Between Us

Chapter 1

A/N: hi hi, I'm back again with another story. I don't want to limit myself to writing only a certain type of story soooo yeah, hope you guys enjoy this one!

Updates are two chapters every Tuesday and Friday OR whenever I feel like updating!

***

I peered over the grey oak fence, making sure my head wasn't entirely visible. I needed to make sure I wasn't found out, after all. There was no way I wanted to be labelled as a stalker only two weeks after I'd moved into the neighbourhood.

Not gonna happen.

There he is, I thought, trying to conceal a gasp. Jordan. My neighbour. Well, he was the neighbour after the one right in between us, but who cared about that? With his dark hair shaved close to his head, and his smooth dark brown skin glistening under the morning sun, I was practically drooling. His white teeth blinded me as he tended to the garden bed out front. I tried to conceal a sigh. He was so good-looking and so kind to his dogs and me.

"What're you doing?" a voice said behind me.

Startled, I screamed and stood up and away from the fence. My all-time best friend Sai stood there with a smirk on her round face. Her dyed blonde hair with streaks of dark green made her stand out in any crowd.

"W-What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Clearing my throat, I manoeuvred my way around her and toward the first few steps to the front porch of my new house. "You weren't supposed to be coming until next Monday."

"I figured I'd come visit you earlier. I had nothing better to do at home." She looked over at the fence. "But it looks like you're too busy ogling hot dudes out here."

"I have better things to do than stare at guys."

"Right, because I didn't just catch you out here doing exactly that."

I pursed my lips and crossed my arms against my chunky yellow bee-designed cardigan. "It's not my fault I was homeschooled for years. It's been a long time since I've seen a guy at all."

Sai pulled her bow-shaped lips down into a mocking pout, placing her hands on my cheeks. "Aww, is my poor Shyla baby restless? Do you write about him in your diary?"

A laugh bubbled up my throat and out of my lips. Doing the same thing to her, I smushed her cheeks together. "Maybe I do," I said, my words muffled from her grip on my face. "Only special people get featured in my diary."

Sai rolled her eyes, letting her hands drop from my face. "Who is he?"

My cheeks blazed. "Jordan. He's one of my...clients."

"Your client?" asked Sai with a delicately raised brow.

"I walk two of his dogs. I've established myself as the neighbourhood's dog walker. Kinda."

"Riiiight. The way you were staring at him tells me you're more on the way to becoming the neighbourhood's residential stalker."

"I'll gladly take that label with pride!"

She crossed her arms. "Just ask the dude out already. You're going to college after the summer is up, right? You'll get plenty of chance to experience guys there, too."

The smile faded away from my face, and the sun that had felt warm and playful was suddenly unbearably hot. "I don't know about that," I said. "Once school starts I'm going to focus on my studies."

"That's what you've always done, Shyla."

"And that's what imma continue to do."

"Please don't ever say that again." I stuck my tongue out at her. Then she added, "But I think you should go for it."