A New Estate - Crimson Peak

The Neighbour - Modern AU - Part One

(Author's Note: Time for some modern Robert, seeing as I know a few people like him!

Maybe I should run a competition "Win your own quality time with Robert!")

"What's with all of the commotion?"

I briefly glanced over my shoulder as Thomas stepped up beside me before returning to my previous stance of staring out of the window, my arms folded across my chest.

"It looks like I'm getting a new neighbour across the way."

"Really?"

Despite his being a spectral being, I could still feel as his significantly taller figured loomed over my shoulder to watch out of the window.

"Indeed," I hummed, tilting my head a little as the tall man outside stepped out of the van with another box in his hands. "You know, from here he looks remarkably a lot like-"

"Me."

I quirked an eyebrow and looked at Thomas, unable to hold back a small chuckle.

"Well yes, but I was going to say an actor I know of."

"Ah, I see," he nodded slowly before twitching his head towards me, "wait, doesn't that mean that I also look like this actor?"

"Yes, it's remarkable really," I smiled with a shrug, "but welcome to the noughties where everyone looks like someone, I know of at least five doppelgangers that I have."

I stepped away from the window and turned to face him, giving him a brief once over.

"As I said everyone looks like someone these days, in fact my brother's girlfriend looks remarkably like Edith from the pictures I've seen of her."

"She does?"

The way is eyes softened made my stomach clench a little and a pang of guilt pulled at me harshly, I hadn't meant to trudge up old feelings with that comment.

"She does, I mean who knows? Maybe she's a descendant of her bloodline."

"Do you think I'll see her one day?"

"Don't even think of perving on my brother's girlfriend."

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in an expression of shock and offense, a look that I couldn't recall seeing before from him and that admittedly made me laugh.

"Do you truly think I am of that sort?"

"To be fair I barely know you in that regard," I grinned in response, heading towards the kitchen.

Thomas stayed behind and one look over my shoulder showed that he had taken up my previous spot in the window, no doubt watching the new neighbour moving his things in and out of his house.

I had been watching him for about fifteen minutes before Thomas showed up and had immediately noted the similarities between the two, despite the spirit being undeniably deader and my new neighbour having a rather chipper bounce to his step that was accompanied by a friendly smile as he worked.

From outside the sound of the movers calling back and forth to one another broke the silence that usually enveloped the street, by the sounds of it one of them had dropped something.

This was no surprise, moving rarely ever went smoothly and I only hoped that nothing of valuable had been dropped if that were the case.

"Are you going over to say hello?"

I flipped the switch on my kettle then turned to look at Thomas once again, leaning my back against the countertop and shrugging.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Why not?"

"You know I'm not good at approaching people," I sighed, pushing away from the side and opening the cupboard to take out one of the many mugs hidden inside. "I always worry that I'll be bothering someone."

He hummed a little as a response and let me go about preparing the components of my drink before speaking up again, his voice raised a little to talk over the bubbling water inside the kettle.

"I think you should."

"And why is that?"

"You could use some friends."

"I have plenty of friends!" I cry defensively, looking at him as if he had just slapped me with the biggest revelation of the century.

"Perhaps, but not many 'close' friends."

"Of course I do, there's Leo and Bl-"

He let out a long sigh and shook his head, "No, I mean in proximity, ones you can meet with regularly."

My mouth falls into a silent 'oh' and I could only give a strange mixture of a shrug and a nod in reply.

Thomas was right after all.

One of my best friends lived in another country, my other was only an hour away by train but worked so often I barely got to see him.

Naturally I had work friends, but our schedules were usually so tied up that we went out maybe one every few months and whilst those nights were great it wouldn't hurt to have someone who was nearer and easier to visit.

The kettle switch clicks to indicate that the water had finished boiling and I begin to pour the steaming liquid into my mug, all the while thinking of how you would even approach a new neighbour in a way that didn't seem to come out of an old film.

Over the years I'd had new neighbours, but only once had it been a case of all smiles and offers of cake and that when I'd first moved into Ye Olde Crimson Peak, as I liked to call it much to Thomas' chagrin.

"Wait," I paused momentarily in my stirring, looking back at Thomas, "why do you care how many friends I have?"

"Well, I believe it is good for everyone to have a social life that extends further than the peculiar gadgets you have these days."

I watched him as he spoke, the way his eyes shifted and his shoulder hunched made me narrow my eyes a little.

"There's something about that guy that intrigues you, isn't there?"

"Pardon?"

"You've never cared about my socialising habits before and now a neighbour turns up, who so far seems to look like you and suddenly you want me to 'make friends'."

Thomas stared at me for a moment before shaking his head and huffing.

"Okay, so perhaps he does intrigue me, but I have my reasons."

"And what reasons would they be?"

"As of yet, I'm unsure."

Thomas disappeared without another word and left me alone in my kitchen, warm mug clasped in my hands and a million questions buzzing in my head.