The Man Next Door

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

It was a gorgeous evening in Montclair, New Jersey. Not only was it a safe place to settle down and start a family, but it was also peaceful compared to her old unsettling apartment located next to one of the busiest streets in the city.

Vera was glad and oddly overwhelmed that they finally got to move. The place her husband found for them was utterly beautiful and spacious. They also had plenty of neighbors with kids and pets of their own.

They had everything. They were ready to start a lovely new life together as a newly married couple, and the only thing in the way of the completion of their new family home was the emptiness of their refrigerator. No food. The place didn't come with food, meaning Vera had to go grocery shopping.

Vera snatches her wallet and throws on a wooly jacket along with a pair of shoes before climbing out of the empty house, preparing for the cold she jolts out the door and sprints to her car. She hated how nice the weather looked through a window when in reality it was unbearably cold, especially when the last month of expected warm, sunny weather was still in motion.

The local Trader Joe's was fairly near, about four minutes into driving she arrives. Once she pulled her car into a convenient parking space, she hopped out of her car and locked it before dashing towards the entrance of the store. Vera made it inside and as she went on to grab a basket, she felt herself become a tad light-headed. Perhaps I'm already too old for running, she jokes to herself.

Vera browsed through the shelves of the store and took whatever condiments, drinks, and snacks she knew they needed. She already had certain vegetables, milk, chips, eggs, and juice. Now all she needed was some pasta noodles.

Vera browses for the pasta as ideas for tonight's dinner began to flood her thoughts. As she was searching for what she needed, she felt a hand gently and swiftly brush over her arm, almost like a gust of wind from the outdoors. Vera turns her head at the feeling and notices nobody around except for a gentleman, who was too busy browsing for flour, facing the opposite direction. That was strange.

She turns her attention back on the different packaged noodles in front of her and immediately notices the throbbing of her head increase by a ton. Out of instinct, she runs her hand through her gentle locks of brown hair and squints her eyes, trying her best to fight through the pounding of her obnoxious headache.

"Ma'am?" The gentleman from behind gingerly asks, noticing her wobble out of balance, "you okay?"

At that point forward, she could hear nothing but the man, notice nothing but the southern accent that rolled off the man's tongue, feel nothing but the man's arms around her after catching her fall. Who was this man? What was happening to her?

"Can you hear me?" The man questions, running his hand over the side of her neck, putting down enough pressure to feel her pulse, "hang in there, we'll get you some help."

After a moment, Vera opens her eyes enough to make out two other guys standing beside the kind man who was still on the ground, holding her. Vera also notices a girl standing behind them.

"Help is coming," the man gently reassures, noticing her eyes open just slightly, revealing her ocean blue orbs, "help is getting here."