Dear Neighbor Boy,

Turkey and Mashed Potatoes With a Side of Sexual Tension

*Hazel's pov*

"No, not there! On this side of the table!" Jason yelled at me as I tried to figure out where to put the gravy.

Today was Thanksgiving and we invited the Grey family over for dinner. We were all freaking out because the were coming in an hour.

"Finn, get your lazy little butt over here!" my mom yelled when she saw that he was sitting on his phone instead of taking the turkey out of the oven.

"Relax, mom. They still have to take the time to drive over here." Finn rolled his eyes.

My mom gritted through her teeth,"They're. Our. Neighbors." That got Finn standing and helping in no time.

We all helped my mom make food because we were all pretty good cooks. When our parents got divorced, my mom had a hard time finding motivation to cook, so we all took turns. There were seven kids and seven days of the week so it worked out. Leo was too young to cook on his own though, so Cameron got two days and Leo helped on one of them.

"Okay, everything looks good," my mom sighed,"Now everyone, go get ready."

We all raced to our rooms to get dressed. We all showered earlier so that our hair had time to dry.

I put on a knitted long sleeved shirt with warm toned stripes, a light brown denim skirt, light black pantyhose, brown leather boots, and autumn leaf earrings. I touched up the look with a brown knitted scarf. I decided to wear mascara, lipgloss, and highlighter. I didn't feel the need for anything else.

I ran into the bathroom and brushed my teeth for like the tenth time that day. I brushed my hair and curled it a bit so that it was wavy.

I finished the last curl as I heard the doorbell ring. My mom ran downstairs to open the door.

"Hello, Mrs. and Mr. Grey! Hi, Asher! Hi, Ava! Hi, Jaxon!" I heard my mom shout from downstairs. It was a signal to let us know we had to come down.

I ran into each of my brother's rooms to call them down. "They're here." I passed through each room as if I were Paul Revere announcing the arrival of the British.

We all walked downstairs as casually as we could in the little crowd we formed. We huddled together because we felt comfortable that way.

"Hey, kids. Come say hi." My mom gestured towards the Grey family. We shuffled forward in our huddle as we greeted everyone.

I shook Mr. and Mrs. Grey's hands. I never formally greeted or talked to Ava and Jaxon so I shook their hands as well. It was pretty awkward until I got to Asher.

I was going to turn away instead of greeting him just to push his buttons, but he turned me right back around, and lifted me up into a bonecrushing hug. I won't lie, though. I sort of kinda maybe almost liked it a teeny weeny little bit. "Hey, Princess."

It was very surprising that he did this because just not too long ago, my very existence annoyed him to no end.

"Asher...I... can't...breathe..." His eyes widened and he set me back down. When I regained my access to oxygen, I looked up at him and flashed a grin.

"Shall we get started with dinner? It's already seven-thirty." My mom hosted as she helped get everyone adjusted into the table.

Once everyone was seated and serving themselves food, the little conversations started going around the table.

I was seated with Asher on my right side and Leo on my left. Asher and I mostly just teased each other. "Nice leaves you got there. Did you take them from the tree outside?" He tried to suppress a grin as he lightly flicked my earring.