The Boy Next Door ≫ l.h [on hold]

one

"Hey have you thought about what you're going to wear on the first day of school?" Lily asked.

"No, I haven't yet."

"Seriously? Well, we should go out today. School starts in 3 days!"

"Yeah I'd love--"

"Emily, come downstairs!" My mom called from the kitchen.

"Hold on, my mom's calling for me. I'll call you later." I told her then hung up.

"Em, come down here!"

"I'm coming!" I shouted while walking down the stairs.

"Honey, I need you to change and go get ready." She said. "We're going to meet the new neighbors right now, I made them some food and I wanted to give it to them. Plus, I heard they have a son your age, so you should make a new friend."

"Mom, do I really have to go? Can't you just go drop off the food by yourself and then leave? I kind of have something to do later." I asked.

"Nope, sorry honey. We should introduce ourselves, you know, welcome them to the neighborhood."

"Fine, I'll go." I sighed.

"Okay, but hurry up we're leaving in 10 minutes." My mother warned. 

I walked into my room and texted Lily that I'd have to reschedule.

Lily and I were sort of forced to be linked to each other since we were conceived. Our moms were best friends in college and they destined for their own kids to be as well. It's quite funny since we solidly despised each other for all of grade school. 

But things changed when Lily's 6th grade "boyfriend" tried groping my bottom once and she saw the whole thing. I helped her get revenge on him and since then we've grown closer than ever before. 

I ended up getting dressed into some jeans and a 'Rolling Stones' band-tee. I grabbed my black Converse and slipped them on.

I was never much of a girly-girl, although Lily was. We were practically polar opposites, yet somehow we managed to stick with each other throughout the years.

"Let's go Em!" My mom shouted.

I walked out and met my mom at the bottom of the stairs. She was holding a container with pasta in it.

I opened the door and locked it behind me. We walked over next door and rang the doorbell.

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes that looked around 40 opened the door.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the woman asks.

I noticed that she had an accent. British? Probably Australian.

"Hi, we live next door. I'm Margaret Ross and this is my daughter Emily." My mom said gesturing to herself and I.

"Hello, it's great meeting you. I'm Liz Hemmings."

"Nice to meet as well. I hope you're hungry, I made you some pasta. I know how hectic moving in can be and cooking can be a little difficult with all your belongings lost in boxes." My mom said while handing it over.

"Oh, thank you! That's very nice of you. Would you like to come inside?" Liz says.

"Is that alright with you?"

"Of course. I am the one that offered." Liz laughed.

We walked into her living room and there were two guy that looked a lot like Liz and were sitting on the couch.

One looked about like he was in his early twenties and the other looked like they were in their late twenties.

"So I have three boys, this is my oldest son, Ben." she points to the older one.

"Here is my second son, Jack. And thi–oh, hold on just one second."

"Luke! Luke Robert, come downstairs!" She yelled.

A very tall and attractive boy scampered down the stairs and into the room, but seemingly not minding us one bit as his attention was engaged on his phone.  He looked just like his brothers except with some tattoos and a lip piercing.

"Oh..." My mom murmurs next to me.

"And this is my youngest son, Luke." says Liz.

"Hi." Luke says not looking up from his phone.

"Hi... I'm Emily and this is my mom."

An awkward silence settles until Liz coughs. "Luke Robert." 

He scrambles his phone into his back pocket and extends a hand out to my mother. "Pleased to meet you."

"Would you like to have lunch with us? We were just about to eat." Liz asks. 

"We'd love to, but Emily and I have to get going. But we should definitely plan something next time." My mom speaks.

"Absolutely. That'd be great." Liz smiles warmly.

"Luke, walk them out please."

Luke, my mom, and I walked toward the door and stepped outside. Just as I turned to walk home, Luke butted in, "I like your shirt."

Startled he actually talked directly to me, I mustered a quick "Thank you" and smiled.

He gives a quick nod and turns to head back into his home. 

My mom and I turned to walk back to the house.

Once we were inside, my mom muttered, "Wow, when I heard that they had a son your age, I didn't know he looked so....edgy."

"Yeah, I know right." I say, quite surprised myself. But I wasn't exactly talking about the tattoos and piercing.

It wasn't that I didn't like him so far. That wasn't the case at all. I actually thought he was pretty attractive.

But I had a boyfriend before and after him, I've come to the point of not wanting to get myself involved with boys, afraid of getting hurt again. 

I wasn't sure about him. He might be exactly the kind of guy I should stay away from.

But who knows, maybe he is different.