VALENTINA
“Who is it?” I call out to the stranger. It’s too dark for me to see his face.
“Sorry for startling you,” He steps out into the light and I recognize him immediately, “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
I stare at him. I’m embarrassed. Or shy? I want to hide from him, from his gaze. But he stares and I stand in front of him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I live next door,” He points at the house to my left. So, he is my new neighbour.
He is intimidating in a way that I can’t explain. He is dressed in casuals, both his hands resting in his pockets. His lips twitch into a smile and he starts to take slow steps toward me. I take two steps back for his one step forward. We continue until my back hits the wall. I come to a rest and he is in front of me.
“We didn’t get a nice introduction.” He looks at me. I think I have forgotten how to breathe. I take in a deep breath. “Hi, I’m Caleb Walker.”
“Hi, I’m…”
“Valentina Lopez,” He interrupts. “I know,”
“It’s Val.” I correct him.
“I like Valentina,” My name rolls off his tongue in a different way. I don’t say anything to that. He makes me uncomfortable. I want to be away from him as far as I can. But his eyes hold me captive. His eyes roam everywhere on me before he closes the distance between us.
He is a few inches away from my face, breathing the same air as me and staring at my lips. I know what he is thinking. He is thinking about the kiss. He wants more. And he is here for that.
“The kiss…” I gulp, “it meant nothing.” I shake my head.
He smiles, “I know.”
If he knows then why is he here?
“Don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t go around kissing random guys,” I clarify. But it seems like he knows that already.
“I know,” He confirms my thoughts. He smiles before saying, “I’m your first kiss.”
“How did…”
He interrupts me again, “You are a bad kisser.”
That hurts! Was I really that bad?
“You’re a jerk.”
“I’m just telling you the truth.”
I narrow my eyes, “You cannot tell it to anyone.”
“Why? Are you trying to prove something to someone?”
Does he know about Theo? No, he can’t.
I look down and then at him, “No,” he is still staring at my lips. “If I am so bad at kissing, why are you here?”
He gives me a half smile. He leans forward until his mouth lingers above my ear and whisper, “To show you what a real kiss feels like.” I gasp. A chill runs down the spine. I breathe in his scent absorbing what he just said.
It’s the first time anyone has ever said something like this to me. It’s the first time anyone has ever been in my backyard, been so close to me, and threatened to kiss me.
That reminds me I am alone with him in my backyard. And it is almost time for my father to come home. I can’t be seen with Caleb or any other guy. It would definitely end badly for me.
YOU ARE READING
Next-Door Neighbour
RomanceValentina lives a lie every day she steps out of her house. She has built her own world, where she can be anything, where every action of her life isn't controlled by her father. A world, where she can be an average teenager! But who is she kidding...
