My grandma used to tell me that every dream has deep meaning behind them. I once dreamt that my whole family died but grandma told me that the meaning behind that dream was that my family eat too much that night and were super full. It was comforting but as I grew up, I stopped thinking too much into them. Until today.
Because there, in the middle of the freshly cut grass, stood a man who reminded me of my earlier dream. Chocolate. His strong hands gripped the lawnmower with ease, every movement from him exuding confidence. His muscles, oh boy, it flexed beneath his skin that glowed like a smooth blend of honey and melted chocolate, under the sweat trickling down in lazy path down his neck, disappearing to his chest. I wished he was shirtless, why was he not shirtless?
I couldn't help but stare as he paused for a drink, his biceps flexing as he lifted the water bottle to his lips; soft, full and wrapped around it. My mouth opened agape as his adam's apple bobbed with each sip and for a ridiculous second, I actually envied the water. I wasn't objectifying him, okay? I was...just admiring him and just before I remembered that I was supposed to be breathing, his hand on the bottle paused mid sip and slowly his eyes moved and clash against mine.
Uh-oh.
Time seemed to hiccup as his gaze locked onto mine. His eyes did not blink for a second. He then tilted his head as if curious about this weird lady gawking at him across the fence, through the window. I wanted to look away—really, I did—but my eyes had other plans. His stare was like a magnet, holding me captive. It felt like he was trying to read my mind (which, at the moment, was pure static) as the world around us faded.
My friends? Forgotten.
My shameless gawking? Ignored.
It was just me, him, and an embarrassing amount of flustered internal screaming.
Luckily, my friends were far more levelheaded than I was. With quick reflexes, they yanked me down, pulling me from his sight and just like that, we were all crouching like a bunch of spies caught in the act.
Reality rushed in, snapping me back into focus. Oh goodness, he caught me watching him. Not weird at all. But...maybe—just maybe—he hadn't noticed us.
That fragile hope however lasted about two seconds before a heart-stopping clatter shattered the silence. I should probably mention that we were peeking through the kitchen window. And when my friends dragged me down? Well, I might have knocked over an entire pile of utensils.
My eyes squeezed shut as the chaos unfolded. And it did not help that it was a sufuria—a cooking pan that fell, because, of course, it had to be that. It didn't just fall. Oh no. It bounced. It rolled. It performed an entire percussive symphony across the floor, each clang more humiliating than the last.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, a flood of embarrassment creating havoc in my stomach as I cautiously cracked one eye open. I was met with a pair of two glares from my friend who looked like they were one step to murder me.
I was certain the entire neighborhood—and, more importantly, the guy next door—had heard every last metallic crash.
"Sorry," I whispered, wincing as I instinctively covered my ears.
Oh, heavens save me!
...
"Who is that guy? So hot!" Lizzy exclaimed, fanning herself theatrically, before plopping onto the couch with a dreamy sigh.
"I know, its summer, but I damn," Carrie leaned back on the couch, eyes closed like she was savoring a life-changing experience.
As for me? I was still mentally buffering, completely spell bounded and left with speech impairment by the Adonis next door.
Who was he?
He had to be new to the neighborhood—there was no way I would've missed someone like that. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy you just overlook. He was the guy that makes you look, not twice or thrice.
"To earth Mandy!" Carrie's voice jolted me back, so hard I nearly screamed. Lizzy and Carrie lost it upon seeing my reaction, doubling over in laughter. My face went up in flames.
"What?" I demanded though my face went up in flames. "What's so funny?" I tired to play feigning. The two exchanged a look, their mischievous grins making me very nervous.
"We've been calling your name for ages," Lizzy said, feigning exasperation.
"Huh?"
"And you were shamelessly ogling the guy outside," Carrie added, jerking her thumb toward the window.
"What? No… I… what?" I stammered, my brain short-circuiting on the spot. I groaned when they started laughing at me again.
"Oh my gosh! You're totally smitten with him!" Carrie teased, a wide smile on her face. I was.
"Who wouldn't be? I'd marry him in a heartbeat," Lizzy sighed, rolling onto the carpet like a lovesick princess.
"Take it easy, Barbie—you do have a boyfriend, remember?" I reminded her, trying to regain some dignity.
I shook my head, still hearing the phantom clang of that stupid cooking pan. Ugh! Its echo refused to die, haunting me even after I'd picked it up.
"Oh, I want to be his, for him to devour me. To ha-"
"You've got a catch, remember? Or should I say… a predator?" I cut in before Carrie could take her fantasy way too far. That did the trick. She snapped back to reality.
"You're right," Carrie groaned, flopping back to her seat. "Why did he have to show up now when I'm already taken?"
I rolled my eyes at her statement. She wasn't taken. At least yet. But honestly? I was secretly thrilled he had appeared.
"What a bummer," Lizzy said then plopped herself on one elbow, narrowing her eyes at me. "Why do you sound a little bit thrilled?"
Uh-oh.
Carrie turned to me as well, their combined scrutiny making me feel like I was being interrogated under a spotlight.
"What are you talking about? thrilled?" I asked, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. Lizzy arched a brow. "You sound like you like the idea of us not having a chance with that guy."
Did I?
That wasn't my intention… right?
Okay, maybe they had a tiny point. But no way was I admitting that.
"You're imagining things," I said firmly, crossing my arms in an attempt to look completely unbothered. "I was just reminding you of your commitments."
Maybe if I said it with enough conviction, they'd actually drop the subject.
But knowing my friends… that was a fat chance.
Lizzy snorted, hopping up from the floor, her narrowed, suspicious eyes trained on me. "Oh, please! I studied psychology, remember? I know what you're thinking. And you, my dear, are crushing hard on our neighborhood hunk!"
She even sang the last part like she was narrating my downfall. Okay. Fine. Maybe I did have a tiny crush on the mysterious stranger. But that didn't mean I was about to admit it. Not now. Not ever.
"You're nuts," I said with uneasy laugh, waving her off like she was spouting complete nonsense. I was totally fine. Normal. Unaffected.
Lizzie, however, was having none of it, and Carrie chose to be the silent observer.
"Oh, with the way you were devouring him with your eyes," she teased, winking at me in a way that made me roll my eyes so hard they nearly got stuck. Then, before I could counter, Carrie's voice sliced through the air with the intensity of someone about to deliver a groundbreaking revelation.
"Wait!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Carrie lived for drama, but this was excessive even for her. Lizzy and I both snapped our heads toward her, watching as she straightened up with a look.
"Okay," she started, pacing slightly as if working through a very important puzzle. "So Lizzy's taken. I'm sort of spoken for. And you…"
She let the sentence dangle in the air like an ominous movie cliffhanger. Then she exchanged a slow, knowing glance with Lizzy before both of them turned their full attention to me.
A pit formed in my stomach.
"What?" I asked warily.
Lizzy gasped, as if a divine revelation had struck her. She clutched my hands dramatically. "Yes! You've just found yourself a man for the Fourteen Days of Valentine!" she squealed, holding on to Carrie's hand, eagerness and anticipation oozing off them.
"No. No, no, and no!" I yelped, scrambling up from the couch like it was on fire. I quickly ducked behind it, as if the furniture could somehow shield me from their insanity.
"Absolutely not. Have you both lost your minds? I do not have a crush on him," I insisted, voice higher than I would have liked. "He's just… some guy I glimpsed for a second and admired his physique!"
Which didn't explain why my stomach was now staging a full gymnastics routine at the mere thought of him.
Lizzy smirked. Carrie crossed her arms.
Desperate, I grasped at logic. "We don't even know him! For all we know, he could be a criminal or taken or even… gay!"
Silence.
I was met with two identical expressions of absolute disbelief.
Predictably, they were unfazed.
"And another thing—I am Anti valentine, hellow" I barreled on, as if sheer force would shake their ridiculous ideas loose. "What's so special about it anyway? It's nothing but commercial fluff, and don't even get me started on Cupid. What's so endearing about a flying baby with a weapon?"
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
But judging by the stubbornly amused looks on their faces, they weren't giving up anytime soon and I knew was doomed. It's not that I'm overreacting or anything, would i want to date that guy dripped in all hotness? absolutely yes! But there is a reason why the name crush exists. It means someone you want to have to but shy to pursue!
"How will you ever find out unless you get to know him?" Lizzy asked, as if she were presenting the most obvious truth in the world.
I narrowed my eyes. "So, you're suggesting I walk into the fire just to test its heat?"
Lizzy clasped her hands together, grinning. "Ah, our dear Mandy is so clever!"
"Obviously, my chicness is infectious," Carrie added with a dramatic hair flip, smirking like she was the epitome of sophistication.
I just stared at them. Could they not detect my sarcasm?
"You do realize we're friends, right?" I asked, still baffled by the madness unfolding before me.
"Exactly!" Carrie said, as if I had just proved their point. "If neither of us can have him, then you have to step up. That way, he still stays in the circle. Right, Lizzy?"
Lizzy nodded vigorously. "Absolutely. Better to keep him in the family as a brother-in-law than lose him to some random girl."
I blinked.
Was I even part of this conversation anymore?
"I cannot believe you two." I shook my head, utterly exasperated. "I'm not doing this. I refuse to get involved with some attractive stranger just to satisfy that ridiculous diary."
Carrie's eyes sparkled with provocation. "What's the matter? Scared your charm won't work on him?"
"Excuse me?" I scoffed, hands on my waist.
"Or maybe…" Lizzy tapped her chin. "Maybe he's just too much to handle? You've seen his physique—he needs a strong woman. Maybe you're afraid he'd be too much for you?"
I gawked at her. "Are you implying I'm weak?"
Lizzy shrugged.
"My bones are perfectly fine, thank you very much!" I huffed. "How dare you— you—"
Words failed me, and Lizzy's exaggerated sigh only fueled my indignation.
"Let her be, Carrie. She's lost her edge," she lamented with fake disappointment, earning a glare from me.
"And" Carrie added, barely suppressing a smirk, "she's getting old."
My jaw dropped. "Old? I'm the youngest here!"
Carrie waved a hand dismissively. "I know, but look at you," she waved her hand towards me like appraising disappointing goods. "No one would believe that especially when you keep hiding-" my stomach dipped.
" I'm not hiding from anything." I grounded.
"Oh, really?" Carrie arched a brow. "Let's see… you bury yourself in schoolwork, the library, your part-time job, and then you're glued to your laptop writing—"
I winced as she recounted my day-to-day schedule. Having her say it out loud with such condescending voice made it sound worse.
"—you've forgotten how to live a little," she continued mercilessly, "let alone how to catch a guy's interest." Now that stung, but I couldn't let her win.
I straightened up, determined to salvage my dignity.
"Lost my touch, you say?" I placed my hands on my hips. "Take a good look. Do I seem 'rusted' to you?" Lizzy and Carrie exchanged a knowing glance as if knowing they've got me where they wanted. Arrhg I hate them
"And what's this about not being able to handle him?" I added, my voice rising. " I can handle anyone." But even as I said it, a tiny voice in my head wondered… could I?
Silence reigned as my words hanged in the air when Lizzy stood up abruptly, disappeared into the kitchen, only to return moments later with a tray of cupcakes I had baked the day before. She set them down with an air of finality and folded her arms.
"Actions speak louder than words," she announced. "Prove it."
I blinked. "Prove what?"
"That you haven't lost your touch," Lizzy said, smirking. "Go on, welcome him to the neighborhood. With these cupcakes. Right now."
I stared at her in disbelief. "Now?"
"Yes, now, Mandy," Carrie chimed in, clearly enjoying the situation.
Lizzy pushed the tray toward me, her eyes glinting with challenge. "Go on. Fill that blank page in your diary."
My heart kicked up a notch, a mix of fear and way too much excitement buzzed through me.
I've never been one to shy away from a challenge—especially not when it came to flirting. But the boy next door was an exception. For some reason after seconds of knowing his existence, it felt like I was transported back to my teen years with my first crush. My friend's teasing wasn't helping the situation. At this point, I was practically praying for a guardian angel to materialize on my shoulder and give me an escape plan.
But no. Instead, I had these two who had already taken jabs at my ego, my charm, and somehow even my age.
I was twenty-one, for crying out loud! And yet, they had me feeling like some forty-year-old spinster. Not that my life was dull—far from it. It was just missing the romantic chaos they so desperately wanted to shove me into. And because life with these two menaces was never dull, I suddenly found myself standing, gripping the plate of cupcakes like a warrior about to charge into battle.
"Prepare to witness the magic of my charm," I declared, channeling every ounce of confidence I had left as I strode toward the door.
Peer pressure is real, guys.
But the second my fingers touched the doorknob; all the bravado evaporated like a puddle in the sun. I couldn't do it. I wanted to see him again, yet I wanted to his from him.
Whirling around, with my doe eyes look, I clutched the tray to my chest.
"I can't do this," I almost whined.
Lizzy and Carrie exchanged a glance. Then, with matching grins, they let out a dramatic 'Aww' and rushed toward me.
For a moment, I felt relief. See? Friends should have each other's best interests at heart.
Right?
Wrong.
Before I could process what was happening, I found myself being shoved forward, out the door, and down the path toward the mysterious neighbor's house.
I had never felt more betrayed.