nextdoor neighbors, flamingo/albert aretz

24-afterparty

[author's pov]

THE WHOLE room cheered.

I mean, there was no need for them to do it. And it was a stupid thing to do, too. Y/n's first kiss with Albert should've been in private, but here they are, with their whole friend group, still kinda hugging.

"I'm-" Jake hiccuped. "-proud of you, little man."

Albert said nothing. There was nothing right to really say, anyway.

Y/n just awkwardly laughed, like she does in literally every awkward situation. 

"So you guys just aren't gonna say anything?" Blaire laughed.

They both violently shook their heads no.

"We are welcoming ourselves to our first moments of 2021! Goodbye, ol' 2020!" the NBC hostess laughed.

"Gooodbyeee!" Jake mimicked the hostess, laughing.

"Alrighty, Jakey-boy. It's time to go night-night." Kaden grabbed him by both shoulders. "So what're the sleeping arrangements?"

"I'll go with Raven?" Blaire questioned, turning to face her. Raven nodded her head yes.

"I suppose i'll go with Jake. Hopefully he won't wake me up to tell me he needs to phrow up."

That got a giggle out of Albert.

"I guess that leaves...you two." Blaire smirked. 

"Uh, if you'd-"

"Oh no ma'am, the sleeping arrangements are settled. And plus, it's not that big of a deal anyways." she shrugged.

"But Y/n's house doesn't have..." Albert started counting on his fingers, " 1, 2, 3...three beds!"

"I mean, i do have a couch..."

"But it doesn't fold out-" Kaden coughed. "Doesn't it?"

Y/n shook her head no.

"I mean, the boys can come to my place while Blaire and Raven stay here," he shrugs. "If that's comfortable with you guys."

"Fine by me."

"Sure!"

"Okay."

"Come on, guys. I'll take you to my place. Beware, though, 'cause you'll be left there alone. If i see anything broken in the morning, i'm gonna be pissed." he finished. 

He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, waved Y/n a little goodbye, and left with both Kaden and Jake behind him. Kaden blew a kiss to Raven before walking out.

[y/n's pov]

He fucking did it.

When i cupped his face, i thought he was gonna freak and slap my hand away or something. He didn't, but actually cupped my face and kissed me.

And it wasn't like...a regular kiss. And i know perfectly well this is so cliché and corny, but it was a kiss by lovers who didn't know they loved each other.

I'd been broken by people for so long. First, my dad leaving. When he first left, i imagined him to be in his happy place, which was a liquor store at the time or something, but me being little me, i imagined it to be a little castle. And in the castle, i imagined him to have drank as much beer as he liked, slept as much as he wanted to, and live his own life. 

At school, they taught us to transport ourselves to other people's shoes once in awhile, just to see what living like them is like.

I did that to my dad once. I put on his favorite work pants and glasses and strolled around the house with apple juice in a cup, pretending it was beer. I wanted to do so many things, since i was a legal adult in his body. I wanted to go to a waterpark and feel the musty water around my body. I wanted to go to a club, too, even though clubs weren't interesting and i just wanted to go in one to see what they were like. In my house, i felt as if i was trapped. Work, home, store. Work, home, store. Work, home, store, on repeat and repeat. Life wasn't fun anymore.