The Man Next Door

Chapter Twelve

The sun was still down when your father woke you the next morning. He'd knocked lightly on your door, telling you he was leaving.

You'd crawled out of bed and wrapped him into a hug, making him promise to call you as soon as he got to the cabin. He kissed the top of your head as he squeezed you. "I will kiddo, I promise."

You watched him drive down to Joel's house, and then as his truck turned the corner, no longer in sight. It was around five in the morning, so the house was pitch black and silent. You didn't like when no one else was home with you. It would only be a few days, but you knew would miss your father. And Joel.

You pulled out your phone and hit Joel's contact. He was definitely awake, but you didn't want to text him the second he left the driveway. Your heart tugged, realizing that you hadn't told him goodbye. You'd seen him before he left, of course, but with your father around it was hard to give him a proper farewell.

You trudged back to your room, climbing back into bed, struggling to fall asleep for a while. You'd woken up several hours later, the sun now beaming into your room. You checked your phone to see if your father had called you yet, but instead you found a text from Joel. Your heart skipped a beat, and your body filled with excitement.

"Just about an hour away from the camp. Wish I could've seen you before I left."

Your heart thumped in your chest. Joel Miller was showing his soft side, and you adored it. The next few days would be rough.

You snapped a selfie, showing off your messy hair and big t-shirt, pressing send. "Me too. Here's a picture so you don't forget what I look like."

He responded almost immediately. "So beautiful."

Your heart might as well have exploded. Your face hurt from smiling as you stared at his response. Just as you were typing a response, your phone rang.

Your dad cheerfully greeted you on the other end, chatting about the beautiful drive up to the lake. He didn't keep you on the phone for long, explaining that he needed to help Joel unload the truck.

"Ok dad, love you. Y'all don't have too much fun without me."

-

A few hours passed before Sara finally showed up to your house.

She came bounding over with a huge bag slung across her back, earning a look of inquisition from you.

"Movin' in?"

She ignored your question, pushing her way into the house. "No, but I did bring a bunch of stuff to make this a killer girls night." She slid her bag off onto the couch, the two of you sitting around it and inspecting the contents.

The bag was full of face masks, some cheesy card game Sara loved, all types of snacks, and small bottles of liquor. You pulled one out, holding it in the air.

"Sara Miller. Did you steal from your dads stash?"
She huffed, grabbing the bottle from you.

"Are you kidding? Pink Whitney? Joel Miller wouldn't be caught dead drinking Pink Whitney." You both broke out into laughter.

"Ok!" She exclaimed, "I think we should do a movie marathon! Like let's pick a franchise and binge all of its movies. My vote is Twilight, but I'm down for suggestions."

After a little back and forth (you wanted to watch The Conjuring, but Sara wasn't sold on scary movies), you ultimately settled on Twilight. You helped Sara gather up all of the pillows and blankets you could find, draping them over chairs in the middle of the living room.