Savannah’s POV
I wake to the jarring rumble of the moving van – *vrrr*. Couldn’t they have installed a silencer? I roll my eyes and glance at the clock: 10:00 AM. Shit. I was supposed to be at work by nine.
Being an hour late, I might as well take my time getting ready.
I reach for my phone, and four messages pop up. The first two are from Max, the restaurant owner…
Max: Where are you? Max: You’re lucky I value you more than I value an employee.
Savannah: Chill, I’ll be there in an hour. Max: An hour? Forget it. I want you here in ten minutes.
Is he crazy? How can I get ready in ten minutes? I’m not listening. I’ll take my time.
He’s my uncle; he won’t mind.
I head straight into the shower, then blow-dry my dark brown hair, quickly apply makeup, and change.
I grab a breakfast bar and head for the front door when my mom steps in front of me, blocking my path.
She stares at me with a big smile. I raise my eyebrows, prompting her to speak. “Make sure you finish early today, around four.”
How is that possible when I’m already late? I nod anyway, offering her hope. “Okay, I will.” I swerve past her, waving goodbye without questioning why.
As I drive, I wonder why she was so happy. She didn’t yell at me for being late, didn’t launch into a lecture. Something’s going on.
After my shift, I arrive home unintentionally thirty minutes late, exhausted. My uncle made me work relentlessly to compensate for my tardiness and the early finish. It makes sense, but damn, I need a vacation already.
I can’t wait to collapse on the sofa and binge-watch Netflix. I deserve a chilled afternoon.
I walk into the front room and see five faces turn towards me with big smiles.
“Come and welcome our guests, honey. They’re our new next-door neighbors,” my mom says, my dad seated beside her. I recognize my older brother among the three other faces.
Wait.
My brother?!
I rarely see him since he moved away years ago for his studies.
I turn to him. “Adam! It’s been so long. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were visiting!”
He stands, hugging me. “What do you mean? I messaged you I was coming over.” He laughs softly.
I’d been so rushed today, I hadn’t checked all my messages.
Adam continues, pulling me from my thoughts. “And I’m not just visiting. I’m living next door.”
“Wait, permanently?”
“Yeah. I finished uni and figured I’d move back. My friends are moving in with me.” He turns towards the other two guys.
One of them steps forward, offering his hand. “Hey, I’m Theo, nice to meet you.” I take a moment to look him over. He’s gorgeous—lightly tanned skin, soft brown hair, dark eyes that seem to see right through me, and a tall, muscular build. He must be used to stares.
Wow.
Theo.
What am I doing? I can’t be acting like this with other people around.
I quickly shake his hand. “Nice to meet you too. I’m Savannah.”
The other guy steps forward, a striking face. Well-defined features, a sharp jaw, angular cheekbones. His skin tone complements his deep, dark blue eyes—almost black. His dirty blonde hair is messy, but suits him. “Hello. I’m Matthew, but call me Matt.” He offers his hand too. What’s with these guys and handshakes?
I shake back. “Hey, I’m Savannah, as you’ve heard.”
My dad claps his hands together. “So… these are the neighbors.”
My next-door neighbors.
After an hour of chatting, my parents head to the dining room to prepare dinner. That’s when my brother seizes his chance, pulling me into a headlock and messing up my hair. “Oww, stop! You’re hurting my head!” I cry out.
I hear laughter from Matt and Theo, some louder than others. I glare at them for watching me suffer.
Adam is roaring with laughter, oblivious to the damage he’s causing. “That’s what you get for not seeing my message.” He finally lets me go.
“That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard,” I reply, fixing my hair, remembering the messages I still haven’t checked.
I pull my phone from my pocket.
Adam: Guess who’s coming over? Oh, and living next to you for the rest of your life hahaha.
He’s going to annoy me forever.
The other message is from Callum, a classmate. He has brown hair, usually gelled back, but I prefer it loose—it looks softer and suits him better. He’s not overly muscular, but fit, and handsome.
The downside? For the past two weeks, he’s messaged me every night asking for a ‘surprise’. Ugh.
It doesn’t surprise me that his message at midnight read…
Callum: Hey babe, want some fun?
I sigh. No thanks.
Savannah: Hey, I was busy.
I reply anyway. He’s popular, and I’ve never had attention from a popular guy before. And I see potential—we could turn this into something good. Only time will tell.
After a while, my mom calls out that dinner is ready, prompting the guys to head to the dining room. I’m scrolling through Instagram when I realize everyone is waiting for me, so I quickly head for the door.
That’s when I bump into Theo, feeling nothing but firm muscles. His clothes don’t do him justice. He clears his throat, bringing me back to reality. I loosen my fingers that were clenched on his top and stare up at him, blush creeping up my cheeks. “Sorry,” I mumble. I try to step back, but his hand on my lower back keeps me in place. His eyes dive deeper into mine, then flicker to my lips before returning to my eyes.
He shakes his head and finally removes his hand from me. “Oh, uh, sorry.”
I need to get out of here. My body temperature is increasing every second I’m close to him. I start to move past him, but he gently holds my wrist. “What was bothering you earlier?” he asks.
I blink a few times and look at him, puzzled. “What? What do you mean?”
“What was on your phone that bothered you so much?”
Why does he want to know? I don’t even know him. “Oh, it doesn’t ma—”
“Yo, we’re waiting here!” Adam shouts from the dining room.
“We’re on our way,” Theo replies, walking to the room with me following behind.
As I enter the room, Adam looks at me suspiciously. “What took you so long?”
Theo speaks for me. “She was stuck on her phone, barely noticed I was there.”
“I’m not surprised. She’s never off that thing,” my mom adds, giving me a pointed look. Great.
The only seat available is opposite Theo. This is going to be awkward.
However, dinner was surprisingly chilled. I was sick of Adam’s bad jokes and my parents’ embarrassing childhood stories, but it wasn’t as awkward as I expected. Every now and then, I caught Theo looking at me, but he’d quickly look away.
It’s now 9 PM. The guys are watching a movie in the living room, and as I’m about to join them, my mom approaches me. “Will you do the dishes for us, please, sweetie? Your father and I are exhausted arranging everything for tonight.”
I’m exhausted too, but my parents seem more drained than me. “Yeah, okay.”
“Thanks, kid.” My dad pats my shoulder before heading upstairs with my mom.