The Man Next Door (H.S)

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*It's short but it's a starter. Enjoy!*

"Juliet! You have to walk the dog! Go now before it gets dark!" My mother shouts from the kitchen. I roll my eyes and close my book, replacing it with my leather bookmark before calling for Cameron. The large dog runs into my room, coming to a halt as i stand from my chair. "Hey boy." I smile and ruffle the long, course fur. He pants in excitement when he sees me pull on my shoes and grab the long blue leash.

"Come boy." I command and walk out my room, Cam following close behind. We rush down the stairs my keys and phone in my hand.

"Bring a sweater, it's chilly outside." My mother says and i oblige. I attach the leash to the harness and prepare to step out of my unnecessarily large house. Before i can take another step, i look down and see Cameron has laid down in front of the door, stopping me in my tracks.

"Let's go." I say and motion my hand up, losing my patience. He finally stands up and walks out with me. "Bye mom." I say before shutting the door.

I casually stroll down the block and as usual, observe the many nice houses. Everytime i look at a house, i notice something a little different about it than from the last time i saw it. Caught off guard, Cameron begins to dash away from me toward a large, what appears to be a moving-truck. Crap.

"Cameron, halt!" I shout. But something else has got his attention. I begin running after him. Huskies and their need to wander off. I breath deeply in relief when i see him come to a short stop, head tilted attempting to figure out what the source of boxes and footsteps was coming from. Before he could take another step, i bend down and quickly grab the lead, tightly holding it so he can't escape again.

"Cameron, don't run off like that. Bad." I say angrily, taking short intervals of breaths to slow my heart rate back to normal. He nods his head toward the open end of the large truck. I roll my eyes before looking over to see what this dog is so infatuated with. I wait a few moments before a tall man with tan skin and a head of curls steps out with a box in his arms. Our gazes meet, his piercing green eyes staring straight into mine.

"Hello there. I assume you're my neighbor. I'm Harry." He politely introduces. I silently wave back as Cameron gives him a glare. "Hi." I say, Cameron attempting to continue on our walk. "I live down the block. Nice meeting you." I quickly sputter out before continuing down the long block.

"What's your name?" He asks. I mean, he seems nice. But you know what they say, "looks are often deceiving." "Juliet." I say and continue walking. "Oh. Marin?" I stop in my tracks and skeptically turn around. "Yes. How'd you know?" I squint my eyes, ever so subtly.

"Your mum is Elaine, yea?" He asks.

"Yes. How do you know?" I press.

"She was my wife's lawyer. She helped us win a case against her. My wife was accused of theft from her own company. Ridiculous, I know. Tell her, Mr. Styles says hi. I have to get a-move-on." He laughs at his pun. I roll my eyes and nod before proceeding with Cameron.
~~~~~
After my long stroll with Cameron, i end up walking into my house sweating despite it being cool outside. I peel off the sweater and immediately feel 10x better. I sigh and stroll around, searching for my mom after releasing Cam from the lead. He still follows me around.

"Mom?" I say loudly. "Yes, honey. I'm in my office." She answers.

With that, I walk down the long hallways, dimly lit with soft glows of yellow light before reaching her office. "Hey mom." I announce myself before stepping into the cold room. "It's cold in here." I shiver, rubbing my hands up and down my arms, attempting to warm up. She chuckles. "What's up, darling?" She looks up from her work, sprawled out in front of her on the mahogany desk. "I was walking Cam before and i ran into Mr. Styles. He says hi." I briefly say and wait for her response.

"Oh. I didn't know he moved to America."

"Well, he did and he was strangely nice. And nosy might i add. Kept asking and telling me things. He told me you were his wife's lawyer for a lawsuit against her." I inform.

"Hmm. That's strange because he doesn't have a wife."