2: Neighbours

Chapter 2:

Hazel POV:

I heard a car door slam and I suddenly woke up. I straightened my back and looked around groggily. What a comfortable sleep that was. My back was aching terrible, begging for a comfortable bed while my head was pounding, giving me a rough head ache. I looked out of the window and noticed a huge mansion, it had a front garden on the front, a huge backyard with a pool and it was a two storey house. Though it wasn't as big as the one next to ours. Only a wooden fence was separating the two houses from each other. I sighed and got out of the car, shivering from the chilly night air. I silently cursed and wrapped my arms around my body, running my hands against my arms. It was still eight in the afternoon! Could it really be this cold and dark? I sighed and walked up the steps towards my new house, I saw my mother admiring the entrance and when she noticed me, she clapped her hands together as though she was delighted to see me. She twirled around, taking another glance at the entrance hall. I rolled my eyes at her and entered the house, surprisingly it was warm and I smiled.

"Isn't it just wonderful!?" she asked, her British accent sounding too posh.

"Mom, it's just a house!" I said, starting to get annoyed with the way she was acting.

Sure it was a new house, we moved houses frequently, one house a bit better than the other but for me, they were just a house and I was thankful for having a roof over my head and something to stuff my hungry stomach with. I looked around, to search for my father but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where's Dad?"

My mother turned around, her lips twitched into a smile. "Next door neighbours."

"Which side?" I asked her, since we had neighbours on both sides.

"Left."

I nodded and turned around to go next to him. If you haven't yet guessed, I was close to my father, more close than I was with my mother obviously. I walked down the drive way, pushed the gate open and turned left and came face-to-face with a house, the same size as our new one. I frowned and slowly, pushed the gate open and walked up the driveway, feeling way out of place. I sighed and walked up the few steps and rang the doorbell. The door opened and a fourteen-ish year old beautiful girl with tanned skin was standing in front of me. She raised both of her eyebrows at me, looking me up and down.

"Who are you?" she asked, confidently.

"New neighbour next door, is my Dad here?" I asked, getting to the point. Again, she raised her eyebrows at me and sighed.

"Yeah, come in," she said and moved backwards, giving me space to enter the house.

Timidly, I stepped inside the house and felt the warmness of the house wrap around me, I could smell something delicious cooking. The house felt warm welcoming but I felt uncomfortable standing in the doorway and not because I was in an unknown house, it was that too but something else.

A woman, which I assumed was the mother, walked towards her daughter and me. She smiled up at me and extended her hand towards me, I took mine out and shook hers.

"You must be the new neighbour?" she asked and I nodded. "I'm Patricia, this is my daughter Waliyha."

"Hazel," I said and forced myself to smile.

"Such a lovely name, your father is currently talking to Yaser, you can come in and have something to drink, if you like," Patricia offered.

"No thanks, my Mom is probably having a heart attack with all the boxes and luggage's. Better go help her," I said and she nodded, understanding.

"Of course," she said and smiled.

I smiled and turned around, reaching for the handle but someone yelling, stopped me.

"Mom! Where's my jacket!?" a tanned boy my age, came down the stairs, looking at his mother, waiting for an answer. He looked at me and his eyes slightly widened. "Oh, didn't know we had visitors."

"Oh, she's the new next door neighbour," Waliyah said, smirking evilly.

I looked at her, confused. The way she said next door neighbour sounded weird, like she wanted to send him a message or something. His eyes widened, as though understanding something, I didn't.

"It's on the sofa, darling," Patricia said, looking worried. She ushered her son towards an entrance, she turned around and smiled at me.

"I have to go," I said, my eyebrows furrowed together. Without another word, I opened the front door and left, the door slightly slamming behind me. I stepped down the stairs and stopped. I gulped down my saliva and breathed out heavily. Nervously, I ran a hand through my hair and walked down the drive way, in the process hearing the front door open and slam shut. I looked behind me, before turning right and pushing my gate open, I saw the same boy walking down the drive way, looking at me with a cigarette between his lips. I turned around and pushed open the gate, but his voice stopped me.

"What's your name?" he asked and I spun around on my heels, he was lighting up the cigarette then looked up at me.

"What's yours?"

He chuckled and blew out a puff. "Zayn, Zayn Malik."

My eyes widened at the surname. That was impossible right? "Excuse me?"

"What?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows, confused.

"Your surnames Malik?"

He nodded still looking confused. "So?"

"Nothing, I have to go," I said, probably sounding a bit angry. "Goodnight."

I turned around and pushed open the gate, slamming it shut behind me. I walked up the steps and my mother walked out of the front door, towards the car to pull out boxes. "We're neighbours with the Malik's!?"

She froze and stood up, holding a box in her hands. She bit her lip, and sighed dramatically. She walked towards me, handing me the box then walked back towards the car and pulled out a luggage. She sighed and turned around to look at me.

"Honey, I know -" she started but I cut her off.

"No! You don't know anything! You know the Malik's are family enemies and you move next door to them!? Are you out of your minds!?" I yell, lifting one arm up and pointing towards the Malik's house.

"No, we're not out of our minds!" she said, starting to get angry. "Your father is talking to Mr Malik and trying to sort out the past out! I don't care if you hate the Malik's, I don't know what your father's parents have told you and I do not wish to know but this is your life and we are not going to move houses again!"

I looked at her in disbelief. "You are unbelievable!" I screamed at her and turned on my heels, storming in the house and up the stairs. I put the box down and took in several deep breaths, to calm myself down. I looked through the corridor and many doors. I sighed in defeat and ran a hand through my hair. I walked towards the first door and pushed it open but found it was a bathroom, I closed it and walked towards the one next to it but it was a store room. I walked towards the one next to it but found it was my parents bedroom since there was already a frame of them hung on the wall on top of their huge bed. I closed the door and crossed the corridor towards the left door. I opened the door but found it was a study. I rolled my eyes and looked at the last two doors at the end of the corridor. The one in the middle was a spare bedroom and when I pushed open the last door my mouth gaped open in shock.

This was huge! The walls were painted dark purple and there was a white framed window on the left side of the room, a double bed in the middle of the room is right opposite the door, then there was a wooden desk, painted black on the same side of the door, there were my boxes on top it. On the other side were some drawers while there was another door which I assumed was my closet but when I opened the door, it was quite spacious. It had a shoe rack on one side, some drawers next to the rack and then there was a clothes hanger from one side to the other side of the closet, it was much larger than my other closet and it had a tiny corridor in the middle. I turned around and walked towards my bed and sat on it. It was comfortable and I'll probably sleep like a baby tonight. I had a bed stand next to my bed with a lampshade and two drawers. I stood up and pulled one of my suitcases up on my bed, deciding to pass time by unpacking.

**

I had just finished placing my stuff in the drawers a few hours later when I heard yells and a door slamming from somewhere outside. I furrowed my eyebrows and walked out of my closet and towards the window. I looked out of my window and saw the house opposite ours, the light in the window exactly opposite mine lit up and the door slammed with such force, I winced. I waited for a figure to emerge but I didn't see any. From what I could see, it was a boy that lived in the room due to posters stuck on the walls and the boy-ish paint on the wall and also due to the fact that the room was messy.

A thought struck my mind and my eyes widened. My bedroom was on the left side and on the left side lived the Malik's. And they had a son my age. Maybe they had another son! But as quick as my hopes were up, they were down again. Zayn walked into the window view shirtless. He had abs and a tattoo on his right shoulder in a foreign language. I gasped and my eyes widened as he flexed his arms upwards, stretching; showing his biceps and forming abs. My legs were glued to the floor and as much as I wanted to tear my eyes away, I couldn't.

He's a Malik, Hazel! For fuck's sake!

A tiny voice screamed in my head and I blinked and shook my head, clearing my thoughts.

"Hazel! Come eat something!" my mother yelled and apparently Zayn heard because his head turned towards my window and noticed me in view.

My eyes widened when I noticed him looking at me. I gulped and turned around and walked out of my bedroom, turning off the lights and softly closing the door. I took in several deep breaths and sighed, running a hand through my hair.

He's a Malik. You know you can't fall for him, idiot. Your grandparents would be disappointed Haze! Don't. Just don't, for Heaven's sake! You know what his family did to yours. You promised yourself you won't forgive any of them!

The same voice inside my head screamed at me and I sighed, closing my eyes, sliding my back down against my door frame. I rubbed my eyes and leaned my head on my skinny knees.

"Hazel!" my mother screamed from downstairs.

"I'm not hungry!" I yelled back, trying to keep calm. "I'm going to take a shower!"

"Everything is in the big box, inside the main bathroom, put them in place before you shower, honey!" she yelled, her British accent flooding through my ears. I groaned and stood up. Tomorrow was a Sunday and I didn't really have anywhere to go except for preparing for first day of high school, since my parents had decided on making me go to a public school instead of continue being home schooled. I sighed and flicked on the lights and closed the door behind me. The bathroom was quite large; there was a huge white bath tub on one side, a toilet on the wall next to it, a towel rack next to the bath tub, a matching cupboard next to the rack with the box on top of it and then the sink had a huge marble surface and the mirror on top of it was huge covering the whole wall, it had flower design on the bottom right corner. I walked over towards the box and started placing my stuff inside the cupboard and in the rack in the bath and on the marble counter around the sink.

I took off my clothes, pulling my hair up in a messy bun and stepping in into the dry bath tub. After taking a warm bath, I dried myself and wrapped a towel around my body. I walked over towards the sink, brushing my teeth and washing my face with my face products. I applied a moisturiseron my face and took my clothes in my hands and walked out of the bathroom and opened my bedroom door, turning on the lights. I looked over on my left and noticed that his bedroom light was on and he had his back against me, sitting on his desk, his back arched forwards, his right hand holding a pencil in his hand while it scratched over a paper. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought when I finally realised that I was naked and had only a towel around my body. My eyes widened and I quickly walked towards my closet, closing the door shut and turning on the lights.

After putting on my short black pajama shorts and white tank top, slipping on a purple hoodie on top and black fluffy socks, I walked out of my closet, closing the door softly. It was November and it was probably freezing outside but inside, all heaters were on and I didn't really mind wearing shorts as a pajama.

I turned around and walked towards the box on my desk, unfolding the flaps and looking inside. I took out the contents until I found my laptop and charger in another tiny box inside. I grabbed it and skipped over towards my bed, sitting down and opening the lid. I tried to find Internet connection but there wasn't any except for locked ones.

My bedroom door opened and I looked up, annoyed that they didn't knock.

"Do you know how to knock?" I asked my mother.

She rolled her eyes and walked towards my window, shutting down the blinds. She was still wearing her posh clothes and it annoyed me. Why couldn't she be normal and wear normal clothes like other mothers do!? Her sister was the complete opposite.

"No Internet, Haze, we're getting it on Tuesday darling," she said and my mouth gaped open. She smiled sweetly and closed my laptop and placed it on the desk.

"Are you for real!?"

"Yes, now get some sleep, tomorrow we have a lot to do and we're invited at the Malik's for dinner tomorrow evening and you are forced to come."

"You can't force me to come at an enemy's house mother," I stated coldly.

She sighed and turned around on her heels, hands on her hips. "I am your mother, I can force you and I have every right to do so!"

"I'm not coming."

"Yes, you are."

And with that, she left my bedroom, slamming the door shut. I groaned and looked at the blinded window. She knew I hated sleeping with a covered window. I sighed and stood up, walking towards the window and slid the blinds up and noticed that Zayn was still sat on his chair but had his back straight, his head cocked to one side as though looking at something curiously. He sighed and stood up and before he turned around and noticed me, I turned around and busied myself with the open box.

You know that feeling in your back or the back of your neck, feeling as though someone is looking at you? Yeah, I had that feeling and I had the urge to turn my head round but I wouldn't. I rummaged through the box, trying to find something interesting when I saw a Harry Potter book, the fifth one. I smiled and took it, turning around but stopped abruptly noticing he was still looking at me. He didn't look away in embarrassmentor made some sort of reaction. He just kept on looking at me, eyeing me curiously, his shirtless chest heaving up and down normally. I furrowed my eyebrows curiously at him.

I breathed out heavily, slightly narrowing my eyes at him, turning around on my heel and turning off the light, then jumped onto my bed turning the lampshade on while tucking myself beneath the covers and opening the book.

Dinner at the Malik's. This should be quite interesting. Though one thing bothered me.

Zayn and Waliyha acted normally around me, like they didn't hate me or my family but Patricia acted to nicely.

I wonder if they even know what their family did to mine.