All Chapters of The next door love: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing. “Elijah,” I mumbled, nudging him. “Your phone.” He groaned. “If it’s the world ending, tell it to wait.” I picked it up and smiled when I saw the name on the screen. “It’s your mum.” His eyes flew open. “My mum? What time is it?” “Too early for panic,” I said, answering the call. “Good morning.” There was a pause. “Oh—hi,” his mum said, surprised. “Is this Amara?” “Yes,” I replied, suddenly sitting up straight. “Elijah talks about you,” she said warmly. “A lot.” I covered the speaker and whispered, “Your mum says you talk too much.” He buried his face in the pillow. “Please don’t expose me.” I laughed and spoke back into the phone. “He’s right here.” When the call ended, Elijah looked at me. “She likes you.” “She hasn’t even met me,” I said. “She knows enough,” he replied. “She said, ‘That girl sounds like peace.’” My chest tightened. “That’s… sweet.” He reached for my hand. “It’s true.” Later that day, we decided to take a

Elijah started coming over so often that it stopped feeling like a visit.It felt like routine.One morning, I was brushing my teeth when I heard his voice from the kitchen.“Amara?”“Yes?” I replied, toothpaste still in my mouth.“Why do you own five mugs but only use this one?”I laughed and rinsed my mouth. “Because that one is special.”He held up the chipped mug. “It’s broken.”“It has character,” I corrected.He shook his head. “You’re strange.”“And yet,” I said, walking closer, “you’re still here.”He smiled. “Fair point.”He poured coffee into the mug anyway and handed it to me.“Careful,” he said. “It leaks a little.”I raised an eyebrow. “You still used it?”“Because you like it,” he replied.That made my chest feel warm.Later that day, we sat on the couch, my feet on his lap while he scrolled through his phone.“You’re too quiet,” I said.“I’m thinking,” he replied.“That never sounds safe.”He laughed. “I was thinking about us.”My heart skipped. “Us?”“Yes,” he said, lo

That night, sleep refused to come.I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, Jason’s words replaying in my head even though I hated that they still had space there.I’m not over her. I’ll do everything to get her back.I turned on my side and groaned softly.“You okay?” Elijah’s voice came from beside me.I hadn’t even realized he was awake.“I’m fine,” I lied.He shifted closer. “That didn’t sound like ‘fine.’”I sighed. “I just… I don’t like that he still thinks he has a chance.”Elijah was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Do you think he does?”I turned to face him immediately. “No. Not at all.”“Then look at me,” he said gently.I did.His eyes were calm, steady. Nothing like the chaos Jason always brought.“You don’t owe him anything,” Elijah continued. “Not explanations. Not guilt. Not fear.”“I know,” I whispered. “I just hate confrontation.”He smiled softly. “I’ll stand with you through it. Every time.”My chest tightened in a good way. “You really mean that, don’t you?”“I d

The house felt unusually quiet after Jason left.Not the peaceful kind of quiet—the kind that makes you aware of every little sound. The ticking clock. The hum of the fridge. My own breathing.I wrapped my arms around myself.Elijah noticed. “Hey,” he said softly. “Come here.”I didn’t argue. I moved closer, letting him pull me into his chest.“I hate that he still shows up like that,” I murmured.“I know,” Elijah replied. “But he doesn’t get to control your peace anymore.”I rested my head against him. “I thought I was done being scared of him.”“You don’t look scared to me,” he said.I scoffed lightly. “My hands were shaking.”“Being brave doesn’t mean not shaking,” he said. “It means speaking anyway.”I smiled faintly. “You always know what to say.”He laughed. “Not always. I just mean what I say with you.”That made my chest warm.We sat like that for a while, not talking, just breathing together.Then Elijah said, “Do you want tea? Or ice cream? Or both?”I lifted my head. “Both

The days after that felt different.Not rushed. Not confusing.Just steady.Elijah started showing up like he belonged—sometimes with food, sometimes with nothing but that easy smile that made my heart relax.That afternoon, I was in my room folding clothes when my phone rang.“Elijah?” I answered.“Hey, babe,” he said casually, like the word had always been there.I smiled. “You sound very comfortable.”“I am,” he replied. “Are you home?”“Yes.”“Good,” he said. “Because I’m outside.”I laughed. “You really need to stop doing that.”“No,” he said. “I really don’t.”When I opened the door, he pulled me into a hug immediately. Not tight. Not rushed. Just warm.“I missed you,” he said quietly.“You saw me yesterday,” I teased.“And?” he asked. “I still missed you.”I shook my head, smiling. “Come in.”We ended up in my room, sitting on the bed, backs against the headboard. His arm rested around my shoulders, my legs folded toward him.“You always look so calm in here,” he said, glancing