Waiting For Summer. Sherelle Green

same smile if that’s what he gave the girls he liked.

      “I’m glad you like it.” He playfully shoved her shoulder. “Just remember around Christmastime that I gave you your gift early.”

      “I won’t forget.” She handed him the locket to clasp around her neck. “I have to go back home, but I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

      She gave Aiden one last hug before tying up her shoes and climbing out the window. The rain had slowed down, so it wasn’t as slippery outside as it was when she had left her house.

      Once she reached the end of Aiden’s driveway, she waved goodbye and tucked her locket into her shirt before running home. Running was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to do. Not only did running help her get away from her mother, but when she ran, she felt free. Alive. As if everything in the world would be okay. Running helped her clear her mind and made her remember that despite the fact that her mom didn’t really love her, she still had her dad and her sisters. She didn’t know what she’d do without them. Or Aiden, she thought. She didn’t know what she’d do without him, either.

      Present Day...

      Every time you feel like you’re alone and need to escape, look at this locket and know that I’m right there with you. Summer thought about the words that were voiced to her nearly twenty years ago. Words that had offered her comfort in a time of need. Throughout the years, every time she’d felt alone or needed an escape, his soothing voice would drift into her mind.

      She probably shouldn’t wear her locket while she jogged. Anything could happen to it and she cherished it more than any other piece of jewelry she owned. However, she felt naked when she wasn’t wearing it. Like a piece of her was missing.

      Glancing at her Fitbit, she realized she’d already been jogging for over an hour and the sun was starting to set. She needed to head back to her condo if she was going to get any unpacking accomplished today. Three months there and she still hadn’t fully unpacked her kitchen or bedroom.

      As soon as she arrived back home, she kicked off her sandy gym shoes and walked into her bedroom. She covered her ears from the blast of music that shot through her walls.

      “I swear this place has the thinnest drywall known to man,” she shouted to herself. It never failed that every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, Summer’s neighbor would blast music as loudly as he could. On Sundays he played orchestra music, Thursdays he played soundtracks from musicals, and on Tuesdays—her least favorite day—he cranked up the opera.

      Danni had decided to go to a Zumba class with Nicole and Aaliyah. Summer hadn’t gone with them in hopes of having some time to herself after her run. But with the opera music so loud, there was no way she would be getting any R & R.

      “Mr. Higgins, can you please turn it down,” she yelled as she banged on her wall. She knew he could hear her. When she’d first moved into her condo, he’d startled her when he’d knocked on the wall and answered a question that she’d asked herself. Her complex was located in between downtown Miami and Miami Beach. It was supposedly one of the best, which was why she was thrilled when she’d seen the reasonable price of her place.

      She’d missed the unstated disclaimer that having a top-floor apartment in the corner came with thin walls and an inconsiderate neighbor. There were only three condos in her wing of the building. When she was told that one condo was occupied by a professional dancer who often traveled and the other was occupied by a seventy-five-year-old man, she didn’t think she’d have to worry about music being played too loudly.

      When he didn’t respond to her second knock, she went into the hallway to knock on his actual door. The music stopped for a couple seconds, so she used the silence to her advantage. “Mr. Higgins, it’s Summer Dupree. I know we haven’t personally met, but I’m your neighbor. Can you please turn down the music a little?”

      She waited for a minute with no response from her neighbor. Just as she was walking away, she heard the door crack open.

      “Mr. Higgins?”

      “What do you want?”

      She swallowed back a gasp at the harshness in his voice. He’d only opened the door about a couple centimeters wide. “I was wondering if you could turn down the music.”

      “No.”

      Summer blinked a few times. “No? Not at all? I wanted to ask you before I called management.”

      She’d barely gotten out all her words before he began laughing at her. “Foolish girl, you’ll do no such thing. I’ve been living here for over thirty years. That’s probably longer than you’ve been alive.”

      “I understand that,” she said trying to remain reasonable. “But my bedroom and bathroom share a wall with your condo, so every time you play the music that loud, the picture frames in my bedroom shake and things fall out of my bathroom cabinet. A few of my accent pieces have even broken from falling off my dresser.”

      “Superglue and permanent adhesive.”

      “What does that mean?”

      He groaned in frustration. “Superglue and permanent adhesive.” He said it slower as if it would suddenly make sense to her.

      “Maybe I should just call management.” She was about to head back to her condo before he explained himself.

      “I suggest you buy some superglue and adhesive to stick all of your important belongings to your dresser so that they won’t fall.”

      “Excuse me?” Who was this guy? If he weren’t so rude, she’d compliment him on his voice. The words he spoke were normal, but the tone of his voice sounded as if he’d walked out of a Shakespearean play.

      “And while you’re shopping for glue and adhesive, you should get a better cabinet, too. I’ve known current management since they were babies in diapers. Family-owned business. If you need their number, you can find it on the bulletin board of the first-floor foyer. I also ask that you refrain from knocking on my walls and door for the rest of the night. It disrupts my euphoria when I’m listening to my music.”

      The door slammed in her face before she could say anything else. “Unbelievable.” She walked back to her condo even more annoyed than she had been before she’d knocked on Mr. Higgins’s door. She’d only met her other neighbor once. The dancer had claimed that Mr. Higgins was a piece of work, but had assured Summer that he’d grow on her.

      “Ha!” It was hard for him to grow on her when she could barely hear herself think. She contemplated heading to her boutique to get some work done there, instead. After showing Aiden the idea she’d had for the boutique a couple of days ago, she’d gotten even more fired up to turn her decor visions into a reality.

      She sat in her plush round chair next to her bedroom window overlooking the beautiful city of Miami. She needed to hop in the shower, but she couldn’t stop her brain from going a mile a minute. Summer had always handled stress well, but as of late, she couldn’t seem to stop her brain from overthinking everything she had to do. Usually she compartmentalized her feelings into categories so that she could tackle one issue or area at a time.

      Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her lavender notebook and favorite ballpoint pen. She’d often used them to jot down her thoughts back when she was living in New York.

      She’d enjoyed her career working at a top fashion public relations firm. The firm had allowed her to split her time between their New York and Miami offices. However, she’d known it was time to move on and pursue her ultimate dream of opening up a Bare Sophistication lingerie boutique in Miami.

      Aiden...

      Her mind drifted to him, as it often did. With his current company having a New York office and her previous company being in New York, she found it surprising that with the exception of that random reunion moment, the only time their paths had crossed was a couple of days ago. Not that surprising, since you were the reason he kept his distance.

      Just