Love The Guy Next Door

The moment the graduation ceremony ended, I dragged my last bit of luggage to my new place in this city.

I rented an apartment from Elise Lambert, the landlady. She owned the entire floor.

The northernmost apartment was the smallest. Even after it was renovated, no one had lived in it.

To avoid wasting the space, Elise listed it online. I happened to come across it.

In Fleador, where space is at a premium, it was tough to find a conveniently located, affordable apartment.

I was lucky to find a kind landlady who made me feel very welcome.

I had lived here for over six months without any issues. Elise would even bring me fruit from time to time. She was definitely one of Doskoustein's top ten landlords!

One day, Elise suddenly called me.

She explained that she had to go on a business trip, which was supposed to be three days but had now extended to a week.

She was worried her son might sneak out to play while she was gone, so she asked if I could help him with his homework each evening.

Of course, the main goal was to make sure he stayed home.

It wasn't just a favor. Elise offered to waive my rent for a month.

"Leave it to me, Elise," I said excitedly.

My eyes lit up at the thought of free rent. Of course I agreed.

But after hanging up, I started to worry. My work schedule was totally different from a senior year student's. I hadn't met Elise's son. I didn't know if he would be easy to get along with. Teenagers are tricky.

After much thought, I decided to build some rapport with him before bringing up the homework.

Since it was Friday, I figured I'd invite him over for dinner.

After work, I started cooking. I figured he'd be home by the time it was past six. I knocked on the door next door.

I was expecting a typical high school kid. When the door opened, I was stunned.

"Can someone tell me how high school kids are growing up so well? I even had to look up to meet his eyes."

"Who are you?" he asked.

The boy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hi, Vin, right? I'm your neighbor," I said nervously.

How could a minor have such a strong presence?

"Your mom isn't home this week. She asked me to check in on you. If you haven't eaten yet, you can come over for dinner," I offered.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Alright," he said.

"Then finish your homework first and come over when you're done," I suggested.

But this kid was rebellious. He just grabbed his keys. He shut his door and walked straight to my place.

"I'm kind of hungry. Let's eat first," he said, ignoring my suggestion.

As I cooked, I thought, "Aren't senior-year students supposed to be busy studying every second? Why does this kid have so much free time?"

I finished cooking. Just as I placed the plates on the table, the boy from the sofa automatically moved to the dining table.

Vin sat quietly across from me, eating his meal. I sneaked a few glances at him, wondering how likely it was that Elise had two sons.

After all, this kid looked nothing like the stressed-out senior year student I had imagined.

Even his hairstyle seemed meticulously groomed.

Honestly, I could cry.

"Vin?" I hesitated before speaking. The boy, who had been focused on his meal, looked up at me with a blank expression.

His innocent, slightly naive eyes gave him away. Yep, definitely a senior year student who hadn't faced the real world yet!

"Senior year must be really stressful, right?"

Vin swallowed a bite of food. He cleared his throat, and said, "It's okay."

For someone so young, he sure was cool and distant. It seemed unlikely he'd ask me for help with his studies anytime soon.

"I heard you want to apply to Arabelle University. I graduated from there. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Hmm," his tone was strange.

His mocking tone made me a bit self-conscious. But then I thought, "I'm at least four or five years older than him.

This kid has no manners!"

"I don't even know your name," Vin said.

"My name is Angie Grant." After introducing myself, I realized a senior-year student had completely led me.

His aura was too strong.

"Alright, it's almost eight. Finish your meal and then get back to your homework. If you have any questions, just ask me. Do you have Twitter? Let's add each other."

Vin stared at me silently, which made my scalp tingle a bit.

Then I suddenly remembered, senior year students usually prefer WhatsApp.

Maybe he hadn't signed up for Twitter.

So I wrote down my WhatsApp ID for him. I saw him to the door, and shut it without hesitation.

I hadn't even made it to the couch to rest when my phone buzzed. Vin had already added me on WhatsApp.

I was still thinking of what to say when a message popped up.

[Angie, can I come over for dinner again tomorrow night?]

My first instinct was to say no, but I typed out a reply and deleted it. The thought of that one month of free rent changed my mind.

If I didn't take good care of Elise's son, I'd feel guilty about getting free rent.

I held back. How could I let pride get in the way of saving money?

[Alright, come over for dinner every night this week. What do you want to eat tomorrow?]

[Thanks, Angie. I'd like spaghetti, pizza, and maybe some barbecue ribs. But go easy on the sugar. I'm not a fan of sweet dishes.]

"This kid sure knows how to pick his meals! He's treating me like a master chef."

[Alright, as long as you like what I cook! You're at the age where you need to grow, after all.]

Even though my reply was so ingratiating, I swear, only my body bowed down. My spirit will always stand tall.