Was I Dreaming or Just Blind?

Chapter 1 - The Meet

My name is Michelle Vanderwall, I'm 19 and I grew up in California. I've always lived a quaint and quiet life, I was in Choir and some other clubs when I was in high school, I have a small family, two sisters, and one aunt, I used to think we were cursed into only birthing women. I had friends who I socialized with in clubs but none I would tell my deepest darkest secrets, it is kind of hard to make friends when you're shy. However, my best friend Rebecca Smith (Becca), is the most fearless person I've ever met, we've been inseparable since the second grade. She once made a boy cry in the 5th grade for breaking her favorite pencil and could win any argument even if she was completely wrong. She was the center of attention at any party, and everybody loved her, she tried helping with my confidence, double dates, parties, football games, but nothing and I mean, nothing worked. Now, Becca and I are distant friends, after graduation, she went to a school in Texas and I stayed home and went to a college nearby. I wasn't too fond of the idea of branching out and meeting new people I was content with where I was. Before summer had started during freshman year she said she was coming home for the summer and desperately needed to get away from her fitness-crazed ex-boyfriend, and had the bright idea to share an apartment for the summer. As much as I was content, Becca was gun-ho on breaking me out of my shell, little did I know my life would change after meeting a pair of eyes, and how much of that shell I would break

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We moved on June 3rd, and after about a month of living there, Becca had stated that she met someone, no surprise there, she could get anyone. I was happy to hear it though, someone who wasn't her crazy ex. Let me break it down for you, he made her delete every guy on her Snapchat, couldn't hang out with any of her guy friends, and went through her phone behind her back. He's so crazy that he accused her of being around a guy at a drive-in from a picture when it was one of her girlfriends, ridiculous right? He was manipulative, and conniving and I felt a lot better sharing an apartment and that he was almost 2,000 miles away in Texas. Any time before this, I'd asked her why she was still with him, the same old excuse was, "He was cheated on and has trust issues." I think the guy is a downright psychopath, even if he did have issues to deal with he didn't need to take it to extremes with Becca.

 Anyway, she's been talking up her date for the last week, and she's been out all day shopping for her date, I haven't seen her this excited about anything in a long time since before she was with her ex, and I was happy for her, must be some guy. After meeting some of the neighbors, with the help of Becca, I heard that we would have new neighbors, right next to us, they moved in last week. So I thought I'd go over and introduce myself, I still haven't unpacked everything, and I couldn't stand being in the apartment any longer than I needed to. 

I walked over and knocked and about a minute later the door opened, I met the brightest pair of beautiful blue eyes in the world. He stood at 6'2, towering over me, with dark hair that went past his ears, he lifted his arm and rested it against the door frame, I nearly knocked over when I realized how red my face looked. Somehow I managed to mutter,

"Hi, I live next door, and wanted to introduce myself, my name's Michelle."

I stuck out my hand, and he shook it as he said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Hayes, Hayes Grier, do you know the area very well?"

"Of course I do, are you not from around here?" I said a little intrigued.

He replied with, "No, I'm from North Carolina." I wondered why he moved across the country, but I was too nervous to reply with anything besides,

"Well, you're a long way from home." How dumb was that? Completely lame.

"Ya, for sure." I'm pretty sure my face is red, due to exposure, that's my cue to leave.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Hayes, if you need anything, I'm next door." I blew it, and before he could say anything I went to my apartment and shut the door quickly.