Addicted

One - Eliana

He wasn't what she'd expected.
Not at all.
Who knew the boy next door could keep such a terrible secret?

~~~~~~~~~~

 "Admiring that neighbour guy?" Kaitlyn, who was fourteen, spoke from the door to her new bedroom. Eliana had just put her final moving box down, and blew a strand of loose hair out of her face as she stood.
"What cute guy from next door?"
"The one talking to Mum and Dad. He's probably your age, but I'm still going to meet him." Her sister was eyeing something through her feature window - the guy she was talking about, she assumed.
Eliana joined her, peering down to their front yard but not being able to make out anything but the vague figures of her parents and the stranger.

It didn't stop Kaitlyn from waving like a maniac, though. He didn't look up, but she smacked Kate's arm anyway, embarrassed.
"Hey, don't make a scene."
Kaitlyn grinned at her. "Whatever. I'm going down there." Her sister bounded down the stairs without hesitation, humming to herself and smoothing her hair with her hand. When Eliana followed, admittedly more reluctantly, she could see what Kaitlyn meant about the guy being hot.

Thick, blonde hair, just long enough to have to push out of his vibrant green eyes. His jawline was relatively strong, considering he only looked around 18 years old, and he was almost a head taller than her. His build managed to seem both strong and kind of lean, and he had a contiguous smile that was almost shy.

Kaitlyn was already grinning and giggling like an idiot with him, so Eliana hung back, avoiding eye contact and trying to will her cheeks from heating.
"This is my older sister, Eliana. She'll be starting school in your grade." Kaitlyn introduced, flicking a glance back at her with a wink.
The boy smiled at her, almost warmly. "I'm Arden. It's nice to meet you." He introduced himself politely, and she couldn't help but smile. It was cute, really.
"It's nice to meet you too."
"She's nice, hey? Almost as nice as me." Kaitlyn interrupted, sliding between them pointedly with a cringey smile.

Eliana shot Arden an exasperated look, making him smile that slightest bit wider, before she stepped away and back up into her room to unpack, and prepare for her new life in this new town.

With Arden here, the future was looking bright already.