Next Chapter, as always guys, please review :) Lise xx

Piper hadn't really visited the new house before now, Carol, her mother had simply advised her that her room would be bigger than the one she had previously had and that she could get it decorated how she wished, within reason, if it wasn't already to her taste. The house was large and detached, a combination of natural coloured brick veneer and rendering. A large, beautifully green lawn at the front with several trees dotted along the front lawn leading up to the double maroon colour arched door. It was in one of the best areas this side of town had to offer and all the houses on the street were of a similar design.

She took in the sight before her, it really was a beautiful home and she knew her father deserved it, he had worked hard to get them to where they were today, with Piper planning to only stay home for another couple of years she knew they could choose whatever type of home she wanted, without her input.

Carol had already put her own touches on the home and had unpacked all of the alcohol and set up the bar area. Piper walked up the stairs.

"Your bedroom is on the left honey, I left the door open for you." Carol shouted up as Piper approached the landing.

Her room was large. Wood flooring throughout, high skirting boards and she had asked for the feature wall to be painted grey. Usually when she was young, Carol would have painted and accessorised everything pink but with the new house, Piper had decided she wanted to be more neutral. Her bedding was white with a grey throw adorning the bottom, Carol had insisted on new furniture so the bed was new, king size, which Piper thought was overkill considering there was only her sleeping in it, not that she was complaining.

Piper walked over to the window, it had a low and deep windowsill and Piper had decided it would make the perfect reading nook. She opened a box and pulled out a bunch of grey cushions and some of her light pink ones from the old house and lined the window with them. She noticed the house directly across from hers was a lot darker in style, the stone veneer a dark grey and the render a dark grey, the lawn was perfectly green and there was a large solitary oak tree in the garden off of which a hammock was hanging. Piper wondered what her neighbours were like, if they were just really old or if she would make some new friends. It had turned out to be just the type of summer day that Piper liked and now the sun was due to start going down, the light was comfortable, the temperature was comfortable with a small breeze. She knew her mom would be calling her for dinner soon so she decided to open the window, sit in the windowsill and call Polly to let her know about the house. "Hey Poll, I just got here, my room is huge."

"Nice, Piper, it's really boring here without you, I mean, even though you have only been gone a matter of hours..."

Polly continued talking but her voice faded into the background as Piper noticed someone in the garden of the dark house opposite her own. A tall dark haired girl was making her way out with a glass of what looked like ice tea in one hand and a book in the other. She was wearing sunglasses, a cap with a military style cap, a loose fitting shirt over a tank top, loosely tucked into a pair of short khaki shorts. Piper's mouth fell open. She couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from the pale white skin on the girl's long legs. The girl lay with one leg dangling out of the hammock, leisurely reading her book and sipping her ice tea, casually licking her lips after each sip. Piper was mesmerised.

"Pipes? you there?"

Piper was snapped back to reality by Polly calling her name. "Uh, yeah, sorry Poll, mom's calling me for dinner, I have to go!" Piper quickly said goodbye to Polly, quietly enough so she couldn't be heard through the open window. This girl had no idea that Piper was watching her, now laying in her hammock, one leg hung lazily off the side as it rocked gently, the shade of the tree covering the raven haired girl from the evening sun.

Piper ate dinner quickly that night, hoping she could return to her room and marvel over the girl before bed. When Piper eventually did return though, the girl had disappeared, the hammock folded neatly away. A stab of disappointment surged through her and she decided to have a bath to avert her mind. She felt silly and embarrassed that she was watching this girl like some sort of stalker from her bedroom window.

As the hot water ran into the bath, no matter how hard she tried not to, her brain kept drifting back to those long pale legs and the girl's silky dark hair gently blowing in the breeze. She wondered if the girl lived there with her parents or husband. One thing was for certain, Piper was enamoured by her and wanted to know more about her.

She had one more look out of the window before bed and could see a light on in one of the upstairs rooms of the house, no one was visible but Piper could make out a bed and a chest of drawers on the far side. She looked out for another 5 minutes before giving up and drawing her curtains, getting ready for bed and texting Polly for the remainder of the night. She drifted off to sleep with the image of the girl in the hammock engrained in her mind.