2
Exactly one week since I met my hot new neighbor, and I can’t stop wondering what she’s doing right now. It’s Friday—maybe she’s out with friends?
I looked at the clock. Just a little past six. Maybe I’ll take a nap, give my boredom a break.
Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, thinking about the girl next door.
There’s something about her that intrigues me. Her apartment isn’t that big, but the furniture inside looks expensive—like she either has really good taste or she's well-off.
Is she living with a boyfriend? A husband, maybe? Nah, she looks too young to be married. Then again, you can get married at 18 in this country, so it's not impossible. Still, I’m crossing my fingers.
Ugh, what to do? Why am I always alone on a Friday night?
Six more weeks until school starts. I should be out partying every night.
But who am I kidding? I only have one friend—Sam—and her parents drag her to Bible study every Friday. Honestly, that makes me appreciate my parents more for just... leaving me alone.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I found myself standing in front of Emma’s door. My insides were in full debate mode—knock or walk away?
Screw it. I wanted to see her.
I pressed the doorbell once. I’ll count to three. If no one opens, I’m out of here.
One...
Two...
Three—
The door opened.
“Oh hey, Jen!” she said, beaming. Her smile was the biggest I’ve ever seen. Was she actually happy to see me?
“Hi, Em. I, uh... remember this beautiful girl who told me I could stop by if I was bored. Well—here I am. Just checking if the offer still stands.” God. Could I be any more awkward?
She started laughing.
“What?” I asked, a little confused.
“You could, I don’t know, breathe maybe?” she giggled, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.
“Yeah, that’s... uhm... yeah.” What is happening to me? The last time I was this tongue-tied was when my mom caught me reading Playboy.
“Come on in, Jen,” she said, still laughing. She probably thinks I’m some kind of weirdo.
I didn’t want her to think that. I needed to redeem myself—say something cool or mature, anything.
“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to disturb you or anything.” I finally managed to say, though the heat on my cheeks betrayed how flustered I really was.
“It’s fine, Jen. I just got home, actually, and I was about to start dinner.” She led me to the living room and motioned for me to sit on the couch.
“Well, my mom always says I may not be an A-student, but I’m a star in the kitchen. Mind if I help?”
I stood and headed toward her kitchen, and she followed behind.
“Really? Okay then—who am I to argue with your mom?” she grinned.
“You know, you might want to meet her. She never runs out of things to say about me.”
She laughed, and for once, I started feeling like myself again.
“I’m her favorite daughter, so brace yourself,” I added with a wink.
I opened her fridge and pulled out some vegetables and a pack of beef from the freezer.
“How many siblings do you have?” she asked, handing me a chopping board and a knife.
A personal question. Good. Maybe now I can ask her some, too.
“There are three of us girls. I’m the youngest. How about you?” I asked, even though I remembered her saying she had a sister—I just wanted to keep her talking.
“Same here. Three of us—two girls and a boy. I’m the middle child. So... what are you cooking, Chef Jen?”
She took a seat at the island, watching me dice garlic like it was a cooking show.
“Stir-fry veggies with beef. Easy but delicious,” I said, then added casually, “Are you living here alone? Or do you have a boyfriend? Husband maybe?”
I tried to act normal—like I was just making small talk—not fishing for information.
She held up her hand, no ring in sight. I felt my shoulders loosen a little.
“No boyfriend,” she added. “Wait—how old do you think I am?”
Hands on her hips, mock-offended. She was teasing—but maybe also testing me?
I grinned, playing along. “Well...” I scrunched my face like I was trying hard to guess, then next thing I knew, she was hitting me lightly on the arm.
I burst out laughing, dodging her playful smacks.
“Oh my God! Really? I look that old??” she cried between giggles.
She kept hitting me, and I let her, because somehow, this all felt... right. Like maybe this weird, flirty, teasing energy between us could actually turn into something.
Something more.
But I won’t jinx it.
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