All Zack could do now was walk his girlfriend home on a cool Friday night. The first week of May offered a constant respite with the cool ocean breeze sweeping across Southern California. Everyone living in the city of La Mirada would appreciate the Mediterranean climate in the Spring, especially before the heat waves made famous in the Summer. Tonight, Zack found it to be the perfect environment when spending time with his girlfriend Bridget. It was a peaceful night with colder temperatures approaching. Fortunately, Zack always liked cold nights. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt for this occasion and didn't have any use for a jacket. When he and his girlfriend had reached her house, Bridget thanked him for the wonderful night out. It was nothing naughty: just two eighteen-year-old individuals who went to go see a movie. She gave him a kiss before they separated for the night. They said their goodbyes and Bridget closed the door.
Zack walked away with a smile on his face. He was fortunate enough to have a girlfriend like Bridget. He wasn't muscular like the students from the high school football team, but he stayed skinny and maintained a healthy lifestyle. He kept his short blond hair in a haircut that mimicked the pop stars that strived for a teenage demographic. He overall had a rather feminine exterior, and that was what Bridget liked about him. He was an innocent young man who evaded criminal activities. He would be a good match for anyone who had been drawn to his specific characteristics. Anyone.
Zack had already decided to walk home on this quiet night. He house was located just several blocks away. It would most likely take ten to fifteen minutes to get there. He didn't feel the need to be in a hurry, was it was only ten o'clock. The suburban neighborhood had been shrouded by darkness. Only the streetlamps and the crescent moon would illuminate the landscape. Everything had grown silent. Zack could only hear his faint footsteps and a lone cricket in the distance. So far, there were no cars on the street. Zack started humming a classic rock song to himself. He enjoyed the solitude that emerged in the late night.
A flash of light slowly appeared from behind him. He didn't think that the car on the street would be important to him. But then, it stopped right beside him. He had to turn to see the true identity of the driver. And it turned out to be someone he could already recognize.
Herman, a thirty-six-year-old African-American man was a neighbor on the same street that Zack lived on. The older man lived right across the street from the younger man's house. And unlike Zack, Herman was as muscular as the guys from the football team.
Herman had already rolled down the window on the passenger side. "So what brings you out here?"
Zack replied, "I'm already on my home. My girlfriend and I just went to the movies some time ago."
Herman gave a little smile. "So you're just going to walk all the way home?"
"It doesn't bother me."
"Come on, it's cold. Get inside. I'll take you home."
Zack immediately wanted to reject the offer, but he started to have second thoughts. Just having Herman nearby almost made him tremble. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It'll only take a few minutes to get there. Come on. You're not taking a ride from a stranger. You're taking a ride from a friendly neighbor."
Zack couldn't stop staring at Herman. It was like a trance that he couldn't bring himself to pull away from.
"Alright, thanks."
He stepped inside Herman's sedan and took a seat in the passenger side. Both men were well on their way back home. A modern rock song played on Herman's radio at mid-volume. Zack recognized it as a song from one of his favorite rock bands.
"So you like Daughtry, too?"
Herman nodded. "I sure do."
Zack realized that he crept closer toward Herman in his seat, and stopped himself before he could reveal his subconscious motive. He tried to sit still. But he found himself shivering for a few seconds before the vibration on his body had stopped. Sitting beside Herman was something that he had never expected to do. And he wanted to do more of it. In fact, he currently thought of ways to inform Herman that he wanted to pay him a visit in his own house. He wanted to spend the rest of the night with his neighbor. Even going so far as wanting to sleep in the same bed as him.
But Zack stopped himself from going further. He tightened his fists for a brief moment. The suspense was unbearable. Herman was his neighbor for an entire year now, and since the start of April, Zack had finally gotten to know him. And when he did, he had a certain temptation that he just couldn't fight off. He tried to convince himself that he loved Bridget very much and didn't want to break their trust and loyalty to each other. But then Herman came along and a reworking of his mentality had risen from the heart. Zack just wanted to kiss his neighbor. That was it. Just one kiss and it would have been fine with him. But he wanted more. He wanted to forget about Bridget and become a subservient being for Herman.
As soon as they reached the cul-de-sac in which they resided on, Herman parked his car on his driveway. Zack's house was right behind him. With all of the lights still turned off, his parents still didn't come home from work. But that had been the last thing on his mind right now. He couldn't stop staring at Herman. The older black man was so handsome and so muscular. Zack didn't question his yearning for brand new territory. He welcomed it.
But he decided to stay silent. He would just leave the car, walk across the street, and enter his house. He wouldn't want to deal with a dilemma that would tear him apart day by day.
Herman opened the garage door. He didn't turn off the engine. In fact, he brought his car into the garage with Zack still inside. He didn't attempt to escape. He waited for Herman to say something. The neighbor closed the garage door. And now, Zack was officially in Herman's home.
The young blond man shifted in his seat. "So...what's going on here?"
Herman turned off the radio and the car engine. He brought an almost sinister stare that seemed to come out of nowhere. It became something that made Zack feel a little uneasy. He started to take a deep breath.
Herman whispered, "I know what you're thinking right now."
Zack's own eyes slowly widened. "You do?"
