Chapter Four

"Get the fuck out of here. No way!" I gasped in shock, my eyes going wide and he just laughed at my expression, stepping inside and closed the door behind him.

"I know it's crazy but it's true. I've been staying here for two years now." 

"Wow, that's---" I paused, unable to form a proper sentence as I was still trying to process the newfound information.

"Horrible? Unexpected? Worse?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Amazing, Theo. Get over here." I chuckled and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly and he hugged me back tighter.

"God, you have no idea how much I missed this." He sighed against my shoulders and I smiled, feeling warm and safe between his arms. 

"Me too. We still have a lot to catch up on." I pulled back and hit his arm lightly.

"I know. Sit down, Lu." He sat down on my couch and patted the seat next to him.

"Wait, you want something to drink?"

"Just a beer,"

"Alright, I'll be right back." I called out and disappeared into the kitchen.

Once I was back, I found him busy on his phone and couldn't help but wonder how did it go with Grace. 

"So how was the date?" I asked, sitting down beside him and he kept his phone down immediately, taking the beer from my hands

"Well, it was good. She is really pretty." He replied but I felt like he wanted to say more so I kept looking at him expectantly.

"And?" 

"It's just that...she is so different from the way she texted me all those months or maybe I'm just reading into things." 

Fuck!

I wasn't sure what to respond to that because it was obviously me who was texting him all those months and I can't tell him that obviously not when Grace likes him now.

"You guys met online so just give her some time. I'm sure it will be alright once she is comfortable with meeting you in person." I assured him, not meeting his eyes and he nodded in response.

"Enough about me. What about you? You still with that guy? Andrew was it?"

"No, I broke up with him the next day after we kissed." 

"Really?" he asked in a surprised tone which made me frown.

"Yeah, I didn't want to hide it from him." 

"Fuck! I'm so sorry. I ruined your relationship, Lu." He spoke with a worried look on his face which made me chuckle lightly.

"Don't be. I wouldn't have kissed you if I had really loved him. So thanks to you actually for making me realize that sooner rather than later." I shrugged casually while he had a confused look on his face.

"Wait a minute! You did kiss me back. Why did you do that?" he asked, looking at me as if he was trying to solve some puzzle.

"Why the hell did you kiss me in the first place?" I asked with a scoff while maintaining a straight face and we both heard the doorbell go off at that exact moment breaking the tension between us.

"I'll get it." I stood up but he stopped me and walked towards the door.

I kept thinking about his question. Why did I kiss him back? Well, it was because I had a silly crush on him but what reason did he have? 

"Let me guess? Chinese?" he asked, walking back with his hands full of take-out food and I couldn't help but smile that he still remembered my favorite food. 

"That's right. You remember?" 

"Of course, it's not like I had Amnesia or something. I remember everything, sweetheart." He winked at me while I felt a swirl in my stomach and quickly looking away. 

I'm just hungry. 

That was it. Nothing else.

"You didn't answer my question," I asked, clearing my throat, and started to unpack the food.

"About the kiss? Uhh... I don't know..I guess I was just hormonal or something but I do remember that I wanted us to be friends again that night." He replied which was kind of honest and I laughed at him.

"You are such a guy. I still can't believe that I forgave you for what you did when we were small." I shook my head, sitting back comfortably on the couch, and started to eat.

"Are you gonna keep bringing it up? Even after all these years?" he asked with an unbelievable look in his eyes.

"Of course. It's not something to forget, Asshole!" I kicked him with my feet, making him laugh and he tried to steal some of my food but I swatted his hands away. 

"I was young and stupid. Cut me some slack, woman." 

"That's true. You were indeed stupid." I added, earning a glare from him. I noticed that he looked tired and a few buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a hint of his tanned chest. 

Why was the hell was I checking him out?

"So, you are a chef now, huh?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I was working at Freddie's initially, and then when I came to know that he was going to sell the place, I wanted to buy it. I had saved up some money of my own, with that and some borrowed money from my dad, I bought it from the old man. He was more than happy to sell it to me." He explained with a proud smile on his face and I could see his blue eyes sparkling with excitement as he spoke.

"That's amazing, Theo. We used to have a lot of memories at that place. You, me, and Hannah," I sighed, thinking about it fondly, and continued, "I'm glad, it's in the right hands now." 

"Yeah, it has always been my favorite place too." He smiled and looked at me. I held his gaze a little too long for my liking but thankfully, he broke our gaze and spoke first. 

"What about you? How long are you going to be in New York?" 

"I guess I'm here for good unless I want a transfer or something. We are in the residency training program now like Grace mentioned earlier and it might take a while now to be a fully licensed doctor." 

"Sounds cool. I always knew you were smart but I never would have guessed you to become a doctor. Saving lives and stuff. That's the real deal." He smiled at me warmly and I smiled back at him, trying to hide the stupid blush that was about to creep on my cheeks. 

"Is there anyone?" he asked almost immediately and I looked up from my food.

"Huh?"

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"No...and I don't plan on seeing anyone for a while. It's nice this way." I stated and stood up from the couch to dispose of the empty food boxes as I was done eating.

"Being single?" he asked following me to the kitchen and I turned around to face him after dumping the trash.

"Mmmm...with a little bit of fun occasionally." I gave him a knowing smirk and he looked taken aback by my response.

"You mean..."

"Yeah. In fact, I was expecting a hot neighbor and thought of hooking up with him or something." 

"So, I'm guessing you were disappointed to find out that it was me." He uttered, shoving his hands inside his Jean pocket which made the nerves on his forearms visible. I swallowed hard and flicked my eyes to meet his blue orbs which were already starting right back at mine with so much intensity.

"Yeah, very disappointed." I agreed with him which was an obvious lie.

"I can't imagine you being wild and reckless." He chuckled, shaking his head a bit, and ran his fingers through his luscious locks of hair.

Why is it that everything he does looks so hot to me all of a sudden?

"I'm not a teenage girl anymore, Theo." 

"I know. I'm just trying to process it." I was about to walk past him but stopped dead in my tracks when he asked me the next question.

"How often do you? You know?" 

"How often do I sleep with random guys?" Seriously?" I asked him with my jaw dropping to the floor.

"What? I thought we were best friends."

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna tell you about my sex life. You really are stupid." 

"Alright, fine. I won't ask." He chuckled and kept following me to the living room.

"It's going to be just like old times. You and me. Together always." He called out and I sat down on the couch, sipping on his remaining beer.

"Yeah, I still can't believe so much has happened tonight. This is all unbelievable and a crazy coincidence."

"Or just meant to be, sweetheart." He tsked, making me roll my eyes.

We spent the rest of the night talking random crazy stuff and shared all our experiences over the years. I came to know that he has never been in a serious relationship at all and I told him all about my sleepless nights studying at medical school and how Grace and I became friends. Time seemed to fly by and it was only when I saw the clock behind his head that was hanging on the wall, I realized how late it was.

"Woah! It's almost 12." 

"Crap! I have an early morning. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he asked as he stood up, ruffling up my hair.

"Sure. Good night, neighbor." I grinned widely and he walked towards my door.

"Good night, Lu, and I'm really glad that we meet together and we are back together." 

"I know. Me too, Theo." I replied honestly and he gave me small smile before opening the door to leave. 

I let out a huge sigh and fell back on the couch, feeling happy and excited. Theo was living only a few feet away from me and we were back to being best friends again. Everything fell into place and it was like we had never been apart all these years. I couldn't remember the last night I had spoken so much to someone and laughed so hard. I rubbed my face, wiping off the stupid grin, and pulled my hair into a messy bun. Just then, my phone vibrated on the coffee table and I bent over to pick it up.

'FYI, I'm not disappointed.'- Theo.

What did he mean by that? 

Was he not disappointed that I was his neighbor or?

Does he think I'm hot?