from the door was noticeable and welcome, but it was still too hot. He thought about the idea of spending the afternoon lazing around with Anna and Sadie. That had decidedly more appeal than a day with just Tim. If they were going to come over, he wondered if he should put a shirt on, but decided against it. They’d already seen him shirtless. Besides, Anna didn’t seem to care much for modesty.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about Anna. She seemed to be flirting with him, but he’d been mistaken about that kind of thing before. She was certainly different than either of the girls he’d dated in the past. Heck, she was different than any other girl he’d ever met. He thought of the glimpse of her walking topless through her apartment. Her breasts were large and firm, and she’d walked straight-backed and unconcerned with who might be watching. If confidence was sexy, then she had that in spades.
But it was thoughts of Sadie that made his blood run faster. He felt a kinship to that shy, easily embarrassed nature that she seemed to have. And she wasn’t short by any means – probably five-six or so. She just seemed tiny next to Anna. Still, she’d been charmed by Tim, and that usually meant there was no stopping him. And they would look better together, that’s for sure. He looked down at his arms and legs. He tended to have thick muscles, and working construction kept them bulky even though he didn’t go to the gym. He always thought he looked unattractive – too burly to be handsome. Anna wasn’t that – she was quite striking. But she did have the build to complement his.
Stupid, thought Rick. Anna was not flirting with you so it’s pointless to think what you’d look like as a couple. He knew how this would likely go: Tim would seduce Sadie, they’d be together for a few weeks, then he’d grow bored and they’d break up. And then Rick would have to spend the rest of the time they lived there nodding in awkward silence to both girls as they passed.
Two loud knocks on the doorframe brought him back to the present. “Coming in, boys!” yelled Anna.
She walked in with Sadie in tow. She’d put her shirt back on – Rick could see now it was from a college softball tournament a few years before. Sadie’s shirt was plain white. For the first time, Rick noticed he could clearly see the outline of her breasts through the fabric, which was damp from sweat. He felt heat rising to his face at the sight of those small, round globes and the points of the nipples denting the fabric.
“It’s not working,” said Anna. Rick was momentarily confused, till she clarified, “The wind’s coming in this way, so we just get a bit from the doorway going out our windows.” She looked around. “Yeah, I can already tell it feels better over here. Hey – you look out over the pool? Sweet – we should go to the pool!” she added while stepping up to the balcony. A moment later she’d assessed the situation and said, “Never mind. No pool.”
“What’s wrong with the pool?” asked Sadie. She stepped up beside Rick, and he made sure to stare straight ahead so as not to accidentally catch a glimpse down her shirt. She was clearly not wearing a bra either.
“Too many kids,” said Anna. She continued to watch for a bit, before turning with a shrug. “Well, that’s fine. Pools are for kids. We should leave it to them. Where’s Timothy?”
Rick smiled at that. Tim really hated having people use his full name. “He went out for ice. He’s making frozen margaritas, apparently. If you girls would like some?” he offered.
Anna smiled. “Sounds great. We got drinks, company,” and here she paused as she took in the TV playing the MLB game with the sound off. “And we got the Rangers! The only problem is your fan sucks.” With this, she gave the box fan a gentle backhand that caused it to wobble precariously.
“Sorry,” apologized Rick. “That’s the only one we have.”
But Anna was already striding out of the room. “No worries. I’ll bring ours over.” With that, she left and Rick found himself alone with Sadie.
She glanced at him with a look that seemed to be apologizing for Anna without actually saying anything. Not unlike the look a dog owner would give when their labrador jumped up on a stranger to greet them. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, looking away.
“No, not at all!” assuaged Rick, a bit too loudly. She smiled at this as she played with the end of her braid. Rick found himself looking down at her eyes. They had flecks of green in them amidst the brown. He felt his mind go blank at what to say next. After a moment she stepped past him to the balcony and leaned on the wall there to watch the pool. Her shirt rode up a bit and he glimpsed pale white skin in the gap above her shorts. He could just make out the lines of a tattoo across her lower back – something green and leafy, it seemed.