My Prince Next Door & Seven Reasons Why Not - #OnceUponNow

Chapter 2 - Rapunzel, Rapunzel...

                 

I push open my bedroom window and allow the summer night to wash over me. The sky is an inky blue, the sliver of a moon lost in the clouds, and crickets keep the quiet away. I rest my elbows on the sill and pretend I'm a princess trapped in the tower by seven evil dragons like I did when I was a little girl. It's silly because my brothers are far from evil—they love me. I smile to myself—they love me too much. If they didn't, I wouldn't have been caught up in Mission Get-Gwen-a-Boyfriend. Mission Impossible.

I sigh and withdraw from the window.

"Hey."

I pop my head back out my window and lean out, checking the windows on either side of mine. Both dark. I wouldn't put it past my brothers to play a practical joke on me, but it's summer so they have better things to do.

"Over here."

I raise my gaze in the direction of the voice and seated in the sill of the neighbor's second floor window slightly diagonal from mine is Hot Neighbor Boy. I gasp.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

A light flickers on in the first floor window beneath him, the sounds of dishes clattering from a kitchen, and illuminates his face. A broad grin touches his lips—he's got a nice smile. One that makes me smile back.

"So, uh, thanks for the flan."

I nod, because that's what I seem to be good at.

He continues talking like my lame silence isn't weird. "It was good. So good I'll probably polish it off tonight."

"Thanks." That's right, keep it simple.

"I'm Parker." Silence stretches between us. Parker's brow crinkles and then he grins again. "And you are?"

"Oh! I'm, uh, Gwen. Yep, I'm Gwen."

"Nice to meet you, Gwen." More awkward silence, but Parker doesn't appear to mind. "So is everyone in this neighborhood as welcoming as you?"

"Yeah, pretty much." I glance at my brothers' windows to be sure they're still dark. So far so good. "Don't mind Ms. Hobbs across the street, she doesn't like anyone."

"Noted."

"And my brothers."

Parker's eyes widen.

I laugh. "No, don't get me wrong. They're great brothers. All seven of—"

"Seven?"

I press my lips together and suppress a smile. "You're probably wondering how we all fit in this house."

"Actually, no. But now that you mention it..." He scratches his jaw like the stubble on his face itches. Suddenly I wish it were daytime so I could see what color his eyes are or if his hair is dark blond or light brown. "I'm more interested in why your brothers aren't too friendly."

"Did I say they weren't?" It's not that they aren't friendly; they just aren't too nice to boys that talk to me, but I don't say that out loud.

"We were getting to that."

"Right." I shake my head. "I think I'm the one scaring you now."

"Maybe a little."

"Parker!"

Parker turns toward the sound of his name then back to me. "Duty calls. I have company to say goodnight to." He shifts off his window sill then leans over the empty space between our houses. We've only spoken for a couple of minutes, but the silence between us is both comforting and nerve-racking. "Hope to see you around, Gwen," he says after we stare at each other for a second too long, and then he disappears into his darkened room.

I fall back into my desk chair, my heart refusing to do much else than flap around in my chest like a caged bird. There's only one thing left for me to do. I grab my phone and text Blair.

Me: He talked to me. What do we do next?