The house was not what Lydia had expected. Not in the slightest. Never in a million years did she picture herself living in such a small, basic house. This was her first time seeing it, as her mom had been the one to pick it out while Lydia was finishing her last weeks of college. She could liven it up. She was Lydia Martin, fresh out of college, and she'd be damned if she lived in a house that blended in with every other one in the neighborhood. Besides, the houses were very spread out. There was one house close to her, but surely her home-makeover wouldn't bother her neighbors. Opening up the back doors of her car, she reached in and pulled out one of the many boxes containing her possessions. She had many of her belongings with her, but still had more things back home that her mom was bringing up next week.
Unlocking the door, she stepped inside, taking in all the empty space. After getting her boxes inside, she unpacked them one by one. It took her into the early morning hours, but she was glad to get it all done at once. Laying out her air mattress in the upstairs bedroom, she blew it up and sighed as she plopped down on it. She couldn't believe this would be her bed, until she could find and buy a new one. Lydia Martin didn't sleep on air mattresses. But here she was. Falling back with a sigh to see how comfortable it was, she was passed out before long.
On her first morning in her first house, the sunshine leaking through her window or the birds chirping outside would have been the ideal way to wake up. However that is not what happened. Instead, a chainsaw came to life outside her open window, ripping her from her dreams as she leapt up from the bed and stumbled across the floor. Her chest heaving, she leaned against the window and glared outside, furious. The criminal in question for waking her up wasn't in her line of sight however, and she glanced at her phone.
Her jaw dropped as she realized that it was seven o'clock, about 5 hours too soon to be awake. Throwing a sweater on over her bra and boy shorts, she stumbled down the stairs, yelling to herself. Throwing open her front door, She stormed across the lawn, which was bigger than she had realized. The noise was coming from the one house close to hers, and she pounded her fist against the door. Glancing to the side, she saw not one, not two, but three different motorcycles. Rolling her eyes, she could only imagine the owner. Probably an old biker dude, completely oblivious to social norms and what it meant to be considerate.
The sounds didn't stop, and it was coming from the backyard. Crossing her arms in the cool air, she made her way around the house, the noise growing louder, fueling her rage. When she turned the last corner, she saw the outline of the guy, facing away from her, chain saw in hand. Waving her arms and screaming, she tried to get his attention. Moving along the house, he finally caught sight of her, jumping slightly. He had a mask covering his head, and he reached down and turned the saw off. Lydia didn't even give him a chance to get a word in before she was storming closer to him, feeling her face flush. "Are you insane?! You do know that it's seven. Seven, right?! Did it ever occur to you that there might be people trying to sleep?!" The guy stood still for a moment, but then reached up and lifted off the mask.
Lydia felt her heart stop for a moment. Oh no. Oh god. Oh lord. He was no old man. Not the ugly old man with a biker mustache and long hair in a ponytail that she had been picturing. Oh god he was hot. He had fair but tanned skin, dirt smudges on his face, strong cheekbones and jaw. His eyes were honey colored, shimmering in the early sun, outlined with the kind of eyelashes that would make any girl on earth jealous. His hair was a mess of brown, falling onto his forehead and going in multiple directions; it was the absolute definition of sex-hair.
It was only after she had taken all of this in that her eyes focused in on his beautiful mouth, realizing it was curved up into a smirk. She came back to reality, straightening her shoulders, trying to regain her composure. But it was too late. His expression was extremely smug, and he had clearly seen her reaction to him. He returned the favor, his eyes taking her in from head to toe. When his eyes finally met hers once more, Lydia felt a blush rising to her cheeks but fought it hard. She was suddenly aware of her lack of clothing.
"Uh, look. I didn't mean any harm, I promise. I'm just a morning person." His voice was so sexy, with a slight rasp and a deep tone to it. But that wasn't enough to keep Lydia from getting angry again.
"And you never stopped to think about other people who might not be morning people?" She raised an eyebrow at him, forcing herself not to give away the fact that she was still comprehending his good looks. He laughed, motioning around them with his hands. "What, with all the neighbors I have?" Lydia glanced around, noticing how much distance was between them and the other houses. He had a point.
"Plus, there hasn't been anyone living in the house next door in years. How was I supposed to know I would be waking someone up?" He continued, and Lydia toyed with the hem of her shorts, suddenly subconscious of how short they were. Trying to keep her anger level high, she sifted through her mind for another way to prove him wrong.
"Well, you're crazy. Who the hell wakes up at seven in the morning to use a chainsaw?!" It was the best she could come up with, sadly.
Squinting his eyes at her, his hands flailed at his sides. "Well... Me, that's who! Now go back to your house and I won't make any noise until nine so you can have your sleep." He started to walk past her, but she spoke up. "Nine is still too early." He turned back to look at her, as she stood with her hand on her hip.
"Ok, princess, does ten work for you?" He asked, his words dripping with sarcasm. Lydia thought for a moment. "Nope, still too early. Noon." His jaw dropped. "Noon?! Hell no. Eleven. And that's your final offer." He matched her serious expression, and she found herself admiring him once more. "Ok, fine. eleven it is. Thank you." With that, she turned on her heel and began walking back to her own house. "You're welcome!" He shouted from behind, and Lydia threw back a tight smile.
The second she got inside her front door, she groaned. Of course she had to get a house next to a super hot guy. Of course. Not that she was complaining, but it would be so much easier for her to hate him and his chainsaw if he wasn't completely and totally beautiful. This was going to be interesting.
As promised, at eleven sharp, the chainsaw roared back to life. Lydia had closed her window, hoping to dull the noise enough so she could sleep through it. But it still woke her up, and she moaned in protest, burying her face in her pillow. Maybe if she just ignored it, she would eventually get used to it and be able to sleep again. Or he would turn it off pretty soon, he couldn't be planning on using it for too long, right?
But when Lydia finally gave up, got up, showered, and got herself ready for the day, the chainsaw was still going. All through lunch, it was still going. He turned it off for periods of time, and each time Lydia crossed her fingers that it was turned off for good. The sound of the chainsaw eventually gave way, only to be replaced with the sound of hammers and god knows what other tools he was throwing around. At least that's what it sounded like.
Lydia was making dinner when it all stopped, suddenly and gloriously. The peace and quiet filled the room, and Lydia couldn't help but hum a bit in relief. She continued making dinner, carefully removing a burning hot tray from the oven when persistent knocks erupted on her front door. Startled, she dropped the pan and felt it burn a bit of her arm, letting out a few choice words. The knocking continued, and Lydia could feel her skin burning in anger as she placed the pan on the counter and wiped her hands off. Studying the burn near her wrist, she hurried to the door and flung it open.
"Hey again! I just, I kind of just realized that we got off on the wrong foot, so I was hoping-" Lydia slammed the door and heard his sentence fade, walking back to the kitchen. Getting a plate, she dished up her food. Knocking on the glass sliding door across the room made her jump, and her jaw dropped as she saw him, in her backyard, his face pressed against the glass. Her kitchen and living room were all in one room, and she moved around the counter with an angry look. He had the stupidest smile on his face, and it made her want to punch him.
"Would you please leave me alone?!" For goodness sake, what would it take for him to take a hint?
"Look, just let me in! I brought you a peace offering!" He said, his voice muffled. Lydia glanced down and noticed a bag in his hands. She looked at him suspiciously, unconvinced. "And what exactly is in the bag?" She inquired.
"Well, you have to let me in to find out." The stupid smile was still plastered on his face, and Lydia wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. Sliding the door open, she saw his shoulders sink in relief and he started to step forward. Lydia snatched the bag out of his hand, closing the door before he had any time to react. Locking the door, she gave him a smug look, happy that his smile had been replaced by a look of genuine surprise. Reaching into the bag, she found food. A huge bag of chips, some pre-made, frozen cinnamon rolls, and a bag full of chocolate chip cookies.
She unlocked the door and slid it open. "This is your peace offering? Trying to make me fat?" She accused, but felt the corners of her mouth lift against her will. To her slight disappointment, he caught her smile, smiled right back at her, and slipped past her and into the house. And damn it, she let him. She wasn't sure what the heck was up with this dude, he was weird and seemed to her like a 7 year old kid as far as maturity. But hey, bickering with him was pretty entertaining.