Soft love

The move

"Gabriella! Did you see my football gear somewhere?", Andrew shouted. I sigh. "Nooo, stop asking if I have your stuff! I don't!" The girls on the phone start to laugh. "Is Andrew's packing as chaotic as his love life?",  Ria asks. I grin. "It's gonna be fun to see his shenanigans in a new environment." "I wish I could see it," Alice laughs, "but you would think that after all this time, he'd have figured out what not to do or say to a girl." I could hear Andrew curse through the walls. I guess he hid his stuff well. "I highly doubt it, personally..." 

After giving the girls a videotour of the house, I helped dad move his gardening supplies in the garden shed. "Hi, there!" A woman approached, waving. "Are you the new neighbours? My name is Emma, I live nextdoors." My dad immediately shook hands with the woman. "It's nice to meet you Emma, I'm Mark and this is my daughter Gabriella." She smiled. "We're holding a party for the neighbours at our house tonight. I know it's a bit last minute but you're welcome to join! We're just gonna light the grill and take the first dip of the summer in the swimming pool." She looked at me then. "I have a son around your age, I think, I'm sure he'd be glad to help you get settled at school and stuff like that." I smile awkwardly, "That'd be nice, thank you". My dad interferes my awkward moment. "That's great! I think we can make it for tonight, the move is going smoothly. My wife is just picking up some paint while my son is unpacking..." "Sounds good, then I'll see you tonight!"

After finishing the shed, I get back to my room and open my laptop to search for a new mirror in my room. My old one sadly didn't survive the move. While I was deciding on a golden or black frame, I heard a guy's voice through my open window. I peak outside and see a guy in shorts, warming up for a run. Since he was shirtless, i could see his toned back. When he turned, I had to hold my breath. I expected him to look muscular but ... he was also incredibly handsome. I could see the dimples when he smiled, his hair shining like liquid chocolate. "Yeah, you need to come tonight mate, I heard the new neighbours are coming too"..."Yeah. Mom invited them, said she saw a girl and a man. And her brother plays football, so we'll meet him anyway."..."Yeaah, my mom said she was really pretty so... wear your best" His friend must've said something because the guy burst out laughing. I quickly jumped to the floor. Shit. I hope he didn't see me. "Alright, I'm gonna run, I'll see you tonight." I exhaled. Then I closed the window and called the girls again. 

"Girls, sorry to call again so shortly but ... I need help.""What's wrong girl? Do we need to hop on a plane?",  Alice asked. That calmed me down a bit, it wasn't that bad. "No no no, we got invited to a barbecue and pool party at the neighbours' place tonight. And they have a son. And he is hot, like HOT hot." Of course, the girls first needed a detailed explanation of what happened after this morning's videotour, but ultimately, an outfit was chosen. "Damn girl, if he sees you in that summer dress, he won't know what's happening to him." Alice laughed. "Until he sees the bikini, I think he'll have an idea by then." I grinned, reassured by their compliments. I do look good, I think, but most importantly, I feel good. I put on my nice perfume, a light yellow summer dress with pink flowers on it and some pink lipstick. And underneath, I'm wearing my light yellow bikini. I'm feeling good. 

Emma lets us in when we ring the bell and directly shows us around. My mom only needed to see the running shoes in the hallway to start a conversation. I've got a feeling they will be running buddies in no time. Emma then introduced us to her husband, Rick, and finally, she called her son over. "Louis, come over here! Meet the neighbours!" He turned and for the second time today, took my breath away. From up close, I could see his eyes sparkling and the freckles on his cheeks. "Hi, it's nice to meet you guys", he said. My brother, the socialite  that he is, directly started talking football with the guy, following him back to the grill. I sighed, a bit disappointed, when a little tornado passed me. "Mommy, mommy, where are my pretty shoes?!" Emma laughed at her daughter, who, admittedly looks a bit like a mess, her hair going in all directions and shirt inside out. "This is my daughter, Ella", she said, "Come on darling, let's get your hair fixed first". "I want my hair to be pretty like hers!", she shouted, pointing at me. "I can braid it if you want?", I proposed. The girl smiled from ear to ear.