Love

Love. Something Chloe thought she’d never find.  Chloe was an average teenager in the small town of San Ramon who lived a normal life. She was sweet, funny and energetic when you got to know her but opening up was a completely different story.She had been hurt in the past so she had trouble opening up to people. She had been in a toxic relationship and decided she wasn’t going to be surrounded by that energy ever again. It started off like any other day in quarantine for Chloe. Sleeping in till noon and staying inside all day, that’s all she could do. She didn’t mind, she was a homebody. She loved staying inside and not having anything to do. It's not like she had anything else going on in her life, or so she thought. That was until he came. The house next door had been empty for as long as Chloe could remember. The windows always closed, the door locked and a hefty lawn that hadn't been mowed in years. She always wondered why no one would move in there but the torn down walls and high California tax explained it all.  She didn't think any of that would change on this particular day. She heard a truck outside her house, out of curiosity she decided to peer out the window. Someone was moving in next door! She saw a woman, probably in her 40s standing in front of the worn down house. "Poor woman, she's going to be living in that hideous house all alone" Chloe thought to herself. There were many renovations going on and it was hard to tell who was entering and leaving the house. That night, Chloe was getting ready to go to bed. Her eye caught a glimpse of someone in the window of the house next door. Then she saw him. He had green eyes, curly brown hair and tan skin. She had never seen anyone like him. The poor old lady wasn't living alone after all. He must've noticed because he waved at her and smiled goofily. Chloe waved back and went to bed. That night, she couldn't get him out of her head. By the time she finally tossed and turned to sleep, she knew she was going to get to know him tomorrow. The next day, Chloe got out of bed bright and early. She showered and dressed up. She wore ripped jeans and black crop top. She straightened her long blonde hair and put on mascara. She wanted to make a good first impression when they talked. When she finally saw him peer out the window, she knew it was her chance. She opened the window and said, "Hey you're the new guy right? I'm Chloe." To which he replied, "Yeah I just got here from Chicago, I'm Mateo." They introduced themselves. Apparently, they had moved because of his mom's new job and he wasn’t sure how much he was going to like the area. California was a big change from Chicago. Mateo liked to play football and run track. Chloe told him about how she plays lacrosse and soccer. They had an instant connection. Both of them were glad to have made a new friend.  The small talk eventually turned into them talking every night. They couldn’t talk personally because of quarantine but the window was just as good. Chloe was just happy to have someone to talk to during this time. She hadn’t been to school in so long she was actually starting to miss it. They slowly became best friends, “Why are you staring at me?” She asked one night as they stargazed together. “You have really pretty eyes.” Mateo responded. Chloe could feel herself turning red. She’d never had a guy be so nice to her before. Sure, she’d been in relationships before but they’d always ended with her heart getting broken. She told herself she wouldn’t let herself feel like that again. But, for some reason, she found herself opening up to Mateo. Without thinking, she let down her guard. “Not as pretty as your curly hair.” she replied. She saw him as he was clearly surprised. He wasn’t expecting a response. They would talk about everything from their future to music to school. One day, Mateo came to the window looking more frazzled than usual. "Can you maybe come outside for a little?" He said shyly. "Sure" replied Chloe confused. The sun was just setting and the air smelled fresh. She hadn't been outside in days. Mateo was a lot taller than she was, it's hard to tell from two windows. "Hey, do you want to go to this spot I love?" Chloe blurted. She grabbed his hand before he could respond and started walking. “Where are we going?” he asked. “Somewhere I’ve never taken anyone before. I used to go there with my dad before he died.” Chloe said quietly. She’d never told anyone that before. She didn’t like talking about it. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I had no idea.” “It’s okay,” she replied. He looked at  her directly, still not letting go of her hand. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m always here.” In that moment, she knew exactly how she felt about him. Life was too short to dwell over the past and someone so good in. He made her happy and excited her. She was curious around him. She forgot about everything else around him. She was herself around him. “I have to tell you something", they both said coincidentally. "You go first," Mateo said. "No you first" Chloe responded. "Lets both go at the same time 3,2,1..." Chloe mustered up all of her courage and said "I have feelings for you." She was taken aback to hear them say the same thing. With that, she grabbed his hand, not letting go. She knew she had made the right decision trusting him. They watched the sunset and in that moment she knew he would keep her happy for a long time.