Boy Next Door ✔

chapter forty-two

C A L E B 

I got back home after a walk that lasted two hours. By the time I was making my way up the stairs to get to my apartment, my skin was coated with goosebumps and my teeth were chattering from the cold wind that had been nipping at my skin the whole time I was outside. I should've taken a jacket instead of trying to be edgy, huh?

Hugging myself so that I could warm up a little, I strolled over to my apartment. I was going to proceed by opening my door with the help of my key-card, however I managed to trip over something that was on the ground in front of my door, and fell on my ass like an idiot. 

Before I could investigate what the item was, I looked around to make sure no one had seen me fall - and when I confirmed that the coast was clear, I looked down at the object next to me. 

A diary.

A diary that looked oddly familiar. 

The diary that belonged to Mateo.

I swallowed anxiously. How come I kept stumbling into situations that had to do with him? I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth in frustration and snatched the diary off the floor, getting on my feet and managing to open the door - without making a fool out of myself this time. 

I quickly scurried inside and threw myself onto my bed, wrapping the thickest blankets I could find around my body. After I had warmed up a decent amount, I decided to check the diary out. I was aware of the fact that I had already seen it before, but for some reason, a nagging feeling told me that I needed to examine it once more. 

So that's exactly what I did. I opened the diary and began skimming through the pages. Everything looked the same as it had been the day I had seen the diary at his place. Of course it would, why would it change all of a sudden? But why was the diary in front of my door in the first place? Had Mateo come to my place to talk and forgotten it there? Had he deliberately left it there? Had someone else found it and left it there?

I pushed these questions aside and proceeded to look through the pages - that was when I came across a page that I recollected to have been empty the first time I saw it. Confused, I checked the date which had been written down on the top corner of the page. 

The entry had been written down recently. Way too recently. A couple hours prior, to be precise. 

My curiosity overtook my sense of right and wrong once more and I began to read the entry. 

Dear Diary,

It's been a while. I only ever updated here when something went wrong - and nothing's gone wrong for a long, long time. That is, until I met the idiot next door.

I scoffed, he's one to talk about being an idiot.

Caleb Jones. That's his name. He told me his friends used to call him CJ back in high school, which I think is pretty cute but I think the nickname 'loser imbecile' suits him better. It has a nice ring to it. 

Anyway. I think there's something wrong with me. Ever since the first time I met him, I haven't been able to get him off my mind - even if he's a complete idiot.. and recently, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I tried to kiss him. 

At first, I didn't know why I had tried to do something so absurd like that. But now, it makes so much sense. I spent all the days following that 'kiss' thinking about it.. and I came to the most sensible conclusion; I have feelings for Caleb. 

Yeah, the idiot that's too curious for his own good. The idiot who rambles about how much he hates walking to places. The idiot who cried like a dying whale that day at three in the morning. The idiot who obsesses over R&B. The idiot that somehow managed to make me fall head over heels in love with him.

I don't know how it happened and I don't know why it happened. All I know is that it happened and there's nothing I can do about it now. 

Hey Caleb? Yeah, I know you're reading this, you curious little shit. 

And yes, I did leave this in front of your place for you to read. You told me I could tell you anything and that you'd listen. I told you that I didn't know how to tell you.. but now I've told you, I guess. This is what's been bothering me for the past month almost. 

I would have told you in the elevator - I was going to, trust me. But I guess I was afraid? Or maybe I was just too embarrassed to say it out loud. I hope this is a good enough confession for you, because I was seriously considering using the two lies one truth method your friend told you about, and I really wished that I wouldn't have to stoop that low. 

Anyway, there you go. I like you. I have feelings for you. I have a crush on you. Or as Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale would say, I'm coocoo bananas for you, obvi! (Hah, I'm sorry).

-Mateo.

-

A/N: Okay the next chapter mIGHT be the final one, or the one after that idk v.v im glad that im FINALLY GOIGN T BE FINISHING THIS FRIGGING BOOK ohmygod i was on the brink of turning into caleb with his sleepless nights and shit because i kept forgetting to update tf