*The fanart is not from me!*

The café on Main Street was our usual hangout spot, a place where the coffee was overpriced, the pastries were slightly stale, and the staff didn't care how long we stayed. It was perfect.

I sat in the corner booth with my best friends, Ava and Lily, the sunlight streaming through the windows making the table sticky with warmth. Ava was scrolling through her phone, a bored expression on her face, while Lily stirred her iced latte with a paper straw, watching me with raised eyebrows.

"So," Lily said, drawing the word out in that teasing way she always did. "Are we going to talk about him, or do I have to drag it out of you?"

I tried to play dumb. "Talk about who?"

"Don't even," Ava said, finally looking up from her phone. "The boy next door. The one you've been pretending not to notice all week."

"I'm not pretending anything," I said, though the heat rising in my cheeks betrayed me.

"You totally are," Lily said. "You're practically glowing. Spill it. What's he like?"

I hesitated, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I don't know. I haven't talked to him yet."

Ava groaned. "Celeste, come on. He's literally right next door. How hard is it to say hi?"

"It's not that simple," I argued. "What if he's... weird?"

"What if he's hot?" Lily countered, smirking. Ava left one eyebrow at her comment, "Aren't you flirting with that guy?"

At Ava's comment I look surprised at Lily. "You're flirting with a guy and you didn't tell me?!" Lily's cheeks turned pink as I spoke. Lily open her mouth to probably defend herself but Ava was faster then her. "He even moved here only to see her more often" Ava wink at Lily, making her blush even more.

I'm trying to collect everything I just learned. "Whoa I...I didn't expect that. So you two aren't a thing yet, right?". Lily instantly shakes her head. "No no no, we aren't. I told him to not do it but looks like he's sure I'm the one" Ava smirk "And you don't mind at all", "Hey!" Lily says, all red now. I chuckle a little.

Lily try to change of subject by talking again about my new neighbor. "Enough talk about me! Celeste, I won't let you go without you telling me who that guy is", "She said she never spoke to him" Ava comment. Lily speaks again "Don't care, tell us at least what is so special about him, why he catches your eyes."

I sighed, tracing patterns on the table with my finger. "He's... different. He doesn't seem like he belongs here. Not in a bad way, just... like he's from somewhere bigger. He's got this confident, laid-back vibe, like nothing fazes him."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "And you think you're the one who should be nervous?"

"I just-" I paused, trying to find the right words. "I don't know how to explain it. He caught me watching him, and instead of making it awkward, he just smirked. Like he knew exactly what I was thinking."

Lily grinned. "Which was what, exactly?"

"That he's... interesting?" I admitted. "And kind of intimidating."

"Intimidating?" Ava scoffed. "You're Celeste Grant, queen of straight As and debate team captain. No boy should intimidate you."

"It's not like that," I said quickly. "It's just... I feel like he's already seen more of the world than I have. Like he knows things I don't. And I was like that when I was still in highschool, now I entered the college I try to be more...discreet?" By her look on her face, I know she doesn't believe me at all.

Ava leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "So what's the plan? Wait for him to make the first move?"

"I don't know if I want him to," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "What if he does, and I mess it up?"

Lily reached across the table, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "You won't mess it up, Celeste. And even if you do, so what? Life's messy. It's supposed to be."

I smiled at her, grateful for the encouragement. Still, the thought of facing him made my stomach twist in ways I wasn't used to. I mean, we're talking about a guy with who I just had a little eyes contact. I don't understand why I can't get him out of my head.

As we left the café and walked back toward Maple Drive, I found myself glancing toward his house.

For the first time, I wondered if he was sitting on the other side of the fence, thinking about me too.

"It's just a boy," I told myself. But deep down, I knew that wasn't true. He wasn't just a boy. He was something more, and I wasn't ready to find out what."

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"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit."
- J.R.R. Tolkien

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