girl next door ✰ l.h.

10 || audrey

My neck jerked towards my bedroom door. I heard a faint squeaking from the hinges and what sounded like a few footsteps down the hall. I swallowed my fear as I became overwhelmed from the pounding in my chest.

My parents extended their stay one more night, so until 5pm tomorrow I was home alone. I closed my laptop and reached for my phone. I dialed Ashton, in hopes that I could converse my anxiety away. Straight to voicemail. I groaned in frustration and fear. I dialed again, and straight to voicemail it went.

I kicked my cover off of my legs and wrapped my arms around my cold body. I flipped my switch on to brightly illuminate my dim room. The mood of my light and pitch black scenario outside weren't helping my shaken self.

12:02am read my wall clock. Last night at this time I was drinking the night away with my friends. I furrowed my eyebrows as I stepped towards my window. My friends. It seemed I had brought in Luke and along with that came Michael. It was a pleasant surprise, though. Thinking back to last night, I was sure I would now be seeing Michael even more. That is, considering whatever happened between him and Kennedy last night.

I cringed at the playback of sheets rustling. The unpleasant taste in my mouth faded as I recalled sitting on my piano bench with Luke. He sang a song I had heard a hundred times and made it sound brand new. Luke was confident in himself and his musical ability and I really liked that. But perhaps it was the alcohol. It makes us all do desperate things.

I spread apart my curtain, the left side first then the right. I met Luke's brightened bedroom. He was awake, too, from what I could tell. Unless he sleeps with the lights on. But honestly, I think he was always awake.

My arms struggled to push up the old window. The cool breeze chilled my body even more. I looked to my right, my cup of pens empty. Then to my left, which was a small pack of staples. I peered up at his window, biting down on my lip. Before thinking and stopping myself, I tossed the packet at his window, startled by how loud it was.

I waited for a few seconds. A confused Luke had walked right up to his window. His eyes met mine, and his previous sharp expression had softened.

I watched as he opened his window, locking it once it reached the top.

"Where am I taking you tonight?" He knocked his elbows as he leaned out, pretending as if he didn't. He wasn't the smoothest, I've learned.

I giggled, "Nowhere." I turned around and looked over my shoulder, then back up at him. "This sounds really stupid, but I keep hearing weird noises in my house and it's freaking me out."

Luke titled his head, "I'm not a ghost hunter, but I think you can suck them up with a vacuum."

We both laughed, muffling our sounds with our hands in fear of waking others.

"Is that a self invite to help me do it?" I whispered. Luke rolled his eyes, looking down at the grass separating our homes.

"Will it be anything like last night?" He quietly asked.

I smiled and gently shook my head, "No." I batted my eyes at him, hoping that my fake kindness would get him to accompany me in my creaky house.

"Okay, good, because I think I tried to sing while playing your piano last night. And I'm terribly sorry for however that sounded."

I sighed, pulling away from my window and gripping onto my curtains.

"If your voice was a VHS I'd rewind and replay it until the tape broke."

His head fell and I could see the scarlet on his face even at midnight. A half smile sat on my face as I patiently waited for him to look back up at me.