Chapter 22: The New Neighbor Next Door
I woke from my impromptu afternoon nap with a start, having heard a noise downstairs. My eyes were sluggish to respond, so I propped myself on my elbow to scan my room. Seeing nothing, I flopped back down and sighed in relief as my muscles relaxed. My limbs felt like I was wading through mud, and my mind was groggy. I probably woke up mid-sleep cycle, and my body struggled to catch up. Probably.
I turned my head to the left, felt the cool pillow against my cheek, and breathed in the scent of my fabric softener with a contented sigh. My covers were tangled around my thick thighs and squishy waist, but I was comfortable and warm. I had stripped off my jeans and t-shirt and put on a flowing black tank top and sleep shorts before falling into the midday nap. My eyes drifted closed again and I let my mind wander back to the memory my dreams were reliving from meeting my new neighbor this morning...
***
I smoothed the front of my colorful sundress, grabbed the basket of homemade baked goods I had spent all morning baking, and headed out the door. It was a warm spring morning. The sun was hot against my skin, and I knew today would be a good day.
Yesterday I had watched in rapt fascination as my new neighbor carried moving boxes from the U-Haul to his house. It was a hot day so by midmorning he had taken his shirt off, and the sweat shined like tiny diamonds against his light brown skin, and soft, but clearly defined, muscular upper body. I watched him run a hand through his curly black hair and wondered what he did for a living; if he had a wife (he wasn't wearing a ring), and what his hobbies were. I wanted to know all I could about my new handsome neighbor.
Today I was determined to stop ogling from afar and introduce myself. I walked across my lawn to his and approached the door. I hoped I hadn't come too early, he was probably still unboxing and had everything in a mess. Maybe I could offer my help? Surely that's a good excuse to be here that early. I sighed, put on a small smile, and rang the doorbell.
I heard the muted rustling of bubble wrap and boxes, and then an eye peeked out from the side window. His eyes crinkled slightly from an unseen smile, and the door opened. My neighbor grinned and seemed to look me up and down as I did the same to him: he had ruffled curly hair that fell about chin length, a freshly shaven face, and was wearing comfortable grey sweatpants and a blue t-shirt with a company logo printed on the top left. His face was flushed from unpacking and his feet were bare. Oh dear, I definitely interrupted his morning unpacking.
Pushing the thought aside, I smiled and talked too fast, "Hi! I'm your next-door neighbor, Sarah. You're probably busy, but I wanted to drop off a little housewarming gift. You know, a few snacks while you're getting your bearings and all that."
He smiled back, "No, no, you're fine! I'm Ben. Come on in." Ben gestured me inside pushing aside a small pile of bubble wrap. "The previous homeowners told me that the neighborhood was very friendly, it's one of the reasons I decided on this house even though it's a little big for just me. I used to live in the city, and no one talked to each other there. Not exactly the place where I imagined myself settling down."
Ben led me through the maze of boxes to the kitchen and I set the basket down on the center island. I sat on a bar stool, "Yeah, the Smiths were so kind. They were the ones to introduce me to the neighborhood when I moved into my grandmother's house next door. They moved to be closer to their grandbabies."
"How sweet! This is a beautiful house; they took good care of it." Ben gestured towards the basket, "This looks delicious. Are those blueberry muffins?"
