"Good God," I muttered picking up one of the many heavy boxes from the moving truck. Stepping through the dewy grass in the morning, I walked crossed my lawn into the open door of my house.
I had moved here a few weeks ago with nothing but a suitcase full of clothes and my other belongings. Hours ago, a moving truck full of my old furniture from my past life arrived, making me wish I knew at least one person here in Davenport to help me move.
Sighing, I gently placed the box labeled kitchen plates on the marble counter before looking around my new house that was slowly coming together. I had been sleeping on an air mattress for weeks so to see furniture in here brought a small smile to my face.
Loving the way my living room turned out, I turned back around facing my kitchen.
My grey eyes landed on the spiral staircase that lead upstairs to a loft that I made into my office. That staircase was the number one reason why I bought this house; the quiet neighborhood being the second reason.
The neighborhood was so quiet that I'm pretty sure my next door neighbor was never home. The only time I ever got a glimpse of him was the first night here. I had drove all night from my former town, arriving in Davenport around 2 a.m, and when I was grabbing my bags from the car, I saw my neighbor packing his up. It was dark so I couldn't see his face but I could feel his gaze on me as I dragged my bag inside behind me.
I would go and meet the rest of my neighbors but the lingering fear I had of my past finding me held me hostage in my own home.
A small sigh left my lips when I looked at the clock on my living room wall seeing it was almost four p.m, meaning I had been unpacking for almost ten hours. I let a yawn leave my lips while I slipped on my black toms once more and made my way outside over towards the moving truck parked in front of my house. Thankfully, I only had a few boxes left.
Throwing my long deep violet hair up in a bun, I rolled up my sleeves before grabbing a box, walking down the ramp of the truck. Once I brought it inside, I walked back into the chilly fall air and heard voices next door. Looking to my left, my eyes landed on the neighbor I barley saw. His long hair was pulled into a low bun, hiding underneath a snap back, while he laughed along with two strangers; at least to me anyway. He seemed to know them.
I couldn't help but bite my lip at how attractive he looked while scratching at his beard, another laugh escaping his lips. My heart jumped to my throat when his brown eyes landed on me, looking me over intently, taking in my inked skin. I had a various amount of tattoo's covering my skin.
Not thinking anyone was going to pay attention to me, I had dressed in a see through white shirt, showing my black bra, and a pair of tight black shorts. I fell frozen in place while his eyes continued to rake over my body before landing on my face, small smile coming to his lips. I watched as one of the guys slapped his shoulder, turning his attention back to them.
Shaking my head, I ignored the stares from the three men as I walked into the truck for the last time, grabbing the very last box. Someone would be coming to pick up the truck so I didn't have to worry about bringing it back, getting lost in the unfamiliar town. I wasn't sure why I chose to move here. Honestly, I closed my eyes and threw a dart on a map with it landing on this small Iowa town.
I was struggling with the box while walking up my driveway and a very loud groan erupted from my throat when the bottom of the box broke, spilling my large collection of books all over the pavement.
"For fucks sake!" I groaned while throwing the empty box onto the grass before bending down, scooping up the books.
"Long day?"
My eyes traveled from the hands that were helping scooping up the books to the bearded face of my attractive neighbor.
Ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I gave him a small nod. "You can say that."
Standing up, I went to grab the books from him but realized my own were full. Biting my lip, I shut the questioning thoughts out of my mind before nodding back towards opened front door.
"Would you mind?"
He shook his head. "Not at all."
I lead the way inside and down the hall to my bedroom. "You can just set them on the bed." I called over my shoulder to him.
After my books were scattered all over my bed, I watched my neighbors eyes travel across my bedroom, a smirk coming to his lips.
"What?" I asked, hiding the treble in my voice.
He shook his head. "You got a lot done in just a day." When he saw my confused expression, he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes finally landing on me. "I couldn't help but notice you only moved in with a suitcase the first night."
"The move was somewhat last minute," I semi lied. "Well I should get back to it. Thank you-"
"Colby," he smiled.
I nodded. "Colby." I repeated. "Well thank you for helping me with my books."
When he didn't move, I crossed my arms at my chest, raising an eye brow at him. I didn't know this Colby and with the way he was smirking at me made me feel a tad uneasy.
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?," he mimicked my actions, a hint of cockiness in his voice. Something he did all too well.
"In your dreams," I spoke before showing him the door.
Closing the bathroom drawer, I looked around the final room I had to unpack, truly proud that I had managed to unpack every single box in just a day. When my eyes landed on the tub, I felt my body ache for a bubble bath but I knew I had a few more things to do in my back yard.
Looking through my closet, I grabbed a hoodie and quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants before making my way through the house. Grabbing a beer from my newly stocked fridge, I slid open the patio door, making my way outside, breathing in the night air. After Colby left, I had blasted some music, powering through the rest of the unpacking. It was now 8 p.m and I wanted nothing more than to unwind in front of a fire.
Grabbing one of the chairs, I slid it over to the fire pit before lighting it, the heat brushing against my face. I popped open the bottle and slid into the chair. I felt myself staring off into nothing, the memories of my former life flashing into my mind.
Short blonde hair. Not a touch of ink on my body. Skinny, way too skinny. A diamond ring on my finger.
Shaking my head, I took a long gulp of my beer and let my long hair out of the bun, shaking out the waves. Hearing commotion from in front of me, I looked over to the yard next door, my eyes immediately locking on Colby. He was standing in front of his grill while his friends sat around the table, beers of their own in their hands.
Colby must have felt me staring because he looked away from the grill, eyes landing on me. He gave me a small smile before nodding towards the grill, inviting me over.
My hands shook at the fear of not knowing him all that well, afraid of what his intentions were. Giving him a short shake of the head, I stood up, deciding to let the fire die down on it's own before walking up the steps. Before slipping inside, I dared to peak over my shoulder to Colby, who continued to watch me, eyes burning into me. With one last look, I walked inside, sliding the door closed behind me, making sure it was double locked.