Neighbourly Love: Muriel Stacy x Female reader

Chapter 1: New beginnings

(word count: 1418)

The door finally opened. You had to struggle a bit with the key in the lock, but it opened now. You heaved a sigh of relief and braced yourself. This is it. My new house, in Avonlea.

You blew some hair strands away from your face and stepped in. Excitement blossomed in your stomach. You couldn't believe it. A house to yourself! Before this you lived with your roomates in a shared apartment, but now you can officially say that you're living alone! Your smile reached from ear to ear— despite your surroundings. A layer of dust had gathered on the floor. Cobwebs brimmed the upper corners of the walls. Some floortiles sat loose, and you even spotted a hole in the flooring. And the glass in the windows were cracked. This house was sold at a low price for a reason, of course. The realtor couldn't believe his ears when you said you wanted this building. But you had great plans for this!

You continued along from your hallway to the living room. The space was empty except for a fireplace. You could already imagine the moments here— sitting near the fire, all wrapped up in a blanket while listening to a storm outside. Or maybe just reading a book near the heat. This was going to be your comfort place, you knew it.

You nodded after taking the room in, satisfied. Returning to the hallway you noticed stairs leading up to the second floor. You knew what the upstairs looked like since you've visited this place before buying it, but you were still curious as of what it looked like now— without furniture. But you swallowed your curiosity, for now atleast. You wanted to check the first floor before moving on, so you stepped into another room next to the hallway. The kitchen. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was also very dusty. The stove was probably black, but looked grey. The cabinets were pale green and brown. Some handles were missing. With some work, this room could end up very pretty. You smiled to yourself, knowing this place would frustrate you the most. You were never a good cook.

The stairs creaked when you walked over them. You didn't pay attention to it though. Your fingers gently touched the handrails. It was made of wood. Pretty. As you finally made your way upstairs your eyes lit with delight. You stood in a hallway with two doors. You already knew those doors led to two bedrooms. What you were so excited for however, was that one of those bedrooms had a gorgeous gorgeous balcony. With a swift motion your legs guided you to the nearest door. You opened it. There it was. Waiting for you. You didn't hesitate and hurried over to the other side of the room. A grin played on your face as you were greeted with yet another door, a glassdoor to be exact. And this one had no cracks at all! You pulled the handle and went to the outside. A nice breeze swept through your hair and you exhaled. It was calming. The balcony itself was a little bit big, actually. Big enough for you to bring your beloved canvas stand. Chairs and a small table would also fit here. The platform you were standing on was made of wood, and had a wooden fence with crosses between each pile. This, decorated with flowers, would look amazing.

It took you some time to bring all of your stuff inside. A little help wouldn't hurt, but as of now you were all alone. You didn't know anybody here in Avonlea and you didn't want to bother your friends or family for this either. But since this is a small community, you figured word travelled fast. You wouldn't be surprised if someone would come and greet you by the door the next morning. The thought actually made you smile. You looked forward to meet new people, to make new friends and to find out who your neighbours are— if you had any. Your new house was set in the forest, and the thought of having no neighbours wouldn't surprise you either.

You sat down on the floor, sighing out loud. The fireplace was infront of you. You eyed it for a moment, making a mental rule: Dust this first, then you can rest. You got up on your feet again, a little unwillingly. All the suitcase- carrying had drained your energy.

"I'll count myself productive when i dust the fireplace", you said to yourself. "Then, and only then, can i rest. Because who wants to sit and watch a dusty fireplace, which can also make you sneeze?"

After you grabbed your duster from one of the boxes, you went back to your fireplace. After some silent minutes of dusting, you were done. You sighed and sat down on the floor a second time. There was no fire burning, but you honestly didn't have the energy to fix that.

***

Knock knock knock

You wake up hastily, sitting up. Did i really just fall asleep on the floor?! Oh heavens, what time is it?? You looked outside the windows. The sun was about to set.

"I can only hope this won't ruin my sleep schedule," you murmured to yourself as you rubbed your eyes awake.

Wait, you thought. Someone just knocked! You dashed up and hurried with quick steps to the front door. Thoughts were swirling in your head. Are you being haunted? Maybe it was just an animal. A bird could have crashed on your door? It was three knocks though. Then maybe three birds crashed? You shook your head and stopped when you were by the door. You were hesitant. Surely, word couldn't have gotten that quick, could it? You looked like a mess right now. Your hair was probably in every direction and your voice was hoarse from the nap. Whoever sees me in this state, I'm sorry in advance.

You opened the front door before you changed your mind, and was surprisingly met with a fist infront of you. The stranger woman was apparantly just about to knock again when you decided to open the door. You were both surprised at first, but it was quickly replaced with genuine smiles.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she said first.
"No no no it's okay! I'm sorry, i should have answered sooner!"
"No I'm sorry if i.. disturbed you", she answered after eyeing me for a moment.
You let out a snort.
"No, it's okay. Otherwise i would've woken up in the middle of the night!"
She laughed.
"May i ask what your name is, mrs..?" you asked.
"Miss Stacy. You can call me Muriel though", she answered with an affiliative smile.
You returned the smile. Muriel... Apparently, a few seconds have passed just by gazing at her.
"Are you going to keep your name a secret or..?"
You blinked. Huh?
"Sorry?"
"Your name, mrs."
"Oh! It's Miss Y/L/N, call me Y/N though", you happily said. "Why don't you come i-"
You stopped. You looked back in your house and moved the door so that Muriel couldn't see the inside. It was a mess! Unorganized cardboxes everywhere. Cobwebs, dust— everything!

"Hm?" Muriel glanced at you with confusion. She tried to peek inside but you stepped outside and closed the frontdoor behind you. You stared at her, wide-eyed. Your heartbeat raced in your chest. The two of you were uncomfortably close now, so she took a step back.
"I just moved in", you explained quickly. "My house is in terrible shape. I won't allow such a beautiful woman to set foot in my state of house."
"It can't be that bad..."
"Yes! It's very bad."
She raised a brow at you.
"How did you find me in the middle of the woods anyway?" you asked to change the subject.
"I actually live nearby. And i happened to notice the trails of a horsecart on a road no one ever takes. I knew this road led to this house, so i was curious and followed my impulsive thoughts."
Your face lit up.
"You live nearby?"
She chuckled and looked down at her boots for a moment, before meeting your eyes again.
"Yes, i suppose we're neighbours."
"Well, i'm very glad to meet you, neighbour!" you said as you extended a hand. She grasped it and shook lightly.
"The honour is mine."