First Awkward Meeting
665 Words
The next morning, Amelia woke to the sound of Lily singing.
Loudly. Very loudly.
Amelia groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow.
"Mama!"
The singing stopped.
A second later, tiny feet thundered down the hallway.
"Mama, wake up!"
Amelia cracked one eye open.
"What time is it?"
Lily appeared beside the bed.
"Morning."
"Very helpful sweetheart."
Lily grinned.
"I think our neighbor is outside."
That got Amelia's attention.
She sat up.
"What?"
"The handsome one."
Amelia nearly choked.
"Lily!"
"What?" her daughter asked innocently.
"You can't call people handsome."
"Why not?"
Amelia opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"I just... it’s just… you just can't."
Lily looked unconvinced.
"Okay." Which meant she would absolutely do it again.
Amelia got dressed and prepared breakfast while Lily continued talking about their new neighbor.
Apparently Adrian had become the most interesting person in the house overnight.
By the time Amelia left for work, she had heard seventeen theories about his life.
Maybe he was a movie star.
Maybe he was a secret agent.
Maybe he was a pirate.
Amelia wasn't entirely sure where the pirate theory had come from.
As they stepped outside, Amelia froze.
Adrian was standing on a ladder.
A very tall ladder.
A very tall, unstable ladder.
And judging by the expression on his face, things were not going well.
"What exactly are you doing?" Amelia asked.
Adrian looked down.
His eyes immediately found hers.
And for one brief moment, everything else seemed to disappear.
Then the ladder wobbled.
Violently.
Adrian grabbed the side.
Amelia gasped.
Lily squealed.
The ladder tilted.
And before anyone could react...crash!
Adrian landed directly in a rose bush.
For three seconds, complete silence filled the street.
Then Lily burst out laughing. The kind of laughter that came from deep in the soul. Amelia tried to remain serious.
She truly did.
But one look at Adrian sitting among crushed roses ruined her efforts. A laugh escaped her lips.
Adrian stared at them.
Then he started laughing too.
"Glad I could entertain everyone."
Lily ran over.
"That was amazing."
"Thank you," Adrian replied dryly.
"I practice falling every Thursday."
Lily nodded. "You're very good at it," she said.
Amelia shook her head.
"I assume you're not hurt?"
"Only my pride and dignity."
"That's unfortunate."
His mouth curved into a smile.
"I was trying to hang a bird feeder."
Amelia glanced toward the crooked feeder dangling from the tree.
"It appears the bird feeder won."
"It was a close battle."
Another laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
Something warm flickered in Adrian's eyes.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The morning sunlight caught the gold flecks hidden within his dark eyes.
Amelia suddenly became aware of how close they were standing.
Far too close.
Close enough to notice the faint scent of cedarwood and rain.
Close enough to notice the way his gaze lingered on her.
Heat crept into her cheeks.
She stepped back immediately.
Adrian looked away first.
As though he had felt it too.
Thankfully, Lily remained completely oblivious.
"Can we keep him, Mommy?"
Both adults froze.
"What?" Amelia sputtered.
Lily pointed at Adrian.
"He's funny."
Adrian pressed both hands against his chest.
"I've never received a greater compliment."
"Lily," Amelia warned.
"What?"
"We are not keeping our neighbor."
"Why not?" Lily asked.
Why not?
Because Amelia already felt dangerously aware of him.
Because she hadn't looked at a man this way in years.
Because every instinct told her this handsome stranger was going to complicate her life in ways she couldn’t possibly imagine.
Instead she simply said, "because neighbors aren't pets."
"Oh." Lily thought about that.
Then she looked at Adrian.
"Would you like to be adopted anyway?"
Adrian laughed so hard he nearly fell into the rose bush again.
And despite every wall Amelia had spent years building around her heart...she found herself smiling.
For the first time in a very long time, the future didn't feel quite so lonely.
- Writer
