“Do you wanna get it?” Dad asked, walking to the front door as he pointed to the closed door while looking at me, and I just shook my head furiously, the introvert in me wanting to stay behind the protection of the stair railings.
God, dad. Open it already. It might seem weird that we’re taking so much time answering the door, and I want to see?—
Oh, heck. The new neighbor’s cute.
Our door is now open, and I make a mental note to thank my dad later for seemingly connecting two and two together, staying at a specific position with the door wide open so I can see the new guy.
“Good evening, can I help you?” My dad said as he greeted Mr. Cutie, pretending not to know the information I just provided him.
“Good evening, sir. I’m Nero Combs. My mom and I just moved into the place in front of yours,” he replied, looking nervous when he pointed to said building with his thumb over his shoulder as if my dad didn’t pick up that it’s the house behind Mr. Cutie. “And, uh, well, my mom’s cooking dinner, and she asked me to give this to you. It’s beef brisket. My mom’s specialty. We’re hoping you could accept us into this neighborhood. We come in peace.”
Standing there under the glow of our porch light was a guy with what I’m imagining is supposed to be light brown hair, a very defined nose, and if I squint and focus enough, I could see the most beautiful—blue? No. Green?—eyes I’ve ever seen in reallife. He had tan skin, and when he smiled briefly at my dad, I saw a hint of dimples on his cheeks.
My dad chuckled at Mr. Brisket Cutie’s introduction and accepted the dish in his hands. “Oh, thank you for your offering. I will discuss with the homeowners’ association whether or not we find the brisket worthy. But for now, welcome to the neighborhood, Nero.”
If Dad is responding to Nero with humor, it is safe to assume that he enjoyed Nero’s mini-speech.
“Oh, by the way, I’m Hoyt,” Dad continued, and I couldn’t stop my snort at the mention of his name because, one, he’s just Dad to me, two, can we agree that the name ‘Hoyt’ sounds funny?
It doesn’t even sound like a name.
It sounds more like a random noise. Hoyt.
And three, imagine my shock when I was watching Friends, one of my favorite sitcoms, and Joey Tribbiani came up with a fake guy named like my dad.
“And that girl who finds my name funny is my daughter, Cosette.”
Well, Houston, I think they heard my snort from where they’re standing.
Nero’s eyes found mine, and I think my heart just skipped a beat, maybe two or more, cause uh-oh, I think I’m dead, and what I’m looking at are the eyes of an angel.
“Hi,” Nero mouthed at me with his hand raised in a half-wave, and I returned it with my own, adding a smile that I hoped made me look friendly, however small it was.
After a few seconds that felt like a lifetime, in the end, I mustered up some courage to open my mouth and say something, not wanting to look awkward while they’re both still looking at me. “Are… are you going to Fallen Oaks?”
“Yeah,” he said loud enough that I could hear from where I was sitting, and he grinned at me again, and oh God. It’s real. They’re real.
Breaking news: he really does have dimples.
“Cool,” I mutter, moving to rest my elbows on my knees to make my palm cover my huge-ass smile.
How can I not smile when, in that second, his attention was all on me? When his eyes were seeing nothing but me? I tried to savor the moment, however short it was, and I’m so glad I did when I had the chance.
Because in an instant, his eyes shifted to something… or someone behind me in the stairway. I followed his gaze, and I saw Andy locking eyes with Nero.
She was wearing a very different set of clothes from the pajamas she had been wearing just earlier, and I’m glad she took the time to change. Her entering his line of vision a bit late gave me a brief moment in time when Nero looked at me, and didn’t have feelings towards Andy.
A brief moment in time when I felt like there was a chance that the fat best friend gets the guy.
Because since then? Yeah, he may talk to me and may glance my way every now and then. We even joke around as close friends normally do. But ever since that night, the looks and the words that mattered were all reserved for Andy.
Since that night, he has only ever loved her.
My best friend.
1
COSETTE
