Sweet Neighbor - Chapter 1 (NEW SHORT TERM!!!) (Patreon)

New story!!! Here´s the plot:

A man´s giving his best in his relationship. He always does.

He puts so much effort. Cooks breakfast. Is attentive. Takes her out to dinner… but it doesn´t feel like… much.

This girlfriend of his is… unnatentive towards him. Not to say careless.

The main reason why he doesn´t break up is… she´s hot! The kind of girl who´s WAY out of his league.

Blonde hair, tanned skin. Thick lips. Stands at 5´7”. To him, a 5’10” guy, he knows he´s not tall enough to be picky. All women will choose a tall guy, even if he´s ugly. But he´s… not even 6´ tall.

He feels sad, so, he just walks outside and turns at the sky. “give me a sign!” he praises, should he break up with her? What should he do?

Suddenly, he hears something fall, next to him.

A box, someone seems to be moving in next door? How come he didn´t see the car before?

He can see this person bending, about to get the box from the floor.

“I´ll get it!” He said, rushing to this person. He doesn´t mind being the friendly neighbor. Besides, this could be a good start.

However, how will things come up when he realizes this person´s a pretty lady? And also, super tall! Plus, she´s just so sweet. Was she... the sign?

Chapter 1

Life. What´s exactly life? There´s not a response for that. Not a straight answer. We could say, life is what´s given to an organism that has a metabolism. That lives, which may sound redundant.

But we´re not speaking about life as a definition for what gives an organism it´s characteristics for it to be alive. We´re talking about life as the day by day of a person.

In more than one time, you must´ve wondered, what´s the next step? And sometimes you might wonder, is there anything else?

These are the exact same questions our main character´s wondering.

In the outside of the city, leaving aside the big urbanization, the tall buildings, the traffic. Outside, in a peaceful neighborhood, there´s a man. Matt.

Matt´s the average man, really. With brown hair, brown eyes, his skin´s a little pale. And his built is nothing outstanding either. Matt works hard, he´s always done it.

He went to college, got good grades. Graduated, not as the top of the class, but at least amongst the five highest. He got a job, had his savings, in fact, he didn´t only had his savings stored, he had them as a small investment.

The bank kept the money and gave him a percentage at the end of each month. It was nice, the money didn´t just stood there, it sort of worked for him. Slowly growing as he didn´t have to make any actual move.

Of course, it wasn´t all of his money, but as years went by, the amount grew, and grew. He added money, reinvested his earnings. And so on and so on.

Within a few years, he was able to get a house. Move out of his small apartment and get a nice house. In a quiet neighborhood. The place was big. Well, much bigger than his old apartment.

A two-story house. A bedroom, a guest´s room, two bathrooms. The living room, a kitchen. A garage, very important by the way. A nice front porch, and, of course, the backyard. The place was very nice, and for a fair price. With just a little remodeling, the place was ready!

Of course, he wasn´t alone in this. He had a girlfriend. Sally. He met her on college, and immediately fell in love for those big green eyes of hers.

They started, with just a little talking after class. And then, they became friends. And in less than a semester, they were a couple.

As soon as they graduated college, they moved in into the same apartment. His old apartment. Well, their old apartment. And after that, he surprised her with the house. Not much of a gift, but a promise.

A place where they could live and call their own. There were still a few payments to be done, but they don´t have to pay rent anymore. All the money paid would get them closer to fully owning the house.

Things went on fairly fast. When they first moved in, they were both 25-years old. And now, two years have flown, and they are now 27.

Matt was happy, Sally was just perfect. Or… was she?

He never thought he´ll ever think this way but… what if he made a mistake?

Now, let´s elaborate a little more on that. It´s not like she´s not as she was when they met, the thing is… he didn´t met her good enough back then.

Of course, he knew who she was. How to make her laugh, that she´s sweet. Tender. Overall, lovely. And he truly thought she´d be the one. But the problem started just a couple months ago. Things were not… as good as he thought.

When they were on college, they were both too busy. They truly appreciated the chances they had to be with one another. And when they first moved into their apartment, their schedules were completely different.

Sometimes, he only met her at night. Some other times, they only had a chance to talk at lunch. They used the apartment mainly to sleep. And maybe have one or two meals a day. They were really busy at work. But it all paid off.

Eventually, their schedules changed, their salaries augmented. And when they moved into their new place, they had more time to spend with one another.

The first couple months were great. Wake up early to make breakfast, and once they were back from work, they could spend the evening with the other. Usually spending their evenings watching a movie. Laying on the couch, enjoying each other´s company.

Things were amazing. Finally, he thought, things were working. All that hard work, all those endless days at the office, they had finally paid off. But the problem started when they had the chance to spend more time together. A problem for… him.

Matt´s been thoughtful, thinking on what the next step will be. They live together, in a house! Not just a tiny apartment, they share a place. An actual place!

A house, living with the woman he loves. The girl he met in college. Sally. The next step in life was easy to guess. They are both 27, closer to being 30. Much closer than when they first met.

He knows how this works. If he truly wants to spend the rest of his life with her, then he must give the next step. Marriage. To become an official couple, not just boyfriend and girlfriend, but husband and wife.

The thing is… does he really want to spend the rest of his life with her?

Right now, Matt´s laying on the couch. Alone. Sally´s not home. She went out with her friends a while ago. He doesn´t mind that, but she literally just said: “I´ll meet the girls at the mall. Love you. Bye.” Kissed him on the cheek and… left.

She immediately assumed they didn´t have any plans on their own, so she made hers. Which is totally fine, but the thing is… do they ever make plans?

This is not the first time, and surely won´t be the last. Matt had the idea that, as a couple, they would spend all their free time together. Of course, not all, but at least the most.

Spend romantic nights together. Talk all night long. Love. He thought his relationship would stand over pillars of love. But now, he´s wondering, is this still a relationship?

She´s an individual, he´s an individual. They don´t have to be together the whole time. But, the thing is, are they ever together? He doesn´t feel like he´s living with his girlfriend, for as much as it hurts, he feels as if he was living with a roommate.

The last time she went out with the girls, she was gone all evening. She didn´t even came back until late night. Which is totally fine, but still, he could´ve used a heads up. A call, a text. He feels like she´s got a life on her own, and that he´s got his.

And that´s not the problem, the thing is, does she ever invite him? Does she ever ask him to come? Does she ever plan things as a double date so that he can come too? The answer´s no. Never.

This got Matt wondering, was Sally truly the one? He noticed this a while back, and after that, he spent some time checking other things. He wasn´t the man of the plan, he didn´t have everything organized, set up, or a long list on steps to follow on how he wanted his life to be. However, he does evaluate things, someway.

A few months back, he wondered, is she wife material? It sounds bad to do this, but he´s willing to give the next step, is Sally really the one?

Therefore, he started looking at her with eyes that were not loving eyes, just… eyes. And once again, he wasn´t evaluating her, he´s just trying to make things work.

The first thing he noticed was that… she´s a bit selfish with her food. He´s always willing to share, and if he´s ever going to bring food home, he gives her a call to check if she wants anything. The problem is… she never does that.

Once, when she had the last slice of cake, one they bought because she asked. He looked at it, and just couldn´t help but to want a bite. So, he took the fork close to him, took a sit next to her and, just went for it.

She always does it, when he´s eating something she likes, she grabs a bite. And there´s no problem. It´s just a bite. However… when he got his fork close, she pushed the plate away, and with a smile on her face, she said: “Aww, you wouldn´t steal a bite from my plate, will you? This is the last slice…” she made it sound like a joke, but she didn´t share that.

Now, food´s not the end of the world. But there´s some other things…

She borrows his car, since she doesn´t have one. But she does it… more than a lot. And that´s not the deal, the deal´s when he´s got to get to work and the tank´s almost empty. If she´ll borrow it, she should at least make sure not to finish up all the gas.

When she´s out of the bathroom, after a shower, or a bath, the whole thing´s a mess! There´s countless times when he´s picked up a soaked towel from the floor. SOAKED!

But he takes them as his duties. You know. Things they will work on with time. He´s spoken with her about it, but she doesn´t seem to mind too much. Why? Because it keeps happening!

He´s not frustrated, just… concerned. And, on top of that, she doesn´t cook. Doesn’t help with the cleaning. Doesn´t take care, at all, of the garden. Never has offered to pay a bill. This… should he be concerned?

He doesn´t feel much like a boyfriend. He feels more like… the guy who pays and takes care of stuff. Is this… a healthy relationship?

Matt knows she´s not using him. He refuses to believe she´s doing that. However, there´s a question running up his mind. He´d certainly catch a bullet for her, now, will she?

He´s been trying to make this work. Romantic dinners, breakfast in bed. Love, he´s been trying to bring love into their relationship in any chance he has. Buying her favorite food, getting her little gifts just because. Making it BIG on birthdays and holidays.

But, if there´s supposed to be a spark out there… he just doesn´t feel it.

There was a spark, at first. His heart skipped a beat every time he saw her. He forgot to breathe when he caught a glimpse of her smile. And her laugh, it was like a melody. But now… it just doesn´t feel that way.

The main deal is, he wants to give the next step, but the thing is… is Sally the one?

Now, he´s laying in the couch, looking at the ceiling, wondering… should he do something?

He´s been trying, harder. But things just… doesn´t seem to work. It´s been a while since they had an actual kiss. A real one, not just a peek, or a kiss on the cheek. He means something romantic, passionate.

The biggest deal is, he doesn´t feel so much passion coming from her.

“Am I… am I the problem?” He thought. Matt didn´t want to just break up with her. He has feelings for her, or… does he?

Matt never takes a decision without thinking it through as much as he can. He likes to evaluate things. And right now, he´s evaluating his current relationship.

What else can he do? He´s alone.

“I never thought breaking up would ever come as an option. I mean, I´ve known her for… so long! We´ve had so much fun, so much love. And now… is it just… done?” Can love end up? Wasn´t it like… unlimited?

“No! No way, our love´s not fading. It´s just… a phase. Yeah! That´s right! Just a point in our relationship where we´re just… taking things easy. Like… a small break. A small break from all the hugs and kisses. Maybe it´s… seasonal?” It´s not like he´s being ghosted, but, it does feel that way.

He won´t admit it, but he´s putting so much effort. Doing his best to make things work. And Sally´s just… Sally.

He won´t put it this way but, one thing is to have plans on your own, and the other is to never make plans with your boyfriend. She never asks him out, at all.

And, there´s another reason why he´ll do his best not to break up with him. And the thing is… Sally´s hot!

The kind of hot that makes him feel like she´s WAY out of his league. With her dirty blonde hair, her tanned skin. And those eyes, those enchanting eyes of hers…

She´s pretty. Gorgeous even! And that´s not it, she´s hot! Very hot! With big boobs, a peach-shaped butt. Her thin, athletic physique. The curves on her, and that wasp waist. He´s just so lucky to be with her.

Sally´s a blonde beauty. Hot! And she stands at 5´7”. But, what does he have to offer?

He´s been trying to compensate his lack of looks with love. Being funny, attentive. To treat her like the queen she is. He´s not athletic, and neither tall. Matt stands at 5´10”, not even six-feet-tall. He feels lucky to be with such a gorgeous woman. Well, at least he felt lucky.

One of the reasons why he won´t break up with her is, will he find anyone? He´s still young, barely 27-years-old. However, he´s afraid of the unknown. He was so scared to start dating with her when he was 21, and now, six years after, it´s worse!

Back then, he thought all pretty ladies had boyfriends. Now, he´s worried all might have fiancés, or worse, to be married! Which reduces his chances.

His main reason not to break up with her is, he´s forgotten what´s it like to be single. To swim in a sea where there´s no one for you. Like an oddball.

Having a couple made him feel full, but to go back to being single?

“I… I just can´t decide. Ugh, why do I have to overthink? Why can´t I just be… bold! Or at least flip a coin…” He was so insecure on this decision. What if he breaks up with her and never finds anyone? Sally´s not the best, but she´s… not that bad, as a couple. Plus, she´s hot, and that adds up a lot of points. Right?

“Ok, I´ll leave this to faith. If we should break up, I would like to have a sign…” And he will…

Later on, when the sun was setting, while there was still some light outside, he went out.

The street lights were on, allowing you to have a look at the neighborhood. A quiet place, in fact, too quiet.

Most people who live there are old people. Some are retired. Some have left their house there as the winter house, or maybe summer house. Whatever, some houses are alone for a few seasons.

In fact, he doesn´t even have a neighbor to his right. If you´re looking at the house, from across the street, then you´ll find no one lives at the house to his right. So, seeing a car parked in front of the garage, with someone pulling things out, that´s not normal.

But wait, someone pulling stuff out?

It seems he´ll have a neighbor, or… neighbors? Matt was amazed, finally, someone new!

He could see a mini ban parked there. With the doors open, and… someone! There was someone carrying a few boxes. It wasn’t so clear outside; he could just see a pair of legs and a small tower of boxes carried by that person.

“So many boxes… should I go help?” Matt´s sort of an introvert. He´s not one to spontaneously go and introduce himself. To welcome this person, or people, to the neighborhood. He´s just… that´s not him.

But this person was so close, and the pile of boxes. There were three boxes. Two more than you should carry at once. Unless they are full of light stuff. But if someone´s moving in, then the boxes should be full, and heavy.

In fact, the box right at the top wasn´t even closed. And as this person moved, something fell off. Like a basin, but the good thing is it was made up of metal. Probably silver. Therefore, it didn´t shatter on the floor like porcelain would.

“Shit!” Said the voice of this person, a female voice.

Matt didn´t want to interfere unnecessarily, but he was too much of a good guy, so… he was right into it before he could think.

“I got it!” He said as he rushed to where this lady was.

He rapidly picked the basin and now… now what?

“Sorry, I couldn´t help but to notice this fell off… not that I was staring or something. I… I live next door. I´m Matt.” He said, fast, maybe delivering too much information at once.

For a second, that felt like an eternity, he was just looking at a tall tower of boxes. But soon, he heard a giggle, followed by: “Oh, don´t worry. And thank you. I´m Brianna. But, let me put these boxes down real quick.” Wow, her voice.

Her voice was sweet. Her tone was friendly. And she sounded young. Matt just waited for the boxes to drop and to be able to meet this woman.

However, when the boxes came down… she was… a bit different than he expected.

“Hi there, nice to meet you. Neighbor.” She was pretty, so, so pretty. But there was another thing… she was tall. VERY TALL!!!