The Boy Next Door...

**Natalie POV**

I wake up to the sound of light snoring and a hot breath on the back of my neck, and it kind of tickled. I can feel the warmth of his body as he’s laid beside me with his arm over me. I’m not frightened to move, but I would rather not wake him. So I just lay there. This is kind of nice. Relaxing you could even say.

His rhythmic breathing slowed down and his snoring stopped, but he remained still. “Good morning.” His gruff sleepy voice filled the room. “Morning Frank.” I said quietly. He moved his arm and I turned to face him. “Sorry I fell asleep I didn’t realize I was so tired.” He just looked at me and smiled “Its fine I do that sometimes too.”

My stomach starts to rumble and I ask. “Want some pancakes?” his eyes light up and he chuckles and says “Hell yeah I’m starving.” So I crawl out of bed and head for the door I look back at him and he is still laying there. “You coming Iero?” he laughs some more “Yeah I’ll be down in a bit I got to take care of something.”

Not being totally oblivious as to what he meant I just said “Ah I Gotcha.” I then head out the door and down the stairs to the kitchen where I start breakfast for the both of us. I get all my ingredients out then remembered I need to start the coffee pot. So I start that and then get back to prepping my pancakes. As I’m mixing my pancake mix I hear footsteps down the stairs and I call out to him. “Frank I’m in here.”

He comes into the kitchen with my phone is his face apparently reading something. “Who’s that?” I think curiously “Some guy named Gerard?” he says quizzically. “Oh yeah today is Sunday I forgot I was supposed to meet up with him today what’s the text say?” he looks at me with some sort of face before he answers me. “Hey babe still coming over later?”

I chuckle and Frank just looks at me some more. I choose to ignore the expression this time. “Tell him I’m definitely down for later oh and also tell him I’m bringing someone new over.” Frank just looked oddly at what I just said, but texts for me anyway. “You sure you want me to meet this guy.” I place pancakes on a plate and hand it to him. “Oh yeah I think you two would get along great he’s kind of just like you.”

He raises a eyebrow “oh really?” I hand him the syrup and a fork and ask him how he likes his coffee. “How do you know I drink coffee.” I laugh a bit at myself for how foolish I’m going to sound by answering his question. “I smelt a bit of coffee on you last night while we were watching the movie.” He just answers back with a wink “look who’s got a nose on them.” I glare at him “yeah, yeah so how do you want your coffee?” he acts like he’s thinking about it for a moment “Black please.”

I pour him and me both a cup and I sit beside him. We occasionally look at each other, but don’t speak for the majority of the breakfast. Then he finally says “So how are we so much alike me and this Gerard person.” I think about it for a moment and can’t find the words to describe it so I put it into a different perspective. “You know how you and I are a lot alike so far?” he looks at me and nods his head.

“Well Gerard is the same as me, he and I are basically one person in two different bodies he’s the only person who has never judged me in the most judging of times. I’ve done a lot of stuff I’ve regretted and he’s just been there for me through it all.” Saying this seemed to have thrown him off, but he never asked me what I meant.

He seemed a bit awed by my opening up to him and quite frankly it wasn’t that hard to. Frank was just easy to talk to point blank. Frank in general just seemed so different in a good way I usually shy away from people. But with him there is just something about him that pulls me in and makes my walls disappear just like Gerard, but here’s the thing I wasn’t attracted to Gerard I was attracted to Frank, but I know he can do better. I just wish I knew how he felt about me.

**Frank POV**

I woke up to silence but I could feel her breathing had stopped as if she was holding her breath so I greet her with a “Good morning” I didn’t realize I was so close to her, but she didn’t move so neither did I. “Morning Frank” she replies ever so quietly. I move my arm just so I don’t creep her out, but she then turns to face me

“Sorry I fell asleep I didn’t realize I was so tired.” I smile at her attempt to apologize it was very sweet and unnecessary. “Its fine I do that sometimes too.” I say to ease her mind. I hear her stomach growl and she follows up with a quick “Want some pancakes?” I fucking love pancakes.

I chuckle at myself about how excited I’m getting over pancakes and reply with a “Hell yeah I’m starving.” She crawls out of bed and dashes for the door I would get up but a certain someone is awake as well and I really don’t want to freak her out maybe she will just dash downstairs and not notice I’m behind her.

She turns around and says “You coming Iero?” fuck I guess I could only hope maybe if I don’t bluntly say it she wont freak I laugh some more but its more of a embarrassing laugh “Yeah I’ll be down in a bit I got to take care of something.” She just replies with an “Ah I Gotcha.” With little to no emotion, and then heads out I don’t think she caught the embarrassment laced in my laugh.

I get up from the bed and head to her bathroom to take care of my business I then wash my hands and face when I’m done just so I don’t look like a street rat. As I walk out I hear Natalie’s phone start ringing. I go over to pick it up and take it to her but I read the front screen and it said New Message From: Gerard <3

I contemplate on reading it as I head out the door but ultimately decide to. I open her phone and the message read “Hey babe still coming over later?” I knew it they are flirting god I hope I don’t start shit especially since I spent the night and all. Before I knew it I was at the bottom of the stairs and Natalie has already called out to me.

I come into the kitchen still with the phone in my face reading the message over and over. “Who’s that?” she asks me “Some guy named Gerard?” I say unknowingly as best as I can to elude her from the fact I’ve already looked into this guy she just replies with a “Oh yeah today is Sunday I forgot I was supposed to meet up with him today what’s the text say?” I look at her with a sort of sad somewhat crushed dreams face but nonetheless I answer her. “Hey babe still coming over later?”

She laughed why did she laugh? Is this a joke for her or what I just look at her some more with my previous face but I try to tone it down but it definitely not working. “Tell him I’m definitely down for later oh and also tell him I’m bringing someone new over.” I look at her in a different way she’s going to let me meet him? That doesn’t sound boyfriend-ish or at least I don’t think it does. Oh god I’m so damn confused. “You sure you want me to meet this guy.” I say to her as she hands me a plate of pancakes. “Oh yeah I think you two would get along great he’s kind of just like you.”

I cock my eyebrow at her “oh really?” she hands me the syrup and a fork and asks me how I like my coffee. I take this opportunity to change the subject for awhile while my brain reorganizes “How do you know I drink coffee.” She chuckles at herself for some reason before answering my question “I smelt a bit of coffee on you last night while we were watching the movie.” I wink at her as I quote her from last nights events “look who’s got a nose on them.” She frowns at me “yeah, yeah so how do you want your coffee?” I act as though I don’t already know “Black please.” I finally reply.

She poured me a cup and I sometimes look at her and I finally decide I would interrogate her about Gerard and how we are alike. “So how are we so much alike me and this Gerard person.” I say rather bluntly, but only so I could get it out there and stop wondering. You can tell shes having a hard time putting her words together so she answers me but in a different way. “You know how you and I are a lot alike so far?” I just nod at her so I don’t interrupt her thought process, and she continues.

“Well Gerard is the same as me, he and I are basically one person in two different bodies he’s the only person who has never judged me in the most judging of times. I’ve done a lot of stuff I’ve regretted and he’s just been there for me through it all.” Her being so open with me touched me.

I hope one day Natalie can come to me with her problems even if it’s just on a friends term. She is so easy to talk to. I can’t really say I’ve ever met someone so different but so tantalizing. I would love for our relationship as friends to grow and be more then that, but I know she could do better. I just wish I knew how she felt about me.

Notes

sorry that this was a short chapter i just wanted everyone to see how each character felt that morning. Gerard will be in the next chapter for sure maybe even Mikey ;) (nah he will definitely be in the next chapter too.) anyway please rate, subscribe if you haven't, and leave me some love i'm feeling like i'm writing to ghosts here. tell me what you think! i need some motivation to write ;)