The Next Door Neighbor (Brian)

She was a little embarrassed, but she went next door and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, a man opened the door. He was tall and muscular, as well as handsome, and had a telltale ring on his left hand. He was shirtless, and his hair was wet, so he had probably taken a shower recently.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Brian. I haven't seen you around, are you the one who just moved in next door?"

"Yeah, my name's Jessie." She held out her hand and he shook it. His hand was coarse, but surprisingly gentle. "I'm really sorry to ask this, but would you mind giving me a hand moving things?"

"Oh, of course," he said, "It's no trouble at all, just lead the way."

They walked back to her house, and he grabbed the box that her husband had dropped, lifting it with ease. They chatted as he moved the boxes, insisting that he leave all the work to her, and she felt something that she didn't recognize at first.

It was the same feeling as when she met Nick. She blushed as she realized that she was falling for him.

She shouldn't do anything, she told herself, but she knew that she couldn't ignore this feeling.