All Chapters of The next door love: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The next day, we were curled up on my couch, legs tangled, a soft movie playing in the background that neither of us was actually watching. Elijah lay half-reclined, his arm draped lazily around my shoulders, my head resting against his chest. His heartbeat was steady, comforting—like it had always been meant to be there. He had practically been living in my house this days, it makes us look like married couples.“This feels nice,” I murmured, tracing invisible patterns on his arm.He smiled, fingers absentmindedly playing with my hair. “Nice?” he teased. “Only nice? I was aiming for unforgettable.”I laughed softly. “You always aim high.”“That’s because I know what I want,” he said, glancing down at me. “And right now… it’s you.”My cheeks warmed instantly. “You’re going to make me blush again.”“Good,” he said. “I like that I have that power.”We sat in comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke again. “Can I tell you something?”I looked up at him. “Always.”“When I was a ki

The beach smelled like salt and sunshine, the breeze tugging gently at my dress as Elijah held my hand and pulled me closer to the water.“I told you you’d love this,” he said, smiling like he’d personally invented the ocean just to impress me.I laughed. “Okay, fine. You were right. This was a great idea."He squeezed my hand. “A date with you deserves a great view.”I rolled my eyes, but my heart fluttered anyway.We’d barely found a spot near the shore when I noticed a group of people a few steps away—loud laughter, music playing softly, coolers open. Then I saw her.Lena.She spotted Elijah almost immediately, her face lighting up.“Elijah!” she called, standing up. “Oh my God, I didn’t know you were coming today!”Elijah blinked, surprised. “Lena? Hey… wow, small world.”She rushed over, her friends watching curiously behind her. Her eyes flicked to me, then back to him.“Are you here alone?” she asked, already knowing the answer.“No,” he said easily, pulling me a little closer.

I woke up smiling.Not the soft, accidental kind—but the wide, uncontrollable kind that made my cheeks hurt.Boyfriend.Elijah was officially my boyfriend.I rolled onto my side, grabbed my phone, and before I could stop myself, typed:Me: “Good morning, boyfriend.”The reply came almost instantly.Elijah: “Good morning, girlfriend. Did you sleep well or were you too busy thinking about me?”I laughed out loud.Me: “Bold of you to assume I slept at all.”A knock sounded at my door barely thirty minutes later.I opened it to find Elijah holding a paper bag and wearing that smile—the one that made me forget how to breathe.“Official couple rule number one,” he said. “We do breakfast together.”I raised an eyebrow. “Already making rules?”“Absolutely,” he said, stepping inside. “I take this role very seriously.”We ate on the couch, legs touching, shoulders brushing, feeding each other bites like it was the most natural thing in the world.“So,” I said, sipping my drink, “what does one d

Morning felt different.Not rushed. Not heavy.I woke up slowly, aware first of warmth, then of an arm around my waist, then of Elijah’s steady breathing behind me. For a moment, I stayed still, afraid that moving would break whatever spell we’d fallen under.“Good morning,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.I smiled. “How did you know I was awake?”“You stopped pretending,” he said, tightening his arm slightly. “You do this tiny inhale.”I laughed softly. “You pay too much attention.”“I plan to keep doing that.”We stayed in bed longer than we should have—talking about nothing, teasing each other, sharing lazy kisses that didn’t ask for more, just closeness.At some point, I sighed. “We can’t hide in here forever.”He brushed his thumb along my hip. “Who said anything about hiding?”An hour later, we stepped outside together.Hand in hand.It felt… bold.The neighborhood was awake now. A woman walking her dog smiled at us. A man nodded in greeting. Everything felt suddenly public

The afternoon was quiet, but my mind wasn’t. Elijah was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, scrolling through his phone. He had been quiet for a while, and I noticed it immediately. He wasn’t the quiet-for-no-reason type. “Elijah?” I called from the couch. He looked up. “Yeah?” “You’ve been quiet,” I said. “What’s wrong?” He hesitated, then walked over and sat beside me. “I don’t want to hide anything from you.” My stomach tightened. “Okay…?” He unlocked his phone and handed it to me. “Lena messaged me.” I took the phone slowly. My heart was beating fast, but I forced myself to read. Lena: I feel like we didn’t finish our conversation. Things feel awkward between us. I handed the phone back. “How do you feel about it?” “I feel like I need to be clear,” he said. “Completely clear.” “With her?” I asked. “And with you,” he replied. I nodded. “I appreciate that.” He started typing while I watched. Elijah: I don’t want confusion. I’m with Amara, and I’m serious abo