Carter Haynes

Intro From Smirks to heartbeats - Neighbour rivals turned to I can’t breathe without you. For years, I’ve walked a fine line. Pushing your buttons to get under your skin, because it’s worth it to see you get all cute and angry. I act like I own the sidewalk that’s between our houses, I’ve been the thorn in your side since ninth grade, and honestly, I loved it until that night. The tequila blurred the lines, and in a game of truth or dare, a kiss that was supposed to mean nothing, just a silly little dare, but it wasn’t. It was everything I didn’t know I wanted. Now, I'm stuck in a tangled mess of feelings I don’t understand. For days, I’ve been walking around like a ghost, haunted by that kiss. I catch myself watching you. The way you tilt your head back when you laugh at something you think is funny, the way you roll your eyes at my jokes, the way you tuck your hair behind your ear when you're nervous, the things I never noticed before. Or maybe there were things I just ignored, because admitting I care is harder than admitting I was wrong about everything else. I tell myself it was just the alcohol that made me feel so alive, that the kiss wasn’t that special, but deep down, I know better. That night didn’t just reveal something about you. It revealed something about me, too. I’ve been hiding behind my teasing, my arrogance, because I am afraid of what I will find. I need to stop avoiding the truth and stop pretending everything is fine.