"Okay, last one" I muttered, hefting the box and sliding the truck door shut. I blew a stray lock of hair out of my face and glanced up at my new house. It was a pretty huge change from the bustling apartment complex that I was used to, but that was the point, after all.
It still felt a bit unreal, standing here in California, moving into my own house, finally able to focus on my writing and art. Just a few nights before, I'd been working two jobs to pay for my tiny apartment back in Alabama. It's crazy how much a life can be altered in less than a week.
I was suddenly brought back to the present by the sound of a sliding door. I glanced up at my balcony, seeing no one, then looked over to the neighbor's house.
"Oh."
Standing on the balcony of the house next door was possibly the prettiest guy I had ever seen. Korean for sure (my best friend of 6 years was too, I knew the features well). He looked fairly tall, maybe 5'10, with light brown hair streaked through with blonde highlights, and shaggy bangs that nearly hung in his eyes. Eyes that were fixed on me.
Expectantly. Crap. Did he say something? He probably said something.
"Um, hi," I smiled awkwardly.
He smiled widly and nodded, waving. "Hello. New... ah..neighbor?"
Ah, okay, not fluent in English.
I nodded and smiled. "Dezza."
He beamed brighter. "Jungkook!"
Just then his phone rang in his pocket, and I took the opportunity to escape inside with my last box. Great. I moved here to get away from distractions, and my neighbor is freaking model material. He looked pretty young though. So maybe he had school or something to keep him out of my sight. One could hope.
Three hours later, I had most of the boxes put away. Thank heavens for the movers arranging my furniture for me, or it would've taken several days to get everything settled in.
I grinned. Now for the fun part. Exterior decorating. I made a quick trip up to the home improvement store I'd passed on the way in, picking out a doormat, some windchimes, and flowers for the front porch and balcony. It was a good start.
Pulling back up the driveway, I noticed Jungkook on the balcony again, talking to someone on the phone. He didn't seem to notice me this time, and I felt both relief that there hadn't been another awkward interaction, and a twinge of disappointment.
I shook my head at the ridiculous notion, transferring all my supplies to the front porch, and began planting the flowers I'd bought.
I sighed contentedly. Gardening of any sort always made me feel so much better. I'd have to get started on the veggie garden I wanted in the back soon. The big open yard was perfect for it, just enough shade.
Finally, I had the flowers potted and quickly arranged the ones I wanted on the porch before carrying the other two inside and up to the second story. One on each side of the bedroom balcony would be perfect.
I peaked out first, for some reason checking to see if Jungkook was still on the balcony. All clear. I breathed a sigh of relief and slid the door open all the way, stepping out onto the balcony and humming to myself as I hung the first pot securely from the awning beam.
The sound of the neighbors balcony door sliding open made me tense up a little, but I scolded myself internally and finished up. Almost done. I bent to pick up the last pot, then made my way to the other end of the balcony, avoiding looking towards the neighbor's.
But once I had the pot nearly secured, I couldn't help myself.
I glanced over my shoulder and froze, my heart stopping as I caught sight of the man leaning, arms crossed on the balcony railing, looking back at me.
Good god.
He had his hair dyed platinum blonde, shaved close on the sides, but artfully messy on top. And sweet baby Jesus, his lips. Never in my life had I seen a guy with such full, flawless, beautiful lips. The man could put Angelina Jolie to shame.
I stood there staring like an idiot for entirely too long before I noticed that he was well aware of the fact. I felt my face flush and I probably looked like I had a third degree sunburn, but his gaze had me frozen like a deer in headlights, my heart stuttering in my chest. I could feel my pulse in my fingertips.
"Oh. Um. Ah. Hi." I said, my voice more than a couple octaves higher than usual.
His lips quirked on the right in a half smile, and he nodded slightly.
He pushed off the railing, stretching his back then reaching up to grab the awning beam. He leaned forward in my direction, not once taking his eyes off of my own.
He was taller than Jungkook, I noticed, by at least a couple inches. Probably just shy of 6 foot, and a bit more solidly built too. I tore my eyes from his, looking down to escape his insanely intense gaze, only to feel my face flush even hotter when I caught sight of the small strip of toned stomach peeking out from under his slightly raised shirt. He broke into a full smile and cocked his head slightly.
Just then, my cellphone rang, startling me out of my daze. I turned to rush inside, not realizing the flower pot hadn't been secured yet. It dropped to the ground below, shattering.
"Mother fuck!" I cursed. I checked to make sure it hadn't hit anything, then ran inside, snatching up my phone and letting my brother know I was busy but would call him back later.
I grabbed an empty box to throw the porcelain shards in and hurried outside, muttering every curse word I could manage on the way. This move was supposed to be peaceful and enlightening. So far all it was was a feverish nightmare.
Then I rounded the corner of the house and stumbled to a halt in disbelief. How? How was it possible? In what twist of fate was it possible that three men of such excruciating beauty just happened to be here at the same time, in the house right beside my own? Sorry, did I miss the part where I was now starring in a Korean romcom?
Because, sure enough, kneeling and cleaning up the mess I'd just made was yet another gorgeous Korean guy. He was more slender than the others, with hair that was short and dark at the back but shaggier and lighter at the front and sides. He glanced up at me with soft brown eyes crowned with long, thick lashes, and smiled so brightly I was instantly put at ease. I smiled back, apologetically, rushing over to help clean up my mess. I picked up a few of the larger pieces, apologizing profusely as I tossed them in the box. He laughed, repeating "It's okay, it's okay," as he followed my example. Grinning, he reached down and plucked one of the flowers from the mess of soil and porcelain, bringing it to his nose and breathing in the sweet scent. He motioned for me to lean closer, and when I did, confused, he quickly tucked it behind my ear and patted my hair.
"It's okay." He said again, still smiling, then gave me a thumbs up. "Very pretty."
My face heated for what felt like the millionth time that day, but I found myself grinning back. What a sweetheart. His smile was contagious.
He bent down and grabbed the last flower, tucking it behind his own ear and waving a finger between the two of us. "Matching!"
I laughed and grabbed the box, kicking the soil off into my grass before carrying it to the trash can. I dropped it in and dusted my hands off, glancing up in time to see the guy wave and step back into his own house.
Back inside, I collapsed in a heap on my bed, face still flushed and heart beating erratically. Three gorgeous faces flashed across my mind and I let out a groan, exhausted. This move was turning out to be a lot less stress-free than I'd hoped.