text: hopedieslast Marry the night 
   
   
   Meeting the neighbors 
   
  "Abel, hurry" Ashley Carter, a petite blonde, said. She was dragging a tall, handsome boy, named Abel Gonzales, by his wrist along the sidewalk. Suddenly she stopped. Abel could see what she was looking at. It was the widow, Ms. Donell, whose husband had died under mysterious circumstances, leaving her all his money. She was the neighborhood gossip and took joy in destroying others reputation. She was sunbathing in a bikini that was three sizes too small. They hid behind the spruce tree in the Jeffreys yard. After a few minutes Ms. Donell got off her chair and went inside her house. Ashley let out a breath and Abel pulled her out from behind the tree. 
  "Let's keep going" Abel said. Ashley was one step ahead and was almost running to the new neighbors house. 
  "Ashley, wait for me" Abel yelled out running after her. When he finally caught up to her he was tired from running in the boiling sun. "Why are you in such a rush" Abel asked, out of breath. 
  "I'm just excited to meet the new neighbors. With that Ashley turned to the door and knocked. There was a bit of noise and then the door opened. A tiny woman appeared at the door. She was about 5'2 with dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. She carried an air of elegance that intimidated Abel, though the woman was half his size. The woman beamed at them. 
  "Hello, what may I help you with" the woman said in a thick spanish accent. Ashley smiled back. 
  "We wanted to see if you needed any help unpacking" Ashley said. When she said this the woman smiled even wider and pulled Ashley into a big hug, then pulled Abel into a hug. She finally let them go. 
  "That would be lovely, thank you" she said, "my name is Azuscena Dominguez." 
  "My name is Ashley Carter" Ashley said, "and this is Abel Gonzales" she added gesturing towards him. 
  "Come in, come in" Azuscena said pulling them inside. They walked into the house and looked around. The place had a homey feel, even when it was half empty. 
  "So where did you move here from" Abel asked looking at Azuscena. 
  "From Mexico City" she said smiling. He was interested as his grandparents lived in Mexico City. 
  "Who's that" Ashley asked pointing at a figure laying by the pool in the backyard. 
  "That's my daughter" Azuscena said opening a box, "Ashley, would you be a sweetheart and tell her to come inside." Ashley stood up and opened the sliding glass door. When Ashley was gone he and Azuscena sat in silence. 
  "So, how do you like it here" Abel asked breaking the silence. 
  "It's nice but a bit overwheleming, seeing as we had to move on such short notice" Azuscena said. The glass door opened and Ashley and another girl walked through. He studied her for a moment. The girl was truly beautiful, with her long chocolate brown waves and her slighty lighter eyes. She was tall, about 5'7 and slender but with nice curves. She was the type of girl you saw on magazines or movie screens. She went to stand by her mother and it struck him how different they looked. While Azuscena was petite and slender her daughter was tall and curvy. Azucena's hair was almost pitch black and her daughter's was brown. The only similarities he could find were the long lashes and the almost porcelain color of their skin. Vaguely he noticed the girl had a beauty mark on her right cheek. 
  "This is my daughter, Viviana" Azuscena said proudly. 
  "Mother, I can introduce myself" Viviana said huffing. She smiled at the two guests. She pulled Ashley in for a hug just as her mother had and then pulled Abel in for a hug. This hug felt different, though. "Nice to meet you" Viviana said. 
  "Ashley, would you come help me in the kitchen?" Azuscena asked. The two women went into the kitchen and he just stood there watching Viviana. He caught her eye and quickly looked away. He turned back and saw she was smirking at him. She brushed past him and started up the stairs, then stopped. 
  "It was really nice to meet you, Abel" she said. Them she continued up the stairs. The rest of the day passed in a blur of unpacking. The Dominguez home was succesfully unpacked and at around 10:00, Ashley and Abel left. He repeated his encounter with Viviana and then he realized. He never told her his name. 
   
   
   
   Publication Date: January 7th 2012 https://www.bookrix.com/-hopedieslast