Why Don't We One Shots

Neighbours, Jonah Marais

Jonah Marais had never really paid attention to the house next door. It had always been just a shadow—an empty space with a "For Sale" sign that swayed lazily in the wind. He didn't care much for change, especially when it came to neighbors. But that day, when he stepped outside to grab his guitar, something was different.

A girl stood on the porch next door, her eyes scanning the front yard like it was an unfamiliar land. Her hair was wild in the wind, dark and tousled, and she was wrapped in a hoodie that swallowed her. Jonah paused in the middle of strumming a chord, his fingers frozen on the guitar. She didn't notice him at first. She was too lost in her thoughts, her gaze lifting to the branches of a maple tree like she had never seen anything so ordinary.

Jonah swallowed, suddenly unsure of what to do with his guitar in his hands. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering why his heart seemed to beat faster at the sight of her.

He should've kept playing, but instead, he kept watching, unsure why he couldn't look away. Then, she turned her head. Their eyes met for the briefest second. Jonah quickly dropped his gaze to his guitar. But he didn't play. His fingers were too stiff.

The next day, Jonah was in his front yard again, this time watering the flowers his mom insisted on keeping alive. He wasn't looking for anything, but there she was again, standing at the corner of the fence between their yards. She was gripping a cardboard box, its contents spilling out, and her eyes were narrowed, trying to make sense of the mess.

Jonah could hear her muttering under her breath. He almost laughed. She was cute in a way that made him feel uncomfortable, like he wasn't supposed to notice.

"Need help?" His voice was a bit too loud, but it didn't matter. She looked up, startled, her cheeks flushing immediately.

She nodded, not saying anything at first. There was an awkward beat before she spoke. "Thanks. I'm Y/N."

Jonah flashed her a grin. "Jonah. I live next door."

She gave a small smile back and then, without a word, bent down to pick up the fallen contents of her box. Jonah hesitated but then walked over to help. The moment his hand brushed against hers while grabbing a book, there was a strange pulse between them. Not loud, not overt—but it was there. Neither of them acknowledged it, but both felt it.

"Do you need a hand getting these inside?" he asked, stepping back a little, unsure of his own boldness.

She paused, then nodded again. "Yeah. That'd be good."

They walked side by side toward her front door, neither saying much. It felt like the kind of silence where everything you wanted to say lingered just out of reach. As they reached the door, Jonah was about to say something else, something dumb, like a casual "See you around," when a voice called from behind.

"Y/N!" A man's voice, firm, with an edge of protectiveness. Jonah turned to see a guy standing on the sidewalk, arms crossed. His dark hair was pushed back, his expression unreadable.

"Ben," she said, her voice suddenly guarded.

Jonah nodded a little, trying to seem casual, but the guy's eyes locked onto his, sizing him up. The tension in the air thickened.

"You're Jonah, right?" Ben's voice was flat, but there was something in the way he said it that made Jonah's stomach tighten.

"Yeah," Jonah replied, swallowing. "I was just helping her with some boxes."

Ben gave a tight smile. "Cool. I'm Ben, Y/N's brother." He looked at Y/N, then back at Jonah. "Take it easy on her, alright?"

Jonah wasn't sure if he was meant to say something back. So, he just nodded. Ben gave a final glance at him before turning, his presence like a shadow over them. Y/N didn't say anything. She just watched her brother walk away, her lips pressed together. Jonah felt the air shift. He didn't know if it was the weight of Ben's warning or the quiet tension between him and Y/N. Either way, it hung there, thick and unspoken.

"Well... see you around," Jonah said, shuffling back towards his own porch, his guitar still sitting untouched.

"Yeah." Y/N's voice was quiet, but she didn't seem upset—more like she had just accepted the moment for what it was. She stepped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. Jonah didn't look back, but his steps felt heavier than usual, as if the ground beneath him had shifted in ways he couldn't see yet.

The days blurred. Jonah found himself walking outside more and more, as if the quiet of the house next door was pulling him like a magnet. One evening, the air was thick with that feeling of excitement again. He saw her on the porch. Y/N sat on the edge of the steps, her figure half-lit by the dying sun. She looked still, as if she were waiting for something to come.

Jonah's steps were slow, measured, like someone walking through the edges of a dream. He stopped just at the boundary of the yard—her yard, his yard—. He couldn't keep waiting, he needed to know.

"Are you alright?" His voice broke the silence, and it sounded foreign to him, like he was asking someone else. She didn't look up at first. Her fingers played idly with the hem of her hoodie, pulling it tighter around her frame. The sky above her was bruised with dark clouds.

"Yeah. I mean, not really," she began, her voice soft, like it was meant only for the wind to hear, "I just feel so powerless not being able to decide where I live. I left my whole life behind just to come here when I didn't even want to."

Jonah stood frozen for a long moment, but then something in him shifted. Even though his situation didn't even remotely resemble hers, he suddenly completely understood how she was feeling and put himself in her shoes; he didn't like it either.

"I'm sorry, that sucks. I hope in time it becomes more enjoyable and not such a burden of a place," His heart beat a little faster now, not knowing exactly how to express his sympathy and desire to help her feel better.

She finally looked at him, and there was something in her eyes that let him know she understood what he meant. "Thank you, Jonah," she said, quieter this time, almost to herself. Her gaze drifted past him, and Jonah followed it, looking over his shoulder. But there was nothing. Only the dark, empty street, and the houses lined up in eerie stillness.

Before he could ask more, the door to her house creaked open. Ben stepped out onto the porch, his presence heavy and immediate. His eyes flicked to Jonah quickly, calculating.

"She doesn't need company," Ben said, his voice low but clear, a warning hidden in every syllable. His stare was sharp, unsettling. "She's got enough going on without anyone else making things more complicated."

Jonah didn't step back. He didn't let the words sink in fully. There was something urgent now, something that made him need to understand, to break whatever this was between them. He wasn't going to let Ben or anyone else stop him.

"Is that what you think? That I'm making things complicated?" Jonah asked, his tone edged with frustration. He didn't know why he felt this way, why he felt the need to challenge Ben. It was like a switch had flipped. Ben didn't move closer, but his eyes burned with something Jonah couldn't place. "You don't know what you're dealing with, man. Stay out of it."

Jonah met his gaze head-on, his pulse quickening. For the first time, he saw the truth behind Ben's words. It wasn't just about the house. It wasn't just about Y/N. There was something else, darker, hidden beneath their calm, suburban lives. And it was pulling Jonah in deeper than he realized.

"Get inside, Y/N," Ben added, his voice cold. Y/N didn't protest. She stood up from the porch, her eyes distant, like she had already known this moment would come. She turned and walked inside, leaving Jonah standing there with only the fading echo of her footsteps. Jonah stood at the edge of her yard for a long moment, his breath shallow. The air felt too thick, as if the world itself was holding its breath, but he didn't leave.

Ben lingered for a few seconds more, watching Jonah, then turned back toward the house without a word. As Jonah turned to head back to his own porch, the chill in the air prickled at his skin. He knew this wasn't over. Something was unfolding, something that had already started and he couldn't escape it. He couldn't walk away.

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A.N.: Hey lovelies!! Had a fun time writing this one, a little bit of suspense and strange interactions cause I thought I'd make a change idk. As always let me know what you guys think and pls vote! Thanks for reading xx