Later that day, I went home and invited Alice over. We went to my room and began to vent about our problems while discussing possible solutions.
She told me that the reason she'd been so distant from the group was because she was "starting to catch feelings for Jesse."
"You what?!!!" I asked hysterically.
"I know, I know. I'm not even sure how. I just am," she said while looking down, a wide grin forming on her face.
"It would make sense, though. It's pretty clear how close you guys have gotten over the years," I replied.
"Well, he's a really sweet guy. He's always there for me and checks in occasionally. Not to mention his amazing personality and his sense of humor," she said with genuine excitement.
"Awee, I don't think I've ever seen you like this before. You seem really happy," I said.
"I am, but enough about that. What's going on with you?"
I told Alice about the guy who moved in next door and how eventful these past few days had been since his arrival.
"And this is what was in my backpack. I'm gonna kill him," I said while balling my fist.
"Woah, calm down. This guy is clearly into you. Now, does he have a unique way of showing it? Yes. But I think you should give it a chance and formally introduce yourselves to each other," she said.
"He's about to get introduced to every bit of my knuckles," I replied in anger.
Right when Alice was about to calm me down we heard a knock, so I got up and walked to the front door. Looking through the peephole, I saw a familiar looking tall, dark haired figure standing at the door.
It was Adrian.
I turned and looked over at Alice, signaling to let her know who was at the door. She crept over and looked through the peephole. She quickly looked back at me and whispered,
"Dude, you didn't tell me he was hot!!!!!"
"Shut up," I said quietly but sternly.
I signaled for her to move to the side so I could open the door and when I opened it, he stood there, towering over me.
"Hey."
"Can I help you," I asked as I lowered my eyes.
"I saw that you got my note," he said with a smug smile.
"Yes, I did."
"Huh, that's weird."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's weird because I haven't gotten a call or text from you, like, at all."
"Well, you shouldn't get your hopes up about things like that. Especially after the little stunt you pulled."
"How else was I supposed to get your attention? You ran from me last time," he said with a slight chuckle in his voice.
"No, I had to… uhh… what do you want?"
"Oh, can I borrow a hammer?"
"…Can you borrow a hammer?"
"Yeah. My dad and I just got some pictures and paintings that we wanted to hang up to make it feel more like home."
I leaned back to look at Alice who had been hiding behind the door. She shrugged her shoulders which showed that she was just as confused as I was. I leaned forward and turned to look at Adrian once more, still confused.
"….Sure, gimme a sec."
I walked to the back room and grabbed the hammer off the dresser. When I came back, Alice was grinning from ear to ear. If she did anything at all while I was gone, I can guarantee she will be murdered.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
He looked at me and smiled while holding the hammer. He then took a step closer.
"Alright, well, if that's all you came here for, then you can leave."
"Okay, then I guess I'll see you around?"
"Not likely."
I gave him a malicious grin and closed the door.
I then walked back to my room to sit at my desk and Alice followed.
'Can I borrow a hammer.' Yeah, okay.