The Neighbor Nextdoor
797 Words
The next few days passed quietly or at least, Candice tried to convince herself they did.
She had seen her new neighbor a few times since that first encounter. Kai Donovan. That name rolled in her mind like a song she couldn’t forget.
He was polite, distant, and always seemed to appear when she least expected him. Once by the mailbox. Once at the diner again sitting in the same corner seat, sipping the same black coffee, and watching her like she was the only person in the room.
Candice told herself it was harmless. Maybe he was just lonely. Maybe he was just curious. But deep down, she knew there was something about him that wasn’t… ordinary.
There was something about his stillness the way he moved without sound, the way his eyes sometimes caught the light like glass, the way he never stayed in the sunlight for too long.
And when he smiled, it was almost too perfect. Too controlled.
It was Friday night, and the diner was busier than usual. Couples filled the booths, laughter mixing with the sound of clinking glasses and sizzling grills. Candice was running orders when she felt it the weight of someone’s gaze.
She turned.
Kai sat there again, same corner, same quiet expression, that faint half-smile that both unsettled and fascinated her.
“You really like our coffee,” she teased lightly as she approached.
His lips curved slightly. “Maybe it’s not the coffee I’m coming back for.”
Her heart skipped. “Oh? Then what is it?”
He didn’t answer right away. His eyes lingered on her face, searching, almost like he was remembering something or someone. Then softly, he said, “Maybe it’s the view.”
Her cheeks flushed. She laughed awkwardly, trying to brush off the sudden tension. “You have a strange way of complimenting people, Mr. Donovan.”
“I’ve been told that before,” he said.
Their conversation was interrupted when the bell above the door jingled. Candice turned toward the entrance, her manager calling her name. By the time she looked back, Kai had already stood up, leaving a few bills on the table and that same strange, fleeting smile.
Later that night, after closing, Candice walked home under the soft glow of the streetlights. The air was cool, the kind that carried whispers from the woods nearby.
She could almost hear her parents’ voices again the laughter, the warmth and for a moment, she closed her eyes, pretending everything was normal.
Then a sound a soft rustle behind her.
Her eyes snapped open.
“Hello?”
No answer. Just silence.
Candice tightened her grip on her bag, quickened her pace.
Then she saw him.
Kai was standing near his porch, hands in his pockets, watching her from the shadows.
Her heart pounded. “You scared me!”
He took a step closer, his tone calm, almost apologetic. “I didn’t mean to. You shouldn’t walk alone this late. Mystic Falls isn’t always safe.”
Her breath caught at the way he said it too certain, too knowing.
“You talk like you’ve lived here forever,” she said, half-joking, half-curious.
His eyes flickered with something she couldn’t name. “Maybe I have. In a way.”
She tilted her head. “You’re weird, you know that?”
“Maybe.” He smiled faintly. “But you’re brave. Most people wouldn’t walk home alone at midnight.”
Candice shrugged. “After everything I’ve been through, fear feels… overrated.”
Something shifted in his expression. Guilt. Regret. Sadness.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he said quietly.
Her eyes met his. “How do you know that?”
Kai hesitated, as if realizing he’d said too much. “I just… can tell.”
For a long moment, they stood there, the night pressing in around them, the silence heavy with words neither dared to speak.
Then Candice smiled faintly. “Well, thanks for the concern, Mr. Donovan. I’ll try not to get eaten by the town’s monsters.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Be careful, Candice. Monsters aren’t always what they seem.”
She laughed softly, turning toward her door. “Goodnight, Kai.”
“Goodnight,” he murmured, his voice low, almost tender.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
And outside, Kai’s gaze lingered on her window long after the lights went out.
He whispered to the dark, “I promised I’d never hurt another human again. Not her. Never her.”
But deep inside, he knew the truth.
He had already hurt her once.
He just didn’t know she was still the girl from that night.
In Mystic Falls, even love has teeth. And the dead never stay buried for long.
- Writer
