Love Thy Neighbour (a Vampire Diaries fanfiction)

Chapter 1

Ah! Spring break...the time to finally catch up on your sleep, your hobbies, your social life, your study plan, your assignments, your thesis proposal... oh who am I kidding? I asked myself, banging my head against the desk for the umpteenth time. My junior year as an English major was having a great toll on me. I looked like a mummified zombie out of lack of sleep, I couldn't remember the last time I had drawn or read something just for pleasure, and my social life was practically non-existent.

"Bad day?"

I looked up. No one was in my bedroom, which could only mean one thing.

"Ugh, more like a bad week," I grumbled.

"Want some bourbon? And good morning to you too, by the way."

"Sorry Damon, good morning. And no." I often encountered mornings like these, having Damon Salvatore or his younger brother Stefan show up randomly in their balcony to talk to me. They weren't exactly my neighbours, their house was in the street behind mine, but somehow their house seemed closer than the ones that were actually touching mine. Besides, the large house next door had been vacant for years now, what were the odds that someone would buy it now? It had its perks, having that balcony so close, but let's be honest, which girl would be comfortable with having two young men able to look into your bedroom any time they want? Thank God for curtains.

"So, what are you grumbling about this time?" Damon asked, taking a sip of his morning orange juice.

"Damon! What do you think I'm grumbling about? It's this damn Literary Theory... who cares about the theories behind literature? Can't someone just read a good book and be done with it? Do we have to analyse every single aspect in life? Can't we just appreciate a good story when we see one? I just want to read and write, is that so much to ask?" He had let the monster loose.

"Uh oh. You're right it is a bad day. I think I'm better off keeping my distance today. Stefan, for your own sake, if you're going to approach, approach with caution. I repeat, approach with caution!"

"I don't need to approach with caution, Damon, because I know how to talk to her without pushing her buttons. You, on the other hand..." Stefan had appeared behind his brother, cup of coffee in one hand, newspaper in the other. He was always the more sensible of the two.

"And hello to you too, Stefan."

"What can I say, it's a gift," Damon replied, which promptly resulted in Stefan hitting him in the head with the newspaper, releasing a giggle from my part. Like I said, having that balcony so close had its perks.

"Hey! Well excuse me for wanting to check up on our dear little friend, who's obviously having a nuclear meltdown."

"Obviously..."I mumbled. "Look, Damon," I started, removing my glasses, "I really appreciate you taking the time to check on me but I really do have to get back to this. This assignment is due next week and it's killing me."

"You see, she appreciates it. Now let her be," Stefan told his brother. "Maya, if there's anything you need, you know where to find us," he smiled, as Damon waved from behind him.

"Yep, you're just a stone's throw away!" I replied, a little too sarcastically than I had wanted. "Thanks Stefan," I softened, and with a slight nod, he closed the sliding door behind him, gently pushing Damon as he moved along.

With that, I directed my attention back to my desk. Or should I say, my sorry excuse for a desk. It looked like Hurricane Katrina had decided to go all territorial on me. What is it that they say? A messy desk means you are creative? And that if you're nocturnal, then you're smart? If that's true, then I'm the love child of Walt Disney and Albert freakin Einstein.

But clearly, the smart genes were lost on me, cause I couldn't understand any of this shit. I had a quick look at my mobile, and saw that I had a text message.

"GIRL!"

My good friend Kai, ladies and gentlemen. I decided to humour him.

"What?" I texted back.

Bleep. "I made waffles."

This is why he decides to bother me.

"And?" I replied.

Bleep. "Bacon. Duh. I'll be there in ten."

Another bleep. "With the waffles."

And another bleep. "And the bacon."

And this is why I love him. He can be an annoying asswipe, but a loveable, annoying asswipe, nonetheless. I have known him for almost three years, and let me just say that these three years have been anything but boring. I still remember the first day we met during freshmen week:

"Are you alone?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"I'm Kai, you?"

"Maya."

"Well, Maya, I'm in the mood for some tacos. Do you want tacos?"

"Sounds good to me."

And there you have it. A few minutes later and we had already shared all our common interests, and I also found out that he had recently moved in a few doors down. So hence, our adventure began.

"Alright, let's do this thing," I said, putting my glasses back on and shoving my mobile back in my pocket. This was it. I was determined. I was ready. I was firm. I was –

– being interrupted by the monstrous sound of a huge truck reversing in a driveway.

"Now what?" I moaned. Damon would have a field day with all my grumbling. Figures, the moment I truly decide to start working, it's the moment some sort of Monster Truck Rally decides to show up in town. Someone up there must hate me.

I made my way downstairs and opened the front door – and almost landed smack on Kai.

"Careful with the goods! It took me a whole twenty minutes to do these you know, you should be honoured. What are you doing out here anyway? I know you really wanted to see me, but this is too much," Kai said, holding his dear waffles close. Always the modest gentleman.

I pointed to the large house on my right as I went to get the mail. "We have new neighbours," I said.