Boy Next Door ✔

chapter two

C A L E B 

It was a Sunday morning and I was sitting in front of my desk, tapping the end of my pen against the table repeatedly while staring down at the empty pages of my new journal. Journaling was a hobby I had taken up halfway through the beginning of high-school. For me, like many, high-school was one of the worst times of my life. 

I was a closeted gay and had to sit with my 'friends', or so I considered them to be, during lunch and listen to them ramble about how disgusting homosexuals were and how they had a very special place in hell reserved just for them. In my second year of high-school, I finally came out and then it felt like my special place in hell had found me way too soon on the grounds of this very Earth that I walk on.

I was bullied days on end. Not physically, but mentally - and in all honesty, I would've preferred the physical beating over the rapid ego depletion. And since my parents were dedicated Catholics and open homophobes as well, I had no one to confide in other than a journal. Since then, I've never given up the hobby. 

I pressed the tip of the ballpoint pen against the blank page when my phone began to vibrate on the desk. In a state of hurry, I answered the call without bothering to check the caller ID. 

"Hello?" I spoke.

"Caleb! How are you?" a very familiar voice on the other end responded. 

Immediately, a smile found its way onto my face, "I'm good, Aunt Beth. Thank you for asking. How about you?" Aunt Beth was the first person in my family that I came out to. She was also the only person in my family who accepted me for me despite being a dedicated Catholic herself. Since my parents had very obviously given up on me, she would regularly ring me or text me to make sure I was doing okay and I wasn't overworking myself - to the point where I began to consider her my mother and my actual mother a stranger that I was being forced to live with.

"I'm good. You didn't text me after you had moved in so I got a little worried. How are you finding your new place?"

"It's all I could've ever asked for," I responded, the grin never leaving my face. "The room is small but it's convenient and comfortable as well."

"I'm glad to hear that. I wrote you a letter, you must have received it by now. I included your new address. Why don't you go check the mail, dear?"

"A letter? Aunt Beth, who writes letters anymore? You could have just texted me," I chuckled.

"I'm not letting the art of letter writing die and neither should you," she responded. "Now I'll give you a break. Don't forget to drink plenty of water and get enough rest."

Before hanging up, I thanked her for ringing me to check up on me and requested her to convey my regards to my parents. Even though I didn't consider them my family anymore, I believed it was what a responsible and mature person would do in my situation. 

I tucked my phone into my pocket when the thing about the letter came back into my mind. Following this, I stood up and sauntered out of the room - making sure to shut the door behind me, before strolling all the way to the elevator so I could reach the ground floor to get the letter. 

Just as the elevator doors were beginning to shut, the same boy that had bumped into Dustin placed his hand in between the doors and forced them open before stepping into the tiny compartment with me. 

I gulped.

Yes, I had seen this man before but that was only a mere glimpse. I couldn't even remember the colour of his hair after that. Now, seeing him up close, was a whole different story. I could barely contain the gay in me at the sight of him. 

His chestenut hair felt slightly above his chocolate eyes - complimented by his golden sun-tanned skin. There were specks of freckles all over his cheeks and nose, which added to his good looks. He was dressed in a black shirt, a pair of sweatpants and sneakers to top it all off. 

Though I was almost Dustin's height, and was considered tall, standing next to this man or boy - I felt like a garden gnome. 

He didn't even bother to give me a glance, he was too busy scrolling through his phone with his head hung low. So, for the first time in forever, I decided to make the first move. I cleared my throat to gain his attention - and when that didn't work, I continued to speak like a complete idiot, "Hi. I'm Caleb, I think I'm your new neighbour?"

What followed was silence. Minutes of dead, awkward silence. I simply stood there blinking at him in hopes that he would say something or even acknowledge my presence but he continued to stand there and stare at his phone. 

Is he deaf? Yeah, that might be it. 

"Hello?" he spoke in a deep, raspy voice, bringing his phone up to his ear right after I'd had that thought.

Forget it, he's not deaf. 

The elevator doors opened and he began to make his way out. I watched him leave, burning holes into the back of his head with my death glare.

He's just an asshole.