Apple

TWO

Glancing through the blinds, I catch sight of Layne carrying out his garbage. Damn, this dude makes anything look good.

Layne has been our neighbor for almost two weeks, and my subconscious thoughts have turned into a never-ending stream of daydreams involving him. He's just so...I don't know!

"What are you doing?" I hear Thea ask from behind me. Startled, I quickly break away from the window and pretend to water our plants on the window steel. Thea laughs as she pulls down one of the blinds and looks. "Ah, stalking, I see," she teases.

"I just looked out the window, and he just happened to be there," I say, trying to play it cool.

"He asked about you, you know."

"Who?" I say cluelessly.

"Layne," she winks at me playfully.

"He did?"

"Mmhmm," Thea nods before looking outside again. She has been spending a lot of time with Sean, even going over to Layne's when he's there.

"....I think he's weird," I shrug, trying to seem uninterested despite my racing heart. Thea crosses her arms and stares at me until I break."He's so cute. It hurts," I groan, plopping myself on the couch.

"Awww, you have a little crush," Thea giggles knowingly, nudging me to scoot over.

"Shut up," I whine, chuckling as I sit up.

As Thea sits beside me, she gives me a teasing smile. "You need to complete the circle, girl."

"Circle?"

"Me and Sean. Jade and Jerry. You and Layne, it's perfect."

"Triangle," I correct, shaking my head before focusing on something else. "...What if he already has a girlfriend?" I then whisper, becoming disappointed at the thought.

"I'll support you as a homewrecker then," she jokes. I roll my eyes, playfully punching her arm."But from what Sean told me, he's single as a pringle."

I try to shake off my anxious thoughts, but they cling to me like a leech. Still, I can't help but wonder about Layne's love life. As much as I want to believe he's single, I can't imagine a guy like him going unnoticed by other women. My stomach churns at the thought of him being with someone else. Ugh, I hate having crushes.

I nod slowly at Thea as I bite down on my lower lip, "...what else do you know?"

"He used to live a crazy lifestyle...." I raise one of my eyebrows. "but has calmed down since," she then reassures. "And now he stays home a lot."

Hmmm. "...A crazy lifestyle?"

Thea shrugs, "That's what Sean said."

My brows furrow as I contemplate Thea's words; Layne? Crazy? Wild? Reckless? He looks so innocent...like a baby. Awe, he must have been a cute baby.

"I don't know...Chris and I have been flirting hard; it'll be like I'm cheating on him," I joke.

"Please, he hasn't even taken you out on a date yet," Thea scoffs.

"He's a busy man!" I sing out loud. Damn, but he hasn't.

"You gonna let me have him then?" Jade asks, skipping down the stairs. I shake my head at Jade's comment. Jade seriously needs to break up with their boyfriend.

"Don't you have a date with Jerry tonight, Cheater?" Thea asks while laughing. Jade puckers a kiss as they sit on the arm of the couch.

"Yes, but I'll ditch him in a heartbeat for Chris," Jade winks at us while sticking out their tongue.