When Alice made the decision to move places, all she hoped for was a fresh start. She did her best to leave her past behind and settled into what she believed was a quiet and welcoming neighborhood.
The new house was dusty and felt lifeless, as though it had been waiting for a new owner to bring it back to life. Like Alice, the place seemed to long for a new beginning.
Still unpacked, Alice heard a knock on her door. A handsome man with two cups of coffee, still steaming, welcomed himself inside. He introduced himself as Michael, Alice’s neighbor.
Before Alice could say anything, he started talking about the town and the neighborhood, telling her how welcoming everyone was. Michael had a grin on his face the entire time, which seemed to fade away when Alice told him she had a lot of unpacking to do and forced him to leave.
But just as she closed the door, there was another knock.
“Hello, I’m Suzanne, your neighbor,” the woman said. She seemed to have the bubbliest personality and knew everything about everyone in the neighborhood.
“Have you met Michael?” she asked, adding that he was the gem of the community. “By the way, he’s single,” she said as she winked at Alice.
It took some time before Suzanne finally left.
Alice looked at her cup of coffee that was standing on the counter for too long, and just as she was about to take a sip, there was yet another knock, and then another, and another. Before long, her kitchen counter was filled with gifts from her new neighbors. There were pies, chocolates, potted plants, you name it.
Exhausted from the forced small talks with her neighbors, Alice thought to herself that this neighborhood could be a bit too welcoming for her taste.
She could finally unpack her things and take some rest. However, as she was going through her things, she found a note that changed everything and brought the sense of fear and unease she was trying to escape from.
“I know who you are and what you are running from. Be careful with new friends,” the note read.
Alice was fearful. Who could leave that note there? Was it Michael, Suzanne? It could be anyone.
A few days passed by and Suzanne stopped by at Alice’s place. She said she was organizing a welcome party for her. The entire neighborhood was invited. Alice said there was no need for that because she had already met almost all of the neighbors, but Suzanne insisted.
At the party, there were a bunch of people whom Alice had never seen before. Everyone was eager to meet her and learn as much as possible about her life. She felt uncomfortable at times, but with Michael and Suzanne there, she did have some fun. Well, until she spotted a familiar face.
Alice’s heart raced. Why is he here? Who invited him? Could it be the same person who left the note? A flood of questions swirled in her mind.
Michael noticed she wasn’t feeling well and offered to take her home, but Alice declined. Instead, she found Suzanne among the crowd and asked her if he could spend the night at her place. Suzanne said yes, without asking any questions.
That night, Alice told Suzanne everything about Tim, her ex-boyfriend. She shared that she fell pregnant with him, but he was unsupportive and became angry. Sadly, that made Alice feel unsafe, so she left him.
Tears started falling down her face when Suzanne took her hand and said, “There’s something I need to tell you too.”
“I found Tim on the social media and invited him to the party,” she said. “Honestly, I thought you could fall for Michael, but you know… I like Michael and I wanted to distract you… I didn’t mean to cause any harm,” Suzanne confessed, and it looked like she was ashamed of herself.
Before Alice could say anything, Tim appeared at the door.
“Alice, we need to talk,” he said softly, as though he regretted ever treating her the way he did.
Tim explained that he got scared when he learned about the baby, and his reaction was overwhelming. But even before he could say he was sorry, Alice moved places and he couldn’t reach her. It was like that until Suzanne sent him a message.
He then pulled out his phone and showed Alice photos of the nursery room he prepared for their baby.
His words seemed genuine. He was truly sorry, and Alice realized she judged him too quickly.
She was also scared when she learned about the baby, but she never admitted that, she only blamed it on Tim.
At that moment, Tim whispered, “I love you, Alice, and I will you with every breath I take.”
“Oh, Tim,” Alice said and embraced him.
That evening was a new start for Alice and Tim. They learned they still belonged together.