(Author note: It's June 1st, 2005)
*RING RING RING*
Fuck, I don't want to get up but sigh. Sunlight crept through curtains, soft and warm, waking me gently. Stretching under the blankets, feeling rested and calm. Yesterday had been long and full but today felt like a clean slate.
Slipping on a hoodie and headed downstairs. The house was quiet—still early. I made myself a quick breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast and a glass of orange juice
I decided to have my breakfast outside, so I came to the Porche outside sat at the table while birds chirped. The peaceful morning breeze flowed making me feeling refreshed. Just as I finished eating, I went inside to clean my dishes. I heard something outside—voices, footsteps, and the sound of a truck. I frowned. Something's going on…
I slipped on some shoes and stepped outside. The morning air was cool, and the sun was still climbing. Down the street, a large moving truck had pulled up beside an empty house that had been for sale since I came here. A family stood by the driveway—two adults and a kid about my age, maybe slightly younger. Boxes were stacked everywhere, and movers carried furniture up the walkway.
They seem to have good genes; The father, tall and broad-shouldered, around 6'2, directing the movers with calm authority. The mother, 5'10, with long blonde hair and a friendly smile, chatting with one of the workers. And their daughter—also about 5'10, blonde like her mom, maybe close to Liam's age. She had soft features, bright blue eyes, and was… well, cute in a friendly, warm way. She wore a light hoodie and jeans and held a box labeled BOOKS.
Emily noticed too; she had stepped outside with a mug of coffee, wearing a light sweater and pajama pants. "New neighbors?" she asked as she walked over to stand beside me.
"Looks like it," I said. We both watched as the family inspected the house and chatted with the movers. "What do you think?" I asked. "Nice family?" Emily smiled. "Hard to tell yet, but they seem friendly… and it'll be nice to have more people around. This street's been quiet lately." "Yeah, we don't have many neighbors here mostly because the properties here is pretty huge.
I nodded, still observing. The chick with blond hair, hoodie, headphones around her neck—looked over at me for a moment. Their eyes met, and the chick gave a small nod before turning away to help her parents. "I don't know why but they look familiar.." I thought.
Emily nudged my elbow. "Maybe someone your age. That could be good for you." "Maybe," I said thoughtfully.
She took a sip of her coffee. "Guess today's gonna be interesting." "Yeah," I agreed, already curious about the new family. Emily turned toward me with that gentle, big-sister look.
"Hey," she said softly, "if you feel like it later, go introduce yourself. Not right now—they're clearly drowning in boxes—but sometime today."
"You think I should?"
"I think," she said with a smile, "you make a good impression. And having a friend nearby could be nice."
I nodded quietly. "Yeah… maybe I will." Started to think if this is good or bad. "I don't want to have friends like the ones I had in my old world and this one." I thought.
Emily ruffled my hair and was about to head back toward her house.
"I'm going to drink this coffee and pretend I'm awake," she joked. "Let me know if anything else happens." "Okay," I said, smiling.
An idea slowly formed in his mind—one of those warm, simple ideas that felt right. These people had just moved in. They were probably exhausted. They definitely hadn't cooked yet. and… well, I liked cooking. It felt good to help.
He turned to Emily and called to her before she left."I think I'm gonna make them some food. Y'know… a 'welcome to the neighborhood' thing." Emily smiled wide. "That's a sweet idea. They'll appreciate it." "And maybe some cookies too," I added shyly.
Emily gave me a sisterly nudge. "Do it. You're officially the nicest neighbor on the street." I felt a warm confidence bloom in my chest plus I had a system."Okay. I'm gonna start now." I waved goodbye and headed back home with a new mission.
Inside, I washed my hands, tied on a kitchen towel, and opened the fridge. From yesterday's Costco trip, I had tons of ingredients. "If i keep going like this at this pace I would need to go to Costco again" I mused.
I planned a simple but delicious welcome meal: Baked chicken with herbs. Creamy mashed potatoes. Buttered green beans. Soft dinner rolls Dessert: Fresh, warm chocolate chip cookies Perfect.
(Authors note: This is the whitest thing I can think of.. Someone comment more food ideas in the comments please.)
He started with the chicken—seasoning it with salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic before placing it into the oven. The smell alone already made the kitchen feel warm and inviting. Next, peeled potatoes and set them to boil. Trimmed the green beans, seasoned them lightly, and set them aside to steam. But the best part? The cookies.
I mixed flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, and chocolate chips into a dough that smelled like childhood happiness. When he scooped the dough onto the baking tray and placed a few extra chocolate chips on top—just to make them look fancy. I slid the tray into the oven, and soon the kitchen filled with the scent of melted chocolate and warm cookie dough.
[Cooking lv 14 -> 15]
I took a deep breath. "Yep. This is gonna be good." When everything finished cooking, I assembled the meal neatly into containers: Chicken in one, Mashed potatoes in another, Green beans and rolls in a third Then grabbed a plate and gently stacked eight perfectly warm cookies on it, covering them with foil so the chocolate stayed gooey.
Placed everything into a reusable grocery bag. It looked… nice. Thoughtful. Friendly.
As I stood in the kitchen packing up the welcome meal and cookies for the new neighbors, something tugged at me. Fuck, I forgot about Emily. She was my big-sister neighbor now. She'd worked a long shift at the clinic yesterday, woke up early this morning, and spent time helping me feel supported and steady. She deserved something too.
I looked at the leftover ingredients on the counter and nodded to myself."Yeah… I should make her some food as well." Since I already made a family-style dinner for the new neighbors, I decided to make Emily a smaller but special plate of her own: sliced baked chicken, mashed potatoes with extra butter, roasted carrots (her favorite from earlier conversations) and two of the cookies set aside just for her.
I plated her meal neatly in a container, added the cookies on top, and covered it all with foil. It looked warm and comforting—exactly what Emily deserved after everything she'd been through. "Big sister gets her own plate," I said with a grin looking stupid. "She earned it."
Soon the kitchen table had:
Bag #1: For the new neighbors
Main dinner containers, rolls and a plate of warm cookies
Bag #2: For Emily
A perfectly portioned dinner, Two cookies and a folded note card Liam wrote quickly: Thanks for everything. —L
I blushed slightly after writing it but decided to keep it. Emily would appreciate it in a sisterly way.
Before heading to the new family, I grabbed Emily's bag and stepped out into the warm morning.
Her porch light was still on as she drank coffee and watched the movers from a distance. She saw me approaching and smiled. "Well hey, kiddo," she said. "You look like a man on a mission."
"I, uh… made you something," I said, holding up the bag shyly. "WHY TF AM I ACTING LIKE A HIGHSCHOOL GIRL I SCREAMED" in my mind ofc.
Emily raised her eyebrows. "Me? Again?" "It's just dinner," I said quickly. "Since you've got another work shift tonight. And you helped me a lot this week." Emily took the bag gently, and her expression softened in a way that felt like a hug.
"Liam," she said warmly, "you really are the sweetest little brother ever." I laughed awkwardly. "It's nothing big." "It is big," she insisted. "And it means a lot to me."
She peeked into the bag and chuckled. "And cookies? You're spoiling me."
"Just two," I said, pretending to be strict. "Ration them." Emily nudged me with her elbow. "Thank you. Really."
Then she gave me an encouraging smile. "Now go give your other neighbors their food. First impressions matter."
I nodded. "Wish me luck." "You've got this," Emily said. "They're going to love you."
Feeling braver after Emily's encouragement, I grabbed the larger welcome-meal bag, took a steady breath, and began walking across the street toward the blonde family unloading boxes. I noticed the girl my ages was watching me the whole time and I just noticed.
She looked up at me as I approached, her blue eyes widening slightly in surprise—and curiosity.
I walked across the street, the welcome-meal bag swinging lightly. My heart beat a little faster the closer he got, but Emily's encouraging smile still echoed in my mind:
"They're going to love you."
The father noticed him first. Tall, broad-shouldered, and friendly-looking, he set down a box and waved.
"Well hey there!" he said with a warm smile. "You must be one of our new neighbors."
I straightened a little and nodded. "Hi, I'm Liam. I live right over there."As I pointed to my house across the street.
The mother turned too, brushing a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled kindly. "Nice to meet you, Liam," she said. "I'm Andrea, and this is my husband, Scott."
"Pleasure," Scott said, shaking my hand gently.
I took a breath and lifted the bag. "Welcome to the neighborhood," I said, his voice more confident now. "Um… I made you guys dinner and some cookies. Moving days are busy, so I thought… y'know… you might be hungry."
Both parents lit up with genuine surprise.
"You cooked for us?" she said, touched. "Liam, that's incredibly sweet."
Scott smiled proudly. "What a great neighbor. Thank you, son."
Liam felt the tension in his shoulders loosen and smiled a little, relieved by their warm response. They seemed like really kind people.
Near the back of the truck stood the daughter, blonde like her mom, tall like both parents, around 5'10. She held a box labeled CLOTHES and seemed caught somewhere between tired and thoughtful.
She hadn't spoken yet. She just watched him. Her blue eyes were fixed on him with a look he couldn't quite decode: Curiosity, Surprise. Maybe… shyness? Or something else?
I shifted slightly, trying not to overthink it. She hadn't frowned or glared—she was simply observing me, studying me almost. Her expression was soft, but unreadable.
Andrea noticed and gently nudged her daughter's elbow.
"Taylor, honey, say hello."
The girl blinked, like she snapped out of a thought. She opened her mouth… but didn't say anything. Instead, she just gave a tiny nod. A very small smile. Then looked down at her shoes, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
I tried not to feel awkward. Why won't she say anything? Is she shy? Nervous? Or… did I do something weird? I felt a flicker of confusion, but also curiosity. What's she thinking? Why so quiet?
Scott chuckled softly."Don't mind Taylor," he said. "She's probably tired, we have been busy" Andrea added kindly, "She'll warm up once she settles in. Moving is a lot for her."
I nodded, relieved. "That's okay. I get it."
Taylor looked up once more, peeked up at me again. Her gaze was softer now. Maybe even grateful. "Wait is she blushing..? I might be imagining things." I thought.
Scott took the food bag with genuine gratitude. "Liam, this means a lot. Really," he said. "You didn't have to do this." Andrea smiled warmly. "Thank you, sweetheart. We'll return the favor when we're settled."
I smiled back. "Glad to help. If you need anything, I'm around." Andrea placed a hand on Taylor's shoulder. "Say goodbye, honey." Taylor hesitated, then gave another small nod—eyes lingering on Liam for a moment longer than before. I waved politely. "Welcome to the neighborhood."
[+1 CHA]
As I walked back home, I felt something tug at his thoughts. Taylor hadn't said a single word. Just watched me with that quiet, unreadable expression. What was she thinking? Was she shy? Tired? Nervous? Or something else entirely? Whatever it was, it stuck with him all the way back across the lawn.