The Boy Next Door

Chapter 5

⠀⠀⠀Hayden stands in front of her full length mirror in her bedroom, turning her feet from side to side in order to inspect her new shoes. Never did she ever think she would be in a situation where she would be forced to invest in a pair of cowboy boots, but here she is, looking at her reflection while wearing a designer sundress and a pair of brown, probably fake leather boots. The most horrifying thing of all is that Hayden doesn't actually hate the way they look on her. She's been in Kansas for all of a week, and it is already rubbing off on her. She shudders just at the thought of becoming a full blown farm girl.

⠀⠀⠀There is a knock at the window and she nearly jumps out of her skin. She turns around, prepared to give the peeping Tom a piece of her mind, but instead of a creepy tween boy going through puberty or an old man who can't get laid, it's Wyatt standing standing there.

⠀⠀⠀She stomps over to the window and lifts it open.

⠀⠀⠀"You little creep! You can't just go looking in people's windows!" she screeches.

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt throws his hands up. "Sorry, Hay. I wasn't lookin', but it's not like you weren't watchin' me wash my truck earlier." He smirks at her, loving the fact that he can bring it up again.

⠀⠀⠀She crosses her arm over her chest. "What do you want?"

⠀⠀⠀"My dog had a bunch of puppies last month, and I was wondering if you wanted to come to the barn and play with them for a little while," he offers.

⠀⠀⠀If Hayden didn't already know him, she would swear that he was plotting to lure her out to a barn to torture and kill her, but he is just Wyatt.

⠀⠀⠀"No thanks," she snaps.

⠀⠀⠀He can't help but look a little disappointed. He thought they were making progress today, her asking for him to take her to get shoes and all, but apparently not.

⠀⠀⠀He leans his arms against her window sill. "What? You got other plans? You too good for me now?"

⠀⠀⠀She bites down on the inside of her cheek, knowing very well that she has nothing to do other than watch TV and eat the limited snacks available in her pantry. He knows it too, and he wants her to admit that she has no plans.

⠀⠀⠀After holding out for a while, she finally agrees. "Fine, show me your stupid puppies."

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt backs away from the window, giving her adequate room to exit her bedroom that way, and she slides it back into its closed position when her feet hit the grass.

⠀⠀⠀He walks around to a gate that divides Hayden's house from his, opening it and holding it for her. Then he guides her expertly through the empty field to the stable at the rear end of his family's property. When they enter, stalls are full of horses, each one neighing at him as he walks by and gives them a rub on their nose.

⠀⠀⠀Hayden watches in awe as he handles the massive animals so gently, and they respond to him with such love. She's always had a fear of horses that she's never been able to explain, being that this is the first time she's seen one in person. Horses don't exactly walk down the streets of New York City.

⠀⠀⠀At the end of the barn, there's a stall that has no horse in it. Wyatt swings the door of it open, and inside sits a fully grown yellow Labrador retriever, a litter of its month-old babies playing with one another nearby. The mother dog jumps to its feet and walks over to greet Wyatt. She licks his hand, and then moves on to Hayden. The dog sniffs around the stranger, and Hayden freezes in place. You can say that she has a fear of most animals, actually, not just horses.

⠀⠀⠀"What are you so scared of? She don't bite," Wyatt teases.

⠀⠀⠀She tries to laugh it off, not wanting to seem like a total loser. "I'm not scared."

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt sits in the corner of the stall, his back against the wooden wall, and whistles. "Sunny, come here girl." The dog obediently goes to him and sits down, resting his her nose on his lap.

⠀⠀⠀Hayden sits in the opposite corner, the hay that covers the ground pricking her thighs. One of the puppies sniffs its way over to her and begins to lick her fingers so she'll pet it. She runs her fingers through the soft yellow fur of the puppy, and she and Wyatt sit in awkward silence.

⠀⠀⠀"So, you likin' it any better here yet?" he asks, finally breaking the silence that had encompassed the room.

⠀⠀⠀She shakes her head. "Not really."

⠀⠀⠀He continues, "Why not? It can't be that bad, can it?"

⠀⠀⠀"It's just, it's not home," she says. "And I miss my friends. I miss my boyfriend. I don't have anyone here, and I know it's only been a week, but still..."

⠀⠀⠀"Well," he says, "you got me, and you can have that pup too. She needs a home, and you need a friend, so y'all are the perfect match."

⠀⠀⠀She giggles in a sort of sad way as she scoops up the tiny dog and cradles it in her arms like a baby. "Why are you so nice to me? I'm not exactly returning the favor."

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt shrugs. "I don't know. I just feel like there's more to you than meets the surface, Hay, and I'd like to uncover it."