I Can't Get Neighbor Abby Out Of My Head.

I can't get neighbor Abby out of my head.

Hi, guys. I needed a little fluff in my life today. Maybe you do, too. If so, I hope you enjoy this quick blurb. Neighbor Abby has me dream spinning whole ass fanfics in my head. Can the next girl I give my heart to please be this sweet? Kinda had my fill of having my heart torn out. Whew. Biting my tongue with that one. Thanks, universe.

May we never, ever settle for less.

Last summer, you noticed her hauling dented boxes up and down the stone pathway to the fixer upper next door. Nipping at her heels, a hyper German Shepherd puppy and some mouthy dude barking Spanish at her with a smirk permanently fixed to his face.

He was handsome enough and you wondered at first if maybe they were together.

The thought did not make your stomach pull an unexpected, uncomfortable flip.

The woman rocks a pretty magnetic smile, is all.

And you haven't been watching her for months. Sure, you've noticed her. But that's only natural. She lives right beside you, after all. It's impossible to simply ignore her existence.

The way she walks her dog at exactly 5:45am as if she's tethered to a timeline that'll alter the fabric of reality itself should she be even one minute behind schedule.

The way she talks to the pup like he's her best friend in the entire universe and simultaneously, the biggest trouble maker she's ever known.

It's painfully cute and if you linger to watch it play out, it's only because the moment rivals the morning sun.

She's definitely the girl who works her ass off all week long, still managing to keep an immaculate front lawn. A garden peppered with lush roses and wildflowers. Bright green grass evenly trimmed from hedge to hedge.

You hear the mechanical growl of her lawnmower twice a week like clockwork. When you peek through the curtains, you notice her pink cheeks and freckled shoulders, dappled by the afternoon rays, her long golden braid a mess of frizz and exertion.

Sometimes her deep blue gaze flits to yours while she swipes an old rag across her dirt streaked forehead. If you fly backward from your livingroom window at record speed, she's graceful enough not mention it. Not when you bump into each other sauntering out to the mailboxes every Saturday, anyway.

It works for you. You get to admire her from afar and feed your daydreams without ever fumbling through the terrifying reality of being seen by someone who makes your heart pulse into a frantic somersault.

Until recently.

Because of course, with your luck, something shifted. Something big.

Abby doesn't stop when she finishes mowing her lawn anymore. She cuts the motor, rolls the old machine down the cracked sidewalk and fires back up at the edge of your property.

The first time it happened, you almost let your panic ruin a good thing, tempted to blow through your front door to tell her she didn't have to. But she worked so meticulously and with an air of ease you've only ever seen from women too confident to take no for an answer. Not when it comes to kind acts of service.

Not when it comes to matters of the heart.

So, you let her finish. You let her turn your yard into pleasant lines and fresh earth.

Tomorrow will be a good day.

When 5:45am blinks at you from the alarm clock beside your bed, you'll resolve to hop out of bed to whip up a plate of breakfast and hot mug of coffee, something to greet her with when she returns from her walk.

Something to say thank you.

Something to say, I think I can't stop noticing you.

And here's the thing. You figure she might be cordial about it. Give you a polite nod and a gentle, surprised smile before taking her spoils into the house to toss them directly into the bin because you really have no idea what she likes to eat and maybe she hates bacon.

With a body like hers, you can only assume she has a strict regimen.

But the moment her sneakers squeak up the driveway, excited paws clicking alongside her, it's as if she knew you'd be there waiting. Like maybe, she'd been wondering when you'd finally catch a hint.

Like maybe, she can't stop noticing you too.

"I was hoping you'd be here."

When she says it, when her voice wraps around you like a soft sweater warm from the dryer, the sunrise freezes. A moment carved out just for you and this breathtaking girl who looks at you like you hold all the answers she seeks.

"I don't know if you're, like… strict with your meals or whatever. You look like someone who counts macros."

She grins. Gives her companion a quick scrub between his ears. And it's the most beautiful thing. Just, normal. Easy, somehow. Even the small shrug she gives you feels like tenderness.

"I do. But I'm making an exception," Abby says, chewing the corner of her lip, her eyes never once leaving yours. "For you? Always. Wanna come in?"