"Bloody hell." I winced, flapping around my arm in the air because the pack of chips in my hand was too hot and I had suddenly grabbed it from the warmer part of it when someone chuckled from behind me.
"Oof, let me get that for you." A deep voice spoke from behind me as someone grabbed my pack of chips and another shopping bag I was horribly balancing.
"Thank you so-" I turned to thank the person but my words instantly died in my throat as I looked at the man now in front of me.
Light brown hair, light hazel eyes, a small stubble, sharp jaw and a muscular chest is what greeted me.
I looked up into those hazel eyes as a small smile stretched across his face and I realised I'd been checking him out and instantly averted my gaze, my cheeks heating up.
"Hi." I said with a small smile when his grew bigger.
"Hey there yourself." He replied before gesturing to the apartment complex behind me.
"Need a hand?" He asked and I nodded.
"Yes please, thank you." I smiled gratefully, leading him inside and up towards the second floor where my apartment was.
"Oh, look, we live on the same floor." He said as I turned towards him and frowned, looking at the door of the only other apartment on this floor other than with mine.
"You live here?" I asked and he nodded.
"Hey there neighbour." He said cheekily and I smiled as well.
"Hello to you too, neighbour." I unlocked my door and kicked it open with my foot.
"This way." I said, letting him in and placing all the grocery bags on the kitchen counter before putting two fries in my mouth.
"Thank you, would you like some tea?" I asked and he smiled a bit.
"I'd love to, thanks."
"Alrighty, make yourself at home." I gestured to the open floor plan and he went ahead and sat on the couch, looking around while I made some tea.
"Here." I handed him his cup which he took with a small thank you.
"I haven't seen you here before." I said when he shrugged.
"Well, I wouldn't say the same since I have seen you around a few times, dressed up either too formally or too-"
"Shabbily?" I asked when his eyes widened.
"Your words, not mine. You looked great either way." He said when I smiled, a little unsure.
"So, mysterious new neighbour, do you have a name?" He asked cheekily as I sipped on my tea.
"Isabelle." I said.
"Isabelle. Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He said, making me blush a bit.
"And yours?" I asked.
"Aaron, at your service, milady." He said, making me chuckle at him.
"How long have you lived here, Aaron?" I asked.
"England, all my life. Here? It's been three years." He said proudly.
"And you?"
"Well, I was born in England, raised here for a few years before my family moved to the U.S, then I came back here for college, went back to the U.S, and now I'm back again." I said taking a deep breath at the end when he whistled.
"Sounds like a long journey. Where'd you live in the U.S?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"Near New York. Have you been there?" I said and saw his nod.
"Once, on a trip for like, a week. And what is that you do?" He asked.
"I design clothes, you?" I said.
"I have my own small café down the street, actually." He said when I frowned a bit in thought.
"Do you mean Aaron's Place?" I asked and saw his proud smile.
"That's the one." He said when I nodded.
"I tried out the coffee and brownie yesterday, it was heavenly." I said when he chuckled.
"Of course you do, they're the best." He said proudly.
"So, what brings you back here?" He asked when I shrugged, ignoring the tug in my chest as I forced a small smile.
"I guess life has a funny way of doing things. You plan something and, well..." I trailed off, sighing.
"Do something entirely different?" He raised a brow and I shrugged.
"You could say that." I nodded, looking into my now empty mug.
"Well, I should get going neighbour, but see you around?" He asked and I nodded, getting up with him.
"Of course, it was lovely meeting you Aaron." I shook his hand, making him smile wide.
"Likewise, Isa." He said cheekily when both my brows raised in question.
"Isa?" I asked when he shrugged, heading to the door.
"Suits you, love." He winked and my smile instantly fell, remembering how he used to call me that.
"Uh... thanks." I said a bit awkwardly, forcing a smile as he waved at me before leaving.
Sighing, I shook my head and carried both mugs to the sink and washed them and then proceeded to organize and arrange the groceries.
Week number two here was the same as the first one, just a lot less crying and a lot more designing. I had thrown myself into my work to deal with everything.
Lance called yesterday once again and this time, I actually answered. He was pissed, to say the least and so were Arthur and Tristan.
I called Taylor as well because she was worried sick. She had told Lance what I had said to her at the café that day in 'code', and was really furious at Adam.
I was just concerned I'd have to bail my best friend from jail on account of murder the way she was swearing at the guy.
That was two months ago and now, I'm dancing in the shower and singing with Aaron, my next door neighbour.
And no, he's not in with me.
For some reason, we share bathroom walls, which means on he other side of my bathroom wall is his bathroom and these walls are thinner than I'd like to admit.
Hence, the singing.
"You light me up inside, like the fourth of July..." Aaron sings.
"Whenever you're around, I always seem to smile..." I continue for him with a big smile.
"And people ask me how, well, you're the reason why, I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower..." Aaron sings on the other side, making me laugh as we sing the next part together.
"La-da-di, la-da-da, la-da-da, singing in the shower, la-da-di, la-da-da, la-da-da, singing in the shower!" We both sing together and laugh at the end as I wrap a towel around my body.
"See you on the other side!" Aaron yells, making me smile a bit.
"See you!" I yell back, quickly putting on a large t-shirt and shorts when a knock resounds through the place.
I rush to the door, opening it in a haste and come face to face with my best friend of two months, holding a big bag of crisps in his hands along with a tub of ice cream as he comes in.
"So, what are we watching today?" He asks putting the ice cream in my freezer as I open the bag of crisps and put them in a bowl and then move on to the popcorn.
"I was thinking of a romance movie, how's that sound?" I ask placing the snacks on the table in front of the couch in my living room while he makes himself at home for our weekly movie nights.
I absolutely adore them.
I make up a comfortable pillow fort for us and he moves into it, scrolling through numerous romance movies before picking one.
"This one seems good." He mumbles and I bring out our sodas, turning off the lights and settle in beside him as the movie starts to play.
We're at the climax of the movie when the female lead ruins the relationship because she's too insecure and the male lead is too frustrated at this point, and so am I and Aaron.
"God, grow some balls, mate!" Aaron throws a handful of popcorn at my television screen while I giggle at his antics.
"Falling for you was my biggest mistake." The male lead tells the girl and my smile instantly drops, the familiar words ringing in my head like a broken record.
"That was the worst fucking thing I've ever done in my life. To fall for you."
His words are like a slap to my face, my mood instantly dampening when I realize it all over again for the hundredth time.
He's gone.
And we're done.
"Isa?" Aaron says concerned, my gaze snapping to his as he pauses the movie.
"Hey, you okay, love?" He asks softly, turning himself so that his body was now facing me s he wipes my cheeks and I just realized I had been crying.
Sniffling, I shake my head when he opens his arms and I crawl to him, letting him cocoon me into his warm embrace.
"You wanna talk about it?" He asks gently when I shrug, taking a deep breath, knowing that keeping it in will only make the pain worse. It's better to let it out.
"I just-... I was just reminded of him, you know. And I realized for the hundredth time, probably, that I won't see him again. Ever." I whispered, my chest constricting painfully as he hugged me tighter.
I had told Aaron all about my messy break up a month ago on a drunken night when we both decided we desperately needed to let loose and forget our troubles.
I had dyed my hair pastel pink that day, when I was sober, and then went to the club dressed like a superstar and managed to get so drunk that I'd gone viral the very next day after my heart breaking drunk confession.
That my boyfriend thought I cheated on him even though I was framed and that he hurt my feelings.
And also that I loved him.
Yeah, I know, I couldn't get any worse than this.
At least no one knew it was he real me, since my hair was fucking pink, but my brothers and Taylor as well as Dylan knew who it was because they had blasted my phone the very moment I had gone viral.
And that is how I blurted my whole life's story to Aaron the very next day. For free coffee and chocolate chip cookies in return, of course.
"I can't believe he doubted me." I whispered when he sighed.
"Maybe he didn't want to." He said but I scoffed.
"If he didn't want to, he never would've called me those... things..." I said, scowling when I remembered what he said to me that day.
"He compared me to his ex-girlfriend, and then my ex. I mean, it really hurt, you know. It still does, but I'm really trying to look past it but every time time I manage to move on even a bit, his words hit me like a ton of bricks and I fall right back down." I say exasperated.
"I know. As for the moving on part, it's going to be hard, and it'll take same time, but you'll get there eventually, I know it. You're an amazing person Isa, and you deserve the world." He said, making me smile.
"Thanks Ronny, it means a lot, truly." I said looking up at him with a small smile.
"Alright, this is getting too emotional for me." He said dramatically, wiping a fake tear from his eye while I rolled my eyes and moved away from him as we played the movie once again.
Aaron was like my rock during this time, and I was so very thankful to him for keeping me alive all this time.
He would make sure I was eating properly, getting enough sleep, not overworking myself and had fun while I could.
In short, he was like a mother hen.
But where he was protective, he was equally flirty and fun. A bit too fun at times.
"Ronny, slow down!" I squealed, holding onto the trolley for dear life as he pushed it with al his strength while people watched us shocked as we sped down the aisles in the grocery store.
I was currently sitting inside the trolley, as per Aaron's request, and he was pushing it inside the grocery store, literally throwing in whatever he wanted because that's how he did his groceries.
I honestly found it exhilarating and fun. Extremely fun.
"Sorry not sorry, but you're going to have to get used to this, love!" He yelled.
I squealed when he turned a corner sharply, only to abruptly stop and nearly hurled me out of the trolley as I bounced back in place, heart nearly beating out of my chest.
"You're going to kill me!" I yelled at him while he laughed at the state my hair was in, as if I had just come out of a tornado.
"Not yet." He said chuckling and grabbed nearly a dozen boxes of cereal and dumped them on me.
"Hey!" I protested but he ignored me, grabbing god knows how many more sugary food items and dumping them on my head.
"You'll get diabetes at this point." I frowned looking at all the sugar when he shrugged.
"Just livin' life to the fullest darling." He winked, making me chuckle as he pushed the trolley to the cashier, finally, and helped me out as if I was a toddler.
And as I looked at him while he chatted with the man at the counter, I felt myself smile genuinely, laugh genuinely, because of Aaron.
And I was glad to have a friend like him.