5 Not a friendly neighbor

"Oh!" The blinding light coming from the window was hurting her eyes. The thin curtain was not doing anything to cover the rays of the sun from penetrating her room. She had to do something about that later. She needed a darker, thicker curtain for that.

Raising her brows to force her eyes open, she gazed at her surroundings and heard a noise coming from outside her room.

Immediately, she became aware that someone was moving inside her house. She stood from the bed and looked around for any form of weapon. The only thing she could find was the vase on the table beside the door.

Then, she smelled the delicious aroma of hot coffee and pancakes in the air. What kind of intruder would cook in her kitchen? She let go of the vase she was holding and slowly opened her door to peek outside her room.

"Good morning, Sky!" She was surprised to see Xavier in her living room, who seemed to be patiently waiting for her to come out of her room. He quickly stood up from the sofa and brought the freshly picked flowers he was carrying to her. She suddenly felt embarrassed that she looked like a mess, with her hair in all places and her face, void of any makeup, still fresh from the bed.

"Good morning, Sky!" Lindsey imitated the boy, but with confusion on her face. She must be wondering why the boy called her Sky. The whole staff of this resort was informed to call her Apple. "Xavier told me that she met you last night. He insisted that he wanted to wait for you until you wake up."

"Oh! That was so sweet of you. I hope I didn't make you wait long." She usually woke up early, but for some reason, today was a rare occasion. This was the most restful sleep she experienced for a very long time.

"He's been here since daybreak," Lindsey explained. "Why don't you two eat breakfast at the patio? You two must be starving."

"Could I eat breakfast with you?" Xavier asked with his innocent face and a hesitant smile.

"Of course! Come on. I'm starving." She held on to the boy's hand and led him to a table where their breakfast was already served. "Why don't you join us, Lindsey?"

"I already ate my breakfast. I have to go to the grocery for additional supplies just like you ask," Linsey said as she waved goodbye and left the two alone with their meal.

"So, how was your first night of sleeping here?" Xavier asked as he started munching on his pancakes with gusto.

"It was great. I think the sounds of the waves calmed my nerves down, giving me a very relaxing sleep." She explained to Xavier. She started drinking her coffee as she gazed at the boy.

"I'm glad. It also has the same effect on me," he proclaimed.

"Do your parents know you are here?" she asked him, not wanting the boy to get in trouble. If he was his child, she would want to make sure that he was always in a safe place.

"Sort of," he answered her vaguely as he shifted the topic with another question. "How come you're all alone here? Don't you have a family? Usually, when you go on vacation, someone should be accompanying you." For a little man, he certainly had a lot of interesting questions.

She knew he avoided answering her question, so she let go of it for a moment and decided to mess his hair instead before going back to her pancakes.

"I am here for some alone time. Adults sometimes need a few moments to be on their own." She tried to explain without giving many details too.

"When I grow up, I don't want to be alone." Xavier declared. "Don't you have a boyfriend?" Well, he certainly had no qualms in prying with her life. She could only smile at his innocence.

"Nope. Not anymore." Thinking of Brad and the way he had just dropped her and forgotten about her because of his political career. Jessica was right. She had to start to let him go. There was no point in holding to his promises when there was no future for them.

"What about a husband?" Xavier persisted with his questions.

"No husband either." Wiggling her fingers in front of him, showing no rings on them. She had no idea why she was indulging his questions, but she was truly enjoying his company.

"That's good. I think my…" Xavier's words were cut short. Someone was yelling his name just outside her fence.

"Xavier." He shouted again. "What are you doing there?"

"I'm just having breakfast with my new friend, Sky," Xavier shouted back. She was not sure if the newcomer even heard what Xavier said because it was barely audible with the food still in his mouth.

"I need you to come home quickly. I told you not to talk to strangers, let alone go with them without my knowledge." He said with a slight annoyance.

"She is my friend. She is not a stranger." Xavier said adamantly, not moving at all from his position.

"What is wrong with you? What have you been telling him?" The man suddenly directed his questions to Sky as he stepped closer to her patio.

He strolled inside her fence, along the path, towards their table. "Xavier, we need to go." He said in his authoritative voice. "I would appreciate it if you would leave the boy alone." He looked first at Xavier, then to her.

"Wait. I have to disagree with you. We have done nothing wrong. Xavier just came by to welcome me to this new place." She started defending the boy from this arrogant man.

"Hold on. What have you given him?" The man queried as he examined the food on the table. "Xavier has allergic reactions to food. Did you bother to ask him about that before you fed him?"

"Well, we only had some pancakes." She was suddenly panicking. "Is he allergic to eggs or something?"

"You're lucky this time." The man scolded her. "He's allergic to nuts and not the food you served him."

"I'm sorry!" Xavier said as he lowered his head down, realizing his mistake. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble." He looked directly to Sky.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I should have known to ask." She should have insisted earlier about his parents when he avoided answering her.

"Next time, don't entertain minors without the knowledge of their parents. Come on, Xavier. Your mother is waiting for you." The unknown man said as he walked back from where he came.

"I'm sorry again, Sky, for getting you in trouble. I did not mean to." Xavier turned his head to her and said with his small voice.

"Come on, Xavier. You know your mom would be worried if you kept her waiting." She heard the man shouted to Xavier.

"No need to worry. I hope I will still see you around." Sky assured Xavier.

"Sure. I'll visit again," Xavier replied. "Bye, Sky." He waved to her as he followed the man out toward the beach. He kept waving back as he slowly disappeared from her view.

Her mind began to wander to the question that plagued her mind the other day. if she did finally have a child. She would certainly want a kid like Xavier.

After staring at the waves, her thoughts went to the man earlier. She recalled the man who was not only handsome but also built in the right places. She was just a woman appreciating an Adonis of a man, she reasoned. She did not even know his name.

Too bad, she thought. Her Adonis was already married and with a son. She had no plan to go on that path again. Besides, he was certainly not a friendly neighbor at all. He did not bother to introduce himself nor asked her name.